The Application Process

Has anyone out there ever engaged a phone interview? How was that? Any advices? Please... thank you in advance.

I had a phone interview with Cornell-Queen's and it was a great experience. From my perspective the conversation served several purposes.

- Get to know the candidate. Did the interviewer and interviewee connect.

- Clarify any outstanding questions or concerns on the application. In my case I was interviewed by the program director who would be presenting my application to the admissions committee. If he had the information it saved them from having to contact me later with questions.

- Explain some elements and sell me on the program.

For me it wasn't a case of testing my knowledge, or asking odd questions to examine my psyche. Just an open an honest conversation about the program, what I hoped to achieve with it and to start that initial relationship.

Remember that Business Schools are looking for 3 things when it comes to their applicants
1. Will you be able to successfully complete the program? Neither you nor the school want you to flunk/drop out. It doesn't make good business sense. Would you invest 100k in an education where only 75% of students completed the program?

2. As an alumni will you bring credit to the institution? The quality of a program is often measured by the success that its graduates achieve after graduation. (Look at how most school rankings are determined) They want candidates who are going to be successful in the long term as it helps them attract recruiters, attract top students, increases school rankings and ultimately the amount they can charge for the program. Business Schools are businesses too.

3. What do you bring to the program? Are you going to make it a more valuable experience to everyone in the program? What experience, background, skills do you have?

Thats why you see some people with 700's fail to make the cut, and others with 600's get in. A strong GMAT score makes things easier for the admissions committee, but it's only one factor. Keep that in mind when you're being interviewed, schools was well rounded students.

Hope this helps

Kelly

Thank you very much for your detailed response Kelly! I think you are right. The GMAT is a good indicator, but the schools are even more concerned about the points you mentioned. Wish me luck! Thank you again.

I had a phone interview with Carlson (University of Minnesota) today. My advice is simple. Know your resume, know some details of the school's program, and know what you want to do for a career...be specific. I knew my stuff pretty well and I think the interview went well. Just be confident and self assured, but not cocky and you will be fine. Also this site helped, I found it about an hour before my interview and it really helped. You can research the specific school and focus, can't tell you how much this helped.

https://www.accepted.com/mba/interviews/ ... earch.aspx

ps. Type everything out but don't read it over the phone. It just helps focus your thoughts for the interview.

specialk1975 wrote:I had a phone interview with Carlson (University of Minnesota) today. My advice is simple. Know your resume, know some details of the school's program, and know what you want to do for a career...be specific. I knew my stuff pretty well and I think the interview went well. Just be confident and self assured, but not cocky and you will be fine. Also this site helped, I found it about an hour before my interview and it really helped. You can research the specific school and focus, can't tell you how much this helped.



ps. Type everything out but don't read it over the phone. It just helps focus your thoughts for the interview.

Hi,

Thanks very much for this comment. It help me to think about my ideals.

Apart from that, this link below may be useful: Phone interview questions
Tks again and pls keep posting.

Good advice here from everyone!

I recommend that you ensure that you have a quiet, uninterrupted space with good phone reception so that there are no issues with background noise or phone disruption. When I was a Director of MBA Admissions, I found it difficult to interview when I could hear dogs barking, street noise, doors slamming, etc.

Do have your application "selling points" handy on the three points that Kelly mentioned - especially on what you can contribute to the program. This is often a differentiator between otherwise admissible candidates.

Make sure you've done your homework prior to the interview. Don't ask simple questions that can be found on the web site.

Have 2-3 very good questions prepared for the end of the interview - such as, "What developments are on tap for the school in the next 3-5 years?" and (ask this one last, but only if it is not clearly articulated on the web site) "When can I expect to hear from the admissions committee?"

Good luck, and please come back and let us know how it went! Wendy

When it comes to predicting potential interview questions, whether on the phone or in person, the Interview Guide published by the Harbus (HBS student newspaper) is a great resource:

https://www.harbus.org/admissions-guide/

Do not READ ANYTHING! it's very obvious when someone is doing this... but.. definitely have bullet points in-front of you to remind you of things.