Instead of the usual 'Why MBA' and 'Why LBS' was asked to name the most important factor for wanting to do an MBA and LBS (each).
Dwelt a lot on foreign experience and questions about my perception of people (and how they perceived me) and places that I have lived in.
Other questions: cultural experiences, teamwork activities, career goals, job progress, opinion of your friends,
- What is your management style ?
- How your colleagues would describe you?
- What kind of barriers you might face when working in a multicultural environment ? How do you cope with them ?
- Why LBS ? Why an MBA ?
- Business Issues: The interviewer and I discussed several business isssues ranging from M&A, my industry's evolution, and the vision of my company. Be prepared to talk strategically about your company
He gave me some scenarios and asked me what I would do. The strangest one I remember is "You are the professor in a Strategy class, what would you present to the class as "What Worked" or "What Did Not Work" based upon your industry/work experience".
Another question was "what is the biggest problem facing my industry and what would I do to improve it?"
Tell me about a business person you admire.
What do you want your obituary to say?
however, he threw out the most unexpected question. The U.S. Federal Reserve Board had raised interest rates that morning (this, obviously, was a while ago) and he asked me not only what I thought of that decision, but also what I thought regarding the timing of it.
then he wanted 2 know more about the process i went through in writing the essays and why i chose the answers i did.
and he ended with some questions about the way i handle and manage my team, the way i solve problems and the way i make my people follow me.
Then he picked up on my age (currently 25) and questioned if i was too young.
He also questioned my internationalism
The interviewer was also interested in what else schools have I applied for.
I was asked certain mgmt. type questions - along the lines of 'What is the most important factor for managerial success'.
Basically, from what I understand, they have certain characteristics that they are meant to look for, such as obvious things like interpersonal skills, to more business specific items such as 'ability to understand strategic concepts' (for that I was asked about the overall strategy of my company and where I saw it going' ).
what would you look for if you were recruiting your own team?
what are your strengths and weaknesses?
what benefits have you gained from working with people from other countries?
what are your long-term aims?
what is your company's strategy, and how could you improve it?
what would you do if you never got an MBA?
how do you resolve conflict situations?
what position do you normally take up in teams?
what could you bring to an MBA?
what would you think is different about business leadership now vs. 20-25 years ago?
what kinda communication skills you use when interacting with peers/customers/bosses etc?
why this career choice?
company's greatest opportunity and threat?
Greatest challenge you have solved?
Do you work more frequently on your own or as part of a team?
Have you ever failed at anything?
What's your favorite book? Who is the author?
1. Provide an example of a situation where I had to choose a team and why I choose who I did? If was any problems with the team members, how did you deal with that situation
3. Describe yourself as a person?
1- Do you enjoy your current job? Why? What do you most enjoy? What do you like the least? (why?)
2- What do you want to do with your life? What are your long term plans?
7- Why do you really need an MBA? You don't really need an MBA - are you sure you want an MBA (huge emphasis on questions 5-7) (another variant - why do you need an MBA to achieve your long-term plans)
