Saturday, May 8, 2010

Interview(s) w/ a Twist

One of the second best things about the INSEAD application process (the first being the separation of church & state, I mean marketing & admissions) is that one of the most important components of the application process is the interview.

Make that TWO interviews: Two separate Alums are selected. Generally one is an expert in your field and the other has little to no experience - basically how do you converse with someone who speaks the same language and a complete outsider. Speaking of languages (pun intended) - some interviewers will bust into a 2nd language as indicated in your application so if you're thinking about forging knowledge of a language (or stretching your actual fluency) be prepared for a pop quiz!*

*Small disclaimer: this was my experience and based on what I Googled about other peoples' interviews. This may or may not be the case for you :)



Anyhow, my interview experience was very different from any others I've had - for jobs & school.

The interaction with Alumni was a great way for me to learn more about the real INSEAD experience - I'm not going to provide too much personal information on the interviewers themselves, since this is a public forum, but the point is that the interview process was eye-opening. Being accomplished in their fields, each Alum had insights that I did not expect. Walking out of that interview either solidifies your interest (and hopefully their's in you) or leaves you asking very important questions about next steps.

The best way to prep for the interviews is two-fold. First, read. Not just before your interview. Because that sort of regurgitation is very obvious and generally, out of nervousness, you will use up all the information you've stored within the first few minutes of the interview, leaving you with a lot of empty space :)

If you've had time to read and assimilate and understand and interpret and form your own ideas and opinions about what you've read, then you can have a conversation.

Secondly, practice answering some of the most basic questions like: strengths, weaknesses, examples of leadership, failures, your job description, the future of your company, your five year plan - these are all good topics of conversation that, with friends, you could probably spend hours. But when you only have a short amount of time, you want to make sure that you get to the point, make an impact in your observation (don't force it), and leave time for follow-up. Being clear and concise goes a long way.


In the end, so much of what INSEAD does is different from other b-schools you might encounter. The interviews play a key role in your application because they assess your fit with INSEAD among other things. They give you access to a breadth of knowledge about the campuses, courses, etc... Essentially it is a mutually beneficial process. Kind of like a first date where you ask each other important questions about long term goals and if she's a cat person and you're not only allergic to animals but dislike cats (because maybe you're a Mummy), then you both know to move on. There's other fish in the sea, right?

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