Since many of you will be having your R1 HBS interviews during the first week of January, we thought we’d offer you some excerpts from a ‘field report’ we recently received. These notes came to us from a client who had their HBS interview earlier this season.
- HBS INTERVIEW NOTES -
Duration of Interview:
Precisely 30 minutes. Interview started perfectly on time.
Questions:
1. Intro, “How was your trip here?”, etc…
2. Have you visited HBS before? Have you visited a class?
Moving into the interview, my interviewer said, “Since we only have 30 minutes, please don’t be offended if I stop your line of conversation. I will take notes occasionally during our conversation. These notes will go in your file and your complete application will be reviewed again by the committee.”
3. What groups do you want to join at HBS?
I was a little surprised because she had only a blank legal pad of paper in the room and a pen. My application, essays, etc. were nowhere in sight! However, she did greet me by name and seemed to know my candidacy at the outset.
4. Tell me more about what you do at [current employer].
5. Tell me about [current extracurricular activity].
6. So I see that you are interested in a career in [candidate's target industry]?
7. What is that you like so much about the [blank] industry?
8. Tell me about a time when you were entrepreneurial? What were your challenges in this project? How did you overcome these challenges?
9. What would others say about your leadership style?
10. Tell me about a time when you faced an obstacle/challenge at work? What did you do?
11. Explain a time when you have enabled someone to do their job.
12. Is there a question that I haven’t asked?
13. “Well, that concludes our time…you could ask me a question if you have one…”
