Being a part of the small percentage of applicants admitted to the top business school in the world will guarantee a lucrative spot in a really good company. Among the thousands of applicants in Harvard Business School, only a small percentage gets admitted.
According to Poets & Quants, they only follow very simple golden rules in HBS for conducting their interviews. Number 1, they do the interview to weed out people, instead of selecting them. And then, it is also about the applicant's ability to talk about their resume, and avoiding talking too much. Sounds simple, but it definitely is not that easy.
For those who aspire to be a part of this prestigious Ivy League school, here are some tips on how to ace the HBS interview, from Business Insider.
Prepare for probing questions
Most of the questions that will be asked in the interview will be based on the applicant's essays and application letter. More often than not, the questions will be about why the applicant has chosen the specific career mentioned in the application, why they have chosen Harvard, what books they are reading and any background majors in Art.
Dress rehearsal is important
It is better to practice out loud with someone listening than doing the rehearsal mentally. This practice will help the applicant feel more calm and relaxed during the interview.
Be ready to ask questions, too
While not applicants at HBS are given the chance to ask questions, it is always better to be prepared in case they do. Be ready with a short list of questions that shows knowledge and interest in the school.
Don't be overwhelmed with the post-interview reflection
The post-interview reflection aims to find out how the applicant perceives the interview experience. This is also a measure of the applicant's ability to think and work quickly, but it is important not to panic and not to spend a long time writing. There is no word limit for this but make sure to avoid recapping every point of the interview. This should be short but readable and substantial, and focused on the strengths of the applicant.
