5 Common Interview Questions from Harvard Business School

Today is the final day Harvard Business School will extend Round 1 interview invitations, and to prepare nervous applicants, the school’s independent newspaper The Harbus has shared five common MBA interview questions that cropped up last year during the admissions interviews of current first-year students.

Here, we share excerpts from the article, which provides valuable, first-hand tips for successfully navigating the questions frequently posed by HBS interviewers:

Walk me through your resume.
The Harbus says: “Make your resume a narrative rather than merely relating a series of unconnected events. Focus on upward progression…Keep your ‘walk’ to 5 minutes, and don’t spend all your time in one area versus another.”

What is one thing I’d never have guessed about you, even after reading your application?
The Harbus says: “Here is an opportunity to go beyond your achievements – or at least your business-related achievements – and tell your interviewers about something that really makes you tick…Think about what would make you an interesting or valuable section mate to have at HBS.”

What is the most interesting conversation you’ve had this week?
The Harbus says: “Keep this professional, worldly and, most likely, news-related…use this as an opportunity to showcase your preparation, especially your morning news routine.”

How do you make big decisions?
The Harbus says: “This is another perfect question for examples. Tell a story, but make sure the actual decision has a logical, step-by-step process behind it. Show your personality in the answer too…don’t be afraid to talk about your gut.”

Describe an ethical grey area you had to navigate.
The Harbus says: “The hardest, most complicated, problems and questions often result in the best leadership development. Don’t try to whitewash the situation; acknowledge how hard the choice was and walk the interviewer through the process you went through to come to your final outcome.”

For more tips on how to answer each of these real Harvard Business School application interview questions, follow the link above to the original Harbus article.

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