Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
The MBA interview process can be a bit intimidating for veterans, mostly because the majority of veterans have little or no interview experience. There’s no (at least not usually) interview process to get a new position in the military, and it’s not a requirement for promotion. For most veterans applying to MBA programs, an interview with the program could quite possibly be your first real professional interview.
When I was preparing for my own MBA interviews, the administrators I spoke with told me that veterans tend to do very well in the MBA interview process. We tend to be confident, well-spoken, and have compelling stories. I think we may also end up preparing more given that we aren’t used to doing interviews. And if you’ve ever done a KLE overseas or been interrogated at SERE school, having a conversation about going to business school with someone starts to seem a little more normal.
Interviews are only one piece of the pie. Your GPA, test scores, essays, and application all still matter as well. But schools need to do interviews for a few reasons.
First, it’s their way of seeing how serious you are about their school. Did you prepare? Did you research their school and learn what to talk about and ask during the interview?
Secondly, they need to see if you can do well in an interview as that is still a big part of any hiring process. Make no mistake—schools want you to get a job soon after graduation (just as you do) and need to assess if you will be able to land one.
Last, the MBA interview helps them look at your fit with the school more. Do you have a personality that will fit well with the program? Can you hold a basic conversation and bring engagement into the classroom?
Each school likely measures each one of these aspects differently, but they are looking for them in some form or another.
Start with the basic questions.
After you submit your application, you should start thinking about MBA interviews. Even without knowing what schools will invite you, there are some basic interview questions you should have prepared. Most schools are like to ask you these questions, or a near derivative of them. Before you know what MBA interviews you have, look to be able to answer each of these questions in under two minutes:
Walk me through your resume: Be able to speak about the jobs you had in the military and what your responsibilities were. The key here is demonstrating progression. Look, we all know that military promotions are automatic, but the more you can speak on how a position prepared you for the next, the more it will look like you are someone who is progressing into areas of great responsibility.
Tell me about yourself: This is a chance to show your personality and discuss what makes you unique. It can be tough. It can be awkward. And it needs to be different than your answers to the rest of the questions.
Why an MBA?: It can be almost guaranteed that you will be asked this question. The interviewer wants to see that you are deliberate. The most important part in answering this question is showing where you are in your current state, where you want to be, and explaining how an MBA can get you there. For veterans, the typical response here can be “I know that I don’t have any practical business knowledge or experience, and so the business education I can receive from an MBA will be essential into helping me gain the practical business acumen that I can use to add value in my next career.” Polish that to your own, but that’s a typical response for most veterans.
Why leave your current job?: This one can be a little easier for veterans. People understand that military life is hard and not everyone is going to do it forever. Be honest about your reasons to leave the military, but a note of caution: avoid sounding bitter or disappointed with military life (if that was a factor for you leaving). People respect the military brand and you don’t want to tarnish that.
Why now?: Similar to the previous question, but this can be a good time to talk about your desire to pursue education during this career pivot of yours.
Why X school?: If you haven’t already, this is where you really need to dig into the details of each school and take a hard look at what they offer and how it will help you. Know the classes, the clubs, and the career resources and how they will help you achieve your goals.
What are your goals immediately after graduation?: The key to answering this question is connecting where you are now to where you want to be, and how an MBA from X school will get you there. If your post-MBA goals aren’t connecting, then maybe you need to go back to your decision to apply in the first place. Your goals need to be realistic. If you say you want to go working in investment banking, but you have a low GPA and not-so-great quant scores, then this is going to cause the admissions committee to question your decision and if you are ready. It’s ok if you don’t have everything figured out right now, but having a good idea is important. Here’s the other thing: you are allowed to change your mind. No one is going to hold you to whatever you say in your interview.
What are your goals 10 years from now?: Most importantly, schools want to see progression. They want to see that you want to keep achieving and working to build. Do you need to hold to this? No.
Getting invited to an MBA interview.
The first step to an interview is getting invited. After you hit submit on your application, the admissions committee will then start reviewing applications to decide who they want to invite to interview. Each school invites a different percentage of applicants. Some schools are frugal with invites, while others are much more willing to invite you and see what you can do.
One major exception to the whole process is Dartmouth’s Tuck, which allows candidates to schedule their own interviews. The catch is you have to go to Hanover for your interview. As my one friend who is a Tuck alum told me, “It’s in the middle of nowhere” and they want you to experience that so that they find people who are serious about creating the type of close-knit community for which Tuck is famed.
You will typically find a variety of formats and options for your interview. You may have the option to interview on campus, off-campus, or via an online interview session. When I was in Syria, the ODA team leader next door to me had his Duke Fuqua interview via video chat (and he ended up going there). Most schools will say that they do not have a preference on what format you choose.
If possible, it’s typically considered better to go to campus and do the interview in-person. And if you cannot do it on campus, I would recommend trying to do an off-campus interview. Each school usually has a broad global network of alumni who do off-campus interviews. Additionally, schools may travel to do interviews in key hub cities, typically for international students. However, if you find yourself stationed overseas during your application, this may be your best option. While video chats are convenient, you will not get a chance to express your personality as well as in an in-person interview.
After the invitation.
Congrats! If you got invited for an interview, that’s a huge step. Now you can start drilling into details.
I highly recommend checking out Clear Admit. They have a catalog of interview reports submitted by people who were interviewed at that school. This is great for helping you learn the specific format and types of questions to answer. Knowing how each school does this is really important. For example, one school I interviewed at wanted me to spend 15–20 minutes on “tell me about yourself.” That’s waaaaaay longer than usual, but if I hadn’t looked this up, I would’ve stuck to my two-minute answer and looked woefully unprepared.
This is also important to help you get a feel for the vibe of the interview. Harvard, for example, trains their interviewers to be notoriously stone-faced during the interview. Other schools are more casual and promote a more conversational feel. Getting a feel for the dynamic can help you go in more comfortable and prepared.
After checking this out, reach out to the veteran’s club to seek interview help. As a note: not all clubs will do this. One school’s club told me flat-out that they did not do interview prep. Another school’s club actually reached out to me BEFORE the admissions committee even told me I was invited for an interview, and told me they were ready to work with me right away to start preparing. Either way, it’s worth asking.
Before your MBA interview, learn about who will be interviewing you. This mostly pertains to the questions you will ask at the end of the interview. The questions you ask for a student will be different than an alumnus and different still for a member of the admissions committee. You don’t want to seem like an internet creeper, but knowing some BASICS of their career can help you create effective questions.
The MBA interview.
To start, here’s some basic etiquette:
Be early: If you are a veteran and are late, I don’t know what to do with you. Be there 15 minutes early. You want the MBA interviewer to find you, not you have to find them.
Dress the part: For guys, this means a suit. Keep it conservative. Avoid bold patterns and flashy colors. For women, I’d give the same advice, with the caveat that I’m a guy and therefore not versed in women’s dressing: a suit is always a good move for interviews.
Bring a resume: Depending on the school, your interviewer may or may not have read your resume beforehand. Even if the school says they will have read it, go ahead and bring a copy. Have it printed on a nice paper (print shops will often have a “resume” paper) and carry it in a simple, yet professional, portfolio.
Follow up: Within 24 hours, send your interviewer a thank-you email. Nothing long, just a short note saying you appreciated their time and the opportunity and that you enjoyed meeting them. And for pete’s sake, don’t sign it “v/r”. That is no longer acceptable.
Final thoughts.
People love stories. In answering the questions, find a way to express your answer via story.
A powerful exercise to help with this is to write down your 3-5 most powerful stories. Think of stories that demonstrate your ability as a leader from the military. Pick ones that show difficult decisions, ones where you learned, and times you made an impact. Include at least one failure — one that shows you recognize failure but that you can grow from it.
As mentioned before on this blog, you will have to be ready to talk about yourself. It’s weird for veterans. But you have to start showing how YOU made an impact.
As you start going through the expected questions for each school, think on how you can connect one of your stories to that question. The same story might have multiple dimensions that you could explore in a variety of different scenarios or questions.
Being prepared also takes practice and rehearsal. Work with the veteran’s club, a loved one, or a friend to help you practice your responses.
Once you are done with your MBA interview, now comes the waiting. Unfortunately, you will have to just be patient and wait to hear back. The good news is that schools will typically let you know on a designated day. So there’s no need to anxiously check your phone before then. Whether good or bad, they will let you know on that day.
Related:
The Veteran (Semi) Professional Podcast: EP 02- Mark and Brendan talk MBA applications