The personal interview is a critical step in MBA admission process and should not be taken lightly. PI is aimed at knowing a candidate more intimately - assessing the clarity of thinking process, future goals and the 'fit' factor with the B-school.
It provides the admission selection committee of a B school to evaluate your interpersonal and soft skills. With this aim MBA Rendezvous is presenting you PI tips so that you can be successful.
Following are a few tips that will help you make your presence felt on the podium:
Confident and Controlled
You should give an impression of being confident and controlled in your behaviour and thought. Your confident personality will give you an extra edge upon your competitors competing for admission in the same college. Your controlled thought process will impress the panel and give an impression that you will handle any tense situation calmly. Hence, your candidature will be considered on a priority basis.
Prepared
Show them you know what preparation means. Make them understand what you think about the college. This opinion should be backed by the research data that you collected while conducting research about the college for your interview preparation. This will give an impression that you are not over-confident and believe in doing proper research as a part of your preparation strategy.
Positive attitude
You should be very optimistic in front of the panel. Make them feel positive and show your attitude of being a person who never loses hope. For instance, if you asked to express your thought over gender equality, you should stick to the topic by quoting relevant facts and incidences. You can talk about the women reservation bill, equal opportunity in jobs and salary, etc. You can be in favour or against, as you wish, but do not put forth negative points like you should not say, that a particular country, state or community is very bad for favouring or not favouring gender equality. Try to show that there is always a positive aspect in each predicament, if seriously considered.
Clarity of thought
You should be well prepared to answer their questions in the same context they are being asked. If they want to know why you want to get into the same college, do not generalize your answer by saying it is one of the best colleges and gives good placement. Try to figure out those points that will help you carve your future in this campus. Those points that you are not sure you will get someplace else like few honourable faculties, seminars of the past, on-campus workshops, etc.
Adaptive
Narrate, with their permission, some incidences that will prove you can adapt to various cultures and surroundings. Like you can tell them how you managed when you moved to a college which was very modern and adjusted to their culture despite of you coming from a very conservative family or vice versa. You can also give examples of situations you faced and handled when you worked in an office before your plans of higher education or when you visited any foreign land.
Fighter and Survivor
In today’s world, it is very apparent that only the fittest survives. So, go ahead and prove that you are a fighter and have the capability of surviving in the worst scenarios. Make sure to put it in a way that is not very evident. For instance, if they ask you what if you are not selected by the college, show them that you will be highly disappointed but you will not lose hope. Either you will update your preparation and come here again next time or you will take admission in the next best college and try to make the most of what that college has to offer you. Here, you can mention some good points about that college in question but, also mention those points that set this college apart from the second best in line. This will give the panel a glimpse of your thorough determination.
Goal oriented and concentrated
Talk about your ambition in a way that clarifies your desire of being there. Your goal clarity will be an important criterion for them to judge your determination. You need to prove that you want to reach your goal and you know how to do it exactly? This will bind the panel to consider your candidature above anyone else.
These factors that we are discussing here are not exhaustive but only suggestive. The preparation of any personal interview depends upon the college or course you are applying to. We hope the above information will provide you much value to consider. We wish all our readers best of luck for the upcoming ‘Admission PI’ season.
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