Personal Interview in MBA selection process is the stage which provides the last opportunity to you to convince the selection panel that you deserve admission to their institute and are the right candidate. To do this, it is imperative that you shed your inhibitions and 'talk' to the interviewers.
One mistake that many candidates make in a Personal Interview is that they don’t ask for a clarification when they don’t understand an interviewer’s question.
They feel that they will be penalized if they ask for clarifications. This is not true. In fact, interviewers will give you credit for speaking up.
There is no harm in asking an interviewer to explain a question, if it is too complicated or vague. In fact, seeking a clarification is better than answering a question wrongly.
However, you should not seek clarification for every single question. This will put you in a negative light because the interviewer will think that you have difficulty in comprehending questions. In addition, he/she will assume that you are not confident, which is why you keep seeking clarifications.
A Personal Interview is a two-way communication platform. It is like a dialogue where you showcase your skills to the interviewer and the interviewer in turn paints a picture about the business school that you are interviewing for.
So, both the interviewer and the interviewee can seek clarifications from the other party. Candidates should take some time to think about the question before answering.
In fact, you will not be penalized for taking a minute to formulate your answer before conveying it to the interviewer. If you fail to seek clarification and answer a question wrongly, it shows your arrogance and unwillingness to seek various points of view and opinions. It also shows that you are rigid and believe that only your way of thinking is correct.
Maintain some humility and show respect for the interviewer by seeking clarification on questions that are too difficult to comprehend.
Just because you can seek clarification does not mean that you do not pay attention to what the interviewer is saying the first time around. Always pay attention to the words of the interviewer and analyze the question carefully before discussing or seeking clarifications on it.
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