Interviews are not a test.
Interviews are a test for almost all aspirants. They will be interviewed/interrogated and must find a way through it.
Your attitude towards the interview will determine everything -- your answers, facial expressions, composure, and body language. Your life depends on the panel, a group of two to three gods (benevolent or hectoring or bullying).
Let's forget about the test metaphor and instead try to see the interview as something different.
Don't become a kid again if you want to go to school.
I've seen it happen over the years. No matter if they are working professionals or freshers. Most candidates become children when it comes time to interview at a b school. This is with candidates with 3-5 years of work experience and interviewing candidates with a minimum of 10 years experience.
One such candidate was mock-interviewed by me. He immediately looked at the question as a professional question about his plan B. Instead of seeing it as a professional query, he saw it as a rejection. It was as if someone he truly looked up to and wanted to get approval from had just told him he wasn't worth it.
The candidate had over ten years of solid work experience, spent a lot of time at client's locations abroad, and was very familiar with his field. One of the twins from the IIMs called him for the PGP-X program.
The PGP-X options at the IIMs may not be the best. They have a lower industry perception than ISB about India's 1-year programs. IIMs can attract between 25 and 50 students when they hold information sessions about their PGPX programs, while ISB can accommodate hundreds. I think the IIM would have been more successful if this man joined them than the other way around.
We place education at elite institutions so high that we become 15-year-old children desperate to be accepted to the school.
He should have told them that he would take more time next time, score better on the GMAT and apply for international programs.
The first thing to remember is that an interview is a professional meeting, not a teacher-student one. This will make it easier to lose the battle between your ears.
The Panel Is Your Prospective Client
Why should the panel be your client?
They have to fill a set number of seats. Although it may not seem like a problem, it is. They want the best candidates to fill the seat.
Finding the right candidate is difficult because aptitude alone won't cut it. They expect candidates to possess many other traits that can't always be objectively assessed. Interviews are held across the country and over many weeks by the IIMs. They would not have selected people based only on their CAT Scores or the weights they assigned to various aspects of the profile.
Each IIM requires 300-400 solutions if every seat they need to fill is a problem.
What's your job?
It would be best if you convinced them that your solution is the best.
The metaphor of the prospective client is important.
It determines how you approach the interview. Interview panels can have a lot in common with prospective clients: they can be generous, expressionless and combative, aggressive, high-handed, and many other traits similar to interview panel members.
How Would You Handle a Prospective Client?
Are you trembling and feeling unconfident as you walk?
Do you expect others to sit at the table and ask questions? Or will you attempt to make a connection with them?
Are you going in unprepared? Or will you be prepared with the best pitch about your company and product?
Will you give in to your client's demands and throw a tantrum?
Do you want to give false information to the client and not ask further? Or will you tell them I don't know that I will get back to you on that one?
These are obvious answers. The traits that you should display are also obvious.
Self-Belief & Confidence
Communication Skills and Personableness
Preparedness and Purpose
Poise and the ability to handle stress
Honesty and Prudence
A Test Of Potential
Although you might not possess all of the traits listed above, it is important to have a few such qualities as Honesty. You cannot learn the rest of these traits through IIM courses. They can only be cultivated during your time at the B-school and the internship you will have to complete as part of the program.
These traits are expected to be displayed at some point, and you will show potential to become a leader in business if you have the opportunity to study at an IIM or other top business school.
It might sound similar to the Marketing Yourself idea, but you must make a crucial distinction. You are not marketing to an individual as in B2C Marketing (Business to Consumer), but you are marketing to an institution like B2B Marketing (Business to Business).
All the characteristics we discussed must be displayed with the confidence of a solution provider rather than the spirit of a salesman.
This will help you give a positive impression of yourself during your interview.
These qualities will be displayed if you approach the interview panel like a client.
A few dos and don'ts
Because it depends on the candidate's profile, it isn't easy to cover all possible scenarios and questions that a PI might face in a blog post. We can, however, look at some principles that will help you manage a PI.
Prepare for all the common questions(Tell us about yourself: Why MBA? Career Goals, Strengths, and Weaknesses
Be authentic. You don't know what to do, ask I'm not aware if you're making an educated guess, then start your answer with, although I'm not certain, I believe it...
Avoid using jargon. You don't have a lot of research and are willing to answer questions like "What is your favorite brand?" or "Why do I want to invest in banking?"
Don't ask for affirmation. Evaluate your performance. You might feel stressed or lose your composure if they keep an expressionless face.
You must be able to think on the feet to answer questions you don't expect. Your brain must be active and ticking.
Prepare to answer engineering questions. You want an MBA to escape engineering, but I must remind you that you must complete it for one final time. online cat coaching
Prepare with GK & Current Affairs Particularly policy-related ones like the Farm Bills, etc.
And
Smile! It looks great on nearly all people.
Fake it till you become it
All of these things are not easy. Some people might feel they don't have the right qualities. However, success is not dependent on being able to overcome your weaknesses.
Imagine yourself doing the right thing.
In the post leading up to the exam, we talked a lot about visualization. Visualizing yourself performing certain behaviors/moves in particular situations. In one post, we discussed how the DI-LR section could be the most important. We discussed how it is important not to consider one section's performance. However, many aspirants didn't follow this rule and ruined their Quant section due to a sub-par DI–LR section.
Talk to yourself and convince yourself that you are making the right decisions. We used the example of Brian Lara, Michael Jordan and their use of visualization. The Cricinfo monthly has written a more in-depth story about BCL, with an entire issue. Rahul Bhattacharya, the writer, seems as passionate about The Prince of Trinidad's batsman ship as I am. He has written an amazing article for the issue.