MBA Interview Tips How To Answer Tell Me About Yourself

Tell me about yourself. An initial question. Okay, well, maybe not technically a question, but one that you get to open many an MBA interview. One that's pretty vexing as a starter. You may wonder, what do I share? What is too much? What's too little? Well, at the broadest level, the interviewer wants you to shed light on how you got to where you are today and the values that informed that journey. Hi, I'm Jeremy Sheinwald, founder of MBA Mission. In this video, let's ensure that you can tell your interviewer about yourself so that you can make a positive first impression. Here are four guidelines to follow. Number one, be concise. Offer the minimum necessary to give a full answer. We can't give you a hard time limit, but generally we think you'll want to spend three to four minutes on your response so that you hold your interviewer's interest. Imagine interviewing someone and they start by talking for eight or 12 minutes straight. It's unpleasant. My point is, don't feel like you need to discuss every project on your resume. Instead, think about sharing the path and the highlights that propelled you, the most important details that spurred you on. And know, if your interviewer is particularly interested in something you mentioned, they can always ask follow-up questions and probe more deeply. Number two, let's dig a little deeper on that metaphor. Let's think about the path. On your resume, your interviewer will be able to see where you studied, where you've worked, and more. So your job is to go beyond this page and share why. Why did you choose your college or your major? Why did you transition from one organization to other? Why did you move to another state or country? Maybe a how. How did you get that promotion? If you can discuss the whys and the hows along with those key highlights that propelled you, you'll definitely be on the right track. Number three, don't limit yourself to your professional roles. If you've been significantly involved in an activity outside of your job, such as a community service organization, or you're particularly focused on a hobby, it's part of who you are. It's part of telling the interviewer about yourself. Feel free to highlight what you've achieved or why you're passionate about important non-work activities. The interviewer wants to understand your path, but it doesn't only have to contain a single track. You can have a few paths that are interwoven and define who you are today. Number four, finally, think about structure. Many candidates choose to walk through their resume in a chronological order. That's perfectly fine, but you might also consider a thematic approach. For example, if you feel it suits you, you might open with something along the lines of, if you look at the top half and bottom half of my resume, there are really two driving forces behind my activities, both professional and personal. A driving curiosity and a passion for creating results. Or you might structure your response as, at work, I, and outside of work, I. By organizing your thoughts, you're giving the reader cues and helping them to organize their thoughts to make sure they're listening. You're making it easier for the interviewer and that is good for you. Okay, those are our tips. To learn more, I encourage you to download our free interview guide from our website, which will give you an overview of how MBA application interviews typically are structured and what types of questions to expect. We also have free school specific interview guides for top programs in the US and abroad. If you have questions about your specific candidacy, please sign up with me or one of my colleagues at MBA Mission for our free 30 minute consultation. We can discuss how you can position yourself to be your most competitive applicant or even interview most successfully. Click the link below to sign up. Thanks so much watching and remember, if you enjoyed this video and want to get more MBA admissions and application tips, don't forget to like it and subscribe to our channel. Best of luck with your interviews and your entire candidacy and application.