Interview

Guide
Harvard Business School

2020–2021
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What role does the interview
play in the admissions process?
MBA programs employ a holistic evaluation process, so the interview represents only one aspect of the ad-
missions decision. Still, it is a very important and influential element of the admissions process and should be
approached with the same level of attention as the other parts of your application.

“The [invitation to] interview is a positive indicator of interest, but is not a guarantee of admission; it serves
as one element among many that are considered as we complete a final review of your candidacy,” the Har-
vard Business School (HBS) website states.

HBS typically uses the interview as an engagement tool by encouraging all invited applicants to come to cam-
pus to interview. In addition to the interview, an HBS campus visit may include sitting in on a class, touring
the campus, listening to a faculty panel, and mingling with current students. Note that during the 2020–2021
application season, HBS is conducting all interviews remotely amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Our past clients describe HBS interviews most often as “friendly,” “conversational,” and “warm.” Also, “Why
HBS?” is a common question. Therefore, the admissions committee wants to not only learn why you are right
for HBS, but also ensure you understand why the program is right for you.

mbaMission Interview Guide: Harvard Business School 4

What is the admissions
committee’s perspective on
interviews?
HBS uses interviews primarily to get a feel for applicants’ personality and communication skills and to ensure
that they are well versed in what HBS has to offer and why it is the right MBA program for them. We believe
that HBS is truly interested in hearing what you have to say and wants applicants to take full advantage of this
opportunity to explain their story and qualifications beyond what is conveyed in the electronic application.
Finally, HBS is committed to giving candidates an opportunity to get to know the school better, and thus it
offers activities at both on-campus and off-campus interview locations.

You have the opportunity to shine in the
interview process. We want to get to know you
beyond what we can learn on paper. The best
advice I can give is to be yourself. Each person
who comes in to interview has a different
experience and background. Bring your
individual perspective, your voice, to the table.
 HBS Direct from the Director Admissions Blog, 1/18
[Interviews] happen with a member of
the Admissions Board who has read your
application and comes prepared for a
friendly and deep conversation about your
By the time we invite people to the interview
stage, you have about a 50% or 60% chance
of being admitted. The interviews for us are
very different than at least other interview
processes I have been a part of. They are
different in the sense that we are trying to
get to know someone in a really deep way
and again project how they will perform in
the program. Things that come up that are
different in our interview process is we have
an incredibly small group of people who do
interviews. We do that because we want them
to be very well trained and try to eliminate as
many biases as we can.
 Chad Losee, Managing Director of MBA Admissions and
Financial Aid; Poets&Quants, 9/16

background. Remember that we are rooting

for you!

 HBS Direct from the Director Admissions Blog, 1/19

mbaMission Interview Guide: Harvard Business School 5

[We] are looking for all the same things in the
interview as we are in the application. At the
end, we write up notes about your interview
and those notes go into your file. But it’s not
that the interview is more important or less
important than the application. Everything
is read in full along with the interview
notes before we make a decision. It’s really
important for us to get to know you well, but
it’s not more important than the application or
any other part of the process.
 Chad Losee, Managing Director of MBA Admissions and
Financial Aid; Poets&Quants, 9/16
[There] is no stock list of questions. Each
interview is tailored to each candidate, and
the interviewer will have read the application
in full. … The reason we like that is it allows us
to get beyond the surface of the resume and
go to something really interesting you might
have said in your essay or something your
recommender might have mentioned that
you accomplished that we want to hear more
about.
 Chad Losee, Managing Director of MBA Admissions and
Financial Aid; Poets&Quants, 9/16
mbaMission Interview Guide: Harvard Business School 6
What type of interview can
I expect?
Invitation-Only Process

Interviews at HBS are “by invitation only,” meaning that the Admissions Office extends invitations to selected
applicants after reading their application—and only those invited applicants can schedule interviews.

Comprehensive Format

At HBS, interviews are “comprehensive,” meaning that the interviewer will have reviewed the candidate’s
entire application at least once before the interview and will possibly use that information to customize the
conversation. Therefore, the interview could include very specific questions about the applicant’s work his-
tory, target industry, educational background, or essay content. “For each interview, we prepare as we would
for a case discussion—having thoroughly read your application and ready for an interesting and dynamic con-
versation with you,” a July 2020 post on the HBS Direct from the Director admissions blog reads. In addition
to providing clarification on whatever topics the interviewer raises, HBS applicants should seek to add new
information beyond what is covered in their application, such as additional stories, recent accomplishments,
or further reflections.

mbaMission Interview Guide: Harvard Business School 7

Where will my interview
take place?
Because of the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak, most business
schools are conducting their interviews remotely. Therefore, the de-
tails in this section may not apply to the current situation. Please visit
the school’s website for the most recent information.
On Campus, In Person
Normally, many HBS interviews are conducted face-to-face on the
school’s campus, and the school encourages all who can visit the cam-
pus to do so. Although the location of your interview has no influence
on your chances for admission, in-person interviews can sometimes
feel more natural, with you and your interviewer sitting down together
in a quiet space at the school to have a conversation about your can-
didacy. On-campus interviews also allow you to interact with students
and admissions representatives during your visit.
Off Campus, In Person
HBS typically also offers off-campus, face-to-face interviews in hub
city locations around the world, to which admissions officers travel.
Remote
Although HBS also offers remote interviews, during the 2020–2021 ap-
plication season, the school is conducting all interviews remotely. “Rest
assured, the interviews will still play the same role in our admissions
process,” states the blog post on the school’s site announcing the deci-
sion. Remote interviews generally follow the same format as the other
types of interviews the school offers, but some candidates may have
difficulty establishing a connection with their interviewer when they are
not physically face-to-face. If you do a remote interview, treat it exactly
as you would an in-person interview. Find a quiet place with a reliable
connection, remove any possible distractions, and dress the part!
How long will the
interview last?
The HBS website states that interviews last
30 minutes. According to our past applicants,
interviews rarely go beyond the allotted time
slot.
30 minutes
mbaMission Interview Guide: Harvard Business School 8
Who will interview me?
Admissions Committee Members

At HBS, admissions officers are the only people who interview candidates, whether on campus, off campus,
or remotely. Many of our past clients have reported that two admissions officers interviewed them at once.

mbaMission Interview Guide: Harvard Business School 9

Extra component:
Post-Interview Reflection
Unlike most business schools, HBS requires all interviewed students
to complete a “Post-Interview Reflection” within 24 hours of the
interview. This component is intended to be a way for the candidate
to reflect on the interview while it is still fresh in their mind. “It’s very
interesting for us to hear how well we did get to know you. We certainly
have our impressions from the interview and we do our best to be fair
and as objective as possible, but then it’s really important for us to
understand how you as the applicant have experienced that,” HBS’s
former managing director of MBA admissions and financial aid told
Poets&Quants.
HBS’s website states, “Detailed instructions [for completing the Post-
Interview Reflection] will be provided to those applicants who are
invited to the interview process.” Be sure to follow all instructions pro-
vided. As with the application essay, this Post-Interview Reflection is
typically open-ended; you can structure it however you wish and write
about whatever you want to tell the committee. In the Poets&Quants ar-
ticle, HBS’s former managing director of MBA admissions and financial
aid urges interviewed applicants not to approach this reflection as a
formal essay but instead “as an email you might write [to a colleague or
supervisor] after a meeting.”
As soon as your interview is over, jot down all the topics covered and
stories you discussed. Consider how well you feel you expressed
yourself as a candidate and what you would bring to the class, and
think about any piece of you or any specific story you may have missed
sharing or would like to expand upon. If you interview on campus, also
note any observations about your time there. For example, sitting in
on a class might have reminded you of a compelling past experience,
or participating in the case method may have provided insight into
an approach you could use in some way in the future. Whatever these
elements are, tie them to aspects of your background and profile while
adding some new thoughts and information about yourself. This last
part is key—simply describing your visit will not teach the admissions
committee anything about you, and a flat statement like “I loved the
case method” will not make you stand out. Similarly, offering a sum-
mary of everything the admissions committee already knows about
you will not advance your candidacy and would constitute a lost oppor-
tunity to keep the committee learning about who you are.
In terms of length, our consultants have seen successful submissions
ranging from 400 words to more than 1,000. We recommend aiming
for approximately 500, but adjust as appropriate to thoroughly tell the
admissions committee what you feel is important, while striving to be
succinct.
Note that in the aforementioned Poets&Quants article, HBS’s former
managing director of MBA admissions and financial aid specifically
mentions that emails that give any indication that they were produced
before the applicant had the interview will “raise a flag for us,” so do not
over-prepare before the day of your interview, and do aim to truly re-
flect on the experience you have during the interview and campus visit.
mbaMission Interview Guide: Harvard Business School 10
What do past mbaMission
applicants say about the
interview experience?
Our clients who interviewed with HBS in the past few years consistently described their interview experience
with the school as “nice,” “friendly,” and “warm.” Many have noted how fast-paced the questions were. Yet,
HBS is not interested in putting candidates on the spot or trying to stump them, but rather in making sure that
applicants have a solid grasp of the ways the MBA program would benefit them and how they would fit with
the school’s community. Because only admissions officers conduct interviews at HBS, the interview is also a
good opportunity for the applicant to ask questions about the program and the HBS community.

Here is a sample of what our past clients have told us about their interview experience at HBS:

I felt really great about it. [The interviewer]
welcomed me and started off with some small
talk around where I was traveling in from,
etc. She didn’t necessarily seem to have a set
agenda/list of questions—the conversation
progressed naturally. She asked questions
she seemed genuinely interested in hearing
more about based on what I was saying, etc.
I left the interview feeling really happy with
the experience, and I greatly enjoyed the
conversation.
[Both interviewers] were very kind, and I could
tell they were genuinely trying to understand
me and my story. The interview was exactly
30 minutes and consisted of approximately
25 questions, so it was very rapid fire (which
I’d anticipated). I didn’t feel like they were
trying to trick me, but were instead looking
for additional detail behind my transitions,
activities, and personality.

The interview drilled in on my specific project

experience and the business models of the
The interviewer was very kind and companies I am involved in, almost like mini
approachable. She smiled a lot and seemed cases embedded in the interview to make sure
genuinely interested in many of my past I can react fast and think on my feet (e.g., a lot
experiences. The questions on any topic of topic-switching intermingled with why, why,
typically started open-ended and then she why).
would follow up with more specific and
detailed questions.

mbaMission Interview Guide: Harvard Business School 11

The experience went by very quickly—even
though I was prepared for it to fly by. The
interviewers introduced themselves and
then we dove right into questions about
technical topics that I’ve worked on. There
were no direct questions about why an MBA
or anything like that. Rather, I believe they
used the questions to see what my deeper
motivations were. Additionally, since I do not
come from a quant background, I think they
pursued technical questions to test quant
skills without directly asking about them.
Overall, it was a positive experience and I
enjoyed speaking to them.
It was a really nice talk and the time went
by really quickly. Given what others say, I
would have expected a much more stressful
experience. Although the interview was fast-
paced, I didn’t feel uncomfortable. Instead,
it was great to answer all the questions the
interviewer had so that she could get to know
me better.
My interviewer was warm and welcoming. He
asked many questions, one after another, and
stuck to a strict 30-minute time frame. The
interview flowed like a conversation, and it
was evident from the specific questions he
asked that he knew my application in depth.
I found the questions to be broad-based
but aimed at getting to know me better
as an overall candidate. In particular, [the
interviewer] was very interested in learning
more about [X industry in my country], how
it’s different from the U.S. and Europe, and
how I see it evolving. He also touched on my
future goals and some of my hobbies outside
of work. The tone was conversational but
also attentive, as he often asked follow-up
questions off the cuff. In summary, I think
that he knew my application thoroughly and
wanted to test whether I knew my application
as thoroughly as he did.
[The interviewer was] very friendly,
sympathetic, and engaging—he would
complete my thoughts, finish my sentences,
and nod encouragingly. Not at all the dead-
pan response I’d expected. Questions were
probing but inquisitive, nothing ‘gotcha’ style—
it was like a good conversation.
My interview felt relaxed and comfortable,
probably because I had anticipated each
question as a potential question. While it does
go by quickly, it did not feel rapid-fire or like I
was being grilled. I expected questions about
my essay, though, so I was surprised that
there were none.
mbaMission Interview Guide: Harvard Business School 12
 [The interview was] pleasant but fast-paced.
The interviewer did have a list of questions
she wanted to cover but gave me enough
room to answer at ease. [There were] lots of
cross questions, but not with the intention to
put you on the spot.
Overall, it felt like a great experience. I
was pretty nervous going into it, but my
interviewer started out by saying that there
would be no trick questions and that there
would be no time for questions from me at the
end, so I didn’t have to worry about that.
It was a pretty fast-paced discussion. My
interviewer asked a number of questions that
led to a discussion about my career path and
career goals.
Advice from Past Clients Who Have Interviewed at HBS
Relax! It’s a great experience, nothing to be
afraid of, yet it is very important to prepare for
it. And the only way to prepare for it is to really
understand every aspect of your application
and the whys and the hows of it—all things that
you know but now have to clearly articulate.
My interviewer really did seem focused on
taking the interview along a path that followed
from one question to the next, which was
nerve-wracking because we spent a lot of
time not talking about me. For example, he
would ask about a company I’m working with,
then about what I thought of that company,
what they did well, etc. But it was pleasant and
engaging. I think a lot of it was designed to
see how you handle the line of questioning I’ve
seen them use in the case method classes—
pushing you to clarify your ideas on the spot,
think deeper, etc.
The interviewer was incredibly kind and
genuinely interested in knowing me better.
It was clear she had gone through my
application with detail and really cared to
understand my story.
The interview is an opportunity to show your
personality and reveal new information the
admissions committee doesn’t already know
about you—they are looking for people who
will bring distinctive perspectives to the
classroom.
mbaMission Interview Guide: Harvard Business School 13
Come prepared ready to discuss everything
in your essay and resume two to three levels
deeper. They are not looking to trick you,
but they want to see how you will comport
yourself in a case study, so they are looking
to see how you think on your feet and defend
ideas and opinions. I was surprised at how
many questions fit into 30 minutes, and it
went by quickly. Definitely sit in on a class
if you can—they want to know that you
understand what makes the HBS case method
unique. Also, after the interview, sit down and
write down the questions you were asked and
your responses. It happens quickly, but my
notes were very helpful when I sat down to
write my Post-Interview Reflection that night.
I would suggest knowing your application
inside and out. Go over your motivations
and challenges for each experience and be
able to speak to every bullet on your resume.
We spent a good portion of my interview
discussing a project I completed more than
five years ago, and I am glad I had prepared to
discuss this in advance.
Know your application. Be prepared to quickly
shift to another question if something sparks
your interviewer’s interest in the middle of
your answer.
As was told to me, know your resume and
application cold. Have thoughts on what you
do and don’t like about all past companies
(more ‘big picture’ to show that you pay
attention to your surroundings). And have a
short mental list of the three to four things
you want to make sure you are asked so that
when the ‘What else do you want us to know?’
question comes around, you make sure to
address anything that was missing from their
questions.
Know your resume and application. The
interview was not at all about Harvard, the
classes, or my goals. The interviewer just
asked questions related to my resume to get
to know me better. Have stories at hand for
the bullets on your resume and think one to
two layers deeper. At the same time, relax. I
was far too nervous. In the end, it was a nice
conversation and she asked questions related
to my work that I felt comfortable answering.
Overall, I’d highly recommend visiting a class
before the interview. They really want to see
you’ve done your diligence and know what
you’re getting into with the case method. It’s
also clear reflecting on the interview and my
class visit that the two are meant to be quite
similar experiences.
mbaMission Interview Guide: Harvard Business School 14
Be able to answer the ‘why’ behind the
decisions you’ve made. Know your industry,
know the trends, have an opinion on the future
of your industry and your company. Know the
overall market landscape well and how you
want to progress your career in your chosen
field, including your ideal firm you want to
work for. Don’t overprepare, but be confident
in your answers and your stories.
Really know your story inside and out. Know
the ‘why’ behind each transition you’ve made
and how it relates to who you are as a person.
I think it is helpful to know your resume and
essay cold. You should have some stories
that offer color to what your application said.
I also think it is helpful to read business news
in the lead-up to the interview. I also think it
is helpful to read about industries that you do
not know about. Lastly, I’d say that it is most
beneficial to know what you want to say but
not necessarily know how you want to say it
(i.e., don’t rehearse responses)—be genuine
and allow for the opportunity for new thoughts
to arise as you respond.
Know your industry well and be ready to
talk about trends and companies in the
industry. Also, analyze any organization in
your application, whether a school club or
volunteering organization, like a business,
and be ready to discuss how they could be
improved. Besides these, just know your story
and application very well, and while reviewing
your application, keep asking why.
mbaMission Interview Guide: Harvard Business School 15
How can I prepare for the
interview?
Although the focus and style of HBS’s admissions interviews can vary,
you should expect to be asked about your personal, professional, and
academic experiences and could receive questions meant to reveal
your knowledge about the school.
HBS interviews typically start with a career-oriented, open-ended
question or prompt, such as “Tell me about your industry.” or “Tell me
about your current company.” This is your chance to briefly introduce
yourself, both personally and professionally. Since discussions about
your views and experiences on your own company and industry are
common during HBS interviews, be prepared to comment on any large
recent developments or transactions that occurred in your company
or industry, future potential trends within your sector, overall market
landscape, and recent/current events related to your industry.
HBS interviews are notoriously fast-paced and often include many
questions about your professional accomplishments and leadership
potential. According to our past applicants, these questions—often
seemingly intended to find out why applicants made the decisions
they did in their career—tend to take up the majority of the interview
time. Be prepared to provide detailed information and stories in these
subject areas beyond what is presented in your resume and applica-
tion. Practice describing your projects to someone who knows nothing
about your role or industry, which is similar to what you will do with
your classmates during case study discussions at HBS. This demon-
strates your communication skills and ability to explain and translate
your world to others who are not familiar with it.
The interviews at HBS sometimes include career goals questions or
prompts, such as “What do you want to do after your MBA?”
At times, HBS interviews include school-specific questions. These
could include “Why do you want to come to HBS?” or “What are you
looking forward to at HBS?” If you are not ready to answer these types
of questions in detail, you must invest the time necessary to get to
know HBS thoroughly and to identify the programs, centers, clubs,
classes, professors, extracurricular opportunities, and other resourc-
es it offers that relate directly to your plans and your personality.
Rarely, HBS interviews include personal questions to help the inter-
viewer evaluate whether you would be a good match for the program.
We strongly recommend that you practice vocalizing your responses
rather than just writing them out on paper. Try using a timer to get
a sense of how long you typically take to answer each question, and
practice in front of a mirror to detect (and then practice minimizing)
any facial tics or distracting hand gestures. Mock interviews can be
particularly helpful and revealing; provide a friend or family mem-
ber with your resume and a list of possible questions (see the next
section), and then have them interview you for 30 minutes and give
you feedback on your performance. Guard against preparing your re-
sponses word for word and memorizing them, however, so that you do
not sound over-rehearsed and artificial. For more in-depth interview
preparation, consider scheduling a mock interview with an mbaMis-
sion consultant!
mbaMission Interview Guide: Harvard Business School 16
Practice interview sequences
The following five lists present exact questions, in order, asked in actual HBS interviews during the 2019–
2020 application season, as reported by our past clients. Although you can never be certain which questions
you will receive, and questions will undoubtedly vary to some degree, these samples serve to illustrate how
an HBS interview is likely to progress.

Note: Identifying information about the applicants has been removed. Some questions have been edited for
clarity.

Sequence 1
1. Where did you spend time during the pandemic?
2. Did you have an online graduation? How was it?
3. Did you manage to finish up all school projects during the semester despite COVID-19?
4. What problem were you trying to solve with [X project]?
5. What are you doing during the summer, and when do you start at [X company]?
6. What does the team look like for your own venture [Y company]? What’s your role? Tell me more about
your idea.
7. On the entrepreneurial note, how did you go about founding [Y company]?
8. What do you hope to get from [X company]?
9. What’s your role now at [Y company]?
10. Will you continue with that in parallel to [X company]?
11. How was the transition from teaching to managing at [Y company]?
12. How did you plan your succession when you left [Y company] for studies at [X school]?
13. What’s your role at [Y company], and how did you get involved?
14. Do you have anything more you want to share?

Sequence 2
1. What do you do as a [X role]?
2. What are you currently working on?
3. Who are the main competitors for your product?
4. What are their advantages and disadvantages?
5. Why do customers choose your product over competitors?
6. How does your business make money?
7. Tell me about what you learned from [X project].
8. Do you have any direct reports?
9. What’s your mentorship style?
10. What influenced your desire to go into [X industry]?
11. What is [X company]?
12. Tell me about your ideal role post-MBA.
13. How did you end up working in [Y role]?

mbaMission Interview Guide: Harvard Business School 17

 14. How did you change your business strategy based on your findings in [X project]?
15. How do you balance everything?
16. What have you learned about yourself since college?

Sequence 3
1. Were you at the [interviewee] reception? Who did you find most interesting at the reception?
2. How long are you in [X city] for? Do you come here often?
3. Tell me a bit more about what you do.
4. Which emerging market do you find the most interesting? Why?
5. You were born in [X country] but then moved to [Y country]. What was the transition like?
6. Why did you choose to go to [X university]?
7. How did you find the move from [X state] to [Y state]?
8. Why did you choose to go to [X company] after college? And then why did you transition to [X field]?
9. You were in [X field] for a very short period of time. Why? Were your managers disappointed that you
left early?
10. How competitive was it to get a job at your current workplace?
11. You talk about being an innovator. Can you give me some examples of how you’ve done that at work/
outside of work?
12. Is there anything else you wish to cover that we didn’t get to cover?
13. Tell me about an interest outside of work.
14. Are you going to keep in contact with the other interviewees?

Sequence 4
1. Tell us about [X company]. Where do you sit in the organization?
2. How have you worked with clients to drive growth?
3. How did [Y company] get into the [X field]? Tell us about that.
4. How closely did you work with the client?
5. If we were to ask them to give three words to describe you, what would they say?
6. Tell us about your work with [Z company]. What type of technology did you look at? What was the
result?
7. How well do you know HBS? Tell us about that.
8. What are you hoping to learn here?
9. Have you noticed any red flags about HBS?
10. What else are you hoping to explore?
11. What’s your Plan B or C if your initial goals don’t work out?
12. Is there a question you were hoping I would ask?
13. What will you bring to HBS?
14. What else would you like us to know?
15. Do you have any questions for me?

mbaMission Interview Guide: Harvard Business School 18

Sequence 5
1. Tell me more about your current job and how [X company] is different from your prior company.
2. What do you like and not like about your job?
3. Do you work with many international clients? Why?
4. What is the main concern of [X clientele]?
5. Why do you want to move to [X field]?
6. What is the [X field] presence in [X country]?
7. What have you done to improve your understanding about [X field]?
8. What is the pattern of [X field] in [X country] that you have observed?
9. Why do you like [Y field]?
10. What should investors know about [X country]?
11. Why [X city]? Which firm? Why?
12. At what time did you decide to apply to HBS and why?
13. Tell me about the alumni that you have approached.
14. How did you study English?
15. What are your hobbies?
16. Why do you like [Z field]?
17. What kinds of companies are you analyzing for your [X personal activity]?

mbaMission Interview Guide: Harvard Business School 19

Notoriously challenging
questions
Having performed thousands of mock interviews over the years and reviewed even more post-interview
reports, we believe these are the six questions that MBA applicants find most difficult to master. Note that
questions marked with an asterisk are particularly common at HBS.

Why should we take you?

Be ready to articulate your two or three greatest strengths and to support each one with a thoughtful
anecdote that validates your claims. Research your target school so that you are able to relate each of your
highlighted strengths to an aspect of the program in a meaningful way; this will simultaneously show that you
have done your homework on the school and that you are a serious and thoughtful applicant.

To which other schools are you applying?

List peer schools only. You do not want to give the impression that you consider the school at which you are
interviewing either a “safe” choice or a “reach.” Be prepared to discuss your target school relative to the peer
institutions you mention and to identify specific characteristics about the target school that you find more
appealing on the whole.

If you are not accepted to any business school this year, what will you do?

A large part of mastering this question lies in how you respond, rather than what you say. Project confidence
and show that your plans for the future involve a high level of intentionality. A suitable answer would be some-
thing like this: “I am hopeful that I will be accepted to your program this year, but if not, I will definitely reapply,
because I know an MBA is important for me as I seek to transition in my career. I know I need to develop my
skills in the areas of [areas of importance to you] to achieve my career goals.”

What are your weaknesses? or What have you learned from a failure?

Be honest. Any attempt to disguise a weakness or shift responsibility away from yourself will actually be det-
rimental! Show that you are cognizant of areas or ways in which you can improve, and then express a sincere
interest in making a positive change. Reveal how and what you learned from a failure and, if possible, provide
a subsequent example in which you succeeded with your new approach.

mbaMission Interview Guide: Harvard Business School 20

What have we not covered that you wish I had asked about?*

Have a mental list ready of your best attributes, most impressive accomplishments, and reasons for target-
ing the program. Then, if any remain that you have not broached by the time you are asked this question, this
is your opportunity to share them. If, on the other hand, you have truly exhausted all your material, you can
instead offer a quick overview that recaps your strongest points and stories: “We discussed my early promo-
tion at American Express, my reasons for wanting to attend this program specifically, my career goals, my
leadership experience with Friends of the New York Public Library, and my passion for photography. I think we
have everything covered.”

What other questions do you have for me?

Always have a few thoughtful questions prepared about your target program to show that you have re-
searched and are genuinely interested in the school. Keep in mind that questions vary depending on the
person interviewing you, so you should tailor your queries accordingly. For example, an alumnus may not
know about the latest on-campus news but can talk about his personal experience at the school and subse-
quent career success; a student interviewer would be unable to discuss post-graduate topics but can provide
insight into courses, professors, and clubs. Avoid basic questions like “What makes this program special?” or
“What courses do you have for aspiring consultants?” You should already know the answers to such questions
at this point.

Demonstrate that you have advanced knowledge of the school by including references to specific offerings
and resources in your queries: “I am interested in an individualized First-Year Project. How many students
pursue these relative to the more conventional option?” Such nuanced questions help prove your authentic
interest in the program.

mbaMission Interview Guide: Harvard Business School 21

What if I get stumped during
the interview?
Many applicants worry that during their interview, they will be asked
a challenging question that will leave them awkwardly silent and that
the moment will effectively put an end to their candidacy at the target
school. Although such an experience would certainly be uncomfort-
able—and we suggest, of course, that you definitely do your best to get
ready for your interview so as to avoid this kind of predicament—some-
times even well-prepared candidates find themselves “stumped.” We
can assure you, however, that an awkward pause in an interview will
not cancel out all the positive elements of your application. Still, being
ready for such a situation, should one occur, is important, so we offer
the following tips on how to mitigate an uncomfortable moment:
1. Resist the urge to launch into a story. Your instinct may be to
just start speaking, hoping that you will find the right story or
answer as you progress. This is a high-risk strategy, because if
it goes wrong, this can compound the problem. Instead, pause
for a moment to recall an appropriate story. To buy yourself a
little extra time, you can even say, “That is a good question. I am
going to have to think about it for a moment,” before answering.
2. Take a sip of water. Many interviewers will offer you a glass of
water at the beginning of your meeting. If your interviewer does
so, accept the offer, and then use the water throughout the
interview as a buffer to buy time or help yourself slow down.
If you get stumped, taking a sip of water can provide a brief
opportunity to pause naturally, alleviating any awkwardness
before you continue speaking.
3. Maintain your poise. If you absolutely cannot answer a ques-
tion, do not get overly apologetic or grovel. Simply acknowl-
edge that you are having trouble with the question and politely
ask if you might come back to it later in the conversation. This
is not a best-case scenario, but it is certainly far better than
rambling and apologizing. A confident approach during a tricky
moment may even impress!
4. Forget about it. If you simply cannot answer a question, accept
the fact and move on. Do not dwell on the situation. If you spend
the rest of the interview thinking about that moment, you will be
distracted and struggle with any subsequent questions.
mbaMission Interview Guide: Harvard Business School 22
What should I wear to the
interview?
Although HBS does not specify a dress code on its website, you can safely assume that you should dress in a
professional manner, regardless of where your interview takes place.

Follow these rules to look the part for your MBA interview at any school:

1. Always follow any guidelines the school provides on dress code.

2. If the school does not specify a dress code, wear business attire for an on-campus interview as well as
for an off-campus interview with a member of the admissions staff.
3. Business casual attire is often best when meeting an alumnus/alumna off campus, though you may
consider politely asking your interviewer about proper attire in advance.
4. Jeans, T-shirts, and ripped, wrinkled, or unclean clothing are never appropriate.
5. Showing some creativity and style is okay, but do not go overboard.
6. Avoid wearing strong-smelling perfume or cologne.
7. Bring a copy of your resume printed on nice paper.
8. Make sure you turn your cell phone off.

mbaMission Interview Guide: Harvard Business School 23

Should I send a thank you?
You should always send a brief thank you email after your interview, in addition to the HBS Post-Interview
Reflection. Write and send the note as soon as possible after your interview—the same day or the next is
ideal. Interviewers usually need to submit their feedback on candidates within 24–48 hours, so you want your
message to be received quickly. Be sure to ask for your interviewer’s business card or email address before
you finish the interview, if it has not already been provided.

Follow these tips to write an effective thank you note:

1. Be sure to mention specifics from your conversation or visit.

2. If you realized after the interview that you forgot to make an important point about your candidacy,
you can (succinctly!) include that point in your thank you email.
3. Always check to make sure you have spelled all names correctly in your email, including the name of
your interviewer, the school, any program or course you discussed, or any professor you met.
4. Limit your email to no longer than a few sentences. Keep it direct, clear, and to the point.

Here is a sample thank you message:

Dear Mr. Jones:

Thank you for meeting with me to discuss my interest in XYZ School’s MBA program. I appreciated your
valuable insight into the advanced finance classes, particularly Professor John Smith’s “Portfolio Invest-
ing” course. Should I be so lucky as to be accepted, I will definitely enroll in that class and know it would
be incredibly helpful in my future investment career. After speaking with you and several students, I am
confident that XYZ offers everything I am seeking, both personally and professionally. Thank you again
for your time, and I hope to see you on campus this fall.

Warm regards,

Jane Doe

mbaMission Interview Guide: Harvard Business School 24

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