INSEAD Interview #2

After the relaxing atmosphere of my first INSEAD interview, I was not too nervous about the second, since it would make the third MBA interview I was doing. This interview however was unexpectedly far more intense than even the LBS one.

In fact, my interviewer, a partner at an investment banking firm, covered so much we had to do it in two parts because we ran out of time the first round. So I wound up having a one hour face-to-face and then a follow up 45 min phone interview with him and never got to ask my prepared questions!

He was very very thorough and covered practically everything that you expect from an MBA/job interview and then some. Aside from the usual walk through CV, why MBA, why INSEAD, he also questioned almost all the steps I took in my CV. Many of the questions he asked was around thought processes and what I was feeling when I made various decisions which was a bit different. A few curve balls he threw me were questions about what I was feeling towards getting an MBA, any reservations I had, and what my greatest fears in doing the MBA would be.

Interestingly he asked specifically for me to describe an entrepreneurial situation and clarified that it could be within the workplace. Thankfully I actually have a hobby side business, but I think I would have struggled if I didn't have an "obvious" experience. He also asked for specific examples of when I made a good judgement and when I made a bad judgement, which was a bit different from strengths and weaknesses (he asked about those too). I basically used up every single story I had pre-prepared in this interview and had to come up with some on the spot.

The good thing about the intensity and all-rounded questioning was that it did give him a good sense of who I was. In spite of the intense and detailed questioning, I never felt like he was asking the challenging questions to "catch me out", but rather because he genuinely wanted to get to know me.
So I'm positive he'd have given me a good recommendation because at the end he summed up all my strengths and said that he thought I'd fit very well at INSEAD. Plus he mentioned that he hoped I would pick INSEAD over LBS if I got accepted to both.

My advice to INSEAD applicants is to be "real" and show your interviewers who you are as a person. Understanding your thoughts and feelings helps them connect with you and become one of your "supporters". Also, even if you don't end up going to INSEAD, if they like you and connect with you then that's another person you can add to your network.