Personal interview provides an assurance to both the interviewer and the interviewee that they will make the right decision
(prHWY.com) February 8, 2013 - Noida, India -- Personal interview (PI) is the last barrier to cross for getting admission in the B school of your choice. Over the years, many new and innovative selection methods have evolved, but personal interview has stood firm in the test of time.
Why PI is important?
An admissions committee can glean some information about an aspirant from its application form, essays, personal statements, and other parts of application; but personal interview gives the panel an opportunity to get information directly from the candidate.
PI also gives an opportunity to students to learn more about the school and ask any questions they might have about the program, career services, or campus facilities. Personal interview provides an assurance to both the interviewer and the interviewee that they will make the right decision when the final results are out.
During the personal interview, interviewer will check the analytical skills of the candidate in ways that cannot be done in a written test. Certain questions during the personal interview are devised to see how the candidate can analyze a situation and create a solution. For example, an employer may ask a candidate to explain a time when the candidate had to work quickly against a pending deadline. In the personal interview, the employer can ask follow-up questions to dig deeper into the candidate's critical thinking process, to see if he/she fits to be a part of the institute.
Click on the following link to read 'Dos & Do Nots' during personal interviews (
http://www.mbauniverse.com/article.php?id=6507)
Here are some suggestions to do well in personal interviews.
1) Just relax! Enjoy the moment instead of feeling the pressure of torturous question-answer session.
2) To be successful in this round, you have to be prepared for a volley of questions. These are not tough or out of this world, but your approach to answer them in a witty, positive and subtle manner gives you an edge.
3) Don't get irritated at all, at any point of time, come what may. Your interviewers have the capability of assessing you with your gestures, postures and the response you come with, to their very first question. The saying 'First impression is the last impression' is true to a large extent when you face the interview board. After the first few minutes, the interview board simply confirms itself of your first impression.
Important Tips -
Get well prepared - Go for versatile reading and mock personal interviews.
Your views in GD - Questions may be framed on whatever you spoke in group discussion, your views and way of presentation. So be ready to effectively answer the probable questions based on your GD performance.
Personal interview at a top B school can go for specific questions related to your work experience, goals, strengths and weaknesses, grasp on your favourite subject and the things you might have filled up in the form. There may be generic questions based on broad aspects like " Tell about yourself", " How do you or where do you see yourself 5 years down the line", "Why go for MBA after Engineering", etc. Such questions make you a little relaxed since you already know what to put forth as the answer.
Take a balanced approach: Even if you have all the negative thoughts about some action, policy matters - present them in a balanced manner with a positive thinking for future. Do not criticize too much the policies of the government, B-schools, corporate bodies, etc. If you have some suggestion for their betterment, you can put them forth in brief, if required.
Be brief & precise: Do not go on speaking simply because you find a long pause after you have finished answering a question. It might give an opportunity to interviewers to grill you on something you have inadvertently spoken. Remember, brevity is the soul of wit. Use simple and communicative language in an effective manner. Any wrong use of figurative and idiomatic language in conversation might get you deviated and put you in trouble.
Maintain your strong footing: Try to take the interview board to your domain of knowledge and skills. When you answer a question, you may use such sentences and words on which the interview board gets curious but you are comfortable with the same.
Don't beat about the bush: Never try to mislead interviewers by guessing and concocting an answer. You will be caught in your own web and will lose whatever credit you earned earlier.
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