Preparing for MBA Admissions Interviews is not just about the right answer. A big part of our 2nd session in F1GMAT’s Mock Interview Service is about delivery.
3 factors I keep reiterating to clients for improving their interview performance are Medium, Loud, and Clear. To achieve this objective, focus on:
1) Speed of Delivery
a) The Superfast
If you want to hear superfast songs – Eminem, in my books, is third. Busta Rhymes and Snow (90s music) are at the top of my list.
There are candidates whose natural style of delivery is fast.
As long as each word is clearly enunciated – accent or speed is rarely an issue.
Even then, if you are giving a Zoom interview, such superfast delivery can lead to awkward moments where the lag of the conversation takes some time to process.
When it is slow, the interviewer can guess for missed audio or even clipped audio.
For in-person interviews, don’t worry about speed as long as you don’t go too crazy.
We know when a person is a fast talker.
b) Fast – From Nerves
When I started F1GMAT's YouTube Channel, I was nervous.
From remaining an anonymous writer who was in the background of all the articles you loved in F1GMAT, I was suddenly in front of the camera trying to talk.
The last great stage performance was in the final year of my engineering, where I presented Augmented Reality when this concept was just beginning to take commercial shape.
I impressed my small 50-odd audience. Now, it was in front of potentially 150+ countries and 100,0000+ viewers.
One thing I tried to do to mask my nerves was to talk fast.
The idea was to force the audience to pay attention to what I was saying without looking at all the imperfections of my face, the lighting, and the background.
I might have succeeded in that, but the engagement in those videos is low in terms of completion rate.
That is one metric I pay attention to over likes or dislikes.
How many people completed watching my video?
What does YouTube Engagement say?
There is a consistent trend – fast is way behind, superfast. The slow ones are the worst performing.
Medium speed was at the top.
c) Medium
My medium speed might be fast for many, slow for a few, and medium for most.
It is the confidence with which you speak at a pace that is true to how you talk in real life, where the magic happens.
It takes practice to reach that pace.
Script and Answer your questions several times.
F1GMAT's Mock Interview Service - Interview Prep with Atul Jose (Admissions Consultant, F1GMAT)
The first value you will receive with F1GMAT's Mock Interview Service is the ability to answer questions in 1 to 1 minute and 30 seconds.
The second value is the skills to bring emotions and authenticity to your answers.
The third value is scripting your answers and making sure they are not clichés.
For any questions about F1GMAT's Mock Interview service, email me, Atul Jose, at editor@f1gmat.com
Covered in the 3-hour MBA Admissions Mock Interview session:
1) Planning and practicing the answers for the standard interview questions
• How to answer the “Tell us about yourself” introductory question?
• How to answer Walk me through your resume?
• What is the greatest accomplishment in your professional career?
• What is your leadership style?
• How would you contribute to the School Community?
• What is the most difficult obstacle you overcame?
• Are you a Creative Person?
• How do you define Success?
• How to answer about Innovative Solutions?
• Answering Frequent Job Switch
• How did you Handle Conflict?
• How did you manage Change?
• Give an Example of an Ethical Dilemma you faced. How did you handle it?
• Answering Greatest Accomplishment
• How did you Handle a Difficult Boss?
• Tell me a time when you made a Mistake. What did you learn from it?
• How to summarize your Career?
• How to explain low grades?
• How to answer Scenario Questions?
• How to answer the Backup Plan Question
• How to discuss about Industry Experience & your Role?
• What Questions should you ask the AdCom after an MBA Admissions Interview?
• Tell me about yourself that is not covered in the application
• What are your post-MBA goals?
• What is your plan B if you can’t achieve your short-term goals?
• Why consulting/finance/marketing/general management (if you are a career switcher)
2) Follow-up Questions based on your resume
3) Follow-up Questions based on your essays
If you need help, subscribe to our $349 (3 hours) mock interview session, where I will offer immediate feedback after each question on improving:
1) The tone
2) The transitions
3) The style and
4) The narrative of your overall story, covering the broader achievements in your career and the choices in your life
I will ensure that your answers sound authentic.
Next Step
1. Purchase the service from F1GMAT's Store
2. Send an email to Atul Jose (Admissions Consultant)(editor@f1gmat.com) with your latest resume and the essays used for the application.
2) Loudness of Delivery
The too-loud scenario rarely exists unless you are using external mics that lead to the humming noise.
For all other scenarios, algorithms in the communication software automatically reduce the loudness.
Candidates from Eastern culture are the only demographic I had to coach to speak up.
In the culture, talking loudly is considered rude.
The rest of the candidates from other nationalities had a natural inclination to speak loudly, even if their answers were not perfect.
Excessive Focus on Delivery when Answer is Mediocre
A few times, I have seen applicants switching up the volume when they are not sure of the answer.
It is a dead giveaway.
Even if you don’t know the answer, speak with a consistent volume.
3) Clarity of Delivery
If you are on a desk job – writing, creating, strategizing, building technology, doing analysis, or meeting clients and presenting once a week or once a month, there will be a definite gap in how you present your thoughts in spoken words vs. how you write.
Be Less Self-Critical
The first challenge for me when I began doing podcasts for F1GMAT was being comfortable with my own voice and style.
If you are too critical, you might do strange tweaking that would sound forced.
Find your true style and then speak with clarity.
Yesterday, my wife was nervous to do her Chemistry podcast, citing that she sounds like a girl and not a woman.
I shared that I also hated my voice. But if you enunciate the right “r” and “s,” you don’t have to worry about the quality of your timber.
Even the best actors sound nasally (Brando and Di Caprio).
Accept how you sound and focus on the golden rule of delivery – Speed, Volume and Clarity.
For help preparing for your MBA Admissions Interview, Subscribe to F1GMAT’s Mock Interview Service.
