7 Qualities to Show During MBA Interviews

Succeeding in business takes more than understanding financial planning or special knowledge of the supply chain. It also requires qualities like the ability to work well in a team, learn from your mistakes and push through a difficult situation.

But these softer skills are harder to demonstrate in your business school application. That’s why B-school admissions representatives use the MBA interview to get to know applicants.

The interview is where you tell your story and demonstrate your interpersonal strengths, experts say. And admissions reps don’t want a regurgitation of your application.

“We want to see our candidates present their authentic selves,” says Kara Tripi, director of admissions for the full-time MBA program at Michigan State University’s Broad College of Business. “The interview allows students to share their story on a deeper level.”

Besides getting to know you, admissions representatives also want to assess whether you and their program are a good fit for each other. Here are 7 qualities they’re looking for.

Face-to-Face Communication Skills

The ability to communicate effectively in person is a critical attribute in the business world and key for success in an MBA program.

“Most students pursuing an MBA eventually want to lead,” Ken White, associate dean of graduate business programs at William & Mary University’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business in Virginia, wrote in an email. “Since the pandemic, the characteristics of a high-quality leader have changed, and today there is no more important quality than communicating, motivating and interacting with others.”

White looks for candidates who possess an “other-centric outlook” because MBA programs emphasize teamwork, and the ability to work with others is key.

[Related:How to Convince MBA Programs You’re a Good Fit]

Ability to Work in a Team

Beyond providing good leadership, teamwork means working as a supporting member, contributing specific knowledge to a project and being willing to ask, “What is our common goal and what is the skill set around the table?” says Petia Whitmore, founder of My MBA Path, an MBA admissions consulting firm.

Each person brings strengths to a group, experts say, and admissions representatives are interested in a candidate’s leadership style. They’re equally interested in understanding individual strengths and what an applicant might contribute to a team, whether facilitation skills, mentorship or something else.

“Not everyone can be the loudest voice in the room,” Tripi says.

Examples of teamwork can come from your professional work experience or other life experience, like community service.

“Leadership comes in infinite forms,” Whitmore says. “At the very heart of the question is, ‘How have you helped others progress towards a goal or end up in a place that’s better than where you found them initially?'”

Whitmore says she coached a successful MBA candidate who went from being a member of an organization to transforming its annual gala’s fundraising process, significantly increasing the amount raised.

Respect and Empathy

Working as a team in school and the business world requires respect and empathy for others, experts say, and the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes helps you solve issues with others and think more creatively.

White says the Mason School of Business always looks for candidates “who value and respect others.” After COVID-19, Tripi says she sees less emphasis on technical skills in the business world and more on people skills, including value for colleagues, curiosity and respect.

[READ: Questions to Ask MBA Admissions Officers]

Humility

Humility doesn’t mean lack of confidence or meekness — it’s the absence of arrogance and shows an ability to take responsibility rather than make excuses, experts say.

Whitmore suggests that as you reflect on your achievements, ask yourself deeper questions to find examples of humility within the achievements. “We might think of these as embarrassing moments, but the questions to ask about these situations are: ‘What did I learn?’ ‘How did it make me better?’ and ‘How did I grow?'”

For example, she says, go beyond how you won over a group of vice presidents to also reflect on how you handled the moment they told you your pitch wasn’t prepared and you needed to practice it again.

The way you grew from a challenge conveys much more about you than a simple success story, admissions representatives say, and they want to hear what you learned.

Resilience

MBA programs have high expectations of their students and require hard work. Admissions representatives want to be sure students they accept have the resilience and grit to push through challenges in their program and in their professional career.

“I look for these qualities in our candidates,” Tripi says. “Students are going to be told ‘no’ a lot, whether they’re interviewing for an internship or starting their own company and trying to obtain funding for that.”

[READ: 3 Ways to Recover From a Bad MBA Interview]

Flexibility

Flexible thinking allows you to adjust or pivot when an idea or a situation isn’t working. It also helps you handle a variety of situations even when you don’t have all the information.

“The MBA experience is challenging, and often it’s about ambiguity and making decisions while not possessing all the necessary data,” White says. “So the successful candidate is one who is not afraid to feel uneasy at times.”

Authenticity

If you’ve made it to the interview stage, your application, GMAT score and grades have put you there. Now it’s time to emphasize your personal qualities more than ever. Don’t be afraid to smile and be yourself, experts say. Be professional, but not so rehearsed that your personality doesn’t come through.

White’s most memorable interview experience involved a candidate with stellar work experience, a top GMAT score and outstanding supporting materials — but only a 2.0 undergraduate GPA, which White asked him about.

The candidate told him that “on the first day of my freshman year, the university president addressed the new freshmen and their parents. The president said, ‘You must earn a 2.0 to stay in school.’ You have no idea how difficult it was to earn a 2.0 over four years.”

The program admitted the applicant, and White says he became a top student and leader and graduated with honors.

More from U.S. News

MBA Timeline: When to Apply to B-School

3 Factors to Help Find the MBA Program That’s Right for You

What It Takes to Get Accepted at a Top MBA Program

7 Qualities to Show During MBA Interviews originally appeared on usnews.com

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up