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Now that you鈥檝e submitted your MBA application you can start preparing for the next stage. If you鈥檙e invited to meet us for an interview it鈥檚 important that you are ready to tell us about yourself and how the MBA fits with your personal and professional ambitions.

The interview is a chance for you to add an extra dimension to your written application and allows us to hear directly from you about your motivations and goals. We also want to learn more about your career aspirations, wider interests and how the MBA fits with these. What is it about the MBA programme that fits with your professional ambitions? Are there particular modules or Professors that specialise in areas you鈥檙e interested in?

We've put together an in-depth guide on how to succeed in your MBA interview.

Before your interview

You only get one chance to make a great impression, so be prepared!

• Ask yourself the tough questions first.聽Applying for an MBA is an introspective process so we expect you to have really thought about your motivation for an MBA and studying at Imperial 鈥� and what you have to offer the programme. The questions that we ask shouldn鈥檛 come as much of a surprise if you鈥檝e taken the time to reflect on your experience and goals.
• Re-read your application.聽We will ask you about things you covered in your application, so don鈥檛 worry if you feel like you鈥檙e covering some of the same ground. We like to hear about your experience and objectives directly from you. Make sure you鈥檝e re-read your application, as we might discuss specific points from it.
• Practice 鈥榦ut loud鈥�.聽You may be a seasoned interviewee. But if not, or you are modest when talking about your strengths, it can be very helpful to practice this out loud with a friend or colleague. However, whilst practice is important, don鈥檛 try to script your answers as we want you to convey your personality to us and natural answers are the best way to do this.
• Make space for your interview.聽On the day of the interview, make sure you have a quiet, appropriate space for your interview 鈥� and if you鈥檙e using your phone, place it on a proper stand and keep it still. Walking home, or sitting in the back of a cab or in a noisy caf茅 isn鈥檛 professional 鈥� and disrupts your opportunity to build rapport with your interviewer.

During your interview

We hold interviews because we want to find out more about the real you, so be yourself and be specific!

• Tell your story.聽We want to hear about you. Who are you and how do you fit with the MBA? This is the key question you need to focus on in your MBA interview. We know the Business School in detail, but we want to get to know you. Use the interview to showcase your personality and display an honest perception of yourself so that we can see what you would bring to the Imperial community. We want you to be a good fit for the MBA programme, but we also want the MBA programme to be a good fit for you.
• Keep it professional.聽We are not trying to catch you out or put you through an unpleasant grilling. We want to bring out the best in you. But this friendly approach should not be mistaken for encouragement to lower your guard or be casual. Treat it professionally. Although 鈥榦ne size doesn鈥檛 fit all鈥�, and the interview will not be probing for a specific description match as a job interview would, there is no reason to treat it in a less professional manner.
• Listening skills are important too!聽Make sure you listen to and answer the question you鈥檝e been asked 鈥� you may have some examples or achievements that you鈥檇 like to talk about, but make sure that they address the聽actual question聽you鈥檝e been asked.
• And finally鈥�聽Dress appropriately for an interview and be polite and courteous 鈥� with absolutely no swearing. These should be obvious points, but we鈥檙e mentioning them for a reason!

Finishing up鈥�

顿辞苍鈥檛 forget that the interview is a two-way process: it鈥檚 a great opportunity for you to get our 鈥榯ake鈥� on studying an Imperial MBA. Here are a few of our suggested dos and don鈥檛s:

• Do聽prepare a couple of questions in advance 鈥� an intelligent question or two at the end of the interview can add to the overall impression you make.
• 顿辞苍鈥檛聽ask basic questions that you can easily find the answers to on our website 鈥� we won鈥檛 mind answering them, but it鈥檚 a shame to waste the opportunity to ask something more meaningful.
• Do聽feel free to ask something specific to your interviewer 鈥� we all have different backgrounds and experiences, so it鈥檚 absolutely fine to ask for our personal point of view on the programme or Imperial in general.
• 顿辞苍鈥檛聽ask for feedback on your interview or how likely it is that you鈥檒l get in to the programme 鈥� it will make your interviewer feel really awkward, and that鈥檚 not the way you want them to remember you! All decisions are made at our Admissions Committee meetings, based on a review of your full application and in the context of that admissions round as a whole.

After your interview

We know that the time between the end of the interview and receiving a decision on your application can be stressful, but try not to worry!

• Sometimes it can be tempting to play the interview back in your mind 鈥� particularly if you wish you鈥檇 given a stronger answer or better example 鈥� but we understand that interviewees can feel quite pressured and nerves are normal. The interview is one of several components that feeds into the overall decision, so a minor slip-up won鈥檛 ruin your chances.
• We work very hard to stick to the decision deadlines that we publish on our website, but when we say 鈥渨eek commencing鈥︹��, it may very well be that you hear from us at the聽end聽of the week. Not having heard from us until the Friday shouldn鈥檛 be seen as a bad sign.
• We鈥檙e looking for fit with our programme objectives and School values 鈥� and you should be too! If you are unsuccessful, don鈥檛 take it personally 鈥� it just means that we don鈥檛 think that the programme-candidate fit is right, and that goes both ways. Imperial may not be the best place for you to do your MBA 鈥� but there will be a School that鈥檚 a good fit for you.

Best of luck with your interview 鈥� the Admissions Committee look forward to getting to know you better!