Personal Interview: Common questions to expect and how to answer them

Jan. 17, 2012 - PRLog -- Before going inside the interview room, be well versed with the most favorite and popular questions among the panelists which you are most likely to face. To know more about the questions and how to answer them, keep reading this MBAUniverse.com article.

Tell us about yourself

From this question, the interviewer wants to derive how well you can summarize your personality in few minutes. You should arrange the points in the following manner while telling the panel about yourself:

1) Talk about the Work experience or Academic details that you would like to share with the panel.

2) Talk about the Personal details that could be of interest. Like where you stay/lived family details (that could lead to questions); your hobbies and interests, your successes/achievements, strengths/weaknesses etc.

Do not exaggerate a particular point.

Dr. Sanghamitra Buddhapriya, Admission Convener of FORE School of Management says, “Keep your introduction crisp. Talk about your achievements, interests and hobbies. But don’t appear over confident.”

Questions on Education

You should be well versed on your graduation subjects. The panel expects you to know your subjects well. Check the subject which you have mentioned as your favorite in the Application form/SOP. You should be prepared to answer any kind of question on your favorite subject. If you are asked about your favorite subject during the interview, think before you speak because in all possibilities you will face an array of questions on that.

Questions on your profession

If you have work experience, then you should be able to talk on your job profile, duties and responsibilities in your organization. You should also know about your company, its position in the market and other details. Also be prepared to talk about the industry or sector you work in. You should also have some knowledge about the other prominent companies in that industry or sector.

Why do you want to pursue MBA? Why this institute?

You will have to be very careful while answering these two most common questions. You can face various counter questions as well. About why you want to do an MBA, you should never cite the reason as ‘for getting a good job and high pay package’.

“Please focus on the need to do an MBA - like gaining specific skills or to change a career or cite the fact that you are pursuing an interest,” advises Sai Kumar Swamy, Course Director, T.I.M.E. “The more specific the better will be the answer,” he adds.

Questions on Hobbies/Interests

You can face questions on the hobbies and interest you have. You should gather in-depth knowledge about your interests on which you can get a question to answer. It can be anything on your favorite sport, sportsman, music, literature, movies to activities like cooking.

“I mentioned cooking as my hobby and I was asked what ajinomoto is!” said an IIM Ahmedabad student while mentoring GD-PI call getters.

Personal background

Apart from educational and professional background, you can also face questions on your personal background like your childhood, city, family etc.

Questions based on the GD/Essay writing rounds

Your performance in the GD/Essay writing will most probably be discussed during the PI round. You can be asked to justify a particular point which you have mentioned in the GD/essay or a particular gesture or overall behavior during the GD. Make sure you have enough reasons to validate your point.

Answering embarrassing questions

While answering the questions, which might embarrass you, such as about low marks in boards or graduation, gap in between years etc., try to be as polite, calm and composed as possible. For these questions, never criticize a former teacher, friend, colleague or the society and system as a whole. Try to justify as well as possible. After all, everyone faces failures at some point or the other.

By asking you such inappropriate questions, the aim of the panel is mostly to provoke you but in such cases, your reaction will speak more than your words.