Six steps to Kellogg MBA interview success

• I provide school-specific training for Kellogg interviews

• Please follow the six sign-up steps below if you would like to secure my time

STEP ONE

CONTACT ME

AT LEAST 10 DAYS

BEFORE YOUR INTERVIEW

• Please complete my intake form

• Let me know when you plan to interview, and when you want to practice with me

• I will confirm if I have the capacity to help you

STEP TWO

DECIDE HOW

MANY SESSIONS

YOU WANT

• One Kellogg mock interview training session lasts 60 minutes

• We spend the last 30 minutes reviewing your answers

• I can help you brainstorm more effective ways to answer the questions I asked

• Finally, if time permits, we can discuss other types of questions that might be of concern to you

Not sure how many sessions you need?

• Most of my successful clients practice Kellogg interviews with me for at least 3 hours (three sixty minute sessions)

• Some need as little as 1 hour (one sixty minute session), which is my minimum charge

• Others practice for 5 hours or more (five sixty minute sessions)

STEP THREE

ARRANGE PAYMENT 

HOW TO PAY

• All payments are collected by Agos Japan

• Clients outside Japan pay Agos via PayPal

STEP FOUR

SCHEDULE OUR FIRST SESSION

TO OCCUR AT LEAST 5 DAYS

BEFORE YOUR KELLOGG INTERVIEW

• Once payment clears, I will give you access to my Google Calendar 

  • All times are JST (Tokyo time)

  • If you do not find a convenient time, please email me several options

  • I will do my best to accommodate

• Please follow my cancellation policy

  • If necessary, requests to reschedule appointments should be made at least 24 hours in advance of the originally scheduled appointment time

  • Rescheduling requests made less than 24 hours prior to an appointment will be granted at Vince’s discretion

STEP FIVE

SEND ME YOUR RESUME

After reviewing your resume, I will prepare a custom list of questions to fit your case.

• I ask questions that test your ability to discuss issues that might be of concern to Kellogg interviewers

• I also assess your communication skills

After your interview, I will destroy all hard and soft copies to maintain client confidentiality

STEP SIX

PRACTICE BEFORE and

AFTER EACH SESSION

• Interviewing is a learned skill

• You will improve with practice

• Please practice at least three hours before and after each of our mock interview sessions

• I encourage you to use my "mirror method" to practice interviews at home

• You might also want to watch these sample Kellogg interview videos

SAMPLE KELLOGG INTERVIEW VIDEOS

• Years ago, a client asked me to create a video showing a successful model of effective MBA interview responses to typical questions.

• Here it is, Hiro. Sorry it took so long!

Kellogg Interview: Part I

• I asked my former client some typical interview questions including: Why MBA? Why now? Why Kellogg?

• Here are the answers that got him admitted.

Kellogg Interview: Part II

• In the second part of our mock interview training session, Kaz answers some "behavioral questions" that dig into what he thought, felt, said, and did during his past professional projects.

• We also practiced typical closing questions like "tell me something else I should know" and final Q&A with the interviewer.

Where should I interview?

Evanston vs. Local Alumni

• Kellogg is the only top MBA program that interviews every applicant.

• Tuck will interview you if you visit Hanover, but only Kellogg takes the time to match you with alumni even if you cannot interview on campus in Evanston.

• Kellogg asks each alumni interviewer to fill out one page of quantitative (rankings comparing your others interviewed by that same alumni member) and qualitative (short answers following criteria found below) information

  • Do not panic if your interviewer is writing extensive notes.

  • Similarly, do not worry if they do not seem to be taking any notes at all. Each interviewer has his or her own style of note-taking. Ignore their notes and focus on the conversation.

  • Build rapport, show passion, empathy, and genuine interest in your interviewer's Kellogg experience.

• If interviewing on campus - schedule on a weekday to increase the likelihood that you will be interviewed by (full-time) AdCom staff (as opposed to a part-time student AdCom volunteer)

  • Students do their best, but professional AdCom staff usually have more experience and are therefore more likely to be able to focus their full attention on you rather than taking too many notes while you speak.

How important is the interview?

Interviews are the best way to show your "fit" with Kellogg

• Kellogg alumni tell me that they view the interview as being the most important part of the application because it is the best way for them to assess your passion for their school.

  • VINCE'S NOTE: I would like to confirm this point with AdCom staff. Do they also put more weight on interviews than essays or letters of recommendation? If so, how do they account for the fact that a large percentage of interviews are conducted by alumni, who receive minimal training and no direct supervision by AdCom staff?

• Kellogg alumni also tell me that they ask themselves the following questions as they interview applicants:

  • Can I picture this person taking leadership in classes, study groups, project teams, and clubs?

  • Would I want to have lunch or drinks with him / her?

What are they looking for?

KELLOGG INTERVIEW CRITERIA

Alumni have told me that AdCom asks them to evaluate applicants based on the following criteria

1. English Ability

• Comprehension

• Conversational Ability

HOW TO FAIL

1. Memorize a script

• THE PROBLEM

  • You should use your essays (and recommendation letters, if available) to generate interview answers.

    • But if you sound like you are delivering a monolog or speech, your interview will likely become bored.

    • She may also question your communication skills. If you cannot have a friendly conversation with her, how will you survive class discussions and 'cold calls' from professors.

• THE SOLUTION

  • Rather than memorize entire sentences, try memorizing questions and prompts that keep your story moving forward.

  • Use your LoR keywords and examples, especially weaknesses, for 'blind' interviews.

  • Turn your essays and recommendation letters into outlines or frameworks.

    • Practice delivering them in a way that sounds fresh every time.

  • Experiment with different transitions. As you become confident, you can insert pauses between each part of your story.

    • Your interviewer will appreciate those pauses because they will allow her to ask follow-up questions or confirm anything that she finds confusing.

    • In this way, your interview will feel like a friendly conversation. Interviewers want to admit good communicators, not boring speech givers. Show that you are an active listener and interactive communicator.

2. Provide long, unstructured answers

• Please keep in mind that Kellogg alumni interviewers must write 1 double sided 8.5 x 11 page report to the admission office within a week.

• Therefore, they appreciate responses that are easy to remember but detailed enough to write sufficient information on the report to recommend "admit!".

  • VINCE'S TIP - structure your answers and repeat keywords that alumni interviewers can easily write down as you are talking.

    • List all three keywords before explaining any details. Then, go back and explain each keyword with detailed examples.

    • This method allows your interviewer to catch your ideas and structure his or her notes as he or she listens to your answer.

  • Try saying something like this,

    • "I can contribute to Kellogg in three ways:

      • First, A

      • Second, B

      • Third, C

    • Regarding A, I did X in the past, so I can do Y at Kellogg.

    • Regarding B, I did X in the past, so I can do Y at Kellogg.

    • Regarding C, I did X in the past, so I can do Y at Kellogg."

  • Of course, you can modify the phrases so that your answer does not sound as flat as in my template.

2. Interpersonal Skills

• Maturity

• Team Skills

• Communication Skills

• Listening Skills

HOW TO FAIL

• Give the impression that you are not a team player.

  • Client A was not able to share a story about a time when he solved a conflict within one of his teams.

    • All examples either showed him kissing up to seniors or directing juniors.

    • He should have thought of some ‘flat’ teams, where no one needed to follow anyone else’s direction.

    • Rather, they wanted to support each other because they shared a common goal.

• Misinterpret the "Anything else?" question.

  • Sometimes, interviewers say, "Is there anything you would like to add that you think relates to your candidacy?"

  • THE PROBLEM

    • Too often, clients provide information that is irrelevant.

    • Or they say, "No, I have nothing to add." Fail!

  • THE SOLUTION

    • At minimum, you need to "close the sale."

      • If you feel that you have addressed your strengths, weaknesses, leadership, teamwork, and passion for Kellogg, you can simply answer this question by saying, "I feel that we have covered the most important aspects of my candidacy, but I want to emphasize that Kellogg is my dream school. If admitted, I certainly plan to attend." (Of course, you should only say this if it is true.)

    • As a bonus, you might consider sharing a "fun fact" or "surprise aspect" of your personal character, such as a unique hobby, memorable and relevant skill.

3. Impact on Student Life

• What can you contribute to Kellogg? 

HOW TO FAIL

• Only mention contributions based on your professional experience:

  • I can share my finance / accounting / consulting / marketing skills (obvious and boring)

• Only mention expected contributions like GIM trips to your host country

  • I will help organize GIM Japan (of course you will; all first-year Japanese students are expected to do so)

• What else?

4. Career Progression

• Resume

• Demonstrated Leadership Ability

• Accomplishments

HOW TO FAIL

• Provide an unstructured and/or unimpressive self-introduction

  • Many interviewers will say, "Please walk me through your resume."

    • Practice delivering a brief but comprehensive summary of your experience that leaves room for the interviewer to ask for more details about particular accomplishments

5. Career Focus

• Why MBA

• Why now

• Short-term goal

• Long-term goal

HOW TO FAIL

• Provide unclear goals that do not sound ambitious, yet realistic

• Emphasize only external reasons to purse your MBA now ("I am 30 years old." "My company chose me for sponsorship." "Clean technology is an emerghing trend." "Japanese companies need to expand overseas because the domestic market is shrinking."

• Fail to show that you researched the best opportunities for your short and long-term goals

• Fail to mention how Kellogg alumni best prepare you to access those opportunities

6. Intellectual Ability

• GPA

• GMAT

• TOEFL

• Specialized training (CPA, CMA, CFA, MA, PhD)

HOW TO FAIL

• Kellogg interviews are blind; interviewers do NOT know your test scores. Therefore, you do NOT need to mention them

• If, however, an interviewer says, "What do you think is the greatest weakness of your application?", you might want to address a numerical weakness, if you have one.

  • Please discuss this issue with Vince at a one-to-one Mock Interview Training Session.

7. Leadership Potential

HOW TO FAIL

• Misinterpret what kind of leaders Kellogg is trying to develop.

  • Client B only mentioned leadership examples where he was official team leader.

  • His AdCom interviewer interrupted him and asked, ‘Please give an example of how you showed leadership when you were NOT officially in charge of a team or project.’

8. Overall Impression of Applicant

HOW TO FAIL

1. Why do you want to attend Kellogg?

• Provide weak reasons for Kellogg.

  • Rather than saying, ‘I want to attend a team-oriented program,’ show how a team-based student culture best prepares you to achieve your goals.

• How did you learn about Kellogg? Web site or people?

  • Weak: Website

  • Better: people (be prepared to share first and last names, plus the year they graduated)

• Long and boring: Give a long speech listing three detailed reasons from your essay.

  • Better: rank your list.

  • Best: Describe ONE thing about Kellogg that you think sets it apart from other programs.

• Contradict yourself about what you are looking for in an MBA program.

  • Some interviewers will ask, ‘Where else did you apply and how would you prioritize your decision if admitted to multiple MBA programs?’

  • If you say that you want to attend a team-oriented MBA program like Kellogg, be careful to mention other team-oriented MBA programs when listing the other programs to which you applied.

  • Then, be sure to have a logical reason why Kellogg beats other team schools like Tuck, Michigan and Duke. In other words, do not include Chicago Booth in your list because Kellogg does not consider it to be a ‘team-oriented’ MBA program.

  • On the other hand, if your priority is location, and the mid-west is your desired place to study, then you can easily list Kellogg, Chicago, and Michigan.

  • Then, show why Kellogg is your top choice among those three because it best prepares you to achieve your goals for some specific reason.

• The best answer to ‘Why Kellogg?’ (or Why ANY school) often has something to do with people.

  • Explain how the Kellogg people you know persuade you that the school best prepares you to achieve your goals.

  • It is not enough to say that they are friendly and supportive.

  • Through their words and/or examples, how do the Kellogg students and alumni you know convince that no other school gets you where you want to go faster or more powerfully?

2. How can you contribute to Kellogg?

• Go beyond functional expertise.

• Of course you can contribute your accounting skills if you are a CPA or your finance skills if you are an investment banker.

• Kellogg alumni interviewers are more interested in hearing contributions that are not obviously implied by your professional resume. Dig deep and show that you know what student activities Kellogg has now, and how you can make them better.

3. Do you have any questions for me? (You ask your interviewer questions)

• Ask questions that your interviewer can answer

  • Put yourself in your interviewer's shoes. If you are a Kellogg alumnus:

    • You love your school.

    • You are an expert on your own experience.

    • You know about your favorite classes and professors, but you do not know about the most recent curriculum changes.

    • You know what clubs and student activities you joined, but you do not know about every single activity.

    • You receive updates about new school policies, but you probably do not have any "inside information" about what the administration is thinking and planning in the future.

  • In short, you love sharing your knowledge and experience, but you do not appreciate being asked about topics to which you do not have an answer to.

  • Therefore, be sure to ask your alumni interviewer about his or her personal experiences and opinions.

  • Your interviewer is asking himself, "Do I want to see this candidate at future Kellogg alumni events for the rest of my life?" Show sincere interest in your interviewer as a person. This is not the time to impress him with your sophisticated analysis of the school's future direction. Save those for the Admissions Committee.

KELLOGG INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

• My colleague Steve Green provided this organized list of sample questions, collected from various public sources. Thank you, Steve!

RESUME: Career

•    Tell me about yourself. / Walk me through your resume.

PROBE ANSWERS

• Tell me about [particular accomplishment]

• Tell me about [particular promotion or change]

• What is missing from your resume that you’d like to tell me about?

• •    What led you to your first job?

• •    What made you change careers? (+ Follow-up)

• •    Why did you decide to switch into the field that you chose?

• •    How have you grown over the years?

• •    Tell me about what's challenging in your current role. (+ Follow-up)

• •    Why did you choose ________________ for your career?

• •    What are your current responsibilities?

• •    What do you clients say about you?

• •    What do you outside of work?

RESUME: Education

• •    Why did you choose your undergraduate school?

• •    Why did you choose your major?

• •    Tell me something about your undergraduate experience?

• •    What was your legacy at your undergrad school?

• •    Why did you choose ________________ for your career?

• •    What are your current responsibilities?

• •    What do you clients say about you?

• •    What do you outside of work?

TEAMWORK

• •    Tell me about your teamwork experience.

• •    Describe a difficult team situation you have had to deal with in the past?

• •    Tell me about another teamwork experience.

• •    What would you do when a team member wasn’t pulling his own weight?

• •    What would your teammates say about you?

• •    Discuss a team failure you were part of.

LEADERSHIP

• •    Who do you admire as a leader?

• •    Have you held leadership positions at work?

• •    Tell me something about your leadership experience?

• •    Have you faced any challenges as a leader? How did you deal with them?

• •    How has your leadership style evolved since college?

• •    What kind of leader are you?

WHY MBA / WHY KELLOGG

• •    Why do you want an MBA?  

• •    Why now?

• •    Why Kellogg?

• •    Are you good with numbers?

• •    What are your goals?

• •    How will Kellogg help you achieve those goals?

• •    How do you envision yourself being involved in the Kellogg community?

• •    What clubs will you participate in?

• •    How will you enhance the diversity of the Kellogg class?

• •    What unique contribution do you bring to Kellogg?

• •    What other schools did you apply to?

• •    If you got into all of them, which would you attend?

STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES

• •    If you could hit the reset button, what would you do differently?

• •    Anything that may be considered a weakness in your application you would like to explain or expand on?

• •    How have you grown over the years?

• •    What are your two main strengths?

• •    What are your two main weaknesses?

• •    If time and money were not an issue, what would you do?

• •    What three words would you use to describe yourself?

• •    Who is a good negotiator?

• •    Have you ever been in a negotiation where it wasn't win - win, rather, win-lose or lose-lose.

• •    What do people misperceive about you in first meeting?

• •    If I asked your colleagues about you, what would they say? What feedback have you used to do better?

CONCLUSION

•    What questions do you have for me? / Do you have any questions for me?

KELLOGG INTERVIEW REPORTS

ON CAMPUS

• Past clients who interviewed on campus were typically asked the following range of questions:

ADCOMS #1

Evanston

Interviewer: Assistant Director of Admissions

Non-Alum, 2nd month with Kellogg, no experience working at other Business Schools, Very Friendly

Questions:

1. Tell me about your undergrad experiences (both Academic and Non-academic)

2. How/Why did you choose your 1st job?

3. How did you end up in your current job? (Transition from 1st job to 2nd job)

4. Post MBA goal and Why

5. Long Term Goal

6. Why MBA?

7. Why Kellogg?

8. How do you function in a team?

9. Do you usually (routinely) work in a team setting?

10. Tell me about your leadership style with an example.

11. What kind of impact can you make on Kellogg?

12. Any clubs you’re interested in?

13. Activities you’re involved in outside of work.

14. How do you see yourself relative to your peers?

15. Have you experienced any setbacks being the youngest person in your organization?

16. Anything else you would like to highlight?

17. Any questions? (twice)

ADCOMS #2

R2 applicant on campus

I was interviewed by an admissions officer and most interviews on week-days seemed to be done by admission staff.

1. When did you arrive at Evanston? Have you met anyone from Kellogg before your interview?

2. Tell me about your academic background and the reasons for your choices.

3. Walk me through your resume and your career progress to date.

4. What do you think is the biggest impact you have made in your organization?

5. What do you think is your type of leadership and tell me about your leadership experience?

6. Tell me about your accomplishment through teamwork.

7. How do you resolve a conflict in a team?

8. What do you think your colleagues appreciate about you?

9. If your colleagues can change one thing about you, what do you think it would be?

10. What are your short term/ long term goals?

11. How can Kellogg help you achieve your goals?

12. If admitted, what do want to do outside the classrooms in Kellogg?

13. What do you currently enjoy besides work?

14. Any questions?

ADCOMS #3

Kellogg On-campus

30 minutes

I was instructed to fill in the form with following information

Name, STG and LTG

Questions:

1. When did you arrive?

2. Did you come to US only for interview purpose?

3. Career Progress

4. What is the greatest undergrad experience?

5. What do your colleagues describe about you?

6. Why MBA?

7. STG, LTG

8. Why Kellogg?

9. Teamwork Question

   • How did your colleague change you?

   • One thing you want to change about yourself

10. Leadership Question

    • What is your leadership style?

11. Where else did you apply?

12. Adjective describe you

13. Where in US did you live?

14. What do you do for fun?

15. Do you do any charity work?

16. What club do you intend to join?

17. Any thing you want to say? (One time)

18. Any question? (Two times)

ADCOMS #4

Place: Kellogg On-campus

Admissions Officer and a Kellogg alumna

Questions:

1. When did you arrive in Kellogg? When do you go back? Jet lag?

2. Tell me about your undergrad major experience. Why did you choose that major?

3. Tell me about your work history. Why did you choose that company?

4. Describe your team. How do you perform in that team?

5. Why MBA?

6. Why Kellogg?

7. Post MBA goal

8. What is your leadership style like?

9. How would you manage a conflict between people?

10. How do you convince people?

11. How do you manage yourself in an international environment?

12. What can you contribute to Kellogg? (Besides work experience)

13. What clubs do you intend to join? Any others?

14. Anything else you have not mentioned that you want me to know about you?

15. Any questions? Any others?

ADCOMS #5

Place: Kellogg On-campus

Interviewer: Admissions Officer and a Kellogg alumna

NOTE: It seems that admission officers are in charge of weekday interviews while students take care of weekend interviews.

Questions

1. University experiences (academic, extracurricular)

2. Career progress

3. Why MBA, Why Kellogg

4. Leadership experience, leadership style

5. How are you going to develop leadership at Kellogg?

6. Conflict-solving experience, how?

7. Strategic experience in a project, how did you plan a strategy to achieve a difficult thing?

8. Short-term goal (STG) after Kellogg / My thought of key success factors in attain my STG

9. Impact I have made on my clients or my company

10. Contributions at Kellogg

11. Anything else? (twice)

12. Any questions? (three times)

13. What are you going to do after this interview?

ADCOMS #6

Who: Admission officer (alumna)

Place: Admission office (her room/ no table/ just two chairs)

Condition: Friendly/ Blind/ 50 minutes/ the admission checked my resume before we started (I gave her my resume before we started, and she asked me to wait for 5-10 minutes)

Questions

1. When did I arrive

2. What have you done since your arrival?

3. Tell me about your university experience

4. Tell me about your extracurricular activity during university

5. Tell me your career progress

6. Why do you think that you could be awarded for top sales person (what makes you win this award)?

7. How to solve the problems caused by the cultural difference.

8. Why MBA?

9. Why Kellogg?

10. What do you do outside of your work?

11. What extracurricular activity do you want to do at Kellogg?

12. What is your goal (short/ long)?

13. What kind of your quality that you have developed do you think will help you to work as a consultant in future?

14. How is your analytical skill?

15. What extra information you want to tell me?

16. What extra information you want to tell me? (again)

17. Do you have any questions?

ADCOMS #7

On campus

55 minutes w/ adcom, blind, friendly

1. When did you arrive?

2. What have you done since you arrived?

3. Walk me through your resume.

4. Why MBA and why now?

5. What do you intend to gain at Kellogg.

6. (Building on previous question) You are corporate-sponsored. How would you give back to your organization after Kellogg.

7. Describe your leadership style.

8. What role would you play in team activities at Kellogg.

9. What clubs or activities at Kellogg are you most interested in?

10. How would you enrich classroom experiences of other Kellogg students?

11. Describe ONE thing about Kellogg that you think sets it apart from other programs. (Why Kellogg)

12. Anything you would like to add that you think relates to your candidacy?

13. Q and A

STUDENT ADCOMS #1

R2 on campus

• Things were a little bit unexpected because my interviewer was a 1st year student.

• She was nice and friendly, but it was difficult for me to control the overall interview.

• She was writing down EVERYTHING while I was talking, and she told me to stop and wait before I finish.

• So after the first two questions, I waited for her so she could finish writing, but then when I did that, she just jumped to the next question.

• Also, although she told me it was going to be conversational, she did not ask me any further questions to my answers.

• She did not let me add anything at the end either.

• Also, it was challenging because she had me talk about three accomplishments in the beginning.

• In case there are applicant planning to do on-campus interview, I recommend making reservation on weekdays so that you will have higher probability to be interviewed by admission directors. (It seems Admission directors are off on weekends)

• But for me, having interview with a student was another chance to know more about Kellogg community and was a truly great experience which lasted about 45 minutes. (including warm up and cool down chat)

We started off with warm up (ice breaking) chat, such as weather and flight, and she told me her background.

She was a 1st year student with finance background.

She told me it was a blind interview (she had not seen my application) and that interview goes in chronological order

She asked:

1. Why did you become interested in your undergraduate study? Please explain in detail about your major.

2. Please talk about your extra curricular activity (in my case it was my golf club activity

3. Why do you think you were chosen as the captain of golf club at your High School and University?

4. Do you play golf a lot recently?

5. Have you ever done hole-in-one?

6. What do you recommend me to fix my slice?

7. Please tell me about your recruiting process?

8. I talked why IT industry why current company why my function

9. Please talk about your division and how you have progress your career.

10. What was the reason you got your promotion?

11. How did your responsibility change?

12. Please clarify, in specific, your responsibility.

13. Are you responsible to negotiate with client?

14. How do you compare your client (big Japanese company) and US companies?

15. Please tell me the situation where you took leadership and why it was effective?

16. What were difficult factors and how you have dealt with it?

17. What were factors became conflict and why?

18. Please be more specific about how you resolve the conflict?

19. Why MBA? STG? LTG?

20. Do you have specific firm you want to work for?

21. LTG: At this point do you have specific company you want to help? (my LTG is to be CEO and help company revitalize)

22. Why Kellogg?

23. What are specific classes and organization you are planning to join and why?

24. What do you do outside work? (aside from golf) Why do you like it?

25. Anything else you want to add? (She told her experience in GIM India and I told my business trip experience to India).

26. What was your impression of the Indian city you have visited?

27. Is there any thing I can answer for you?

28. What was your impression of your visit to classes?

29. Cool down chat: What are you planning to do this afternoon?

OFF CAMPUS

• Past clients who interviewed with Tokyo-based alumni were asked the following range of questions

Tokyo-based alumni #1

Interviewer's brief introduction in Japanese

1. Walk me through your resume.

2. Why did you move to private sector? Why did you choose Company X?

3. What is the biggest learning while you were engaged in public sector?

4. Goals

5. Under the current economic situation, you will run a risk of getting no job. How do you treat with that?

6. As to your long goal, which area/category has the most promise from the perspective of your professional experience?

7. Why MBA?

8. Why Kellogg?

9. What is the greatest accomplishment?

10. How do you contribute to Kellogg?

11. Other sales-point.

12. Then I asked my interviewer the following questions:

• How did your Kellogg experience affect you?

• Could you give me an advice for my partner to prepare for Evanston life? (He told me that he accompanied his wife and a baby)

• What is the impressive class, faculty, student?

Tokyo-based alumni #2

• Friendly / Blind / 30 minutes / He had skimmed my resume before coming to the interview room

• Basically we talked interactively. He seemed to have some agenda or direction as to what to ask in the interview.

• Conducted in English.

• I had a good rapport with interviewer. We enjoyed discussion and laughed a lot. In the middle and the end of the meeting, he said he would grade me as very good.

Questions

1. Warm up chats: He introduced his career briefly.

2. Walk me through your resume.

3. Why did you join current employer? Why did you major in law at university?

4. Short term goal, long term goal?

5. What is your major accomplishment?

6. Why Kellogg?

7. How can you contribute to Kellogg?

Tokyo-based alumni #3

Questions were mostly about my business:

1. Explain the business model of your current job.

2. Briefly explain your recent accomplishment.

3. How did you learn about Kellogg? Web site or people?

4. Why do you pursue MBA?

5. What do you think your expertise.

6. In what occasion do you feel most exciting?

7. What was the greatest obstacle in your project?

8. What was the key to solve the project.

9. Any questions?

Tokyo-based alumni #4

• Just tell me about your self in 3 min (he added my hobby and outside activity)

• Walk through your resume (he said my resume looks great and I did so many things!)

• Tell me about your big achievement in your job (I added my strong leadership about my achievement)

• Tell me abuot your leadership outside work

• Why MBA

• Why Kellogg

• Any questions?

Tokyo-based alumni #5

1. Please introduce yourself to me.

2. Could you walk me through your resume?

3. Please tell me your experience in which you took initiatives?

4. Please tell me your teamwork experience?

5. Could you tell me your significant business decisions in career?

6. Anything else?

7. Q and A

Tokyo-based alumni #6

1. Run through your resume.

2. Why MBA? (Following my answer: finance)

3. Why do you want to study finance at Kellogg?

4. What are your career goals?

5. What is your significant achievement at work?

6. If other four people disagree with you but your opinion is right at group study of Kellogg, What would you do?

7. How you learned English?

8. Any questions?

ADDITIONAL INTERVIEW REPORTS

• Thanks to Clear Admit for providing this excellent wiki: http://www.clearadmit.com/wiki/index.php?title=KelloggInterview

• Also, be sure to check out Accepted's searchable database: http://www.accepted.com/mba/interviews/search.asp?bhcp=1

Information is subject to change. Please verify all data with the schools.