Congratulations! You have been invited to interview with LBS. Now what? 

What are admissions officers looking for in the interview reports submitted by alumni interviewers?

Study these criteria to understand what your interviewers and LBS MBA admissions officers are looking for in candidates.

London Business School Interview Criteria (Modified by Vince)

1. Communication / English Language Skills

• Overall, how articulate is this candidate?

• Able to make their point clear?

• Is their English proficiency adequate for the LBS MBA?

• Training Required, (please comment below) YES / NO

 2. Team Skills

(from alumni interviewers' interpretations of applicant's essays and interview)

• Proactive contributor to teams/groups?

• Thinks about how teams work together and succeed?

• Understands contribution he/she makes to teams?

• Has insight into his/her weaknesses as team member?

• Able to resolve personal conflicts between self and others?

• Helps to resolve personal conflicts between others?

 3. Leadership Skills

• Level of insight into their own leadership style?

• Grasp of own leadership strengths / weaknesses?

• Has identified some leadership development goal(s)?

• Able to see themselves as future business leader?

 4. Motivation/Drive & Energy

• Estimated level of motivation / drive?

• Has long-term career and personal goals?

• Manages self to sustain energy levels?

5. Intellectual Skills

• Evidence of strategic perspective?

• Able to analyse/evaluate business situations?

• Has own ideas?

• Able to link ideas and communicate concepts?

• Original approach to problems?

6. International Perspective

• Exposure to cultural diversity?

• Interest in people with different backgrounds / perspectives?

• Aware of positive/negative impact of cultural diversity?

• Active interest in LBS’s internationalism?

7. Expectations & Interest in LBS MBA

• Convinced you of strong interest in taking an MBA?

• Convinced you of strong interest in LBS MBA specifically?

8. LBS Contribution and ‘Fit’

In your view:

• Did the candidate ask good/relevant questions?

• Do you think this candidate will contribute to the LBS MBA?

• Will the candidate work well with a group?

• Will the candidate contribute to the Campus Community? (clubs etc)

• Is LBS the right choice for this candidate?

9. Post MBA Career Objectives

What does the candidate wish to achieve by doing an MBA? (tick more than one if applicable)

• Vertical move

• Change career direction

• Run own company

• Move into consulting

• Move into banking

• Move into industry

In your (alumni interviewer's) view, are these aspirations realistic ?

• YES / NO (given past work experience and LBS MBA exposure)

OVERALL DECISION RATING

1. Excellent candidate, who LBS should pursue actively

2. Good candidate, who would contribute to the MBA

3. Weak candidate (see points below)

4. Unsuitable candidate, recommend LBS reject

If you choose 3 above, please list possible options to mention to the candidate, (if applicable):

1. Encourage them to re-apply in a year.

2. Consider other LBS programme – Sloan, MiF, EMBA

How can Vince help me prepare for my LBS MBA interview?

As an experienced interview trainer with over ten years of experience (and great LBS MBA admissions results), I receive many inquiries asking about my LBS interview preparation services

If you have been invited to interview with London Business School, I would be happy to help you prepare

First, I want to clarify that I provide school-specific training for LBS interviews

After reading your application, 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 LBS alumni interviewers.

• I also assess your communication skills.

• I cannot predict what questions you will be asked, but I can help you boost your confidence by practicing with an expert who understands what LBS expects from admitted applicants.

• In LBS mock interview sessions, I will check your logic and presentation style to find weak points that might be of concern to your interviewers.

If you are interested in my LBS mock interview training, please follow these five sign-up steps

I promise to do my best to help you pass your LBS MBA interview with style

STEP ONE: CONTACT VINCE

• Please kindly complete my intake form

• In the notes / "questions for Vince" section, please tell me how many interview sessions you want, and when you want to have our session(s).

• My fees and my schedule of availability is here

STEP TWO: ARRANGE PAYMENT 

STEP THREE: SCHEDULE SESSIONS

• I will give you access to my Google Calendar once payment clears.

  • 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

• Finally, 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 FOUR: SEND VINCE YOUR LBS APPLICATION

LBS interviewers read your application before interviewing you. I want to do the same. 

Once our session time is set, please attach and send me your

• resume / CV

• application data form short answers 

• transcript

• essays

If you have access to your recommendation letters, please send those, as well.

I will use your materials to prepare custom questions to fit your case.

Then, I will destroy any hard or soft copies to maintain client confidentiality.

STEP FIVE: PRACTICE BEFORE OUR SESSION

• Please practice before and after our session. 

• You might also want to watch a few sample interview videos found here.

• Finally, remember to continue practicing on your own after the session.

  • Interviewing is a learned skill. You will improve with practice. 

STEP THREE: SCHEDULE SESSIONS

• I will give you access to my Google Calendar once payment clears.

  • 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

• Finally, 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 FOUR: SEND VINCE YOUR LBS APPLICATION

LBS interviewers read your application before interviewing you. I want to do the same. 

Once our session time is set, please attach and send me your

• resume / CV

• application data form short answers 

• transcript

• essays

If you have access to your recommendation letters, please send those, as well.

I will use your materials to prepare custom questions to fit your case.

Then, I will destroy any hard or soft copies to maintain client confidentiality.

STEP FIVE: PRACTICE BEFORE OUR SESSION

• Please practice before and after our session. 

• You might also want to watch a few sample interview videos found here.

• Finally, remember to continue practicing on your own after the session.

  • Interviewing is a learned skill. You will improve with practice. 

AUGUST 28, 2003

MBA INSIDER: ADMISSION INTERVIEW TIPS

London Business School: The Interview

A Talk with London's Admissions Director

An excerpt from the Q&A: Q: Interviews are by invitation only at London.

What does the school want to find out about the applicant during the interview?

A: Like applying for a job, the first stage for the [job] applicant is getting an interview. The second stage is getting an offer. The process works like this. We'll do a review of the paper application first. We are looking to see whether the application meets our base criteria, for instance educational attainment, work experience, and the [applicant's] references. After the paper review, we'll decide whether or not to ask a candidate for interview. And at that point the interview will be following a checklist of characteristics that we've drawn up.

Q: Is a long interview better than a short interview?

A: A good interview is the best, and they can be either [long or short]. That said, it's tough to establish knowing somebody in as thorough a way as we would like in much less than 30 or 40 minutes. And some of our interviews will go on longer than that.

Q: And the ones that only last 20 minutes...

A: Could be fantastic. But how many job interviews have you had that had just lasted 20 minutes and have you got the job? I would very much doubt that that would be a typical London Business School experience. If we are going to the trouble of interviewing somebody, which is a time-consuming and expensive process, we want to give the candidate a good opportunity to have a good showing. It's also a way for the applicant to find out more about the school.

Comments from Student 1:

Scheduling the Interview: The interview was scheduled through the MBA Admissions office via email at the same time that I was notified I had passed the next stage. They subsequently put me in touch with a local (Los Angeles) alumni and he and I corresponded to set a time.

Location of Interview: The interview took place at my alumni interviewer's office. It was very relaxed, although I was quite nervous since I wanted to make a good impression and be accepted into the program.

Preparedness of Interviewer: My interviewer was definitely prepared and had experience in interviewing quite a few prospective students. He did a good job of selling the school to me in addition to assessing my skills.

Interviewer University affiliation: His name is Josh Parks, and he is an alumni. Atmosphere: It was relaxed since I was with someone more my peer than an admissions officer, but on the other hand, it's always difficult to be in the hot seat and have someone critiquing you. I was glad when it was through!

Questions asked:

Josh asked typical questions about why I was interested in business school, what made me choose LBS, what I would be doing after graduation. He also probed into questions about my current job and international experience.

Additionally, there was a new process where I had to give an impromptu "presentation."

I was given three cases to choose from, and 5 minutes to review these and present an oral response. I think the point was to see how well I could work on my feet and analyze my thought process. It was a bit nerve-wracking, but I must have done an OK job!

Length of Interview: This interview lasted about 2 hours.

Comments from Student 2:

Scheduling the Interview: I was given the name and email address of a local alumnus (even though I lived in the city of London at the time). She and I arranged the interview at her convenience. Location of interview: Off campus, though in London. She suggested meeting at Starbucks, which we did, but it was not a great environment for an interview in my opinion.

Preparedness of Interviewer: The interviewer had spent a few days reviewing my application in detail. In fact, she said she didn't want to discuss issues I'd already mentioned in my application, as she had just read that.

Interviewer University Affiliation: Alumnus

Atmosphere: Relaxing atmosphere, conversational. However, Starbucks was distracting with other loud conversations and the blender going! Questions asked:

• The alumnus told me that LBS gave her a standard set of interview questions, so she did not have much choice in what was asked. The following were some of the questions:

• What is a typical day like at work for you?

• What are your biggest challenges at work?

• What is your leadership style?

• What are your leadership development goals?

• Why get an MBA now?

• What other long-term goals do you have?

• What do you think are the skills of a good manager?

• What should you take into consideration when working with people of different cultures?

• What will you bring to your study team?

• What was your biggest intellectual challenge?

• Tell me about a recent project you've worked on.

• Tell me something about yourself that is not on your application.

Length of interview: two hours

Additional comments:

Be prepared for questions that focus on specific projects, tasks, and challenges.

Be prepared to be asked more theoretical questions, such as 'your leadership development goals'! I was not prepared for this sort of question based on the other interviews I had done.

Highlight any international experience you've had, and your experience with different cultures. This is very important to LBS. Highlight personal activities and motivations in addition to professional accomplishments. LBS students are very involved and motivated.

Show what you will bring to the program, not just what you hope to get out of it.

Convince the interviewer that NOW is the best time for you to get your MBA.

(I was accepted, notified by email by the deadline set for notification by LBS.)

Comments from Student 3:

For all those who are used to "blind" or "resume-based" interviews, be prepared. It is an intense experience. ([It] does give you the distinct feeling that whatever you say is going to count towards your admissions decision).

Location: Coffee Shop in South Mumbai, India

Interviewer: Alumni, MBA 2002 promotion. (Just a couple of years older than I am). How the system works/ how it went: The alum is given a copy of your file including essays and other details about your application. The adcom probably makes a lot of notes about the questions it wishes to raise during the interviewer. The alum then reads the file himself and makes his own list of questions. At the end of it all, your application has so many scribbles and side-notes in it that you want to hide your face in the sand..! ;-). Professionally thorough. My designated interviewer had some very relevant and incisive questions to ask about certain aspects of my essays. The guy even quoted me from my essays without looking at them! Luckily I had given my essays a thorough read in the morning of the interview and could answer most questions confidently. There were no major hiccups per se. I didn't stumble anywhere, but the interviewer did not give me any clue as to how it went at the end of it all. It was, overall, a very detailed experience (almost two hours). The professionalism and the attention to detail was impressive, and if you are prepared for it, it really shouldn't be a problem. No twisters. The questions:

• Why MBA?

• Why LBS?

• Why your present profession?

• Leadership example

• Leadership style admired

• Failure example

• International Experiences

• Developmental Needs (Personal)

• What matters most to you?

Comments from Student 4:

My interview surprised me. I had prepared as most prospective candidates do by talking with other students, alumni, admissions counselors, etc. before the interview.

Starting my consulting practice, I was used to giving "my pitch" and talking about my business, clients, and the consulting model. I also took some advice from one of my mentors and spent extra time before filling out my MBA applications to discern why I am a good fit for B-School in the first place. All of these things helped me in my Interview.

What was surprising for me, although maybe it shouldn't have been, was the caliber of interviewer. We met at the Four Seasons Hotel in the lobby and planned to spend about 1 and ½ hours together that evening. I had been informed that it was a two-way interview: one in which I would have time to learn more about LBS and they would have time to get to know more about me. They also told me that alumni do the interviewing.

When the time came and the interviewer revealed more about himself, it really made me think about the journey I was about to take. He had graduated 10+ years ago and since then had worked for various tech companies, one of which happened to be Dell. He started, built, and managed the South African office and operations for them. Starting from scratch, he looked for everything from manufacturing facilities to operating partners and then grew it into a major business unit, of which he was president. This was really impressive. This was the type of person who was willing to take time from his busy life, to ensure the future of his alma mater by sifting through prospective candidates. That says something about the school and program.

For me, this was a positive and unexpected experience - one that made my decision much easier.

(found at http://www.businessweek.com/print/bschools/mbapremium/aug2003/bs20030828_6717_bs043.htm?chan=gl; access 2009/02)

#1

1. Name of school and department/degree

London Business School

2. Date received invitation: 12 Feb

3. Date your application was submitted: 3 Jan

4. Date of Interview: 4 Mar

5. Length of Interview: 100 minutes (The interviewer told me that it would take 90 minutes when I made the appointment of the interview

6. Interviewer(s): Alumnus

7. Format of Interview One-on-one

8. Location of Interview: Amsterdam (one of the room close to the airport. The interviewer booked the room for the interview)

9. Language(s) used English 100%

10. Questions asked

Summary

He said at the beginning "I know all about you." Then he actually did not much touch upon the contents related to my essays (leadership experience, team work experience or others).

First, he told me who he is in 5 minutes, and stated asking questions.

Most of the questions are very unexpected. It was tough interview, probably, as compare to others; however I somehow could enjoy a lot.

Overall, he created positive atmosphere, and I could fully be relaxed.

NOTE: Blue colored ones are unexpected questions

*What trigger you to start thinking to study at MBA

*What are your criteria to select the MBA schools? Where did you apply, and why LBS is your choice among these schools?

*If you are the interviewer, what kind of perspective students do you recommend to the Admissions Office?

*(I answer to the questions above that "I think the student who has passion to LBS and who have experience." Half of the learning is coming from student, so that it is important that students is good enough to contribute to others with their passion and professional experience). Based on this answer.....How can you assess the passion and experience during the interview, if you are the interviewer?

*Why do you wake up morning? (= It sounds like the question of "why you live?" or "what is your life mission?")

*Tell me about your culture. What part of your culture (Japanese culture) help you at LBS? What part of your culture hinder you from thriving at LBS?

*Tell me about your difficult moment that you would never want to experience again.

*What part of your childhood experience does influence your life?

*Tell me your definition of leadership. What kind of leadership have you had experienced?

*Some chatting about my family

*Who do you think are the most powerful five people in the worked? Why?

*Some experts says that conflicts better results. What is your view on the opinion? How do you manage the conflicts? (This is the question that my friend in Tokyo faced in 1st round)

*Who do you think are the most powerful five people in the world? Why?

11. Interviewer's attitude

Friendly

12. Any final comments

The difficult part was how to drive the conversation to "MY" direction where I could appeal myself to the interviewer. Many questions asked are really "unexpected" and "tough" questions. I could simply answer to his questions, but it is very difficult to integrate those answers and my appealing points to convey some message to the interviewers.

13. Advice

*Creating the good mood with all your very best effort, especially considering such a long interview. In order to do so, I recommend that we should do research the interviewer as much as possible through Google, Linked-in, etc. Get to know the brief profile in advance helped me prepare myself to break ice at the beginning of the interview.

*Take a break before the presentation. The dialogue and presentation are totally different. Having the break and make yourself relaxed, and switch your mood from dialogue to presentation.

It was a 100 minute session