The following Harvard Business School MBA interview questions and report were submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 1 applicant. Good luck to them!
Pre-interview, I got to hang out at the hospitality room where they had refreshments and even Legos to play with! Everyone was visibly nervous including me and about 10 minutes before the scheduled interview, they took us to the interview wait room upstairs. That was definitely the most nerve-wrecking moment as I just sat there waiting for the interviewer to call out my name. My interviewer came out and picked me up to take me to a small conference room.
The interview was very conversational and it was the typical one interview and one observer setup. The observer didn’t ask one single question, but the other person did and she asked a lot of questions. It was the expected rapid fire mode where anytime there was a slight pause during my answer, she would slip in another question to steer the conversation in the direction she chose. In the end I was surprised on how much emphasis was placed on my current company.
Questions:
- Tell me what you do at your company?
- How is your company structured?
- How is your company able to compete with the large consulting firms?
- What is the strategic plan of your company?
- In terms of the work you do, what is the difference between sellside and buyside?
- Does your company ever work on both the buyside and sellside?
- Tell me the deal you are working on now.
- Are you a risk taker?
- What is your long term goal?
- Why not join private equity instead of doing consulting post MBA?
- Are you looking to start your own company vs. joining a well established company?
- What is your strength?
- What is your weakness?
- Tell me about a time when you had to work with an under performing associate
- What is one constructive feedback you received from your current boss?
- What is your leadership style?
- Tell me about a time you led a team.
- How did you decide to invest in real estate in this city?
- Who is on your real estate team?
- What is one news that is outside your industry that you follow?
- How would you assess whether it is a good decision for the city to offer incentives for Amazon?
- What is one thing that Amazon does well and what is one thing that could cause Amazon to lose its market dominance?
- With one minute left to go, do you have any questions for us?
Clear Admit Resources
Preparing for your Harvard Business School interview? Check out Clear Admit’s other resources:
- Clear Admit Harvard Business School Interview Guide: Strategic tips for approaching Harvard’s post-interview reflection essay, interview questions, and more.
- Interview Tips: Top HBS MBA Interview Tips from Actual Interviewees
- Understanding the MBA Admissions Interview: Blind vs. Non-Blind
- Podcast Episode 22: HBS Admissions Director Chad Losee Dishes on the MBA Interview, Essays, Financial Aid, and More
- Podcast Episode 23: 5 Most Common MBA Interview Questions You Need to Ace
