This was by far the most conversational interview I have had. It was conducted on February 8 in his office. He said it would last approximately 45 minutes to an hour, and it lasted exactly one hour. He started by introducing himself and explaining how the interview fit into the application process, then he complimented me on my resume and my accomplishments.
I don’t remember him asking very many explicit questions other than:
- What prompted you to apply to Stanford?
- Describe a time when you have proposed an idea that was not initially well-received. How did you handle it?
- What has been your most significant accomplishment and why?
- What do you like to do outside of work?
- What book are you reading right now and what have you learned from it?
IHe also indicated that he had visited my company’s website and asked me to comment on the organization’s current leadership transition (from a management perspective). Inbetween asking these questions we went off on tangents about travel, visiting the Stanford campus, and various books we’d read. He then asked me if I had any questions for him. Leaving the interview, I was worried that he had not asked me why I wanted an MBA and what my career goals were. The following morning I received a phone call from him and he apologized for not having asked those questions during the interview and then posed them to me. I was glad that he followed up rather than submitting his review to Stanford without that key info!
