Harvard Business School MBA Recommendation Questions
The Harvard Business School MBA Class of 2028 application is now live, which means that the HBS MBA recommendation questions are available to recommenders. HBS requires two recommendations and suggests (but does not require) that one be from a direct supervisor. The other should be from someone who can speak about your professional performance, leadership skills, and potential.
2025-2026 Harvard Business School (HBS) Recommendation Questions:
Recommender Information
Do you know this applicant from a previous employer?
Are you a graduate of the Harvard Business School MBA program?
If yes, year of graduation:
Relationship Context
Relationship Type (drop-down menu):
- Current employer
- Previous employer
- University/Academic
- Extracurricular/Community
- Other
Relationship Context (drop-down menu):
- Direct Supervisor
- Other Supervisor
- Advisor
- Colleague/Peer
- Direct Report
- Indirect Report
- Other
Number of applicants you are recommending to the HBS MBA Program this year:
Please provide a brief description of your interaction with the applicant and, if applicable, their role in your organization (300 characters):
Candidate Evaluation
HBS asks recommenders to rate the applicant’s attributes using the following scale: No Basis for Judgment, Potential Area of Concern, Developing, Strong, and Distinctive. To assess the candidate’s strengths and areas of development, HBS divides attributes across several categories:
Business-Minded:
- Analytical thinking
- Professional maturity
- Quantitative skills
- Verbal communication
- Written communication
Leadership-Focused:
- Awareness of and respect for others
- Emotional intelligence
- Integrity
- Interpersonal skills with colleagues and subordinates
- Interpersonal skills with superiors
- Listening skills
- Teamwork: engagement and collaboration
- Teamwork: leadership and development of others
Growth-Oriented:
- Creative problem solving
- Curiosity
- Initiative
- Openness to others’ perspectives
- Receptiveness to feedback and willingness to change
- Self-awareness
Please comment on the ratings you have assigned, elaborating on relative strengths and opportunities for further development. (Required, 150 words).
Open Response Questions
Please respond to the questions below in a single document.
- Please provide specific examples of how the applicant’s performance, potential, background, or personal qualities compare to those of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles. (Recommended: 300 words)
- Please describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response. (Recommended: 250 words)
- (Optional) Is there anything else we should know? Please be concise.
MBA Applywire
Background: 27, male, SouthAsia (non Indian). Top national undergrad, GPA just under 3, strong GRE (330/167Q).
Experience 5 years: Founder of a cross border consumer-electronics venture (led a successful B2B pivot) operating over 3 continents, and Director of Ops & Supply Chain at a Regional distribution company (in a similar domain to my own business).
Leadership: Elected civic role (thousands of constituents); founded an award-winning COVID relief effort.
Goals: Short-term consulting (MBB/T2, ops & transformation). long-term to build an advisory firm for emerging-market SMEs.
I have a strong academic background and a multidisciplinary profile across economics, technology policy, and social impact. I scored 92.4% in Class 12 and completed my undergraduate degree from a Tier-I college under the University of Delhi with a CGPA of 8.54/10. I further pursued a one-year full-time Post Graduate Diploma from the Indian Statistical Institute, where I scored 76.3% and graduated as the topper of my batch.
Professionally, I have around 4.5 years of experience across the tech policy and social impact consulting space. I began my career as an economist at a boutique technology policy consulting firm, where I worked on research and advisory projects at the intersection of digital economy, regulation, and public policy. I then worked closely with a state government as part of a fellowship, gaining hands-on experience in policy implementation and government systems. Currently, I work with a prominent Section 8 company in the e-commerce space, contributing to initiatives focused on digital commerce, inclusion, and ecosystem development.
Overall, my profile brings together strong quantitative training, policy experience, government exposure, and impact-oriented work in India’s digital economy.
Experience includes technical leadership, instructor tenure and digital transformation initiatives. Led cross functional teams and managed projects with multiple stakeholders.
Preference for STEM designated MBA. Scholarship opportunities are a major factor in school selection.
Would appreciate feedback on whether my profile is better suited for consulting or PM roles post MBA?
I want to provide a clear picture of my background, impact, and what drives me. I hold a B.Eng. in Civil Engineering, but I pivoted my career to finance, strategy, and operations. My profile is defined by hands-on business operations, a strong "Builder/Product" mindset in consulting, and community leadership.
Early Business Foundations (Family Automotive Business):
Before entering corporate consulting, I worked as a Digital Operations & Strategy Analyst at my family's automotive business. I transitioned the company from a low-foot-traffic physical storefront to an inbound digital sales model. I managed a rotating digital inventory of 20-25 vehicles across major automotive marketplaces. I also conducted pricing analysis using national pricing index trends and tested multiple acquisition channels to focus exclusively on high-intent leads. This hands-on commercial experience was the catalyst for my pivot into corporate strategy.
Professional Impact & Tech Automations (Big 4 Firm - Risk Consulting):
Currently, I work as a Business Consultant in Risk Advisory at a Big 4 firm, executing SOX controls testing for enterprise clients across 10+ countries. In my daily routine, I actively hunt for operational bottlenecks. For example, in a recent project auditing an industrial automation multinational, my team was tasked with manually reviewing 104 complex contracts and measurement bulletins. Recognizing the severe inefficiency, I mapped the workflow and implemented an AI-driven solution using Microsoft Copilot, Python, and VBA to extract data directly from system prints. Furthermore, I utilized DataSnipper and custom AI prompts to eliminate manual data entry, directly contributing to the fastest Phase 3 SOX delivery in the client's history for the EME region. I also acted as the sole regional beta tester for the firm's proprietary GenAI platform, providing direct UX and functional feedback to the US-based Product Management team.
Extracurricular Leadership (The Community Builder):
Outside of the corporate world, I am the Co-Founder and Treasurer of a local non-profit baseball association. I built custom Excel tracking models for our P&L and drove recurring revenue through multi-year commercial partnerships at major regional cultural events. I spearheaded grassroots expansion by partnering with local schools, successfully scaling the active organization to over 120 engaged community members.
Post-MBA Goals:
I am targeting MBB consulting post-MBA to rapidly pay off potential debt and solidify my strategic acumen. This will function as a direct stepping stone into my ultimate goal: Senior Product Management (Tech PM) at a Big Tech firm.