Haas: Interview Transcripts & Notes
Haas Interview Reports
1. Why Haas?
2. DEI -- two questions: engaged in a diverse team, and cultivated DEI
3. Biggest risk you've taken
4. When have you encouraged your team to take leadership outside the scope of their job
5. Any things you would like to add
6. Any questions for me
1. If you were the CEO of your company tomorrow, what would you change?
2. Asked about a weakness- but specified that it had to be a personality weakness.
3. When it comes to diversity and inclusion, how have you been an ally in the past and how will you use those experience to make a difference at Haas
4. Tell me about a time you didn’t get along with someone personally in a professional setting
-Tell me about yourself
-Tell me how you have contribute to diversity within the workplace
-Tell me about a time ...
-Why MBA?
-Why this school?
-What are your career goals?
Below is my interview transcript at Haas. Note that it was on-campus with a first-year student and lasted about 50 minutes, including 10 minutes of Q&A. - Tell me about yourself.
- What do you think most distinguishes you from others in your position?
- What is the biggest challenge you face in your current position?
- What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
- Tell me about a time when you convinced your superiors to do something they didn’t necessarily want to do.
- Tell me about a time when you led a team at work and didn’t quite get the result that you wanted. How did you respond?
- Tell me about a time when you had to work on a team with someone who was hard to get along with.
- Tell me about your leadership experience outside of work (I asked if I could share both an example from college and an example from post-college and she was fine with that).
- How do you define leadership?
- Why MBA, why now, why Haas?
- What clubs do you want to get involved with while at Haas?
- Do you have any ideas or initiatives you would like to bring to campus?
- Which Haas Defining Principle do you most identify with and why?
- Is there anything you wish I had asked you or would like me to report to the admissions committee about your candidacy?
- Do you have any questions for me?
- - Tell me about yourself.
- - You've only been at your current role for a year -why leave now when it sounds like you really like your job and are learning a lot
- - How did you end up at your first job at the startup?
- - Why an MBA?
- - Is there anything you're worried about starting an MBA program? Perhaps quantitative coursework as an English major?
- - Tell me about the investor roadshow you mention on your resume -- what was your role?
- - What specifically do you want to do after graduating
- - You're a lifetime East Coaster -- how do you feel about moving to the West Coast?
- - What do you like about Haas?
- - You mention you want to start your own business -- do you have a specific business idea or still thinking it through?
- - Are you a lifetime entrepreneur or driven by a mission? By this I mean I'm an accidental entrepreneur, but some people just want to start a company, any company. Both are great -- just trying to figure you out.
- - then she answered a bunch of my questions
- - anything else you want me to know or wish I had asked?
Haas Interview Report:
I arrived about 20 minutes early. The interviewer was early as well, so we started about 10 minutes before 2.
At the outset, I asked the interviewer to describe her background. She had worked with several NGOs and had a background in technology consulting. That was very good and we had a very good conversation about both social impact and the tech sector.
There was the usual series of questions on:
1. Walk me through your resume?
2. Why MBA?
3. Why Haas?
4. Why Now?
5. What are your strengths that your peers would highlight?
6. There were a few interesting ones:
- Social Impact is getting to be such a crowded field. How will you navigate your way and what is your back up plan if your internship/job opportunities do not pan out?
- How have you handled conflicts at work?
- If there was a situation where you had to completely change the course of direction of your company, how did you go through that?
She gave me some time to ask questions and we mostly talked about the NetImpact and Tech club activitites, her consulting work and her internships in tech companies focused on social impact (psi), classes and electives and on her international experiences.
- Tell me about your work experience.
- Why is now the right time for an MBA?
- Describe the best boss you have ever had?
- What specifically did you learn?
- What aspect of your leadership skills do you want to improve?
- Where do you think you excel?
- What role do you typically take on a team?
- Would you consider yourself flexible?
- How well do you know Haas/how did you do your research?
- Why do you think it is the right fit for you?
- What are your learning goals for b-school?
- Do you have other goals for your experience?
- Why an MBA?
- Why Haas?
- What other programs are you applying to?
- What will you take advantage of at Haas?
- What do you bring to the diversity of the class?
- Walk me through your resume.
- Why an MBA now?
- What activities are you involved with?
- Why did you select those/how are they important to you?
- What will you be involved with at Haas?
- What is your take on the Haas culture?
- What types of people do you work best with?
- Do you work better independently or in groups?
- Tell me about your current job.
- What do you like best about it?
- What do you find challenging?
- Do you have a steep learning curve?
- Why are you sure this is the right time for an MBA?
- Why Haas?
- What do you like best about the Haas program?
- Do you have any concerns about the program?
- What is the best part about your job?
- Tell me about a time you failed at work.
- What did you learn from that experience?
- Tell me about a great success at work?
- Why do you think that worked out so well?
- Why Haas?
88 people showed up to Super Saturday, primarily folks from outside the Bay Area but within the US. The candidates were very cool and very socially adept. I liked pretty much everyone I met.
The program for the day was as follows:
- Welcome from the Director of Admissions
- Lunch with a current Haas student
- Student Q&A panel
- 30-40 min interview
- Career panel, featuring Haas alums
- School tour
- Wrap up comments from Director of Admissions
I was there from 11:30-5pm. A very full day but certainly worth it. Felt like Haas did a great job selling the school to us.
My interview was also very relaxed, with no difficult or surprise questions. It seems like Haas was simply trying to gauge fit and in some sense didn't really care about probing too deeply about me. I also felt that I was being closely judged by my body language and disposition.
Questions I remember:
- Walk me through your resume
- Why an MBA
- Why Haas
- Describe what kind of team player you are
- What would you like me to know that isn't on your resume
- Ask me questions
Just got back from my interview with Haas. 45 minutes long with a 10 minute introduction about herself. Topics discussed:
- Walk me through your resume
- Why an MBA?
- Why Haas?
- Tell me about a time when you had to negotiate or work with someone and didn't get your way - how did you handle that?
- How do you receive constructive criticism? Give me an example of some constructive criticism that you've received from your manager recently.
- What do you do for fun outside of work?
- What do you bring to the classroom?
- What is your leadership style?
Walk me through your resume and tell me why you want an MBA. Has your business been affected by the economic situation? What significant strengths and weaknesses about yourself do you think are inherent in your application. Then, he asked a follow-up question about how the weakness has affected my work. What extracurricular activities would you be interested in joining at Duke? Any student clubs?
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- Walk through resume
- Why MBA?
- Strengths/Weaknesses
- What can you bring to Haas?
- What would friends say abut me?
- A question I wished she had asked?
Haas seemed way less formal in the way they interviewed me. I was the only one there.
The interview was conducted by a first-year student in the HAAS building.
1. Walk through the resume.
2. Asked few things about the specific items/experiences in my resume.
3. Discuss a time when you led a team and had obstacles?
4. What are your long-term plans?
5. Why HAAS? Why MBA?
6. What organization I was involved the most in undergrad/grad? Why I liked it?
7. Any questions for him?
A first-year student conducted my interview. After some initial chit-chat, we got down to business. Her questions ran like this:
- Walk me through your resume.
- The admissions committee told me to ask you this: Why have your career goals changed? (I am a Haas reapplicant)
- Discuss your leadership style. How do you lead?
- Discuss a time when you were part of a group of peers and you failed to meet your objective. How did you deal with this?
- What is it about Haas, specifically, that makes you want to attend this program?
- If you are admitted to Haas, what attributes will you bring to the program? How will you contribute?
- Do you have any questions for me?
In the beginning of the interview she said that she would ask me just two questions - and I would have 25 mins to answer those.
- Tell me something about yourself. (Walk thru your resume) Highlight one incident or thing from your academic, professional, and personal life.
- What are your professional objectives? How does a Haas MBA fit in? Why do you want to do an MBA right now?