What questions you should never ask your MBA admissions officer and what to ask them instead.
As if the stress of preparing for your MBA interview isn’t enough, you should also consider a few questions to ask your interviewer. However, these should be pertinent questions that will not derail your interview. We'll cover four potential questions you should never ask in this blog article, along with solutions. Before we get into it, let's discuss the reasons behind asking great questions in the first place.
Why is it important to ask good questions?
It is important because they will illustrate three things. To begin, you will convey your enthusiasm for the program based on your research. Next, you will demonstrate that you were a good listener while the interviewer spoke (another skill to succeed in business school). Lastly, the questions you ask are a key tool for engaging and winning over your interviewer. Much of the interview and application process, including the reports interviewers write after each interview, is subjective. So you want the interviewer to like you and be enthusiastic about supporting you.
Below are some common questions that shouldn’t be asked, and what you can ask instead:
1) "I believe I'm done; I don't have any questions."
You really don't? That's not fun. MBA admissions officers and alumni interviewers are eager to address your questions about the program. Many current students and alumni volunteer to do interviews, demonstrating their enthusiasm for the institution. If the interviewer is allowed to spend the final five minutes talking about themselves or their school, it will conclude on a high note, which they will identify with you.
To most interviewers, "no questions" effectively implies "no intellectual interest." You just chatted for 20-30 minutes, and the fact that you don't have any questions raises a red flag for them.
2) "What is your program's weakness?"
You could believe this is an excellent demonstration of intellectual curiosity and critical thinking. But keep in mind that you want your interview to conclude on a strong note. Instead, concentrate on learning interesting or subjective facts about the program. For example, inquire with the admissions officer about recruiter feedback. Big recruiting firms often send information to admissions about how good they think candidates are, which is super interesting for applicants. With a neutral question like this, there are often some good things about the school and some ways it could improve. But it's important to let them talk about both.
3) "Is it worth getting an MBA? ”
If you are asking this question during your interview, you are displaying a complete lack of preparation for this process. This question should have been examined thoroughly before even submitting your application.
However, based on what you've provided about your objectives, it's fair game to ask them for suggestions on how to best utilize your time in the program. You may also uncover how forward-thinking and adaptable their program is by asking your interviewer how the curricular areas of concentration have grown over their time working or attending the school, and how they envision these continuing to respond to the requirements of students in the future.
4) "What percentage of the class was male/female last year?"
This is yet another common blunder made by MBA applicants during the Q&A portion of their interview. Any concern like this is off-limits because you can find the data easily online. Do not ask a question that is directly answered in the school's publications, website, or other easily available source. You may download the recruitment report, as well as the class profiles and course options (and if you don't, they'll question whether you put consideration into your research). Avoid asking for concrete facts because they're presumably already out there somewhere, and if they aren't, they're not going to tell you.
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