What's in the MBA interview?
One of the most distinctive contents of MBA examination is the interview part. Especially since the written examination reform in 2005 and the cancellation of management knowledge examination, China's MBA enrollment has strengthened the qualification examination and re-examination, emphasizing the comprehensive quality and management potential of candidates through interviews. The MBA interview scores of general colleges and universities account for about 25% of the final score, while the interview scores of some famous colleges and universities account for a larger proportion of the final total score, even reaching 50%. For example, the MBA interview results of Tsinghua and Peking University in 2005 accounted for 50% of the final total score, which can reflect the importance of the interview.
1, the whole interview process
According to the degree of structuring (i.e. standardization) of interviews, interviews can be divided into structured interviews, semi-structured interviews and unstructured interviews. The so-called structured interview refers to an interview with unified, clear and standardized interview topics, interview implementation procedures, interview evaluation and examiner composition; Semi-structured interview means that only some factors of the interview are unified.
A mandatory interview, if there are uniform procedures and evaluation criteria, but the interview topic can be changed at will according to the interviewee.
Change; Unstructured interview is an interview without any restrictions on the factors related to the interview, that is, there are usually no rules.
Fan's random interview. Formal interviews are generally structured interviews, and MBA interviews are structured interviews.
The so-called structure includes three meanings:
First, the interview process is structured. In the initial stage, the core stage and the final stage of the interview, the examiner will plan in advance what to do, what to pay attention to and what to achieve.
The second is the structuring of interview questions. In the interview process, the examiner should examine the quality of the candidate, what questions to ask around these perspectives, when to ask, how to ask, and make good preparations before the interview.
Third, the evaluation of interview results is structured. From what angles to judge the interview performance of candidates, how to distinguish grades, and even how to score. There will be corresponding regulations before the interview and the scale will be unified among the examiners.
1. 1 Classification of interview institutions
At present, 96 schools in China offer MBA education. Due to historical and geographical reasons, the situation of students in each school is very different, so the difficulty of interview can be roughly divided into the following five categories:
The first category is that the first choice is full, and most of them are super-class universities in China, such as Peking University, Tsinghua, Fudan University and Shanghai Jiaotong University. The number of people qualified for the interview greatly exceeds the number of people admitted, and the interview elimination rate is sometimes as high as 40%. Some students have reached the national admission line but not the interview line of the school. These students need to take the initiative to contact two books to make adjustments.
The second category is the first batch of qualified volunteers. The number of people who issue interview notices is basically the same as the number of people admitted to the school, and the interview elimination rate basically does not exceed 20% according to national regulations.
The third category is to basically reach the planned enrollment of the school through the first choice, and may adjust the enrollment because of insufficient number, but claim not to accept the second choice.
The fourth category is through the first choice, can not reach the school's planned enrollment, must accept the second choice interview. Among them, it is divided into the second volunteer interview with big difference, small difference or little difference.
The fifth category is the first choice, and the second choice has reached the admission number. Among them, this happens in some eastern universities. It should be noted that western universities were relatively cold before, but since 2005, due to the psychological maturity of candidates and low scores, enrollment has rebounded, and most schools have reached the planned enrollment after accepting the second voluntary transfer.
Faced with the above situation, big difference interview, small difference interview and indifference qualified interview coexist, and the interview difficulty varies greatly. Candidates should pay attention to the differences and make full psychological preparation and contingency preparation in advance.
MBA interview process
1.2 interview process
Basic process before interview
1. Inform the interview rules and the scope of political review.
2. Interview registration grouping, (about two weeks after scoring)
The first choice is decided by automatic grouping or drawing lots.
The second volunteer needs to formally register in the adjustment college in advance and put on record in the first volunteer college in order to adjust the candidates' files. Generally, colleges and universities that accept transfers have some additional conditions, so candidates should investigate clearly.
3. Enter the interview examination room and participate in the interview.
4. Publish the preliminary list of qualified interviewers and check the candidates' files (about 1 week).
5. Determine the final list after physical examination (about 1 month)
Two forms of MBA interview
1.3 interview form
MBA interview forms are mainly divided into two categories: one is personal interview. The main contents include self-introduction, management knowledge, practical management questions and answers, case analysis, management potential test and so on. Almost all colleges and universities adopt this form, but there are some differences in content selection. Personal interview in China Renmin University is comprehensive in content and system. Second, the group interview. Divided into group discussion or group debate discussion. In the past, only some colleges and universities adopted it, but this year the situation will change greatly.
(A) personal interview content
Personal interviews are generally very short, and the duration of personal interviews will not exceed half an hour. The short interview is about 10 minute. Peking University combines personal interview with group interview. Other schools are basically conducted separately. The content is in the following range:
Personal interview needs to be prepared in four parts: first, self-introduction, which can be prepared in two ways: written preparation and oral presentation, no matter which form needs careful consideration and eloquence. The key is to show the highlights of your work and life, not to mention a running account. Give the examiner a good first impression through the display of highlights, and produce a positive first cause effect. In this part, you can indirectly or directly express your thoughts, motives and aspirations for studying MBA. This part has an important impact on admission, which can reach more than 35%.
The second part is to ask questions about the basic knowledge and principles of management, and some schools use the method of drawing lots to ask questions. For this part, we should carefully review the basic management textbooks and related knowledge, but don't be nervous. Just spend some time before the interview and review some of the things we have seen. Of course, people with rich experience in management practice don't need to answer questions by rote. Just state how you deal with problems in practice in combination with your work practice below, which can better reflect your management background and potential.
The third part is generally the examiner's random questions. This part of the question is mainly aimed at the information reflected in the examinee's self-report, where the examiner is interested or unclear, and may also put forward some management problems encountered in reality in combination with your work practice. How you handle it is flexible, and there is no answer, so the grasp of the information is mainly in the examinee's own mind, as long as you improvise, answer naturally and justify yourself. If there is something untrue in your statement during the interview, the examiner finds it here, which will be very unfavorable for you to pass the interview. In this part, if the examiner is interested in the highlights or industries in your work and asks some discussion questions, you can play an active role and be confident, which is very helpful for passing the interview. But be careful not to get carried away and show pride.
The fourth part, some schools talk about current affairs and politics, while others talk about the flexible use of management. If it is current affairs and political content, please read the political materials for preparing for the exam again; If it is the flexible application of management, it needs enterprising and innovative spirit. Don't be nervous at this time to test your psychology and reaction. General questions are so contradictory that you don't know how to answer them. There is often no standard answer to this kind of question, it depends entirely on your ability to improvise.
(B) the content of the group interview
1, group discussion or debate. Refers to the situation in which multiple candidates face the interviewer at the same time. The interview time is usually about 30 minutes. Ask candidates to discuss in groups, cooperate with each other to solve or discuss a problem, or let candidates take turns as leaders to preside over meetings, deliver speeches or conduct business debates. This interview method is mainly used to examine candidates' interpersonal skills, insight and grasp of the environment, leadership skills and so on. Leaderless group discussion is the most common method of group interview. Candidates can freely discuss the discussion topics given by the examiner, without specifying the convener and examiner. They are generally taken from the professional needs of the proposed leadership positions or hot issues in real life, which has strong post particularity, realistic scene and typicality. In group discussion, the examiner sits at a certain distance from the candidates, does not participate in questions or discussions, and grades the candidates by observing and listening.
The choice of interview methods in colleges and universities is different, and the preparations needed are different. For the group interview, the interview is more difficult, which not only reflects the individual ability, but also reflects the team spirit. From the choice of topics to the cooperation between them, conflicts are inevitable. Finally, the embodiment of team spirit has a great influence on the performance of the team. Being able to tolerate people, or being good at being used, are all essential qualities for managers.
2. There is no leading group interview. A group interview. Leader-less group discussion is an evaluation technique often used in evaluation center technology, which uses scenario simulation to interview candidates collectively. Understanding it will help candidates prepare for the exam better and improve their abilities in all aspects.
By giving a group of candidates (usually 5-8 people) a job-related question, let them discuss it for a certain time (usually about 1 hour) to test the candidates' organizational and coordination skills, oral expression skills, debate skills, persuasion skills, emotional stability, interpersonal skills, nonverbal communication skills (such as facial expressions, body posture, intonation, speech speed and gestures). ).
Whether self-confidence, dedication, responsibility, flexibility and other employment requirements, personality characteristics and behavior style meet the requirements of the proposed acquisition.
Guide the group atmosphere of the post, so as to comprehensively evaluate the advantages and disadvantages between candidates.
In leaderless group discussion, the evaluator either does not assign a special role to the candidates (leaderless group discussion with uncertain roles) or only assigns an equal role to each candidate (leaderless group discussion with definite roles), but neither specifies who is the leader nor where each candidate should sit, but lets all candidates arrange and organize themselves. It is also true that evaluators only evaluate candidates by arranging their activities and observing their performance.
The leaderless group discussion mainly tests the candidate's speaking and speaking ability. It includes not only the ability to understand and apply laws, regulations and policies, but also the ability to understand the topics to be discussed, the ability to write the outline of the speech, the ability to think logically, the ability to persuade the language, the ability to adapt to changes, and the ability to organize and coordinate.
The MBA interview measures the candidate's 12 quality.
Basic contents of 1.4
Theoretically, an interview can evaluate any quality of a candidate, but since all personnel selection methods have their strengths and weaknesses, it will get twice the result with half the effort if they are comprehensively applied, otherwise it is likely to get twice the result with half the effort. Therefore, in the practice of MBA student selection, it is not an interview to evaluate all the qualities of a person, but a selective interview to evaluate the best things it can evaluate. The main contents of interview evaluation are as follows.
1. Instrument demeanor
This refers to the general body shape, appearance, color, clothes and manners, mental state, etc. For MBA candidates, the requirements for appearance and manners are higher. Research shows that people with dignified appearance, neat clothes and civilized manners generally work regularly, pay attention to self-discipline and have a strong sense of responsibility.
2. Professional knowledge
Investigate the depth and breadth of candidates' professional knowledge and whether the professional knowledge update meets the requirements of the MBA to be applied for, and take this as a supplement to the written test. The MBA interview is more flexible and in-depth in the investigation of professional knowledge, and the questions asked are closer to the demand for professional knowledge in the job position.
3. Work experience
Generally, on the basis of consulting candidates' resumes or self-statements, do some related questions. Ask candidates about their background and past work to supplement and confirm their practical experience. Through the understanding of work experience and practical experience, we can also examine the examinee's sense of responsibility, initiative, thinking ability, oral expression ability and rational situation when something happens.
4. Oral expression ability
Examine whether candidates can express their thoughts, opinions, opinions or suggestions in words fluently. The specific contents of the examination include: logic, accuracy, appeal, sound quality, timbre, volume, tone and so on.
5. Comprehensive analysis ability
Examine whether candidates can grasp the essence of the questions raised by the examiner through analysis, and make thorough reasoning, comprehensive analysis and clear organization.
6. Reaction ability and adaptability
Check whether the examinee's understanding of the examiner's questions is accurate and whether the answers are timely and accurate. Whether the response to sudden problems is witty and agile, and whether the answers are appropriate. Whether the accident is handled properly, properly, etc.
7. interpersonal skills
In the interview, by asking the candidates which club activities they often participate in, what kind of people they like to deal with and what role they play in various social occasions, they can especially understand the candidates' interpersonal tendency and skills in getting along with others.
8. Self-control and emotional stability
Self-control ability is particularly important for enterprise managers. On the one hand, I can be restrained, tolerant and rational when I encounter criticism from my superiors, work pressure or personal interests, so that my work will not be affected by emotional fluctuations; On the other hand, work should be patient and persevering.
9. Work attitude
First, understand the candidates' attitude towards past study and work; The second is to understand their attitude towards the current application. People who didn't study or work hard in the past don't care what they do. If they do well, it's hard to say anything else.
Diligent and responsible.
10. Enterprise
Self-motivated and enterprising people generally set a career goal and work hard for it. It is manifested in efforts to do the existing work well, not satisfied with the status quo, and there are often innovations in the work. People who are not self-motivated are generally content with the status quo, doing nothing, not seeking success, but seeking nothing, and are not enthusiastic about anything.
1 1. Motivation of application.
Investigate why candidates apply for MBA and its corresponding institutions, what kind of leadership work they are most interested in and what they pursue in their work, and judge whether the positions or working conditions provided by future employment units can meet their job requirements and expectations.
12. Hobbies and hobbies
What sports do candidates like to play, what books do they like to read, what TV programs do they like to watch and what do they like?
Hobbies and so on. From this, you can learn about a person's hobbies, which is very beneficial to the arrangement of admission after entering the exam.
In addition, during the interview, the examiner will also introduce some information about the unit and position and the corresponding responsibilities to the candidates, and discuss issues of concern to the examiner such as job responsibilities, leadership or management styles and methods.
In the MBA interview, there are rules about which high-quality projects to choose as the interview content, the structural proportion and collocation method between projects. Grasping the rules is the first step for candidates to interview successfully.
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