HEC R2 Second Interview - January 2009

The second HEC interview took place with an alumnus working the Aerospace industry.

After my 10 minutes presentation (I took care to be only 10 minutes this time), we talked about the topic I presented. The alumnus was very interested by it and asked some very pertinent questions. (I might share my presentation with you but not sure yet)

After that we went through the usual MBA questions:

• Why MBA?
• Why HEC?
• Why now?
• Could you talk about one of your latest achievments?

After that, he asked me whether I was married/engaged and if I had taken this parameter into account:

• Does your wife agree you do an MBA?
• Did you have to convince her?
• How do you plan to finance your MBA?

Then we discussed about the HEC program, teachers and student life. One thing I liked about this interview was that my interviewer was really excited about his time at HEC and mentionned several teachers he had and how they made an impact on him.

As I previously mentionned I was interested in the Entrepreneurship track of HEC, he acknowledged he followed the same one. Even though he is not pursuing a career in entrepreneurship (such as setting up his own business), he thought these electives were the most inspiring ones of his MBA time and the most thought-provoking.

Then he asked me several other questions:

• what are your hobbies?
• to which other schools have you applied?

Finally we briefly discussed about his career path and what kind of jobs he had following the HEC MBA.

HEC R2 First interview - December 2008

My first interview for the HEC MBA was with an alumnus working in the banking sector.
After having received the 2 names of my interviewers, I agreed with them on a date and location.

Interviews for the HEC MBA are quite demanding compared to other schools interviews because:

• you have 2 interviews (like INSEAD)
• you have to present whatever you want in 10 minutes (the trick being to know what "whatever" could be :D)
  

So the first interview took place in the alumnus office in Central Paris (very nice location and great building). The interview was half in french, half in english.

After some quick mutual presentations, I first ran through my presentation. At the end, she asked some questions about my topics, said it was well-presented and clear but lasted 20 minutes instead of 10!

After that we ran through the typical MBA questions:

• Why MBA?
• Why HEC?
• Why now?

After that she asked some more personal questions. At first, I was not at ease because of the very nature of the questions. Indeed, I mentioned in my file some actions I had taken to help one of my family members. She greatly appreciated that trait and asked me to develop on that:

• Why did you do it?
• How come this situation happened?
• What is your relation with this family member?

Questions were not hard per se (I was just honest and told my story) but telling your family stories in front of a stranger is somewhat uncomfortable...
My advice: if you mention this kind of topics in your file, don't assume the interviewer won't ask you questions about it even if it is personal. Be prepared to overcome the awkwardness of the question.

Another question was also a bit awkward:

• Are you a collaborative or competitive person?
• How is the work structured at your company?

I found it a bit awkward because I am more in the middle regarding the topic of competition.

After that we went through a general discussion about HEC, professors, student life...

My impression at the end was generally good but I could really tell the difference between HEC and other schools interviews (I will also talk about it in my HEC second interview report). Indeed I really felt that the interviewer wanted to know who I was as a person, whether I was somewhat balanced between my professional and personal life.

More to come!

Back in business

The past few months have been hectic and I unfortunately could not find time to make any addition to my blog.

When transitioning towards a MBA, one could expect to lay back a bit but that did not happen :( :
Life at work is still very busy + I have to do the handover with my colleagues

• I had to rehearse for a big gig in June
• I had to apply to MBA's sponsorships
• I have moved out
• I have made a 3 weeks trip in Thailand + several week ends throughout France

Anyway, things are a bit calmer right now and when I get Internet at my new place, I will post new tips and feedbacks regarding MBA applications.

Stay tuned!