After spending months fine-tuning your MBA application essays, you’ve finally received that long-awaited interview invitation — only to discover that now you need to write more essays!
Though not all schools utilize interview essays – essays that are required only of candidates invited to interview – they have become increasingly popular in recent years. With more and more competitive candidates applying every year, elite MBA programs are always looking for new ways to distinguish the “admits” from the “dings.”
Though they may seem small and relatively unimportant at first, MBA interview essays are an important element of your overall application and should be carefully crafted. That’s why we’re sharing our top tips on how to approach and write your own Harvard Business School Post-Interview Reflection. By following these tips, you can ensure you stand out and land a spot at your dream school.
Harvard’s post-interview reflection is perhaps the most well-known example of an MBA interview essay. Now with a suggested word limit, this open-ended question must be answered by all candidates that are selected to interview at HBS.
As part of the application process, you will be required to complete a Post-Interview Reflection. Here are a few details:
- The Post-Interview Reflection is not intended to be another formal essay. Think of it instead as a reflection after a meeting.
- We will be much more generous in our reaction to typos and grammatical errors than we will be with pre-packaged responses. Reflections that give any indication that they were produced before you had the interview will raise a flag for us.
- We do not expect you to solicit or receive any outside assistance with this exercise.
- Your Post-Interview Reflection is due within 24 hours of the conclusion of your interview. Let the interview soak in a little bit…no need to start writing your reflection right at the conclusion of your interview.
- There is a word guidance of 300-450 words for the Post-Interview Reflection.
How to approach your answer
Since you only have 24 hours after your interview to prepare the essay, you might be tempted to write out your answer in advance and then make small adjustments later on.
DON’T.
I personally love HBS’ admissions process because the school is incredibly clear and transparent about its expectations. For your essay, they couldn’t make it clearer that a pre-packaged answer will hurt your application:
“We will be much more generous in our reaction to typos and grammatical errors than we will be with pre-packaged responses. Reflections that give any indication that they were produced before you had the interview will raise a flag for us.”
That’s because the Post-Interview Reflection (PIR) works best when it’s just that – a reflection on how your interview with the school actually went.
Though we’re sure you diligently prepared for your big day, interviews have a way of going a little differently than expected.
Last year, for example, our client Nathalia’s interview was so focused on her new international job that she only later realized she’d never told her interviewer her reasons for wanting to attend Harvard. In her PIR, she was able to address this topic, as well as a few other points mentioned in the interview that she wanted to further expand/clarify upon.
This approach helped Nathalia get into HBS.
As such, the best strategy for your PIR is to do your best on interview day and then calmly assess your performance afterward. After reflecting, you should consider including the following elements in your PIR:
- A brief thank you for the opportunity to interview
- Any points you feel are relevant but were not able to discuss in the interview
- Any “mistakes” you’d like to correct or additional points you’d like to add
- How you feel you can contribute to the HBS community (if you were not able to mention this)
- Anything you learned about HBS during the interview or during your campus visit (if you interviewed in Cambridge)
- A closing paragraph that reinforces why you are so passionate about attending HBS.
Essentially, after reading your PIR, the admissions committee at HBS should be convinced that you deeply reflected on your interview and your place in the HBS community, demonstrating you are exactly the type of candidate they are looking for!
Finally, though the HBS admissions committee states that they are more understanding of spelling and grammar errors, try to run your essay through software like Grammarly to avoid any unnecessary mistakes.
Effectively Tell your Story During your Interview
One of the most common mistakes we see in MBA interviews is that candidates fail to tell compelling, well-constructed stories about their profiles while also nailing the basics.
Striking this balance between sharing STAR-format examples that show off your background while also presenting strong answers to questions like “Why do you want an MBA?” is a challenging task that requires significant thought and preparation.
Because of this, it’s no surprise that, on average, 50% of interviewed applicants walk away without an offer.
This is why our interview preparation process here at Ellin Lolis Consulting is known as the best in the industry. We offer customized 1:1 support that ensures you’re able to turn your application’s strengths into compelling answers that show fit and sell your profile in any type of interview. That’s why 98.9% of our complete consulting clients get into at least one of their target schools.
Not only can you take advantage of our development process through multiple sessions – you can also benefit from a single session! If your budget is tight, our interview experts can focus your session on a single aspect of the preparation process, from workshopping your answers to providing mock interviews.
Forget simulation platforms or long lists of tips – our 1:1 preparation focuses on playing to your strengths and overcoming your weaknesses to turn you into an interview expert. Hire our interview services here. VIP packages that allow you to work directly with Ellin sell out quickly, so make sure you sign up today!
Real MBA Essays That Got People In
School-specific sample essays that got our clients accepted
