alumni interview training manual 2014-15blogs.darden.virginia.edu/admissions/files/2014/10/2014...we...
TRANSCRIPT
ALUMNI INTERVIEW
TRAINING MANUAL
2014-15
TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK FACTS
INTERVIEW GOALS
SCHEDULING PROCESS
INTERVIEW PROCESS
EVALUATION PROCESS
ADCOM CONTACTS
SAMPLE EVALUATIONS
QUICK FACTS PURPOSE
The Admissions Committee looks at three broad areas in evaluating applicants –
academics, professional experience, and personal qualities.
The interview is our opportunity to assess the applicant’s interpersonal and communication skills
and general fit for the Darden community.
KEY 2014-15 DATES
Round Application Deadline Interview Period Decisions Released
1 10 Oct. 2014 Mid Nov. – Early Dec. 17 Dec. 2014
2 7 Jan. 2015 Early Feb. – Mid March 25 March 2015
3 1 April 2015 Mid April – Early May 6 May 2015
INTERVIEW GOALS
To assess communication and interpersonal skills
To assess general fit or match with the program
To market the Darden program
TIMING
We recommend reserving one hour. FORMAT
All interviews must be conducted in English!
Although your primary role is to listen, you must also
control the pace of the interview.
5-10 minutes for developing rapport and orienting the
interviewee
30-40 minutes for the interview including questions
15-20 minutes to complete your evaluation
Darden interviews are blind. You will not know
anything, but the applicant’s name.
Resumes are NOT a part of the process. Applicants are
challenged to communicate their stories without the aid
of a resume.
CALIBRATION OF OVERALL CANDIDATE ASSESSMENT RATINGS
Outstanding Someone you would put in the top 5% of the accepted Darden class, both in terms of classroom
contributions and value added to the overall Darden community.
Solid A person who would consistently contribute in the classroom, to their learning team, and in the
greater community. Think of this as someone you would judge to be in the top 25% of the class.
Average A good classmate. The kind who fits, but doesn’t particularly stand out amongst the rest. A
consistent “B student” and periodic contributor to the greater Darden environment.
Below Average Someone who would struggle to stay afloat academically and socially. Not necessarily a bad fit
in all dimensions, but a person who you see as needing help in keeping up with and adding value
to Darden overall.
Weak Weak fit. Needs more time to develop or would perhaps be a better fit in a different academic
and social environment.
ALUMNI
INTERVIEW COORDINATOR
Virginia Porter
434-924-1058
INTERVIEW GOALS
TO ASSESS
COMMUNICATION AND
INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
Are the applicant’s English and general communication skills strong enough to
participate fully in the case-method classroom?
Would an additional English language course improve their ability to
communicate enough to enable them to participate fully?
Does the applicant possess the interpersonal skills suitable for our collaborative,
team-oriented environment?
Would you have wanted this person in your section and learning team?
Specifics to consider: command of language, expressiveness, body language,
organization/clarity of thoughts, quality of candidate’s questions, soundness of
decision-making, listening skills, comfort level, self-confidence, time
management and level of sincerity.
TO ASSESS GENERAL FIT
OR MATCH WITH THE
PROGRAM
Does the applicant show evidence of qualities you know to be valued in the
Darden community? (i.e. leadership, problem-solving, involvement, open-
mindedness, etc.)
What is his or her potential for contribution to the classroom and
community?
What are your impressions of the applicant’s academics and employment
credentials?
Has there been progression on the job and evidence of management and
team experience?
Are career goals ambitious, yet realistic, and in line with Darden’s program?
TO MARKET THE
DARDEN PROGRAM
We attempt to sell Darden by conducting the interview in a warm, open, and
informal way as opposed to being stern and scrutinizing – making a distinction
between tough analysis versus tough treatment.
Offer to answer questions. Be candid with answers, but try to provide a positive
spin. If you don’t have the answer, don’t hesitate to refer the applicant to
Admissions for a response.
We hope the applicant will walk from the interview with the feeling that he or
she will definitely attend Darden if offered admission
SCHEDULING PROCESS
Virginia Porter will contact the country's Lead
Interviewer or the Alumni Interviewer directly with the
applicants' contact information.
Simultanesouly, the applicant will receive a system
generated e-mail from Darden letting them know
that they have been invited to interview with Darden and
that a local alumni interviewer will contact them
within the next 3 business days to schedule their
interview at a convenient location.
The Alumni Interviewer can either accept the interview(s), or, if
unavailable to conduct the interview(s), should notify Virginia as soon as possible so that the candidate(s) can
be reassigned.
Once the alumni interviewer has been
identified, s/he will e-mail Virginia Porter with the name of the applicant(s)
and the date(s) the interview will be
conducted.
Virginia will enter these details into the portal, so
the interviewer can access the evaluation form(s) for
the candidate(s).
Applicant
Info.
YOUR CONTACT INFO.
ALUMNI INTERVIEWER PORTAL
INTERVIEW PROCESS
Please dress appropriately (business dress) and be ready to begin the interview at the appointed time in a
quiet location.
Begin by introducing yourself and your relationship with Darden and the Admissions Office. Spend a few
minutes building rapport and making small talk before moving into discussion of the interview.
Spend a few minutes laying out interview guidelines:
o The interview is blind - you have not read their application or reviewed their resume
o Following the interview you will be submitting comments that will become part of their application.
o After the interview evaluation has been submitted, the application will receive a final review by at
least two members of the Admissions Committee.
o The final decision will be released on that round’s decision notification date.
To transition into the interview, tell the applicant that the interview will last about 30-40 minutes and will
include time for questions.
Inform the applicant that you are interested in hearing details about educational, work and personal
experiences that have contributed to his/her interest in and preparation for the MBA.
Introduce the topic of what the applicant plans to do post-MBA and why if s/he does not do so.
Make sure to ask about extracurricular, including professional, activities if s/he does not include this
information. (We’re interested in knowing if you believe the applicant will be a contributor while a student
and post-graduation.)
The application will contain factual information about the applicant so do not worry about remembering such
things as dates of graduation, years of employment, etc. With some applicants you might need to use open-
ended questions to reveal more about the applicant’s personal qualities. For example:
o How did you choose your first career path?
o What qualities are you looking for in an MBA program?
o How do you think your undergraduate experience will differ from your graduate experience?
o Compare your activities from your university to your plans for getting involved in extracurricular
activities in graduate school.
o How would your employees describe your management style?
o What do you consider your greatest accomplishment and why?
o What strengths would you bring to a learning team? What weaknesses?
o Tell me more about a leadership position that you have held.
o Describe your most challenging team experience.
o Where do you see yourself taking on a leadership role at Darden?
Remember that although your primary role is to listen, you must also control the pace of the interview. We
recommend reserving an hour, roughly 5-10 minutes for developing rapport and orienting the interviewee,
30-40 minutes for the interview, and 15-20 minutes to complete your evaluation.
EVAUATION PROCESS
Evaluations should be submitted online within 48 hours of the interview. Because the system does not
have a reliable “Save” feature, we suggest completing your interview write-up in a word document before
cutting and pasting it into the system and hitting submit. Remember to save a copy of each interview
evaluation in the unlikely event that it is lost.
o We recommend completing the interview evaluation immediately after the interview takes place. If
that is not possible, spend five minutes taking thorough notes and complete the full write-up as soon
as possible. It is very easy to forget worthwhile and insightful impressions of an applicant in a short
time.
You will be asked to provide commentary within the following sections (You MUST complete the overall
rating—(weak, below average, average, solid, outstanding) for our tracking purposes.):
o INITIAL IMPRESSION
o CONTENT OF INTERVIEW
o KEY TAKEAWAYS
o OVERALL RATING (WEAK, BELOW AVERAGE, AVERAGE, SOLID, OUTSTANDING)
We are more concerned about the content of the information that you provide than the format.
o Some members of the Admissions Committee write a narrative, some use bullet points – feel free to
use the format with which you are most comfortable.
Evaluation Tips:
o Strive for objectivity and consistency in your analysis of the applicant. Be aware of your biases and
do not let these interfere with your evaluation.
o When possible, substantiate your impressions of an applicant with specific examples from your
conversation to avoid unsupported value judgments.
o Try to distinguish between liking an applicant vs. whether the applicant is a good prospect for
admission.
o In spite of all listed above, don’t totally ignore hunches or “gut feelings” about an applicant. Describe
them as such in your write-up. Often we find information in the application that substantiates those
feelings.
o It is very helpful to the Admissions Committee to have a statement of your “bottom-line” impression.
Ask yourself, “Would I want this person in my section? Would I want this person on my learning
team? Would I want to socialize with this person outside of the classroom?”
If you receive substantive written correspondence or a telephone call from an applicant who you have
interviewed, we would appreciate your providing this information via email to Virginia Porter who will
include it in the applicant’s file (short thank you notes and other brief messages are not needed.)
In evaluating individual applicants, you will find that most applicants perform at least adequately in the
interview. An outstanding interview alone will not suffice to assure an offer of admission, but a poor
interview could be sufficient reason for the Committee to deny admission.
SAMPLE EVALUATION FORM
To Write/Submit Evaluation
THANK YOU
The Darden Admissions Committee thanks you for your enthusiasm and interest in contributing to the
admissions process by volunteering to be an interviewer. We have every confidence in your ability to carry out the
important task of evaluating candidates as well as representing the Darden School’s MBA program in a favorable
light. It is probably safe to say that Darden places a greater emphasis on interviews than any other business school.
We have found a strong correlation between a very positive performance in the interview and success at Darden
inside and outside of the classroom.
Nearly all members of this year’s entering class who live in the U.S. interviewed here at Darden, and a
majority of those living abroad interviewed face-to-face with an alumnus or a traveling member of the Admissions
Committee. Alumni interviewed 130+ candidates last year. Every student admitted to Darden has been interviewed.
Members of the Admissions Committee are always willing to discuss general or specific questions about our
interview process or even a specific applicant. Please don’t hesitate to email or telephone us.
Thanks again for your participation and commitment!
ADMISSIONS COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Sara Neher, Assistant Dean of Admissions, 434-924-4809
Katherine Alford, Associate Director of Admissions, 434-924-3135
Kristen Egan, Assistant Director of Admissions, 434-924-4434
Cheryl Jones, Associate Director of Admissions, 434-243-5202
Whitney Kestner, Associate Director of Admissions, 434-243-5585
Rita Morrow, Assistant Director of Admissions, 434-982-2726
Karen Ohen, Associate Director of Admissions, 434-924-4782
Haley Whitlock-Gyory, Associate Director of Admissions, 434-243-5563
Catie Yeilding, Assistant Director of Admissions, 434-243-8810
Alumni Interview Coordinator
Virginia Porter 434-924-1058
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SAMPLE EVALUATIONS
INTERVIEW FEEDBACK
WEAK Applicant Information Name: J Interviewer Information Name: G Grad Year:
Program Applied For: MBA (MBA)
INITIAL IMPRESSION
Professionalism I Command of English Language l Self-Confidence I Listening
Initially J came across as a strong candidate who was very personable and was extremely articulate. I really felt good with him at first
as he had a nice poise and charisma about him, and solid energy/enthusiasm. No issues with his English language and was a very
good storyteller throughout the interview. However, as the interview went along and the farther I am removed from the interview, the
worse I feel about his candidacy which I will explain.
CONTENT OF INTERVIEW
Does this story make sense? I Is there a logical progression and thoughtfulness in decision making? I Examples of leadership I International
exposure/diversity I Drive I Why an MBA? I Clear goals and path to them
J grew up in Brooklyn in an urban neighborhood until he was 16 years old. At that time, his father who worked in the entertainment industry
moved to Nashville, TN. It was a big switch for J at that point. However, he was extremely dedicated to medicine and was chosen for the
Westinghouse Science Talent Search to do some significant research at a young age. After he moved to Brentwood he decided he wanted to
be a neurosurgeon, and here was where the story got interesting. He attended Vandy and he put his major on his resume as neuroscience.
After the interview, my first question I wish I had asked was I have never heard of an undergrad school having a major called “neuroscience.”
Maybe they do, but the further I get away from the interview, the more I feel like I was being duped the whole time. J felt like a used car
salesman, and while the first half of the interview went well, as he progressed, his stories started having holes in them and his answers
weren’t so solid. J decided to transfer to UT and switch to marketing, though he never gave me a solid reason for giving up his love for
medicine. Post college, he has worked in the entertainment industry in Nashville. This interview really bugged me because I feel like I was
being duped during the first half of the interview. In the end though, I really have the hunch that J was a good salesman and nothing more.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Overall opinion and instincts
Strengths include a strong marketing background. Weaknesses are certainly the used car salesman feel to him, a lack of understanding about
Darden (he asked what my major was) and just an overall disingenuous nature about him.
If I had written this immediately after the interview, I may have considered recommending him, but bottom line, with a day to think on this, I
strongly recommend J does not receive admission. Something wasn’t right about this guy and I just can’t get away from the feeling I got
when I walked out of the interview. It just didn’t feel like I knew who he really was. Slimy is another word that comes to mind when I think
how the interview went. Overall, a terrible fit.
OVERALL RATING
WEAK
BELOW AVERAGE
AVERAGE
SOLID
OUTSTANDING
BELOW AVERAGE
Applicant Information Name: P Interviewer Information Name: G Grad Year:
Program Applied For: MBA (MBA)
INITIAL IMPRESSION
Professionalism I Command of English Language l Self-Confidence I Listening
P had a nice firm handshake and ready smile when I picked him up in the lobby. He sat down on the sofa and seemed to come somewhat
apart. His voice seemed to almost tremble. It also took him a ridiculous amount of time to tell his story. He would start into something and I
just never knew where it was going and what the point was. I never had the opportunity to talk about his outside interests since it took us so
long to get through his career. Not the best I’ve seen.
CONTENT OF INTERVIEW
Does this story make sense? I Is there a logical progression and thoughtfulness in decision making? I Examples of leadership I International
exposure/diversity I Drive I Why an MBA? I Clear goals and path to them
International exposure: P grew up in Bangalore and attended an IIT. He was a metalurgic engineer (that tells you something about where he
ranked). He did seem quite interested in the properties of different things and it was the love of playing with an electroscope that really kept
him engaged. Because this type of equipment is so expensive he really wasn’t able to do as much hands on work as he wanted when he was
in undergrad. He ended up going to a conference and met a professor from the U. of Cincinnati and he told him when he was ready to
continue his education he should contact him. A year after his graduation he ended up at the U. of Cincy getting his MS. He was very active
in a properties center on campus but had no interest in pursuing his PhD. He ended up going with a firm out in CA where he supported the
marketing dept. He enjoys his work and has been promoted but has never been able to become a product manager. He knows he doesn’t have
the finance to do the forecasting and pricing to really take the role on. He knows the MBA will help him become a product manager – he’d
like to see a product from conception to death. He realizes that in a high tech environment products do actually die as new products will
come behind it.
I really struggled to stay with him and figure out just what his function was and just what he wanted to do. He was very redundant and even
though he was trying to rephrase things they still didn’t make sense.
I think his experience is probably solid as he seems to have done very well in his last 2 roles. He has worked cross functionally and has led
projects and teams.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Overall opinion and instincts
In terms of balance, P is very committed to his mother’s clinic back in India. He helped to create some marketing campaigns around sexually
transmitted diseases. This topic is taboo in India and it’s very hard to get information out. He seemed very proud of his mom and his work in
this space.
I didn’t hear much about his life in CA outside of work.
He just really needs to tighten up his story telling and to figure out what is important and what is not. I’m not sure what his essays looked
like.
I’m guessing because P lives in the US and went to an IIT we were giving him the benefit of the doubt…mmmmm…not sure he’d be the first
guy I’d let through the gate. I think he is probably very bright but his communication skills will either make him a raging pain with his
learning team and exhaust his section mates as he tries to tell a story. Not sure I’m ready to offer.
OVERALL RATING
WEAK
BELOW AVERAGE
AVERAGE
SOLID
OUTSTANDING
AVERAGE
Applicant Information Name: S Interviewer Information Name: G Grad Year:
Program Applied For: MBA (MBA)
INITIAL IMPRESSION
Professionalism I Command of English Language l Self-Confidence I Listening
S was very professional. He had great English as well and spoke very well. He was a bit uptight for my liking, especially in the beginning of
the interview and I tried to make the interview a bit more informal in an attempt to see a more personal side of him. He was very poised
however and did not miss a beat…unfortunately his presentation sounded somewhat rehearsed and not genuine.
CONTENT OF INTERVIEW
Does this story make sense? I Is there a logical progression and thoughtfulness in decision making? I Examples of leadership I International
exposure/diversity I Drive I Why an MBA? I Clear goals and path to them
He told me about his background in India and how he was from an untouchable caste and how his parents were very poor, however they
stressed to him the value of education. He went to school in India for undergrad then moved to New Jersey to study artificial intelligence for
a masters. NCR company found out about his research and offered him a job as a developer. He quickly excelled and won several awards
but he wanted to work with clients, so one of his former bosses hired him to be a team lead. He then went to work with a new company and
did business with several large clients and excelled leading small software development teams. After 9/11 his company got in to offshoring
and sent him back to India to set up operations there. He get a crash course in entrepreneurship there since he had to set up his office all by
himself, this 3 month operation took a year and he hired and placed 60 developers with the assistance of one HR person. He then went on to
talk about some of the relationships he had created with clients and talked about how he grew revenue in several situations from low 6 figures
to 2 and 3 million dollars in his accounts.
He applied to Darden last year because he wanted to achieve his long term goal of being a VC, but then after being denied he refined his long
term goal to be an entrepreneur since he thinks he is better at running a company. He wants to go back to India and start a company that
outsources to SMB customers because that market is untapped and has a lot of potential. Darden will give him the background he needs in
entrepreneurship, he is very excited about that aspect of the curriculum and also the Batten Institute. In terms of why he chose Darden., he
has done extensive research on the Batten Institute and the curriculum here at Darden, even dropping the names of 3 separate 2nd year
electives that he wants to take. He mentioned that Darden believes that entrepreneurship can be taught, and that is why he wants to come
here because he wants to learn. He is involved in a group called the Art of Living which teaches coping techniques for stressful life, also
volunteers and fundraises with organizations that raise funds for various philanthropic pursuits in India, he went to the UN on behalf of a
group in 2009 to speak out on the HIV epidemic in India. Again there are numerous examples of his devotion to service, more than probably
anyone I have interviewed or some across at Darden. He would fit in well here from that aspect.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Overall opinion and instincts
His strengths are clearly that he is good at what he does and that he is a very intelligent person. He also seems to be a very organized and
disciplined person, very much a typical Darden Type A student. He is also very well rounded as he is involved in numerous outside
activities, and has a very international perspective on things. He was knowledgeable about Darden and about the curriculum. Some of the
negatives I would say he is almost too polished, too perfect, I did not get a sense of who he was, just who he wanted to tell me he was. I also
did not like how he underscored his background as an untouchable in an attempt to somehow garner sympathy points. Everyone at Darden
has had some adversity and I just did not find it to be relevant.
Bottom Line is that I am torn. I think that some of my classmates would find this guy to be an asset to the school, although me personally I
don’t think I would get much out of his comments in class. I would probably dismiss him as a bit too stuffy and proper. I a lso would not
jump at the chance to be on his learning team, because I feel like his explanations of concepts could be construed as condescending. Also, I
challenged him on his business plan and he answered my question with a canned answer and did not actually respond to the point I made by
refuting it directly. He seems very studied, rehearsed, and always knows the right thing to say, which makes me wary of his ability to think
on the fly in class and actually say something meaningful when he does not have a canned answer available. I would say he would be an
average fit here at Darden.
OVERALL RATING
WEAK
BELOW AVERAGE
AVERAGE
SOLID
OUTSTANDING
SOLID Applicant Information Name: E Interviewer Information Name: G Grad Year:
Program Applied For: MBA (MBA)
INITIAL IMPRESSION
Professionalism I Command of English Language l Self-Confidence I Listening
E came across as extremely well-presented and just an all-around friendly person to speak with. She was extremely professional and very
articulate about her goals and listened well. Her poise/presentation was just about right, and she brought the right amount of energy to the
interview. I found her extremely easy to talk with, and she had a nice balance of self-confidence and humility.
CONTENT OF INTERVIEW
Does this story make sense? I Is there a logical progression and thoughtfulness in decision making? I Examples of leadership I International
exposure/diversity I Drive I Why an MBA? I Clear goals and path to them
E is a confident (albeit young) woman who knows exactly what she wants to get our of her MBA. Currently she works at the Council of
Foreign Relations in energy security and is extremely passionate about her job (and this comes across strong in the interview). She told a
great story, and I had trouble not jumping in because her story had many interesting tid-bits in it. Energy is her focus and she told me exactly
the job she wanted out of MBA school. I pushed E on this regarding her relative inexperience and her age might make her a little naïve to
knowing exactly what she wanted to do post MBA. Although a little taken back, she handled the questions with grace and was not rattled too
much as I probably pushed her as much as any candidate I have had this round. E is a “doer” who has been incredibly active w ith a long list
of activities since high school.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Overall opinion and instincts
Strengths include a confidence that was perfect for this interview. E knew what she wanted and why Darden and an MBA were right for her.
Other strengths include the fact that I would put her in front of an executive right now no matter what the level. She also obviously has a lot
of energy and would bring that to the table at Darden. Her only weakness is that is young (graduated in 2006) . This comes across a little bit
in that she is “bright-eyed” and ready to go, but I worry about when she faces adversity how she will deal with it. That being said, compared
to the other 2006 grads I have had, she is light years (and I mean light years) ahead of anyone else I have interviewed her age.
Bottom line, I strongly recommend E for admission. She will add a lot to the Darden School, but perhaps more that she is the type of person
I know will be a powerful executive someday and a strong alum. You just get that feel from her. Here is the thing…I give her the strongest
“solid” rating I can give, but the only reason I can’t give her an “outstanding” to me is her lack of experience. Was she an outstanding
interview? Absolutely but in terms of fit I worry how she will handle adversity. That being said, E won’t be an applicant in a year…someone
will get her so I highly recommend admission.
OVERALL RATING
WEAK
BELOW AVERAGE
AVERAGE
SOLID
OUTSTANDING
OUTSTANDING
Applicant Information Name: D Interviewer Information Name: G Grad Year:
Program Applied For: MBA (MBA)
INITIAL IMPRESSION
Professionalism I Command of English Language l Self-Confidence I Listening
I LOVED this guy. We hit it off right off the bat – he was articulate, engaged and had a fascinating story. Tons of energy, confidence and
polish. He grew long-winded toward the end, and I had to rein him in because of time constraints, but I could have talked to D all day. His
passion was evident. He went bowling with some Darden students last night and was impressed by the warm welcome he received.
CONTENT OF INTERVIEW
Does this story make sense? I Is there a logical progression and thoughtfulness in decision making? I Examples of leadership I International
exposure/diversity I Drive I Why an MBA? I Clear goals and path to them
He grew up in Chicago; his dad taught chemistry at U of Illinois, and his mom started her own nfp. He displayed autonomy and initiative at
an early age, convincing his parents to let him study for a year in Brussels during high school, which he said changed his life. He loved being
on his own and being able to use his French, so much so that he chose McGill Univ in Montreal for college. Heavy involvement/leadership –
VP of sailing team, competed in US and Canada; VP of political society; poly sci TA; and studied abroad in Chile for a year. While in Chile,
he served as a liaison between the exchange students and student govt during a contentious strike. He had to come back early because his
older brother died in a car accident, so he spent one semester at U of IL to stick close to home. After college, he embarked on his polital
career and has done everything from grass-roots field organization to serving as a Senate aide to Barack Obama. Each move was well-
reasoned, and the broad exposure he has experience as a result would be great fodder for a book. He taught a class to demystify the caucus
process to the Hispanic workers at a local meat packaging plant and recruited and managed 2,800 campaign volunteers. He is not afraid to
put himself out there and to be aggressive, often in the face of staggering odds. His team and negotiation skills, service orientation and
maturity are top-notch.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Overall opinion and instincts
Self-aware, persuasive leader who makes things happen. He spots opportunities, translates them into action and in the meantime, develops a
platform for sustainable change. His political background is unique, and his teaching and volunteer mgt experience would add. Introspective,
intentional decision-maker with long-term political aspirations. He seeks the MBA to bolster his career in public service and wants Darden’s
intimate community and hands-on learning environment.
D is one of those people that is destined for great things. He has the talent, drive, charisma, and relationship skills – we’d be lucky to have
him. (My 2nd outstanding ranking ever).
OVERALL RATING
WEAK
BELOW AVERAGE
AVERAGE
SOLID
OUTSTANDING