EMBA Admissions Interviews: Top Tips

Eilidh Milnes, a speaker, writer and communications consultant gives her top tips on how to prepare for the EMBA admissions interview.

As a middle manager with a number of professional years of work experience behind you, it may have been a while since you were subjected to a formal interview. But if you’re considering an Executive MBA, that’s exactly what you’re going to encounter. Part of the EMBA admissions process, in addition to updated resumes, admissions essays, and securing finance, is the interview itself. Although the admissions directors will already have a fair idea of who you are from your application, nothing can beat meeting you face-to-face.

The admissions interview is your final opportunity to showcase who you are as an individual, what you can bring to the EMBA classroom, and why you are the right fit for this particular business school. But to ensure you sell yourself, you need to prepare.

Dealing with nerves

If you’re feeling nervous in the lead up to your EMBA admissions interview, don’t despair. Others will be dealing with butterflies in their stomachs and sweaty hands too. But Milnes takes a different approach to dealing with that nervous feeling.

“Stop thinking about yourself,” she says. “Instead, think about the person(s) who is interviewing you. Put yourself in their position – and as a professional, chances are you’ve been in that situation yourself. They may be tired and bored, they may have been interviewing all day and want to get home to their family, so make it interesting.”

Act confident

As an EMBA candidate, it’s important to come across confidently in an interview, but if you’re feeling on the back foot this can be easier said than done. There are methods, such as preparing cue cards, to help ensure you remember to say all you want to say, but Milnes says the most effective way to come across confidently in an interview is simply to be yourself.

“Be grounded, know who you are, and have a couple of good scenarios where you’ve been successful,” she says. “Make it your story, have a passion for what you’re talking about, and make it interesting so they [interview panel] want to hear more. Make it yourself, be positive, and keep it alive.

“Your interview should be that of a personal anecdote,” she says, “because if you’re telling the truth, you’re being yourself, and you’re speaking from the heart.”

Key words

You’re not the only one applying to business school, so during your EMBA admissions interview, it’s important you have something that will make you stand out from the crowd. There are also some key words you can include in your interview that will help to keep you at the forefront of admissions directors’ minds.

“The University of California produced a study that highlighted the most persuasive words in English language,” Milnes says. “Discovery, guarantee, love, proven, results, save, easy, healthy, money, new, safety, you.

“It’s one thing going to an interview, but you need to prepare, act confidently, and have a few tricks up your sleeve, to increase your visibility.”

Benefit from experience

One of the greatest advantages of business school is the alumni network you will instantly become a part of as soon as you step into the EMBA classroom. But there’s nothing stopping you from tapping into this network during your EMBA preparations. Make contact with EMBA alum from your business school and get their top tips on how to survive the EMBA admissions interview. They’ll be able to tell you firsthand what to expect, and how best to prepare.

The five “P”s

The admissions interview is just one part of the EMBA experience, and an experience that will be as challenging as it is enjoyable, but preparation is key. “Preparation and planning promise a perfect performance,” Milnes says. “If you take those five “P”s, you can sit back and enjoy the experience. If you have fun, then those on the interview panel have fun as well.”

Eilidh Milnes is an international motivation and inspirational speaker and confidence coach. www.eilidhmilnes.com