A little INSEAD refresher course ;-)

I am still getting e-mails from INSEADers, applicants, etc...and I love taking the time to answer them. Just in case there are people that are coming over from the INSEAD blog, someone recently asked me about recommendations for the interview. Thought I could interject this here.
(some drugs are making me drowsy so bear with me...my grammar/spelling are probably not perfect right now...)

"I would think of this process as a continuum with every part of it adding a little something. The written part of your application gives INSEAD an idea of your motivation, the result of a mature process of introspection, your ability to follow the curriculum. The "spoken" or face to face part will them an idea of
- your commitment
- culture fit
- your ability to think on your two feet (eg, your spontaneous thinking :))

The difficult question that the admission committee is trying to address is "if we admitted this candidate a) would he/she be likely to accept our offer, b) would he/she be able to meet the academic standards, c) would he/she participate in the life of campus/become a living advocate for the insead values throughout life (both professional and personal, a ton of us are involved in non-profit work)

I cannot give you questions in advance, only tip to approach the interview with a peaceful and well-prepared mind!

Be Candid And Open:
My advice #1 is to be totally candid. you don't have to agree with what your interviewer says but you need to justify what you say. If it comes from the heart, it is convincing (don't worry, people at insead have so many different background that disagreements happen all the time! In fact, it's great to be exposed to so many different perspectives).

It is also OK to share concerns, worries, questions, etc...This is a 2-way process. It's a huge investment on your part and it's a big question mark right now for you. I think that any admission committee is more likely to think that you'd accept an offer if you have given it due consideration and if your concerns and questions have been addressed. Consider "My objectives are so and so, INSEAD seems to be spot on to help me realize those goals. However, I have heard that it is a very intense program and I would also like to do some extra-curriculum activities. How difficult is it at INSEAD?" or "it's a big thing for us to move a few thousand miles and I am worried that my partner would be bored. What type of activities exist for partners?". You need not have completely made up your mind at the interview. You must be strongly motivated otherwise you are wasting everybody's time, including yours but no one is excepting you to sign on the spot.

Be self-aware, not Superman
We have all made mistakes and we will continue to do so. Recognize it and be open about those. Being aware of one's limitation is critical to success because then you can make choices that take you in the direction of your best abilities, surround yourself/deal with areas where you're not so strong and not make the same mistake twice. Anything else is self-deception and this goes again being candid...A true leader is someone who can say "I made a mistake, I will now take responsibility for this mistake and fix things up". Of course this is a slippery slope because you want the other person to think that you're a superstar, so ideally you ahve learned from this mistake and did something wonderful with it afterwards.

Read up on INSEAD
Investing time on researching the program is probably the best evidence of your motivation (because time is so precious). It really means that you are curious about it, that it appeals to you in some way. If you are not asked specific questions about it, volunteer your knowledge. It will also reveal the areas that have retained your attention, thus that seem to match your interests/personality, another hint at the type of motivation you display. If you are asked about other programs, be honest. Some people are so certain that they apply to only one, some would like to get to know more than one because they aren't so sure. Just make sure that you justify anything you say and offer a coherent picture.

Build a relationship with your interviewer. Imagine that this person must decide: what would this candidate do in my working group, in my class. Would I learn from this person? Would I enjoy having this person in my group? Do I see an opportunity for this person to be changed through an MBA? (one has to be open to change for that to happen). note that I am not talking about subjective things here (although we are all human so I don't think that any selection process can be totally objective without removing all human input...). I didn't LIKE everyone in my promotion (most of them though :)) in that I am not best friends with everyone (it's hard!) but I ADMIRED, RESPECTED all of them. And I have learned from every single person I have met. And I would enjoy working with all of them.

Accept the questions (even if they sound weird or take you to places you are not familiiar with). Life is not about controlling everything and everybody. It's about being humble enough to recognize that it is impossible and be adaptable enough to deal with change successfully.

Be clear/succinct in your communication. Help the interviewer follow your line of thoughts.

Make it a mini-INSEAD experience. So enjoy the ride! INSEAD will be challenging, you won't have all the answers, you may be confused at times but like the rest of us, you will probably say that it is the best year of your life..."