How to Interview Like a Top MBA: Job-Winning Strategies From Headhunters, Fortune 100 Recruiters, and Career Counselors [Paperback]

Shel Leanne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 26, 2003

Strategies for turning your next interview into an offer--as taught at today's leading business schools

Every job interview is a one-shot opportunity to dramatically improve your career and lifestyle. World-class MBA programs recognize this fact and now provide their students with detailed courses and coaching on how to dress for an interview, what to say, what not to say, and more.

How to Interview Like a Top MBA presents today's best-of-the-best strategies and skills into an all-in-one, MBA-level interviewing how-to. Featuring insights from Fortune 100 executives, headhunters, career counselors, and MBA graduates, this no-nonsense guidebook arms you with:

• Tips for highlighting your relevant skills and experience with concise, compelling, and well-structured answers
• Information you should know about an interviewing company, its industry, the position, and even the interviewers themselves
• Ways to directly address résumé weak spots or periods of extended unemployment--without apologizing!
• Techniques for identifying and highlighting transferable skills when you're looking to enter a new profession
• Worksheets, charts, and other hands-on tools for mapping out a powerful interview strategy and plan of action
• 100 sample questions you can expect to hear--with sample answers that can impress your interviewer

In today's ultracompetitive and uncompromising job market, the next position you get will set the tone for the rest of your career. Let How to Interview Like a Top MBAshow you how to develop the skills and confidence you need to enter each interview as a top candidate--and turn that interview into an exciting new job.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Strategies for turning your next interview into an offer--as taught at today's leading business schools

Every job interview is a one-shot opportunity to dramatically improve your career and lifestyle. World-class MBA programs recognize this fact and now provide their students with detailed courses and coaching on how to dress for an interview, what to say, what not to say, and more.

How to Interview Like a Top MBA presents today's best-of-the-best strategies and skills into an all-in-one, MBA-level interviewing how-to. Featuring insights from Fortune 100 executives, headhunters, career counselors, and MBA graduates, this no-nonsense guidebook arms you with:

• Tips for highlighting your relevant skills and experience with concise, compelling, and well-structured answers
• Information you should know about an interviewing company, its industry, the position, and even the interviewers themselves
• Ways to directly address résumé weak spots or periods of extended unemployment--without apologizing!
• Techniques for identifying and highlighting transferable skills when you're looking to enter a new profession
• Worksheets, charts, and other hands-on tools for mapping out a powerful interview strategy and plan of action
• 100 sample questions you can expect to hear--with sample answers that can impress your interviewer

In today's ultracompetitive and uncompromising job market, the next position you get will set the tone for the rest of your career. Let How to Interview Like a Top MBAshow you how to develop the skills and confidence you need to enter each interview as a top candidate--and turn that interview into an exciting new job.

About the Author

Dr. Shel Leanne is the president of the Wilshel Corporation, an educational and career consulting service. A former McKinsey & Company consultant, a Harvard graduate, and a former Harvard faculty member, she runs interview workshops with MBA students at Harvard, Wharton, Columbia, and other top business schools.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (December 26, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 007141827X
• ISBN-13: 978-0071418270
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #77,206 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Shel Leanne is a leadership expert and executive coach. She taught for four years as a Full Faculty Member at Harvard University. She has also served as a member of the Executive Faculty of Harvard University. She worked previously as an MBA-level Associate at McKinsey & Company. She received her bachelors degree from Harvard College, and masters and doctoral degrees from Oxford University. Known as "Dr. Shel," she provides insights about leadership, women's leadership, and the success of new hires/minorities in the workplace. Dr. Shel speaks/offers coaching at corporate events and colleges. Visit her: www.regentcrest.com and www.mbaadmit.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 39 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative, but targeted toward recent graduates February 27, 2006

By E. Schwartz

Format:Paperback

This book gets off to a good start in its introduction, with a compelling list of "Ten Common Interview Mistakes," followed by a road map of all of the topics the book covers. The subjects are comprehensive and cohesively organized.

The rest of the book falls into two main sections, covering interviewing best practices and 100 tough interview questions. The best practices will be useful to those who haven't read other interviewing books. However, their most important lessons can be gleaned merely by reading the table of contents. (Example: "Shape the Interview with Responses to Open-Ended and Turnaround Questions.")

The "tough questions" section is what holds the potential to distinguish this book from the masses of unremarkable job-search literature. Its advice for answers is sound, but formulaic: "I have qualities A and B, as exhibited by when I did C. I know D about your company, which shows how A and B will be important for the job, so I am ideally suited for it." Even questions about the interviewee's shortcomings follow this basic formula, with a prefix: "I was in difficult situation X, and it didn't turn out well because of Y. I learned from the situation and now..." Several answers are disappointingly trite. The worst was an example lauding soccer as an extracurricular because of "the way I have to focus on attaining goals." Also, many questions are more applicable to recent graduates than experienced hires.

The book is worth a quick read, and the repetition of the Q&A section serves as a good do-it-yourself interviewing drill, but it's certainly not exceptional.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for recent grads. Best money you will spend in your job search July 7, 2006

By Employed

Format:Paperback

I recently graduated and landed 3 offers out of 4 positions I interviewed for, and did so with less-than-great qualifications (2 of jobs were reaches for me). I had a subpar GPA but had no idea of how to properly interview before I read this book. The book focuses on teaching the reader how to portray him/herself as a qualified candidate. Interviewers really only care to see if a candidate understands what the job requires, and is willing and qualified to perfrom the duties asked. The explanation of how to answer the dreaded, "Tell me about yourself," really demonstrates all of that, and learning how to answer that question will give you a much better chance of getting the job you're up for. The book also does an excellent job of illustrating what differentiates good answers from great answers; and also explains how to address weaknesses on your resume. It's an inexpensive investment, and if you follow what the author suggests, you'll certainly do much better in your interviews. Two suggestions I have would be to structure your answers, and to PRACTICE. Interviewing isn't that difficult once you know what to do and practice a little bit. If you recently graduated, I would go so far as to say this book is a necessity.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended! January 12, 2004

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

How To Interview Like a Top MBA, by Shel Leanne, is extremely well written and provides great insight into how to interview excellently for a job. The topics covered in the main text are very timely, with chapters about situations in which you may be trying to get a more advanced position, as well as ways to approach a job interview if you have been out of work for a while or if you are transitioning to a new field. The book also has a very valuable sample 100 Questions and Answers section. This book was thoughtful and insightful, and the advice from headhunters and recruiters add great dimensions.