哈佛商学院面试内幕

    这些问题，或者至少是指南里所列出的近100个问题，涵盖了大范围的话题和经历，轻易就能绊倒候选人。比如：“你这周所有的对话中最有趣的是哪个？”或是“跟我讲一个你目前在跟进并且非常感兴趣的新闻。”正是根据后一个问题，这份指南建议申请者从计划招生面试的那天开始实行一个新的每日晨间安排：“浏览所有主流商业新闻网站的头条，阅读看上去相当重要的所有报道，然后确保看过所有报道你所在行业，特别是你所在公司的网站（在面试时你不该表现得太空泛！）。”

    对克莱纳而言，他的招生面试是逆序进行的。“面试官先问我现在的工作做了多久，喜欢它的哪些方面。接着，她问我在这之前的投行工作经历。她问我为什么从银行转到私募股权公司。对这个问题我有所准备，然后我们接着往前谈。我们聊了许多关于耶鲁和我在耶鲁的经历，包括我为什么学习历史专业以及我是否从中得到了预期的收获。”

    对他而言，最有挑战性的问题是那些让你“稍微自夸一下或者自省一下。要坐在面试官面前，对他们侃侃而谈这些问题并不容易。整个面试是30分钟，问题一个一个接踵而至。由于面试官想提尽可能多的问题，所以你没太多时间去考虑自己的答案。这对许多人来说都很艰难，尤其是对那些两三年里没有换过工作的人，他们最近一次面试还是在获得那份工作的时候。

    关于领导力的问题通常也是面试的一大部分。“他们绝对会问你许多关于领导力的问题，”克莱纳说。“你是什么类型的领导？你对领导的定义是怎样的，而你自己该怎样去达到这个定义的要求？在你的上一份工作中，是否跟真正非凡的领导共事过？请说出为什么你觉得他们很出色？”

    今年的指南里最无法预测的问题是哪个？克莱纳有几个答案，包括“假设我是一个8岁的小孩，请向我解释一件事，能让我听懂。”

    “这个有趣的问题经常被问到，”他说。“问题的关键在于看你是否准备好去接受HBS的案例分析法。你自己的想法，无论多复杂，可能都要解释给一个班90个学生。有些人是某个领域的专家，其他人却可能还是新手。所以他们用这个非常简单的方法去测试学生的这一能力。学会这个技能非常有用。”

    另一个常见的问题是：“跟我说一件你想开始着手做的事，再说一件你想做得更多的事，以及一件你希望少做点的事。”

    “教授也经常让学生提供类似的反馈，”克莱纳说。“这对你来说是一次机会，你可以站出来，诚实地评估自己。比起典型的优缺点问题，它要求你表达得更具体。”

    The questions, or at least the nearly 100 shared in the guide, cover a fairly vast range of issues and experiences that could easily trip up a candidate. Consider: "What is the most interesting conversation you have had this week?" or "Tell me a piece of news that you are currently following and very interested in?" The latter question is the motivation for the advice to begin a new morning routine on the day you schedule your admissions interview. "Browse all the headlines of all the major business news sites, read any stories that seem particularly pertinent, and be sure to hit up any sites that cover your industry and employer in particular (you don't want to get broadsided during your interview!)."

    For Kleiner, the admissions interview worked backwards. "I was asked about my time at my current job and what I liked about it. Then, I was asked about my experience in investment banking before that. She asked why I switched to private equity from banking. I had prepared for that and gave my answer and then we kept going backwards. We started talking a lot about Yale and my experiences there, including why I majored in history and whether I got out of it what I wanted."

    As far as he is concerned, the most challenging questions are those that ask you "to brag a little bit or to be introspective. It's not always easy to sit in front of an interviewer and say that to them. The whole interview is crammed into 30 minutes and it is really rapid fire. You don't get much of a reaction to your answers because they're trying to fit in as many questions as possible. It can be very tough for a lot of people, especially those who haven't interviewed for two or three years since they went through the process to get their last job."

    Questions on leadership often absorb a good chunk of the interview time. "They definitely ask you a lot of questions on leadership," says Kleiner. "What kind of leader are you? What is your definition of a leader and how might you fit that description? Have you worked with any truly exceptional leaders in your last job and tell me why you thought they were great?"

    The most unpredictable question in the guide this year? Kleiner has a few favorites that fit that description, including, "Explain something to me as if I were an eight-year-old."

    "It's a funny one that comes up commonly," he says. "The point of this question is to see if you are ready to participate in the case method at HBS. Your own thoughts, however complicated, may have to be explained to 90 people in a classroom, some of whom may be experts in a field and others who may be novices. So they are testing all of that in a very simple question. It's a really good skill to have."

    Another common question: "Tell me something you want to start doing, something you want to do more of, and something you want to do less of."

    "Professors often ask for similar feedback from their students," says Kleiner. "It's a chance for you to step out and give an honest appraisal of who you are. It forces you to be more concrete than a more typical strength and weakness question."