Congratulations! You’ve just completed another step on the road to acceptance to Harvard Business School (HBS) – your interview. Now, you have 24 hours to send HBS your Post-Interview Reflection (PIR). So let’s get started!
When it comes to this part of the process, there’s really one major thing you need to do – reflect!
How to Reflect Efficiently and Effectively
As soon as possible after your interview, sit down and think about everything that happened during your meeting. Try to complete the first three tips on the following list immediately after your interview.
1. Think about any of your responses that might not have been as clear as you wanted them to be.
Make note of any answers you gave in which you didn’t hit the nail on the head or your logic or story was a little fuzzy. Was the point you were trying to make relevant and important? If not, let it go. If it was, consider how you could clarify the point in your PIR.
2. Analyze any responses you gave that you feel were incomplete.
Jot down any points you would have liked to have made if you’d thought of them during the interview. What should you have included?
3. Take note of the responses you feel you did a great job on.
Take a moment to appreciate the answers you gave that were on point — where your thought process was organized, you were articulate, and you conveyed your response clearly. Give yourself a pat on the back! But then move on – there’s no need to be redundant or circle back to these responses.
4. Choose the elements you want to focus on in your PIR.
Most of the content of your PIR should come from what you identified in the first two tips on this list. Focus on the points that relate to what you most want HBS to learn and remember about you.
Because you don’t want your PIR to be only about clarifications and adding things you forgot to mention in your interview, make sure to also weave in and close with a reference to something in the interview you feel you aced – but do so in a way that is additive or enhances meaning, rather than being redundant.
Also, don’t shy away from reflecting on the interaction itself. Think about what you learned during or from the interview experience. For example, did the interviewer question you on a topic from a perspective you hadn’t considered before? Did you gain insight from being thoughtfully challenged on an answer? Showing that you are always learning and thinking – always open to reevaluating experiences and ideas – can only help your case.
Lastly, you can also show enthusiasm by reiterating that HBS is the MBA program for you and stating how and why the interview experience reaffirmed that for you.
5. In terms of tone, think of your PIR as a one-on-one conversation with another person.
As HBS advises, “Think of it… as an email you might write to a colleague or supervisor after a meeting.” While this email metaphor connotes dialogue and conversation, it does not imply – or permit – a lack of professionalism. Write your PIR as you would a business email: you can use the first (“I”) and second (“you”) person. Keep it cordial, and be sure that it is well written, grammatically correct, and professional.
6. Keep it concise.
Don’t repeat any information that was conveyed in your application. The HBS adcom already has that on file and has reviewed it. And don’t repeat what you said in the interview. They’ve heard that information already, too.
7. Say “thank you!”
Be sure to express your thanks for your interviewer’s time and the school’s continued consideration. Your social IQ is on display. They’ve invested time into reviewing your application and meeting with you. Make sure to say, “Thank you.”
Make Your Reflection Meaningful
To ensure that your PIR is meaningful, focus on being introspective and specific. Rather than just summarizing the interview, dive deeper into how the experience affected your understanding of yourself, your goals, and your fit with HBS.
Reflect on both your strengths and your areas for growth, showing that you can learn from the experience. Relate key moments of the interview to your long-term vision and how they reinforced or reshaped your desire to pursue an MBA at HBS. A meaningful reflection conveys self-awareness, maturity, and a genuine passion for the program.
Using the seven tips we just presented will make writing your PIR a much easier experience. And the result will be a more effective, compelling statement that puts the final, lasting shine on your application.
Good luck!
Kara Keenan Sweeney has more than 15 years of experience in MBA admissions, having worked for some of the world’s top business school programs, including Columbia Business School, INSEAD, and The Lauder Institute’s joint degree MA/MBA program with The Wharton School and the MA/JD program with Penn Law at the University of Pennsylvania. Kara has guided, coached, and counseled thousands of MBA and EMBA applicants, reviewed innumerable applications, sat on admissions committees, and interviewed countless applicants, including while running Wharton’s Team Based Discussions both virtually and in person. Want Kara to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!
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