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…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 Reflection essay.
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 Reflection.
Most of the content of your Reflection 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 Post-Interview Reflection 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.
5. In terms of tone, think of your Reflection as a one-on-one conversation with another person, or as HBS advises, “Think of it… as an email you might write to a colleague or supervisor after a meeting.”
While the email metaphor connotes dialogue and conversation, it does not imply – or permit – a lack of professionalism. Write your Reflection as you would a business email: you can use the first (“I”) and second (“you”) person in your writing. Keep it cordial, and be sure that it is well written, grammatically correct, and professional.
6. Be succinct.
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. Be sure to express your thanks for their time and continued consideration.
Your social IQ is on display. They’ve invested time in reviewing and considering your application and in meeting with you. Say, “Thank you.”
Make your Reflection meaningful!
Using the seven tips we just presented will make writing your Post-Interview Reflection a much easier and more meaningful experience. And the result will be a more effective, compelling statement that puts the final, lasting shine on your application.
After a successful career in business publishing, Cindy Tokumitsu worked with Accepted for more than 20 years. Although she no longer works directly with applicants, every year her clients were accepted to top MBA, law, and med programs. She is a pioneer in the niche area of EMBA application consulting. Want an admissions expert to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!
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