Hanna Renaldi's Blog: How to Ace Your Team Based Interview [4 Tips for the Big Day]

How to ace your Wharton team-based interview

We recently shared our tips for preparing for Team Based Interviews. Now we’re going to move forward and offer four tips for acing the interview itself:

1. Don’t be confrontational.

This is not a debate in which you’re trying to score points. It’s not a verbal battle. It’s a simulation of what you may encounter in a business school classroom or group project, and so it’s that vibe and model that you’ll want to emulate. Interviewees should build on one another’s points, contributing to the conversation; they shouldn’t cut each other down with rude or judgmental remarks. Of course you’re allowed to disagree, and you should be persuasive and enthusiastic about your positions, but do so with respect and grace.

2. Think quality, not quantity.

Participants are judged on the quality – and not the quantity – of their comments. You should add to the conversation, but certainly not dominate it. Refrain from speaking for the sake of being heard. Thoughtful and succinct comments are appreciated; chatter is not.

Don’t let this tip backfire on you! Qualitative comments are a must, so don’t hold back from speaking because you’re worried that your contributions won’t hit the mark. You need to find a balance – don’t blab on incessantly, but don’t be too shy to open your mouth, either. You’re there to contribute; make sure you do!

3. Keep it real.

While many of the topics or prompts given may lead you to a world of theoretical thought, you need to work to push through the theory to arrive at concrete points that are supported with evidence from your own firsthand experiences. Business schools are interested in students who are able to draw deep understanding and practical conclusions from their life experiences.

4. Keep notes to a minimum.

Just as a treatise of pre-interview notes will distract you from the interview action (as we mentioned in our previous article), so will scribbling notes furiously during the interview. You definitely want to have a pen and clipboard or a tablet available if you need to quickly jot something down, but remember – this is a group discussion and you want to keep the flow of the conversation natural. Taking notes and then reading your monologue will certainly disrupt that flow.

Team-based interviews are totally different from your typical interview experience, which means you need to prepare for them in a completely different way. Check out Accepted’s Mock TBD Interview Services to learn how we can help you prep for your group interview.