There is such a thing as being too honest
Take me for example:
When I did my Harvard Business School (HBS) interview I was really sick. I had ideas prepared to answer the questions, but I had an allergy attack in middle of the interview, and my ideas all went out the window.I started answering questions honestly with the first thing that came to mind. I wasn’t strategic about it. I hadn’t tied these answers to my essays. I just gave honest answers.
When the interviewer asked me why I had majored in computer science, I had an answer that I had already prepared. “I want to be an entrepreneur in technology. I want to know computer science very well.”
However, the answer that came out was, “When I was in 8th grade, I saw a movie called Lawn Mower Man with great special effects. I decided I wanted to figure out how to do that. People told me that was computer programming and graphics so I took computer science.”
Needless to say, I would have done better if I had stuck to the story that I had in my head before my allergy attack made me tell that stupid Lawn Mower Man story!
Demonstrate a Plan!
The reason I’m telling you that story is I think the interviewers want to hear a story that makes it seem you have a planned path. They want to see that you have planned your path and followed it in a linear way.It is important to demonstrate that you are also planning your next steps. In that way they have more confidence that the things you have said in your application fit with that path.
There are things you cannot bring out in a 600 word essay. You can elaborate on those things in your interview if you plan to give honest answers that are also tied in with the information in your essay and demonstrate that you have some kind of plan.
Don’t Seem Random!
Your interview should not make it seem as if you have done a random walk through life, education, and career. To be honest, I had done just that. I didn’t know a lot from the start, and I made quite a few mistakes at first.A lot of things I just made up as I went along and learned more and more. The Lawn Mower Man incident was a case in point. After that, during my interviews I tried my best to frame my stories to fit what I was writing in the essays.
If I could go back, I would have been even more strategic about linking the story of my past to the story that I wanted to be my future. In that way it would be much more coherent start to finish.
Be Honest, Consistent, and Linear!
So, remember to always give honest answers in your interviews, but keep consistency in mind, too. Make sure the answers you give support and enhance the information you have already given on your application.Make sure they show that you have some kind of path you have been following that leads you to a clearly envisioned future. That’s what the admissions officers are looking for.
