How to Perfect Your Talent Interview Kira

More and more business schools are incorporating video interviews into their admissions process – and Kira Talent is one of the most popular platforms.

Schools including INSEAD, Oxford’s Saïd Business School, Berkeley Haas, Rotman School of Management, Imperial College Business School, Northwestern Kellogg and Yale School of Management have accepted video interviews.

Unlike standard MBA admissions interviews, these are pre-recorded for an admissions committee to review later. The process gives you an extra opportunity to put your best foot forward and make an impression, but interviewing with a computer rather than a human can be difficult.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Kira Talent interview:

What happens at an interview with Kira Talent?

Business schools use Kira Talent to get a holistic view of applicants, determine their fit with the school, and assess their communication skills and English language proficiency.

The platform is highly customizable, so the experience varies depending on the school you apply to. Each school decides what questions to ask, whether they are set or random between applicants, and how long your answers should be for each question.

For oral answers, you will have some time to think about your answer and some time to respond. For example, you might get 45 seconds to prepare and then have to speak for 60 seconds. You only have one chance to submit each answer.

Although it is usually a video interview, some schools may ask for one or two written responses. They must also be completed within the stipulated time and only once.

Some schools use Kira Talent to screen applicants before the face-to-face interview stage, while others use it to completely replace the traditional interview.

Kira Talent Interview Questions

Some common Kira Talent interview questions include:

1. Why do you want to attend our program?

2. How do you work under pressure?

3. How do you define leadership?

4. Tell us about yourself.

5. Tell us about a person or event that influenced your personal development.

6. Tell us about a time when you had to make a quick decision.

7. Tell us about a time when you overcame a difficult challenge.

8. Describe one of your favorite hobbies and why it is important to you.

Read: Answering MBA Interview Questions: 4 Mistakes to Avoid

5 tips for preparing for an interview with Kira Talent

Here are five tips to help you prepare for your Kira Talent interview:

1. Get the basics right

Before you start worrying about the content of the interview, make sure you are technically prepared. Check that your internet connection is stable and that your microphone and camera are working.

When you finish the interview, dress to the same standard as you would for an in-person meeting. Make sure the lighting where you are sitting is good and do your best to prevent interruptions and minimize background noise.

2. Practice

There are no second chances at a Kira Talent interview, so be prepared. Practice preparing and delivering your answers in the same time frame you will have during the interview to get used to the process while recording yourself.

You can even review your answers to look for areas where you could improve.

Although questions vary from school to school, you can find many examples online. Each question is designed to assess your motivation and competence.

3. Formulate your plans and motivation

Schools want to know why their particular program makes sense for you, so practice articulating this seriously.

Be sure to consider why you are pursuing the program at this stage in your career, what your career goals are, and how this particular program will help you achieve them.

You should do research on the program to demonstrate that you understand what makes it unique.

4. Use the STAR method to answer competency-based questions

This strategy will help you answer open-ended interview questions designed to get you talking about how you’ve demonstrated a desired skill or trait in the past.

STAR – which stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result – is a step-by-step guide to turning your experience into a coherent story.

Start by describing the situation, then explain what your task was. What were you responsible for? What outcome were you aiming for?

Then go through the actions you took to achieve your goal before finally describing the outcome you achieved and the lessons you learned.

5. Avoid reading or memorizing your answers

Interviews help recruiters understand what it’s like to interact with you as a person – and a pre-recorded interview is no different.

Unlike live interviews, Kira interviews allow time to prepare your answer, so it can be tempting to write down what you want to say and just read it out loud.

Likewise, even if you’ve practiced a question a dozen times, it should never sound like you have a ready-made answer.

Instead of composing an essay and reciting it, jot down the points you want to make and talk about them ad lib.

Personal interviews can be one of the most intimidating parts of the admissions process, but a little preparation makes all the difference. Good luck!

Further reading:

MBA Interview Questions: What can I expect in 2020-21?