How to ace your Kira Talent interview

Many top business schools use video interviews within the MBA admissions process—and Kira Talent is one of the most popular platforms.

Schools including INSEAD, Oxford Saïd Business School, Rotman School of Management, Imperial Business School, Northwestern Kellogg all use the platform for interviews, which are sometimes also called video essays. Occasionally—such as at Berkeley Haas—candidates can choose between pre-recorded video or live interviews.

Video interviews are designed for an admissions committee to look over at a later date. If you’re invited to one, it’s a great opportunity to put your best foot forward and make an impression.

For some, interviewing with a computer rather than a human might feel a little unfamiliar. We’ve pulled together everything you need to know about the Kira Talent interview to help you prepare.

Why do business schools use Kira Talent interviews?

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

As the Kira Talent platform is customizable, the interview experience you’ll face varies depending on the school you are applying to. Each school decides which questions are asked, whether these are set or randomized between candidates, and how long your responses for each question should be.

For spoken responses, you will get some time to think about your answer and some time to respond. For example, you may get 45 seconds to prepare and then need to talk for 60 seconds. You only have one chance to submit each response.

Along with the video interview, some schools may ask for one or two written answers. These must also be completed in the timeframe provided, and only once.

For example, the Oxford Saïd Business School MBA Kira Talent online assessment requires candidates to answer three competency-based video questions, followed by a short written essay that’s completed in 5 minutes.

Some schools use Kira Talent to screen candidates before the face-to-face interview stage, whereas others use it to replace the traditional interview altogether.

Kira Talent interview questions

Some common Kira Talent interview questions include:

1. Why do you want to attend our program?
2. What will you bring to this program?
3. How do you work under pressure?
4. How do you define leadership?
5. Tell us about yourself.
6. Tell us about a person or event that has been influential in your personal development.
7. Tell us about a time when you had to make a quick decision.
8. Tell us about a time when you overcame a difficult challenge.
9. Describe one of your favorite hobbies and why it’s important to you.
10. What do you plan to do after business school?

5 Kira Talent interview prep tips

Here are five tips to get you ready for your Kira Talent interview:

1. Get the basics right

Before you start to worry about interview content, make sure you are technically prepared. Check that your internet connection is stable, and that your microphone and camera are in working order.

When you complete the interview, dress to the same standard as you would for an in-person meeting. Make sure the lighting where you’re sitting is good and do everything you can to prevent interruptions and minimize background noise.

2. Practice

You complete the Kira Talent interview in one take, 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 could even watch your answers back to look for areas where you could improve.

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

3. Articulate your plans and motivations

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

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

You should do your research into 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 have demonstrated a desirable 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?

Next, walk through the actions you took to achieve your goal, before finally describing the result you achieved and the lessons you learned.

5. Avoid reading or memorizing your answers

Interviews help recruiters find out 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 simply read it aloud.

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

Rather than composing an essay and reciting it, note down the points you want to make and talk about them ad lib.

Personal interviews can be one of the most dreaded parts of the admissions process, but a little bit of preparation makes all the difference. If you’ve clearly identified your motivations and goals ahead of applying for an MBA, you’re already halfway there. Good luck!