My INSEAD MiM Interview, The Question I Did Not See Coming

Thirty minutes. One alumnus. A Zoom call, which felt more like a conversation over coffee than anything I had been bracing for.

My INSEAD MiM interviewer was relaxed, genuinely curious, the kind of person who asks questions because he wants to know the answer rather than because he is working through a checklist. That set the tone immediately.

What we covered

We moved through three broad areas. My background, the decisions I had made and why I had made them, and what I was ultimately working toward. None of the questions were surprising on paper. What surprised me was how naturally one led into the next, and how quickly the conversation moved away from what I had done toward who I was.

Life purpose came up early and stayed present throughout. Not in an abstract philosophical way, but practically. What did I want. Why did I want it. What did the version of me in ten years look like and what was I doing today to get there.

The question I did not see coming

I had mentioned private equity as a long-term ambition. My interviewer nodded, then leaned forward slightly and said: explain to me what private equity is like I am five years old.

I paused for a second.

Then I thought about a lemonade stand.

I had never actually seen one growing up. They are not a feature of where I come from. But I had watched enough American movies to know exactly what they looked like and exactly why they would land. So I used one. I explained how someone might lend a kid money to buy lemons and sugar, take a share of the stand in return, help them run it better, and eventually sell their stake once the stand was worth more than when they found it. Private equity, in about ninety seconds, for a five year old.

He smiled. I was fairly sure that had gone well.

What that moment taught me

The best interview answers are not the most technically impressive ones. They are the ones that show you can think on your feet, communicate clearly under pressure, and meet someone where they are rather than where you want them to be.

Knowing your material is necessary. Being able to translate it, adapt it, make it human, that is what actually stays with the person on the other side of the screen.

Walking away

I came off the call feeling good. Thirty minutes had been enough. The conversation had been real, the questions had been sharp, and I had found an answer I had not prepared but that felt more genuine than anything I had rehearsed.

That is probably the best thing you can say about any interview.

Anonymous
TAiY Collective