Once you have applied to an MBA program and you have successfully reached the interview stage it is time to get ready for the interview. Do not slack off because you have made it this far. The interview is a very important part of the application process.

If you are up for an MBA interview, you can learn the best things to do during the interview by reading various MBA interview tips. Researching for these tips would help a lot because you can apply these tips during the interview so that you can pass it and get in the program that you want.

When you are at the interview, you need to keep in mind that the institution will want to get students that will give them a good name. Even after you have graduated for a long time, you will still be a part of the program and your success will also be the program’s success. Hence, if you want to get accepted with the program, then you should focus on such things when you are asked in the interview.

You need to emphasize that you are a committed person and you are committed to what you are doing even before the school will admit you. You can do that by visiting the campus and familiarizing yourself with its programs and facilities. This will show that you are really eager to attend to their school.

Of course in your interview, you need to make it clear that you want to be accepted in the program that you have applied for. You need to emphasize how much you want the MBA program but be sure not to sound too desperate or you may end up getting rejected rather than accepted. Many institutions that are offering the programs will want to accept students that truly want the program and not because they are left without a choice.

Be sure to send a thank you note after the interview. This is a nice gesture to show that you really care about being accepted. The thank you letter should be brief, express gratitude to the interviewer for taking time out to meet with you, and affirm your sincere interest in being a part of the program.

All in all, if you act natural and interested (which hopefully you truly are) then this will shine through your interview and the interviewer will pick up on this. Now the only thing you need to do is wait for your acceptance letter.

Cover letter writing is almost as important a skill for a job seeker to learn as resume writing.  The cover letter accompanies the resume at all times as the primary support document.  Whether you use traditional mail, email, faxing, or another type of electronic submission, this should always be sent with the resume.  There are, of course, other tools you’ll use when job seeking.  Your cover letter and resume come first of course, followed by follow-up letters, thank-you letters for after the interview, reference sheets, salary histories, and job acceptance letters.  If you have good cover letter writing skills, and good resume writing skills, the other written tools should be a snap to compose.

Your goal in this is to get the attention of the hiring manager, just as it is with resume writing.  The method and format are a little different however.  Your resume will cover all, or most of your professional career, and will be from one to two pages.  Your cover letter will be a very brief page serving as an introduction to the resume.  Cover letter writing style must be direct, to the point, and able to grab the attention of the reader quickly, with a goal of making the reader want to read the attached resume.

Many people, when engaged in this type of writing, have a tendency to say too much.  Good cover letter writing is short and punchy, and will take two or three key points from the resume and emphasize them.  The old adage “tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them” holds true in both resume writing and cover letter writing.

As an example, let’s assume that you are a materials handling manager for a defense contractor, seeking another position.  In your line of work the buzz words are MRP, lean manufacturing, ISO 9000, and cost savings.  Your writing efforts should reflect these buzz words to show your value to your current employer and any future employers.  Your resume will go into more detail about how you accomplished these goals.  The cover letter will simply point out to the hiring manager that you accomplished them.    An example of this would be two bulleted paragraphs in the body of the letter that say….

•    Experienced in  quality assurance and quality control, MRP, ISO 9000, QS 9000, and Lean Manufacturing.
•    Demonstrated results in saving significant money for employers through cost savings, inventory level reductions, and on-time supplier delivery.

The hiring manager, according to many surveys, devotes only about fifteen seconds to each resume and cover letter he or she reviews.  With that in mind your writing skills need to be top notch to get this person to look at your resume.  Your resume writing skills need to be just as good to get the reader to want to grant you an interview.  In turn, your interviewing skills need to be excellent to get the hiring manager to offer you the position.  This long, and hopefully positive chain of events begins with good cover letter writing skills and ends with job satisfaction and a nice paycheck.