How would you distinguish a good interview from a bad one?

[gyngyn]

In these types of interviews I feel like you're still selling yourself because you're letting your personality shine through.

Being yourself and expressing yourself clearly does not give off the "selling yourself" vibe, though.

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[Spector1]

I think in interviews, you do have to toot your own horn. There is possibly such a thing as selling yourself too hard but I think that would have to be pretty extreme

 

[gyngyn]

I think in interviews, you do have to toot your own horn. There is possibly such a thing as selling yourself too hard but I think that would have to be pretty extreme

It happens every interview day.
Being responsive is so much more appealing.

 

[Goro]

It's almost like haiku!

This type of typing.
Is a gyngynism.
That we can add to the thread.

 

[RurouniKarly]

yea I've had that happened, where we didn't even talk about the application much and it was 100% a conversation. it leaves you feeling like you did well until you realize you didn't exactly get to sell yourself.. idk if this is a negative

I'm actually in a position of knowing exactly how this impacted me. A few weeks ago I interviewed at a school, and the interview was very relaxed and conversational. In fact, the interviewers kept encouraging me to ask questions, and by the time I left I had asked them twice as many questions as they had asked me. Additionally, I didn't feel the questions they asked me really touched on the most important or interesting parts of my application. When I got the decision, I ended up wait listed. So I emailed the dean, briefly made my case about why I loved the school and why I thought I was a good fit, and asked for feedback on why I was waitlisted. The dean got back to me the same night and said he had looked over my file and determined that my interest in the school and experiences germane to the school's mission hadn't come across well during the interview, and upon further review he wanted to offer me an acceptance.

So in the end, the easy going and superficial questions I was asked during the interview were what put me on the wait list rather than the acceptance list when the committee finished its deliberations.
(to ward off questions about how I have an acceptance before 10/15, this is a DO school)

 

[gyngyn]

I'm actually in a position of knowing exactly how this impacted me. A few weeks ago I interviewed at a school, and the interview was very relaxed and conversational. In fact, the interviewers kept encouraging me to ask questions, and by the time I left I had asked them twice as many questions as they had asked me. Additionally, I didn't feel the questions they asked me really touched on the most important or interesting parts of my application. When I got the decision, I ended up wait listed. So I emailed the dean, briefly made my case about why I loved the school and why I thought I was a good fit, and asked for feedback on why I was waitlisted. The dean got back to me the same night and said he had looked over my file and determined that my interest in the school and experiences germane to the school's mission hadn't come across well during the interview, and upon further review he wanted to offer me an acceptance.

So in the end, the easy going and superficial questions I was asked during the interview were what put me on the wait list rather than the acceptance list when the committee finished its deliberations.
(to ward off questions about how I have an acceptance before 10/15, this is a DO school)

When the interviewer lets you control the interview, you have every opportunity to talk about what matters to you. The topics don't have to stay superficial just because they start that way.

 

[RurouniKarly]

When the interviewer lets you control the interview, you have every opportunity to talk about what matters to you. The topics don't have to stay superficial just because they start that way.

How do you go about it when there are things you want the interviewers to know about you, but the questions they ask you are unrelated to the point that you'd obviously be shoehorning in tangential information? And in this case, I wasn't expecting them to want me to ask so many questions. Should I have been doing the "tell a story about myself with a questions tacked on at the end" thing? I would have thought they'd be annoyed by that.

 

[jl lin]

And you may never be able to tell what really goes on in the interviewer's head and how he/she takes that back to the committee. My favorite story in this vein is from a nontraditional student in her 30's whose answer to the "greatest challenge" question was how her husband suddenly asked for divorce a week before finals in a postbacc and the subsequent turmoil that caused. Her interviewer at an ivy turned out to be a psychiatrist who, apparently, just fell into his therapy mode and probed her on this. Emotions poured out it what seemed more like an emotional therapy session than an interview. By far it was her worst of several interviews. In the end, that is the medical school she is now attending.

Dear Lord! OK, is it just me or does that seem a bit creepy? LOL. Mental note: Leave more recent, tragic, and emotionally unresolved events off of your "greatest challenge" list. LOL. Sorry, but that's so not a level playing field there.

 

[gyngyn]

How do you go about it when there are things you want the interviewers to know about you, but the questions they ask you are unrelated to the point that you'd obviously be shoehorning in tangential information? And in this case, I wasn't expecting them to want me to ask so many questions. Should I have been doing the "tell a story about myself with a questions tacked on at the end" thing? I would have thought they'd be annoyed by that.

All open ended questions give you a free rein to tell them about yourself in a way that helps them understand how you fit in their school. That's why they ask this type of question. Give us an example and I'll demonstrate.

 

[Glazedonutlove]

All open ended questions give you a free rein to tell them about yourself in a way that helps them understand how you fit in their school. That's why they ask this type of question. Give us an example and I'll demonstrate.

Could you do an example?

 

[gyngyn]

Could you do an example?

It's better if one is given an open ended question.
Making up your own is too easy!

One I got was: Tell me why you are the right choice for our clinic?
Answer: My Mom receives her care here. I am part of the community you serve.

 

[RurouniKarly]

All open ended questions give you a free rein to tell them about yourself in a way that helps them understand how you fit in their school. That's why they ask this type of question. Give us an example and I'll demonstrate.

I'm far enough out form the interview that I'm having difficulty remembering specific phrasing, but the questions I was asked were specific enough to have direct, on topic answers, but I didn't feel like I got enough of them to really explore more than a couple aspects of my application. The interview went by faster than I expected, and by the time I was dismissed I felt like I hadn't really gotten the opportunity to share everything I wanted to.

I was asked a question about leadership in the part time food service job I had in college, to relate a specific experience I had with a patient and how that influenced how I want to practice medicine, why I want to be a doctor and not a different member of the healthcare team, and something about how I would go about garnering interest in medicine in other people. Plus a few follow up questions about things I said in response to these questions.

I managed to communicate some of the things I wanted the interviewers to know, but the items that didn't get across were why I'm enthusiastic about this school in particular, my background in Spanish, and history of service work in Mexico (all of which are of particular importance for this school).

Do you have any insight into how I could have gracefully segued into these topics?

 

[gyngyn]

I'm far enough out form the interview that I'm having difficulty remembering specific phrasing, but the questions I was asked were specific enough to have direct, on topic answers, but I didn't feel like I got enough of them to really explore more than a couple aspects of my application. The interview went by faster than I expected, and by the time I was dismissed I felt like I hadn't really gotten the opportunity to share everything I wanted to.

I was asked a question about leadership in the part time food service job I had in college, to relate a specific experience I had with a patient and how that influenced how I want to practice medicine, why I want to be a doctor and not a different member of the healthcare team, and something about how I would go about garnering interest in medicine in other people. Plus a few follow up questions about things I said in response to these questions.

I managed to communicate some of the things I wanted the interviewers to know, but the items that didn't get across were why I'm enthusiastic about this school in particular, my background in Spanish, and history of service work in Mexico (all of which are of particular importance for this school).

Do you have any insight into how I could have gracefully segued into these topics?

Yes. "I have a validated interest and commitment to the community you serve." Then give an example.

 

[Holmwood]

I'm far enough out form the interview that I'm having difficulty remembering specific phrasing, but the questions I was asked were specific enough to have direct, on topic answers, but I didn't feel like I got enough of them to really explore more than a couple aspects of my application. The interview went by faster than I expected, and by the time I was dismissed I felt like I hadn't really gotten the opportunity to share everything I wanted to.

I was asked a question about leadership in the part time food service job I had in college, to relate a specific experience I had with a patient and how that influenced how I want to practice medicine, why I want to be a doctor and not a different member of the healthcare team, and something about how I would go about garnering interest in medicine in other people. Plus a few follow up questions about things I said in response to these questions.

I managed to communicate some of the things I wanted the interviewers to know, but the items that didn't get across were why I'm enthusiastic about this school in particular, my background in Spanish, and history of service work in Mexico (all of which are of particular importance for this school).

Do you have any insight into how I could have gracefully segued into these topics?

"... how that influenced how I want to practice medicine..." If you're talking about future goals in medicine, you can tie some unique aspects about the school in supporting your goals.

"...to relate a specific experience I had with a patient...."If you're talking about patients, you can tie your experience working with certain populations of patients to your service work in other countries.

What'ya think?

 

[RurouniKarly]

"... how that influenced how I want to practice medicine..." If you're talking about future goals in medicine, you can tie some unique aspects about the school in supporting your goals.

"...to relate a specific experience I had with a patient...."If you're talking about patients, you can tie your experience working with certain populations of patients to your service work in other countries.

What'ya think?

The first one is good. I'll remember that. For the 2nd one, the work I did in Mexico was not healthcare related and I did not work with any patients, so it would have been a bit of a stretch. But I did have experience with patients in a different country, and that was something else I wanted to emphasize (and did).

 

[Holmwood]

The first one is good. I'll remember that. For the 2nd one, the work I did in Mexico was not healthcare related and I did not work with any patients, so it would have been a bit of a stretch. But I did have experience with patients in a different country, and that was something else I wanted to emphasize (and did).

I think it's a chronological problem. If you did the service work BEFORE you've worked with an immigrant patient, than it's easy to transition. In the reverse order, yeah it's a stretch.

Your servicework in Mexico would be something you can tie into that future goal as well. If working with underserved populations is your thing and you want to help address health disparities in these populations by becoming more culturally competent or something. ; P

But what the hay, congrats on acceptance.

 

[Glazedonutlove]

It's better if one is given an open ended question.
Making up your own is too easy!

One I got was: Tell me why you are the right choice for our clinic?
Answer: My Mom receives her care here. I am part of the community you serve.

If they ask anything else in the end should we go into whatever we want? Or are they just done at that point

 

[NickNaylor]

I think in interviews, you do have to toot your own horn. There is possibly such a thing as selling yourself too hard but I think that would have to be pretty extreme

It happens more often than you probably think.

 

[Glazedonutlove]

It happens more often than you probably think.

I think this can go both ways - the school and the applicant

 

[NickNaylor]

I think this can go both ways - the school and the applicant

The former doesn't matter, the latter lands you a rejection or waitlist.

 

[Glazedonutlove]

The former doesn't matter, the latter lands you a rejection or waitlist.

True but it can be a bit off putting

 

[jl lin]

Hey, they got in!

Yes. I saw that. It just feels sort of creepy to me to play off of that; but I am sure the argument is, "Hey. She opened the door." Kind of like one of those court scenes where the defense objects, but the prosecutor says, "Your honor, the defendant brought it to the court, so grant me the right to explore it more fully," and then the judge says, "Objection overruled."

My take away, as the interviewee stands--being careful about what one introduces, b/c if the interviewee is too emotionally vulnerable, it may not go down well. Interview time is a bad time to get all emotionally vulnerable about something a person hasn't fully worked through from my POV. So, for something like a divorce, which has been said to be like a death in a sense, eh, I don't think I'd go there if it was something relatively new. I'm glad it ultimately worked out for the person, and I hope she is doing well.

 

[WedgeDawg]

All open ended questions give you a free rein to tell them about yourself in a way that helps them understand how you fit in their school. That's why they ask this type of question. Give us an example and I'll demonstrate.

I had an interview where the interviewer and I talked mostly about (in a 50-60 minute interview) a specific music software and how conducive to learning how to play an instrument was. What do you make of that?

 

[jl lin]

I had an interview where the interviewer and I talked mostly about (in a 50-60 minute interview) a specific music software and how conducive to learning how to play an instrument was. What do you make of that?

That's my kind of interview.

 

[gyngyn]

I had an interview where the interviewer and I talked mostly about (in a 50-60 minute interview) a specific music software and how conducive to learning how to play an instrument was. What do you make of that?

It most likely demonstrated your communication skills, your understanding of complex systems and caused him to like you. Success.

 

[vantheman]

I have had a few interviews and I was only 100% confident after one of them... And that is because the person interviewing me told me that I was going to be accepted haha

 

[jl lin]

I have had a few interviews and I was only 100% confident after one of them... And that is because the person interviewing me told me that I was going to be accepted haha

That's helpful, but I think internally I would be dubious about any offer not put in writing. Although, I have gotten a number of professional positions by verbal promise on interview, followed of course by obligatory written offerings. I should be from Missouri though; but I'm not.

 

[mehc012]

I figure I can't really judge it, so I assume I blew them away at all of them and then move on with my life. It's less stressful that way.
I'll worry about the specifics when I see how post-interview decisions start shaking out...

 

[mehc012]

this is what I do and the best way to handle it. Also FFS GUYS NO AGONIZING OVER THANK YOU NOTES. You've done all that's in your control, now skip the thank you note bc it doesn't matter, unless they explicitly say they want it. It's just unnecessary stress.

I did one for my 1 on 1 interview, but the guy was really friendly and interviewed me during his lunch b/c the office had forgotten to put me in his schedule. So he was reading my app and interviewing stressed-from-being-told-I-had-no-interview-appt me, and managed to make it fun!
I did not do one for the MMI...who would I address it to?

 

[mehc012]

LOL You could do the painfully agonizing and no doubt annoying as hell to admissions trick some premeds do, which involves bugging admissions to find out the names of your interviewers and write thank you notes to every single one. This is really dumb, so much unnecessary work, and annoying to them.

Hmmm...I think I'll pass, but thank you for the offer!

 

[vantheman]

That's helpful, but I think internally I would be dubious about any offer not put in writing. Although, I have gotten a number of professional positions by verbal promise on interview, followed of course by obligatory written offerings. I should be from Missouri though; but I'm not.

I was dubious as well. And honestly, I felt really uncomfortable. Got accepted 3 days later, though haha

 

[jl lin]

I was dubious as well. And honestly, I felt really uncomfortable. Got accepted 3 days later, though haha

Awesome! Congrats!