How to Prepare for Interviews: Interviewers' Intentions and Sample Answers

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Lya

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLxz4pCBXKo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGHY2oOun34


I was searching through YouTube on how to go about and answer typical interview questions. I ordered a few books from Amazon, but while waiting for them, I came across these videos.


First of all, I was as skeptical as you at first. I have seen some horrible advice online that I don't believe are intuitively legitimate. But after hearing what he had to say, many things made sense to me and I just wanted to let other applicants know about this resource, in case they don't know how to go about preparing for interviews like me. Many of his points could be very obvious, but I was glad that he started from the very beginning in case for anyone who is lost. I thought these videos were very helpful, and I feel better on how I should prepare.


Now, some of you might disagree with some of his claims, especially about his view on answering "Tell me about your family." I was never on an admission committee, so I am not certain whether they are indeed legitimate advice. However, especially when he talked about his opinion on how to approach MMI questions, especially when he talked about how to go about answering "What is the most difficult situation you went through and how did you overcome?" some of his comments actually made sense to me. I think at least they, if not all of his claims, are helpful, legitimate advice in my opinion. So if you actually disagree on his statements, I am interested in hearing your opinion. For those who have already seen these videos, let me know your comments!
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLxz4pCBXKo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGHY2oOun34


I was searching through YouTube on how to go about and answer typical interview questions. I ordered a few books from Amazon, but while waiting for them, I came across these videos.


First of all, I was as skeptical as you at first. I have seen some horrible advice online that I don't believe are intuitively legitimate. But after hearing what he had to say, many things made sense to me and I just wanted to let other applicants know about this resource, in case they don't know how to go about preparing for interviews like me. Many of his points could be very obvious, but I was glad that he started from the very beginning in case for anyone who is lost. I thought these videos were very helpful, and I feel better on how I should prepare.


Now, some of you might disagree with some of his claims, especially about his view on answering "Tell me about your family." I was never on an admission committee, so I am not certain whether they are indeed legitimate advice. However, especially when he talked about his opinion on how to approach MMI questions, especially when he talked about how to go about answering "What is the most difficult situation you went through and how did you overcome?" some of his comments actually made sense to me. I think at least they, if not all of his claims, are helpful, legitimate advice in my opinion. So if you actually disagree on his statements, I am interested in hearing your opinion. For those who have already seen these videos, let me know your comments!

I've seen these videos. I think he has some good advice especially in terms of body language and the importance of "painting the picture" for each question. However, like all advice given online it is important to be cautious.
 
Thanks for posting.

Some useful advice here, but the problem with human beings and subjective metrics like interview evaluations is that not everyone will interpret identical answers in the same way, which he seems to imply is the case. For instance, as someone who has created my own family and has my own home, I would still include my siblings and parents in any definition of "family" and still think of my hometown as my "home". Not everyone would automatically assume that I am immature or childish because of how I define and relate to my family. He makes several other broad brush statements that simply cannot be true for all interviewers.

Also, his hair.

Overall some good pearls in here, though.
 
Thanks for posting.

Some useful advice here, but the problem with human beings and subjective metrics like interview evaluations is that not everyone will interpret identical answers in the same way, which he seems to imply is the case. For instance, as someone who has created my own family and has my own home, I would still include my siblings and parents in any definition of "family" and still think of my hometown as my "home". Not everyone would automatically assume that I am immature or childish because of how I define and relate to my family. He makes several other broad brush statements that simply cannot be true for all interviewers.

Also, his hair.

Overall some good pearls in here, though.



That is very true. I doubt some interviewers will see any immaturity just because I am not married yet and rather talk about my "parents' family." I agree with your point about the subjectivity.

I think the take home, major lesson from these videos is to frame the questions for MMI ones and include complete, air-tight personal stories whenever possible.
 
Heard about this for people who are really bad at interviews: Dale Carnegie training in human relations and communication (8 week program).

This guy goes on about it in detail.

Best,
C
 
Heard about this for people who are really bad at interviews: Dale Carnegie training in human relations and communication (8 week program).

This guy goes on about it in detail.

Best,
C


I wish I could take this course, but I have to prepare myself in a week or two for interviews.. Hopefully after some practices, I will be more articulate and comfortable.
 
Those videos are super helpful! I definitely like the idea of having control. When I imagine the medical school interview, I picture myself as this tiny little boy sitting in front of a panel of judges.
 
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