Are personal questions fair game during an interview?

[Lemons]

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Two questions.

1) Exactly what in your personal life is fair game to be asked about? What should I be prepared to answer? Do they ask about family, parents, possible kids? My friend said that during his professional school interview they discussed the fact that his wife was pregnant and did he think it was possible to keep a marriage and family together while going to medical school. Another friend got questions about family and she awkwardly had to explain that her sister was in jail. These seem like "none of you business" territory and I want to know how common these types of questions are in dental school interviews? Nothing that bad in my closet but I want to be prepared. Usually on a job interview, these kinds of questions would be off limits.

2) This one is related to #1. Do they ask you personal questions or want to discuss your personal statement in front of possible classmates or several possible professors? . That would be getting into the too much information too soon zone.




Thanks, it's very much appreciated.

 

[Dentgirl09]

Two questions.

1) Exactly what in your personal life is fair game to be asked about? What should I be prepared to answer? Do they ask about family, parents, possible kids? My friend said that during his professional school interview they discussed the fact that his wife was pregnant and did he think it was possible to keep a marriage and family together while going to medical school (he was separated from her at that time). Another friend got questions about family and she awkwardly had to explain that her sister was in jail. These seem like "none of you business" territory and I want to know how common these types of questions are in dental school interviews? Nothing that bad in my closet but I want to be prepared. Usually on a job interview, these kinds of questions would be off limits.

2) This one is related to #1. Do they ask you personal questions or want to discuss your personal statement in front of possible classmates or several possible professors? . That would be getting into the too much information too soon zone.




Thanks, it's very much appreciated.

I'm not sure if you're not sure if you have kids or what... interesting! Jk.

Anyways... I don't think they try to make it akward like that.. maybe the just asked a question where they didn't know the answer was going to be as serious as, "oh, my sister is in jail". On the other hand, I think the question about keeping a family together is a valid question as they are testing your maturity and whether or not you have thought out your decision to go to dental school with the important people in your life.
My interviews were REALLY basic with zero personal questions. You should only be worried if you have something to hide. In that case, prepare an answer for those. If you have nothing to hide and htey ask a random question that you weren't prepared for, at least your answer won't sound silly since you can be honest.

 

[doc toothache]

Adcoms are pros but you always have the option of declining an interview.

 

[Lemons]

Thanks for you answer. I'm just worried about being judged for my personal decisions. What if I get a really religious interviewer who looks down on me for "living in sin". I don't want the interviewer judging my personal life.

My friend was really put off by that question because he told the interviewer that his wife was not going to move out with him and the interviewer then asked that question about keeping a family together. I don't blame my friend for not wanting to admit he was leaving a pregnant woman (trust me, he had his reasons).

What about the gays? Can you imagine tip toeing around that mine field? They have no right to judge people's personal lives. I have a friend who's mom is a Yale grad who worked most of her life as a stripper. Can you imagine having to explain that. Most likely you would have to lie through your teeth. This opens up a can of worms and I would honestly never go to a school that thought it was okay to pry into their students personal lives like that.

Companies could never get away with this at hiring interviews. A company would be asking for a lawsuit if they asked prospective hires if they were married, if they were the first in the family to go to college or what their parent's occupation is ( I know it can work to your advantage but it's still very strange), or if their family life would interfere with work (especially for women). Strange how schools can get away with so much more.

 

[DrDDSman]

Thanks for you answer. I'm just worried about being judged for my personal decisions. What if I get a really religious interviewer who looks down on me for "living in sin". I don't want the interviewer judging my personal life.

My friend was really put off by that question because he told the interviewer that his wife was not going to move out with him and the interviewer then asked that question about keeping a family together. I don't blame my friend for not wanting to admit he was leaving a pregnant woman (trust me, he had his reasons).

What about the gays? Can you imagine tip toeing around that mine field? They have no right to judge people's personal lives. This opens up a can of worms and I would honestly never go to a school that thought it was okay to pry into their students personal lives like that.

Its true, but sometimes personal things like that maybe a "getting to know you" type question, which may make some people comfortable. And many people also love talking about their kids and family too.

 

[Dentgirl09]

Its true, but sometimes personal things like that maybe a "getting to know you" type question, which may make some people comfortable. And many people also love talking about their kids and family too.

This si the point i was trying to get at in a round-about way... thanks 🙂

Usually they are asking questions that people respond to positively b/c they want to know more about you. Sometimes it hits a button with people who may have had a different experience....

I enjoyed talking about my little brother during one of my interviews, and at another I was asked at least 3 questions relating to my mom (it came up somehow and for some reason they found my answers intriguing).... now if those were actually negative experiences it could have been a bad interview.

I guess it depends. I'm sure you'll be fine as long as you're not too paranoid. And I really don't think that they would question someone's sexual orientation, as I'm pretty sure that's illegal. Also, you can request a re-interview if you feel the interviewer may have been biased.

 

[Jake8]

Honestly during the interviews anything is fair game. I was asked about my family and how they feel about me going into dentistry. Once of their favorite questions is to have you describe a personal dilemma where ethics was involved and how you handled it. If you have a significant other or kids they will ask you about them and how you will handle dental school and the relationships.

Many times the same people that interview you will eventually teach you at some point in dental school. That's just part of the game.

They really aren't trying to pry and get dirt on you, but rather just trying to get to know you and see where you come from. People are often a reflection of those with whom they associate.

 

[Lemons]

I just asked some friends about their interview experiences and these really shocked me. I didn't think schools could ask those questions. I'm not allowed to ask them when I'm interviewing people. The more I think about it the more I like that the interview is so laid back but at the same time, it could easily take a wrong turn and you're trying to change the subject.

I did learn something though. My friend with the sister in jail said they asked her about a failure and how she learned. She told them a cute story about her sister. She wasn't expecting the interviewer to ask where her sister was now. Don't use examples of your friends with more "colorful" backgrounds. It could lead to an awkward moment.

jake8, my friend is in the air force and both her parents are surgeons. I don't think you can judge her by the people "she associates with" simply because her sister is an addict. I'm not embarssed to admit that I have friends that used to be drug dealers ( college boss had a thing for hiring college students and people trying to turn their lives around, interesting mix) and I have friends who are in Harvard's MD/PHD program. I would not want to be judged by association to either.

I'll be fine but good to know to prepare somewhat eloquent responses for these questions as well the standard ones.

 

[tooth hurty]

I had some interviews that went into touchy personal stuff too. I had a friend who was asked if he'd ever broken anyone's heart 😱

I would say, nothing's really off-limits as to what they can ask you. Just remember that many dentists are socially/politically conservative and steer clear of anything that could be offensive. Definitely don't mention that you're "living in sin", for instance. On the other hand, if you have had personal experiences that have shaped your character and goals, you should share them with your interviewer, because this will help you bond with them. Your interviewer is picking his/her future colleagues in this interview, and if you make a personal connection with them, it will help you.