bad interviews?

[cjpa77]

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i have had 2 great interviews and one horrible one because I slept four hours the night before. I think I would feel better if I heard other bad interview stories. Worst answer: Q What makes you exited about the veterinary profession? A I think it would be a privledge to work in food production + rambling

Jeese what was i thinking, i am suprised they did not throw me out the door.

 

[Ottolove]

First off, I love this thread.

I had a REALLY bad interview too (and the rejections letter may very well be sitting in my mailbox right now!) contrasted by three good ones.

Worst interview moment:
Q: What question do you wish we had asked you?
A: Why do I think I'll make a good veterinarian.
Q: Okay. So why do you think you'll make a good veterinarian?
A: .............................. Um I really like people and animals.


I kid you not...

 

[k9 <3er]

First off, I love this thread.

I had a REALLY bad interview too (and the rejections letter may very well be sitting in my mailbox right now!) contrasted by three good ones.

Worst interview moment:
Q: What question do you wish we had asked you?
A: Why do I think I'll make a good veterinarian.
Q: Okay. So why do you think you'll make a good veterinarian?
A: .............................. Um I really like people and animals.


I kid you not...

haha OMG. I was asked why i'd make a good vet as well and my mind went blank because it was a looooooooong interview and i panicked and blurted some random crap that ended with "and i love animals and i want to work with them". sigh.....

 

[Emio]

lol at all of the above. i love this thread!

i'll add mine soon....

 

[InfiniVet]

Sweet, yes, I had my moments too -

Q: Tell me about your mentoring experience, working with teenagers. How were you qualified for this?
A: Well, it was a great experience, I had a lot of compassion for these kids..*rambled on for 5 mins*...because I had a difficult time in my teenage years....*more rambling*..
Q: You alluded to having a troubled youth, now you don't have to speak about that but, tell me about a difficult experience you've had.

I thought - Wait, crap! No thats not what I said! They think I'm a juevenile deliquent now, crap, way to go with your big mouth!

The other interview I had, my fly was down the entire time - WOOT!! - beat that lol

 

[horsybaby]

I think this is a great topic! We all need a little humor to keep us aal sane in these serious and sometimes discouraging topics.

 

[k9 <3er]

The other interview I had, my fly was down the entire time

my sticker name tag was stuck to my hair and hung in the front throughout my interview and no one said anything!

 

[mistifical]

somewhere in the pre-allopathic forum they have a great thread that goes back several years with some great interview stories.

but be careful... you may find yourself reading this and not doing homework or anything else you're supposed to do...

here's the link:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=218

 

[RazorDoc2010]

This wasn't too bad...at least I didn't think so until I told my parents...but at Missouri, I was walking into the vet med bldg. and some guy was walking up behind me and the door opened automatically and I turned to him and said "geez they're really rollin' out that red carpet aren't they?"...so then I proceed into the interview room and that same guy was one of my interviewers. Just hope I didn't sound like a butt.

Thanks for the link to that med school forum...that was hilarious...especially the guy who had an interviewer fall asleep while talking to him!

 

[Capella]

Q: What do you think is the best aspect of the Veterinary profession?
A: Um...when animals are sick and they get better.
Response from interviewer: Um...yes that is nice I suppose.

 

[seaturtlegirl]

Right there with ya' K9 - my name tag got stuck in my hair and then fell on the floor - one of my interviewers picked it up for me!

Seriously though, I think we feel like we do a lot worse than we actually do!! I thought I tanked my interview at Kansas, and I still got in! As for the fly being down, part of getting in is being memorable - and I'm sure they remembered that!!!

When asked how a steak ended up on my plate, I said..."well, I'm not totally sure, but I sure know how it leaves the plate...!"

ugh

 

[TurboVet]

yeah, these are all awesome stories. in high school i interviewed at tufts and i was expecting multiple questions, so they asked me "do you think SAT scores are indicative of someone's intelligence?" and a BABBLED incoherently something like "well yeah i mean mine were pretty good and this guy who was valedictorian, his were better than mine so i guess.. but then.." and then silence. SILENCE. i waited for the next question and i got "ok, thank you." and then i ran home crying.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

"What do you know about Leptospirosis?"

Um....I know you don't want your dog to get it (weak laugh...followed by silent panic attack realizing I have no clue besides the fact that you can vaccinate for it)

Bwahaha resurrection!!

 

[alliecat44]

Disclaimer: I had had three hours of sleep and only four days' notice to get on a plane and interview at Guelph. This, after working for 24 days in a row. Waaay back in 2001:

"You conclude your personal statement by saying that you would love to practice in Australia. Why?"

"Ummm....because I've heard it's really nice...."

"Have you ever BEEN to Australia?"

"No...but I've met some Australian people, and they seem really nice..."


*thump* And I WONDER why they didn't take me...

 

[UVA Wahoo]

You should have said "So I can work on kangaroos..."

 

[Sweetcaroline14]

Hilarious! ha,ha,ha...For me, The interview committee introduced themselves and one doctor said to me, "So how do you feel?" I said, " Well, I feel like Mrs. America right before she gets the crown....." What? I was like....what the heck am I saying! They all laughed out loud and then I added, " I also want world peace..." Place foot in mouth! The committee laughed for a few minutes then had to collect themselves to proceed with the interview. Even though it was crazy, it did break the ice. I was waitlisted, but according to my post mortem it wasn't for that. GO BEAUTY QUEENS...

my sticker name tag was stuck to my hair and hung in the front throughout my interview and no one said anything!

 

[Hobiecat1642]

Ha ha, that's awesome that you said that you feel like Miss America... I just had this mental image of Miss America reading fecal samples and scraping vomit off of the floor...

 

[pomchi1]

what a great thread!
i still can't believe i said this! one of the interviewers asked me, "what is the grossest thing you have seen in vet med? like something that still makes your skin crawl..."
well, i have seen many gross things, but for some reason, i said, "well once, this owner brought in this dog that had a bad case of fleas...." and then i realized how that was the dumbest answer EVER. instead of correcting my answer with a case that was gross, I started to go on and on about the fleas. glad that's over!!!!

 

[Spartanvet4cows]

I had a vet that is really into shelter med/disaster relief. She started asking me about heartworm post hurricane Katrina. She then when on to ask how I thought poverty had a play in that. I said that I thought veterinarians should be more involved with impoverished communities, but that if these people could afford preventative care for their animals this problem probably wouldn't have happened. I then stuck my foot in my mouth (apparently) by saying "If someone cannot provide proper preventative care such as vaccines and heartworm medication to a pet, they probably shouldn't have one." I stuck to my guns but MAN did she drill me! I only found out later about her work with impoverished communities.....

I got a call the next day telling me that the interview scores between my two interviewers were so far apart that my interview was not considered fair. I had to go back in THAT day to do it again!!!! There was more than 12 points out of 24 different for that first one. But I ended up getting in, so it's all good.

 

[VetMed555]

what a great thread!
i still can't believe i said this! one of the interviewers asked me, "what is the grossest thing you have seen in vet med? like something that still makes your skin crawl..."
well, i have seen many gross things, but for some reason, i said, "well once, this owner brought in this dog that had a bad case of fleas...." and then i realized how that was the dumbest answer EVER. instead of correcting my answer with a case that was gross, I started to go on and on about the fleas. glad that's over!!!!

Hey, I second that! I work at the Emergency clinic, so needless to say, I've seen pretty gross stuff, but the thing that makes my skin crawl EVERY TIME I think about is this rottie with fleas that were falling off him and running in all directions. It was so bad, the rottie was actually anemic because of them.

 

[fargeese]

Q: With the cost of a vet education rising faster than entry vet salaries, what do you think we should do as a profession to improve our wages.

My A: Um, unionize?

That was one of the better moments of that interview, ugh!

 

[Electrophile]

Ha ha, that's awesome that you said that you feel like Miss America... I just had this mental image of Miss America reading fecal samples and scraping vomit off of the floor...

You laugh now, but the 1990 Miss America was a graduate of our vet school!

http://www.missamerica.org/our-miss-americas/1990/1990.asp

 

[lailanni]

You laugh now, but the 1990 Miss America was a graduate of our vet school!

http://www.missamerica.org/our-miss-americas/1990/1990.asp

That's right!

Is there anything a DVM can't do? I think not.

But anyhoo, the Miss America system does give out good scholarship money. I've gotten a few thousand dollars from competing. Ok, stop laughing! It got me out of a year of tuition! : )

 

[Sweetcaroline14]

I Love the Beauty Queens. There are some really good people out there. I was runner up to Miss....... a few years ago......

You laugh now, but the 1990 Miss America was a graduate of our vet school!

http://www.missamerica.org/our-miss-americas/1990/1990.asp

 

[Emio]

*em shakes hands, and before her ass touches the chair, the following ensues*

Q: so i see you went to sju... that's a liberal arts school? why did you choose to go there?

A: well, i liked the la part of it. they gave me a broad background of classes to--

Q: do you think vet school is liberal arts?

A: ah, no, i --

Q: so why go to a liberal arts school??

A: because it allowed me to take classes that i wouldn't take--

Q: ok, on a scale of 1 to 10, how nervous are you?

*em looks nervously to the other, silent, interviewer, obviously getting jittery*

A: well sir, if you would have asked me just for the interview, you would have gotten about a ten, but now i'm relatively calm, and i'll say thr--

Q: ok, cause you're REALLY wound up right now.

*em's getting saucy now*

response: "WELL YOU'RE NOT HELPING!"


yeah, i said that. shouted that. whatever. first and only laugh i got out of him all day (even after i told him i wanted to be a black jaguar because i wear a lot of black! come on, lighten up, thats just silly). got my acceptance letter five days later, lol. maybe it rattled me more than anyone else, but i was a wreck, considering the entire interview went like that. i think i got to finish a grand total of two sentences.

 

[VAgirl]

Emio, where on earth was that? That's...unsettling.

 

[rexosaurus]

*em shakes hands, and before her ass touches the chair, the following ensues*

Q: so i see you went to sju... that's a liberal arts school? why did you choose to go there?

A: well, i liked the la part of it. they gave me a broad background of classes to--

Q: do you think vet school is liberal arts?

A: ah, no, i --

Q: so why go to a liberal arts school??

A: because it allowed me to take classes that i wouldn't take--

Q: ok, on a scale of 1 to 10, how nervous are you?

*em looks nervously to the other, silent, interviewer, obviously getting jittery*

A: well sir, if you would have asked me just for the interview, you would have gotten about a ten, but now i'm relatively calm, and i'll say thr--

Q: ok, cause you're REALLY wound up right now.

*em's getting saucy now*

response: "WELL YOU'RE NOT HELPING!"


yeah, i said that. shouted that. whatever. first and only laugh i got out of him all day (even after i told him i wanted to be a black jaguar because i wear a lot of black! come on, lighten up, thats just silly). got my acceptance letter five days later, lol. maybe it rattled me more than anyone else, but i was a wreck, considering the entire interview went like that. i think i got to finish a grand total of two sentences.

it's probably a good thing you're a little saucy

 

[PAThbrd]

Em saucy? never!

 

[carrbear21]

This thread is great!

My worst was
Q: Tell us about a crisis you encountered and how you handled it.
My A: That is an awfully personal question for a behavioral interview.
Interviewer: That's why we have a box of kleenex.
My response: I'm not much of a crier.
(obviously I described a crisis situation but geez was that off-base)

There was a lot of laughing in that interview but no crying luckily. I'll cry if I don't get in though...

 

[Pandacinny]

Last year, for Va/Md, they asked me what my friends would say is my greatest strength/weakness and what my coworkers would say is my greatest strength/weakness. My sister says that this year, if they ask me that again, I should say that everyone says my greatest strength is being awesome. My greatest weakness, of course, is that I'm so awesome that everyone's jealous. Not quite sure how that would go over.

Anyways, last year I got asked about feral cats. And my immediate response was "Wow, that's a big question...." pause...pause...launch into rambling about ferals. And I really know a lot about feral cats - I do a lot of work with feral cat people and feral cat groups through the shelter where I work. My mind just went blank. Add to that my answer to "Why do you want to become a veterinarian?" (me: "Ummm.....I like people and....something something animals....more rambling") and I didn't get in.
Hopefully it goes better this year!

 

[thesonofdarwin]

Worst interview moment:
Q: What question do you wish we had asked you?
A: Why do I think I'll make a good veterinarian.
Q: Okay. So why do you think you'll make a good veterinarian?
A: .............................. Um I really like people and animals.

I wonder how many people the interview committees get to willingly throw themselves into a trap with questions such as this. I bet they really get a chuckle out of it because with the stress I can imagine a great number create their own interview executions.

I had a similar question at VA-MD last year:

Q: What question had you expected us to ask you today?
A: Well, I was expecting an ethical question, like what I'd do if an owner wanted to euthanize a healthy pet for convenience, or how I felt about animal rights.
Q: Good, good. Tell us what you think about both of those things.

<-- That was my face. I was absolutely fine till then and I suddenly realized I just dug myself a hole, defecated in it and hopped right on in. I think I handled the euthanasia portion the way they expected, but I pretty much sounded "durrrrrrrrr" trying to demonstrate my support of animal rights without sounding like a complete wackjob.

Yes, I had "expected" the question, but that doesn't mean I didn't spend the previous night preparing for said question by praying to the AComm gods to forget to ask.

Edit: Oh, not so bad though it could have been. At my Penn interview I willingly volunteered information about not being a big fan of reptiles. I have no idea how the words even slipped out of my mouth. I easily covered my rear since I didn't mean how it sounded, then still said I don't like snakes. Before developing the nervous shakes the cold interviewer said not to worry about it cause he wasn't a big fan of snakes either! I can just imagine how badly that would have ended if he'd been a herp specialist.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

My greatest weakness, of course, is that I'm so awesome that everyone's jealous.

Whattdya know, me too!

 

[banditalfi]

Before I went on my interviews, my advisor says, "I hope they don't ask the what's your greatest weakness question because it is ridiculous" and then we discussed how "low tolerance for stupid questions" is probably the best answer to the question.

At one interview I asked a girl behind the desk what the names of my interviewers were and she wrote them down for me. I sent the interviewers thank you cards and then later realized the girl spelled one of the names wrong... whoops.

 

[Nike87]

So in interviewing for RVC, I got all knowledge based questions, but here's my favorite:
Q: So how do the current grain economics influence the productivity on the dairy farm you worked at?
A: I honestly don't follow economics
Q: This is kind of big news though
A: Then I don't know

Pretty awesome huh?

 

[VelcroSky]

So in interviewing for RVC, I got all knowledge based questions, but here's my favorite:
Q: So how do the current grain economics influence the productivity on the dairy farm you worked at?
A: I honestly don't follow economics
Q: This is kind of big news though
A: Then I don't know

Pretty awesome huh?

You should go to my local bagel shop. They have articles hanging up in there about the grain situation to justify their price raises.

 

[carrbear21]

So in interviewing for RVC, I got all knowledge based questions, but here's my favorite:
Q: So how do the current grain economics influence the productivity on the dairy farm you worked at?
A: I honestly don't follow economics
Q: This is kind of big news though
A: Then I don't know

Pretty awesome huh?

I can't believe they ask you that! If you're not interested in it WHY would you follow it?! If someone asked me anything like that I'd laugh at them and say I didn't have economic websites in my cave. Don't stress about it! Glad I didn't get an interview with them- I could've filled this whole thread!

 

[Moonpaw]

I just think they asked it in a really weird way...I sort of stumbled upon the answer. Every time they asked me a question, I'd give an answer they weren't really looking for, and they had to ask follow-up to narrow it down, and I'd be like oh...duh...why didn't you just ask that in the first place? But yeah...rising grain (and thus feed) prices due to the demand for their use in producing ethanol is what they were looking for. The thing is, it's so general that unless you know that's what they're looking for, it's hard to get to. I was talking about increased fuel prices and other random crap before I said what they wanted.

 

[kate_g]

Minnesota last year:

Interviewer: "OK, why don't you tell us about a time you made a promise and found it very difficult to keep."
Me: "You know, I read the whole list of behavioral questions and that was the one I was really hoping you wouldn't ask. I'm sorry, but I just haven't got any idea how to answer that. What in the world to people actually say when you ask this question?"

I mean, there's the loyalty-to-the-state-of-California thing that UC makes you sign before you can get paid as a TA, and the occasional credit card application with "I certify that the information I've provided is true to the best of my knowledge" or "I promise I won't sue you if I die" waiver at the gym. But I can't remember the last time I had to "promise" something and actually meant it.

And I didn't figure "sometimes I say I'll fold the laundry and then I never get around to it" would really cut the mustard, either.

 

[tiddlywinks]

This was last year, so the details might be off, but it went something like this:

Q: Say a family comes in with a dog that has been hit by a car, and it has fractured its leg(s), but they don't have a lot of money, what would you say to them?

A: Maybe suggest a less costly procedure, like an amputation instead of a fracture repair..

Q: No, they don't have enough money for that.

A: Um.. maybe if we're at an emergency clinic, suggest taking it to a less expensive general practice the next day?

Q: No, they're really upset right now. Their little girl is crying.

A: Ummm... maybe a payment scheme? Like care credit?

Q: They have really bad credit and don't qualify.

A: run out of things to say..

Then there was kind of an awkward pause and we all looked at each other..

Later on in the interview, we were discussing my work at shelters and I mentioned that one of the hardest parts was having to deal with all the euthanasia. It was like they all relaxed and thought "Ahhh, she does know that's an option". It just seemed like a really bad thing to bring up, especially with them describing this little girl who's sobbing about her dog. Oh, and also I got confused about whether the dog was theirs or they were good samaritans who had found it.. Yeah it was awkward. I recovered though and the rest of the interview was much better.

 

[VetMed555]

It wasn't really that bad (especially since I got accepted), but if I didn't I would've blamed it on that question

Q: Tell us about MRSA
Me: *Blank Stare* Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with it...Could you tell me more about the condition associated with it?
Q: It's a staph infection resistant to a specific antibiotic
Me: Well, if it's staph, I assume it results in skin lesions...

Which was actually correct to my surprise

After my interview I asked several people whether they knew what MRSA was, and they ALL were like..."of course! It's only one of the hottest topics in medical field right now!"
I thought: "Oh, crap."

 

[OSJ]

It wasn't really that bad (especially since I got accepted), but if I didn't I would've blamed it on that question

Q: Tell us about MRSA
Me: *Blank Stare* Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with it...Could you tell me more about the condition associated with it?
Q: It's a staph infection resistant to a specific antibiotic
Me: Well, if it's staph, I assume it results in skin lesions...

Which was actually correct to my surprise

After my interview I asked several people whether they knew what MRSA was, and they ALL were like..."of course! It's only one of the hottest topics in medical field right now!"
I thought: "Oh, crap."

LOL I actually was prepared to talk about MRSA as a zoonotic disease if I was asked about them. I talked about BSE , Avian Influenze and rabies... I should have said MRSA. I'm sure everyone says rabies..ugh. Oh well! I'm going to go read up on MRSA for next interview now just in case I get asked specifically about it!

 

[HopefulAg]

Q: What do you think sets you apart from other applicants?
A: (some other stuff followed by) I'm extremely curious about everything. I want to know how and why stuff works, not just that it does and constantly am learning new things in the field and outside of the field.

-Later-
Q: What was your most memorable case?
A: (describe case where a cats skin was sloughing off of its arm and we had to euthanise (my first euthanasia))
Q: Oh my! Was it coming off everywhere or just in that one spot?
A: Oh I don't know, we weren't really that curious.

*face palm*


What I meant was we weren't curious at that moment because the client was in the room and we can't just go dissecting their cat on the spot...

 

[designerVet]

I had three GREAT interviews and one that was so terrible that I will probably NOT choose the school even if I have an offer from it. It was THAT bad. Not that I did so bad, it was just a HORRIBLE vibe. And verging on rude. ..Like I want to be in THAT atmosphere for 4 years!... sad thing is any other school will cost about $80 grand more... bummer.

 

[Spartanvet4cows]

Who interviewed you? If you don't want to say in the thread, you're welcome to PM. A few of our profs are not very good interviewers, but as a whole there is a great staff here! It stinks that the interview is really the only chance most people get to look at the faculty before they make a decision. Two bad eggs can ruin things for a person. I'm assuming this was an in-state interview for you? If so, all I can say is don't rule MSU out too quickly, it's a great school. Sorry your experience didn't go well

 

[CalpardNY]

A: (describe case where a cats skin was sloughing off of its arm and we had to euthanise (my first euthanasia))

Thats really sad. At the hospital I work at they had fixed a fracture from a high rise cat and it started to slough off the skin on that leg so bad you could see the pins through the muscle. Watching them change bandages and try to get the skin to grow by making clots for it to adhere to was one of the coolest things ive seen!

 

[tastrophe]

I have 2 contributions here, the first is one they asked me, and the second is one I asked them...

I also hate the "describe a time when a promise was hard to keep" or something similar, and it was the very first question, so I went on about some pre-myspace-style board and promising to not visit it anymore. Totally lame, that first impression totally killed it (got waitlisted there at least)

The one I asked them, background first: I had 2 interviews at 2 different schools 3 days apart, and all I kept hearing was how fantastic everything is everywhere. (you can see where this is going) So at the end of the second one, I was so fed up with it, that when they asked me if I had any questions I said something o the effect of "well, yeah, all I keep hearing is how great everything is, the program, the class, the facilities, the professors, everything, and its tough to buy that everything is really this perfect. So, what problems do you see with the school/program" Needless to say they were very taken aback, and their answer ended the interview. I haven't heard anything from the school either, no surprise there!

 

[wi girl]

I actually asked at UMN, what problems do you see with the school or curriculum? is there anything you would change?

my answer was that one of my interviewers thought we should all track MORE, because there's too much to learn if we try to do it all ... however, he admitted that wasn't going to change anytime soon. he then said, "really great question though". so ... maybe they didn't think it was so terrible?

although, MN hasn't finished interviews, so it might have been not so great for me either.

at the same interview, i also got the promises not followed through question. i answered that i saw this question in a list of behavioral questions, and had been having trouble thinking of an example, because i don't generally promise if I feel that it would be hard to keep, i just maintain i will do my best. I then said, "but i realize that this doesn't address the question, so ... (stared at wall some) ... to be honest, the only thing i can think of is that I promised my brother he would love a class, that he absolutely hated and pretty much caused him to no longer want to take bio at cornell. it kinda taught me to keep my nose out of his business, and stop being the older sister." we'll see how that goes over.

 

[CalpardNY]

Thats interesting - one of my favorite question sets is "What are the best and worst things about XX school" I usually ask it of anyone i can find - and sometiems i push when they give me fake answers.

Maybe it was the interviewers or since you were so fed up it came across in how you asked it...but i would see this as a great question to ask!

 

[tastrophe]

Thats interesting - one of my favorite question sets is "What are the best and worst things about XX school" I usually ask it of anyone i can find - and sometiems i push when they give me fake answers.

Maybe it was the interviewers or since you were so fed up it came across in how you asked it...but i would see this as a great question to ask!

They kind of did give me a fake answer too, and rhetorically asked me if I considered their answer a problem. I said that I didn't see that as a problem, but that was the end of it.

Makes me feel better - albeit less original - to know other people have asked this and not had it blow up in their faces!

 

[athenaparthenos]

Western asked me, "Name a time you solved a problem creatively" and I just couldn't come up with anything, which was awful because I'm a very creative person! I just use my creativity for fun, not problem-solving, you know? So I started babbling about organizing the kennel space/storage areas at work. The whole time in my head I was going "Stop talking, this is such a lame example!" and yet I couldn't. Boo. If I don't get in I'll know why... I also forgot/didn't catch that one of my interviewers was a local vet and not actually affiliated with the school, which made me look rather dumb when I asked both of them "And what do you think are the school's greatest strengths?" He was like, "Uh, I don't actually work here..."



Hopefully my other answers endeared me to them rather better....