Cant think Quick!

[TheBoneDoctah]

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As interview season is quickly approaching, I have a quick question. My interviewing sucks to be quite frank. I have had three interviews in my life and 1/3 were "successful." I think that it has to do with my ability to form complex, complete thoughts in my answers. It is extremely hard for me to think of an answer on the whim. It is also tough for me to, while answering the question, think ahead of what I am going to say. I don't consider myself stupid or consider myself to have social phobia really. I also have a hard time making small talk with people I don't know.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to improve my interviewing skills? Anything work with you that you can share?

 

[lmn]

Keep practicing, ask friends/family/acquaintances to give you mock interviews. Pull them some of the questions from schools that you are applying to as well as have them add in some of their own and ask for feedback. Some recommend recording yourself as well to watch your body language and review your responses.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Don't be afraid to pause and gather you thoughts before answering a question. There's no shame in saying "that's a good question, let me take a moment to think about that" when you encounter something that catches you off guard. The silence is not nearly as awkward as you think it may be.

 

[Goro]

Concur, but think you'll get more honest feedback from acquaintances as opposed to family.

have a chat with the folks at your school's pre-professional center.

Keep practicing, ask friends/family/acquaintances to give you mock interviews. Pull them some of the questions from schools that you are applying to as well as have them add in some of their own and ask for feedback. Some recommend recording yourself as well to watch your body language and review your responses.

 

[2Pints]

When I first graduated in 2008 most of my interviews at that point had been extremely informal because I hadn't applied to any jobs "cold". Since graduation however and a few moves between states since I've had probably 20-30 interviews with a really good job offer rate. Can't speak to medical school interviews but a few things to keep in mind:
1. You wouldn't have been offered an interview if you didn't have a shot getting a spot
2. Dressing professionally, showing up early, doing your research on the school, proper etiquette are givens and shouldn't be overlooked
3. List out your good qualities (work ethic, working in a team, handling difficult situations, etc.) and try to tie a story/example to how you portrayed that characteristic. Get good at telling that story in a concise manner without going on tangents. Think about when you are telling a story to a coworker or student...after the first couple times you tell the story you start to work out the kinks and get good at telling the story without sounding scripted. I spent a lot of time practicing in the car during my commute
4. @Doctor Strange is spot on with the pauses

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Thank you everyone for your responses.

 

[lmn]

Concur, but think you'll get more honest feedback from acquaintances as opposed to family.

have a chat with the folks at your school's pre-professional center.

Definitely agree, personally I had the best feedback from professors/advisers that I didn't know rather than the ones that knew me intimately and were able to fill in the gaps or give me the benefits of a doubt since they knew me for an extended amount of time.