Categorization of Various Types of Interviews

[Tropicana100]

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I noticed that interviews can vary a great deal depending on your interviewer. I thought I'd share some types of interviews I have come across and decided to categorize. Hope this comes in handy or has some entertainment value for you guys.

Type A: "Standard" - This is an interview with standard questions that allow you to share why you want to be a doctor, types of activities you've done, your career goals, your personality, extracurrics, etc. This is the most boring type of interview, but everyone should be able to nail this.

Type B: "Challenge" - This type of interview makes you feel like someone is spraying bullets at you. You will get one hard question after another. A good answer is not enough since your interviewer will continue to attack your reasoning with counterarguments. They won't stop until you finally say, "I don't know the answer."

Type C: "Cruise" - You just need to sit back and enjoy the ride. You will answer one or two questions and your interviewer will talk about the school and why you should go to their school the entire time. Just smile and nod.

Type D: "Role Reversal" - Your interviewer will not ask you any standard questions but ask only open ended questions like, "Tell me about yourself." or "So, what do you want to talk about." You're in the driver's seat the entire time.

Type E: "Bad day" - You're doomed to fail this interview no matter what. For whatever reason, your interview is having a bad day and will not give you a fair chance. You know you have this interview type if your interviewer doesn't genuinely listen to your answers and simply wants to get the interview over with.

 

[neuroprotector]

Nice. You should write textbooks.

Maybe there should be a section for "Off-topic, irrelevant, or non-sequitur interviews." You know, the kind that start out about residency requirements and end up on the New England Patriots.

 

[MDRus]

i still cannot believe you applied to that many schools. and it's paying off. if you had edited it down, you may have eliminated some/all of the schools that accepted you! or that interviewed you!

congrats again! people should take heed.

oh, love your categories. i've only had pleasant give and take interviews. all just fine.

 

[Bre]

Type F: "A Stone" - This interviewer has no personality and no response to anything you say. Does he like you? Does he hate you? Only one thing is for sure: his facial nerve (VII) doesn't exist.

 

[neuroprotector]

That sounds like a Real Men of Genius commercial.

Today we salute you, Mr. Stone-faced no personality man.

 

[Tropicana100]

Type F: "A Stone" - This interviewer has no personality and no response to anything you say. Does he like you? Does he hate you? Only one thing is for sure: his facial nerve (VII) doesn't exist.

could it be botox? 😀 i had a Type F once.

 

[Bre]

That sounds like a Real Men of Genius commercial.

Today we salute you, Mr. Stone-faced no personality man.

Haha that was exactly what I was going for, the song was playing in my head and everything.

 

[FrickenhugeMD]

Type A: "Standard" - This is an interview with standard questions that allow you to share why you want to be a doctor, types of activities you've done, your career goals, your personality, extracurrics, etc. This is the most boring type of interview, but everyone should be able to nail this.

Type B: "Challenge" - This type of interview makes you feel like someone is spraying bullets at you. You will get one hard question after another. A good answer is not enough since your interviewer will continue to attack your reasoning with counterarguments. They won't stop until you finally say, "I don't know the answer."

Type C: "Cruise" - You just need to sit back and enjoy the ride. You will answer one or two questions and your interviewer will talk about the school and why you should go to their school the entire time. Just smile and nod.

Type D: "Role Reversal" - Your interviewer will not ask you any standard questions but ask only open ended questions like, "Tell me about yourself." or "So, what do you want to talk about." You're in the driver's seat the entire time.

Type E: "Bad day" - You're doomed to fail this interview no matter what. For whatever reason, your interview is having a bad day and will not give you a fair chance. You know you have this interview type if your interviewer doesn't genuinely listen to your answers and simply wants to get the interview over with.

Type F: "A Stone" - This interviewer has no personality and no response to anything you say. Does he like you? Does he hate you? Only one thing is for sure: his facial nerve (VII) doesn't exist.

Type G: "The No-Show"- This interviewer is MIA when you show up on interview day. Where is this interviewer? Could he be running late?? Stuck in a procedure??? Couldnt give 2 ****'s that you were even supposed to show up???? How long do you sit in his office before heading back to the admissions office?????? Wait 45 min and head back to see your fate....


Heres one I had...

 

[Tropicana100]

Type A: "Standard" - This is an interview with standard questions that allow you to share why you want to be a doctor, types of activities you've done, your career goals, your personality, extracurrics, etc. This is the most boring type of interview, but everyone should be able to nail this.

Type B: "Challenge" - This type of interview makes you feel like someone is spraying bullets at you. You will get one hard question after another. A good answer is not enough since your interviewer will continue to attack your reasoning with counterarguments. They won't stop until you finally say, "I don't know the answer."

Type C: "Cruise" - You just need to sit back and enjoy the ride. You will answer one or two questions and your interviewer will talk about the school and why you should go to their school the entire time. Just smile and nod.

Type D: "Role Reversal" - Your interviewer will not ask you any standard questions but ask only open ended questions like, "Tell me about yourself." or "So, what do you want to talk about." You're in the driver's seat the entire time.

Type E: "Bad day" - You're doomed to fail this interview no matter what. For whatever reason, your interview is having a bad day and will not give you a fair chance. You know you have this interview type if your interviewer doesn't genuinely listen to your answers and simply wants to get the interview over with.

Type F: "A Stone" - This interviewer has no personality and no response to anything you say. Does he like you? Does he hate you? Only one thing is for sure: his facial nerve (VII) doesn't exist.

Type G: "The No-Show"- This interviewer is MIA when you show up on interview day. Where is this interviewer? Could he be running late?? Stuck in a procedure??? Couldnt give 2 ****'s that you were even supposed to show up???? How long do you sit in his office before heading back to the admissions office?????? Wait 45 min and head back to see you fate....


Heres one I had...

Bummer dude. Last year, I had an Type "EG" interview. My interview couldn't show up on time because he had a bad day. and yes, I got rejected.

 

[Tropicana100]

Nice. You should write textbooks.

Maybe there should be a section for "Off-topic, irrelevant, or non-sequitur interviews." You know, the kind that start out about residency requirements and end up on the New England Patriots.

i've never had that kind of interview. but i've heard of people having interviews where they talked about basketball/football the entire time.

 

[neuroprotector]

My friend is a Seahawks fan, and had an interview with a Steelers fan a few years ago right before the superbowl. I think he was rejected for not backing down.

 

[Jolie South]

Type A: "Standard" - This is an interview with standard questions that allow you to share why you want to be a doctor, types of activities you've done, your career goals, your personality, extracurrics, etc. This is the most boring type of interview, but everyone should be able to nail this.

Type B: "Challenge" - This type of interview makes you feel like someone is spraying bullets at you. You will get one hard question after another. A good answer is not enough since your interviewer will continue to attack your reasoning with counterarguments. They won't stop until you finally say, "I don't know the answer."

Type C: "Cruise" - You just need to sit back and enjoy the ride. You will answer one or two questions and your interviewer will talk about the school and why you should go to their school the entire time. Just smile and nod.

Type D: "Role Reversal" - Your interviewer will not ask you any standard questions but ask only open ended questions like, "Tell me about yourself." or "So, what do you want to talk about." You're in the driver's seat the entire time.

Type E: "Bad day" - You're doomed to fail this interview no matter what. For whatever reason, your interview is having a bad day and will not give you a fair chance. You know you have this interview type if your interviewer doesn't genuinely listen to your answers and simply wants to get the interview over with.

Type F: "A Stone" - This interviewer has no personality and no response to anything you say. Does he like you? Does he hate you? Only one thing is for sure: his facial nerve (VII) doesn't exist.

Type G: "The No-Show"- This interviewer is MIA when you show up on interview day. Where is this interviewer? Could he be running late?? Stuck in a procedure??? Couldnt give 2 ****'s that you were even supposed to show up???? How long do you sit in his office before heading back to the admissions office?????? Wait 45 min and head back to see you fate....

Here's another one I had:

Type H: "The Flatterer" - The interviewer is already convinced of your prowess and spends the whole time gushing over your AMCAS. When they do ask questions, they are easy, i.e. "Would you like to practice in an urban or rural setting?" At the end, they thank YOU for coming in.

Please don't flame. This actually happened and was seriously weird after facing "role reversal" after "role reversal." I swear I will go ape**** the next time some one says "tell me about yourself."

 

[Tropicana100]

Here's another one I had:

Type H: "The Flatterer" - The interviewer is already convinced of your prowess and spends the whole time gushing over your AMCAS. When they do ask questions, they are easy, i.e. "Would you like to practice in an urban or rural setting?" At the end, they thank YOU for coming in.

Please don't flame. This actually happened and was seriously weird after facing "role reversal" after "role reversal." I swear I will go ape**** the next time some one says "tell me about yourself."

hehe same as "Cruise" but "The Flatterer" sounds better.

 

[FrickenhugeMD]

It was really weird when he never did show up. They ended up scheduling me for someone else later in the afternoon, but it was clear that that person was upset about doing it. End result: waitlist 🙄

 

[nonesuchgirl]

neuro, I love your teddy bear. 😍

 

[Jolie South]

hehe same as "Cruise" but "The Flatterer" sounds better.

yea sorry about that one. my interviewer really didn't talk about the school at all though. just me and my app.

reciting things, perusing my LORs in front of me, saying that no matter what no one could take my credentials from me . . .

 

[whittle]

Type I: "The Inappropriate Meal Planner" - It's difficult to perform when your interviewer is lips deep in a gyro.

 

[Jolie South]

I forgot this one. ..

J. Hard to Decipher - Difficult to understand quite what the interviewer is asking, you just do your best. in an effort to better understand, you sit at the edge of your chair and lean in, because not only is the accent tough, but the interviewer is a mumbler.

 

[whittle]

I forgot this one. ..

J. Hard to Decipher - Difficult to understand quite what the interviewer is asking, you just do your best. in an effort to better understand, you sit at the edge of your chair and lean in, because not only is the accent tough, but the interviewer is a mumbler.

Type J: "The Asian"

 

[Jolie South]

Type G: "The Asian"

surprisingly no, i believe he might have been israeli.

 

[whittle]

surprisingly no, i believe he might have been israeli.

Fine. But the category stands. It speaks for itself. So to speak.

 

[Tropicana100]

I forgot this one. ..

J. Hard to Decipher - Difficult to understand quite what the interviewer is asking, you just do your best. in an effort to better understand, you sit at the edge of your chair and lean in, because not only is the accent tough, but the interviewer is a mumbler.

haha i had one interviewer with a thick german accent. luckily i've interacted quite a number of european post-docs in my lab this year and gotten used to it.

 

[Tropicana100]

Type A: "Standard" - This is an interview with standard questions that allow you to share why you want to be a doctor, types of activities you've done, your career goals, your personality, extracurrics, etc. This is the most boring type of interview, but everyone should be able to nail this.

Type B: "Challenge" - This type of interview makes you feel like someone is spraying bullets at you. You will get one hard question after another. A good answer is not enough since your interviewer will continue to attack your reasoning with counterarguments. They won't stop until you finally say, "I don't know the answer."

Type C: "Cruise" - You just need to sit back and enjoy the ride. You will answer one or two questions and your interviewer will talk about the school and why you should go to their school the entire time. Just smile and nod.

Type D: "Role Reversal" - Your interviewer will not ask you any standard questions but ask only open ended questions like, "Tell me about yourself." or "So, what do you want to talk about." You're in the driver's seat the entire time.

Type E: "Bad day" - You're doomed to fail this interview no matter what. For whatever reason, your interview is having a bad day and will not give you a fair chance. You know you have this interview type if your interviewer doesn't genuinely listen to your answers and simply wants to get the interview over with.

Type F: "A Stone" - This interviewer has no personality and no response to anything you say. Does he like you? Does he hate you? Only one thing is for sure: his facial nerve (VII) doesn't exist.

Type G: "The No-Show"- This interviewer is MIA when you show up on interview day. Where is this interviewer? Could he be running late?? Stuck in a procedure??? Couldnt give 2 ****'s that you were even supposed to show up???? How long do you sit in his office before heading back to the admissions office?????? Wait 45 min and head back to see your fate....

Type H: "The Flatterer" - The interviewer is already convinced of your prowess and spends the whole time gushing over your AMCAS. When they do ask questions, they are easy, i.e. "Would you like to practice in an urban or rural setting?" At the end, they thank YOU for coming in.

Type I: "The Inappropriate Meal Planner" - It's difficult to perform when your interviewer is lips deep in a gyro.

Type J: "Hard to Decipher" - Difficult to understand quite what the interviewer is asking, you just do your best. in an effort to better understand, you sit at the edge of your chair and lean in, because not only is the accent tough, but the interviewer is a mumbler.

 

[Inuranic]

Type K: "Hot Student Learning to Interview" - This is the interview where the school pairs a student learning to interview with a seasoned vet. It just so happens said student is very attractive, and your answers sound suspiciously flirtatious. Whatever - it's OK to get your game on, regardless of the setting.

Type L: "Yeah, well the Ivies do it Better" - This is where your interviewer shoots down your answers to "Why this school?" with a "Well, [top tier] is exponentially more gifted in that area, why aren't you going there?"

 

[Inuranic]

Oh, I forgot about this one:

Type M: "S**t...I forgot my answer to why I want to be a doctor" - This is the interview where, even though you've answered this question at least 10 times in an interview setting, and practiced it for weeks in your car, and, in your opinion, know that your answer succinctly and eloquently outlines your reason for wanting to be a physician, you blank on your practiced speech, and die a little on the inside.

(It's OK though, the school still lets you in)

 

[yacom1118]

Type A: "Standard" - This is an interview with standard questions that allow you to share why you want to be a doctor, types of activities you've done, your career goals, your personality, extracurrics, etc. This is the most boring type of interview, but everyone should be able to nail this.

Type B: "Challenge" - This type of interview makes you feel like someone is spraying bullets at you. You will get one hard question after another. A good answer is not enough since your interviewer will continue to attack your reasoning with counterarguments. They won't stop until you finally say, "I don't know the answer."

Type C: "Cruise" - You just need to sit back and enjoy the ride. You will answer one or two questions and your interviewer will talk about the school and why you should go to their school the entire time. Just smile and nod.

Type D: "Role Reversal" - Your interviewer will not ask you any standard questions but ask only open ended questions like, "Tell me about yourself." or "So, what do you want to talk about." You're in the driver's seat the entire time.

Type E: "Bad day" - You're doomed to fail this interview no matter what. For whatever reason, your interview is having a bad day and will not give you a fair chance. You know you have this interview type if your interviewer doesn't genuinely listen to your answers and simply wants to get the interview over with.

Type F: "A Stone" - This interviewer has no personality and no response to anything you say. Does he like you? Does he hate you? Only one thing is for sure: his facial nerve (VII) doesn't exist.

Type G: "The No-Show"- This interviewer is MIA when you show up on interview day. Where is this interviewer? Could he be running late?? Stuck in a procedure??? Couldnt give 2 ****'s that you were even supposed to show up???? How long do you sit in his office before heading back to the admissions office?????? Wait 45 min and head back to see your fate....

Type H: "The Flatterer" - The interviewer is already convinced of your prowess and spends the whole time gushing over your AMCAS. When they do ask questions, they are easy, i.e. "Would you like to practice in an urban or rural setting?" At the end, they thank YOU for coming in.

Type I: "The Inappropriate Meal Planner" - It's difficult to perform when your interviewer is lips deep in a gyro.

Type J: "Hard to Decipher" - Difficult to understand quite what the interviewer is asking, you just do your best. in an effort to better understand, you sit at the edge of your chair and lean in, because not only is the accent tough, but the interviewer is a mumbler.

Type N: "A Lecture" - Shortly after some small talks the interviewer started his lecture. Enthusiastic and eloquent, he lectured all the way till the end of the interview, leaving you wonder if he still remembers your name by the end of the day.

 

[ICanDoThis]

Type O: the Bipolar. He/she will alternatively grill you and praise you. "Why didn't you examine this specific aspect of the phosphorylation pathway in this particular aspect of the research project that you did three years ago? hmm?" And immediately after you scramble to answer the toughie… "I think you have a strong application" (accompanied by an actual smile). Just when you thought you were out of the hot water… "so, tell me about your hypothesis, methods, conclusion for this next research project…" (scowl setting in)

So what does he/she think about you? You will never know...

 

[whittle]

Type O: the Bipolar. He/she will alternatively grill you and praise you. "Why didn't you examine this specific aspect of the phosphorylation pathway in this particular aspect of the research project that you did three years ago? hmm?" And immediately after you scramble to answer the toughie… "I think you have a strong application" (accompanied by an actual smile). Just when you thought you were out of the hot water… "so, tell me about your hypothesis, methods, conclusion for this next research project…" (scowl setting in)

So what does he/she think about you? You will never know...

Type P: "The Times New Roman" - Uses annoying fonts.

 

[ICanDoThis]

You’re Welcome

 

[whittle]

I never thanked you.

 

[flaahless]

Here's another one I had:

Type H: "The Flatterer" - The interviewer is already convinced of your prowess and spends the whole time gushing over your AMCAS. When they do ask questions, they are easy, i.e. "Would you like to practice in an urban or rural setting?" At the end, they thank YOU for coming in.

Please don't flame. This actually happened and was seriously weird after facing "role reversal" after "role reversal." I swear I will go ape**** the next time some one says "tell me about yourself."

I feel you. I've had a few of those. I just walked away hoping they were serious and not playing some sort of cruel joke on me.

 

[ICanDoThis]

Type P: "The Times New Roman" - Uses annoying fonts.

This one time, I sat down at an interview. Lo and behold, the interviewer was the Type P: “The Times New Roman” kind. “Oh no” thought I, “not one of those!” His font was sooo annoying that I couldn’t take it anymore. So I stood up and left.

The End.

 

[whittle]

This one time, I sat down at an interview. Lo and behold, the interviewer was the Type P: “The Times New Roman” kind. “Oh no” thought I, “not one of those!” His font was sooo annoying that I couldn’t take it anymore. So I stood up and left.

The End.

Fair enough. We should start a thread on interviewee types.

 

[ICanDoThis]

go for it 👍

 

[whittle]

go for it 👍

I would never do such a thing. I'm lazy and uninspired.

 

[ICanDoThis]

I would never do such a thing. I'm lazy and uninspired.

hahaha...paging Tropicana100?!

 

[Tropicana100]

Type K: "Hot Student Learning to Interview" - This is the interview where the school pairs a student learning to interview with a seasoned vet. It just so happens said student is very attractive, and your answers sound suspiciously flirtatious. Whatever - it's OK to get your game on, regardless of the setting.

This totally happened to me. She was a very attractive blonde fourth year. when she asked 'do you have any questions for me?" i caught myself getting my "game" on. i started asking her questions about her interests/hobbies/aspirations. it turned out to be a very fun and conversational interview.

 

[Tropicana100]

hahaha...paging Tropicana100?!

hey I like my fellow interviewees, usually.

 

[LEdaddy]

Type Q: "The Narcissist"

It's all about them. Do you just listen and ask questions or try to bring it back to yourself? I went with the former.

 

[Picklesali]

Type R: The Narcoleptic - that's right, you've met him (her). He asks you a question and then zones out, drools, and looks blatantly bored with whatever you have to say.

 

[ooompa]

The mini tour giver: This person doesn't like sitting in their office, so they wander around the hospital with you, talking to random med students, residents and taking breaks to go talk to their patients.
The best kind of interview in my opinion.

 

[Tropicana100]

Type T: The Adcom Member - You know this person is on the adcom because either they give you hints during the conversation ("we will meet to discuss your file") or you googled their name beforehand. This interview will make or break you so don't screw up.

 

[Bacchus]

Type T: The Adcom Member - You know this person is on the adcom because either they give you hints during the conversation ("we will meet to discuss your file") or you googled their name beforehand. This interview will make or break you so don't screw up.

Are you given this information in order to "google" it.

 

[ICanDoThis]

Type T: The Adcom Member - You know this person is on the adcom because either they give you hints during the conversation ("we will meet to discuss your file") or you googled their name beforehand. This interview will make or break you so don't screw up.

on that note, have a lot of you interviewed with assistant deans of admissions? I have had a couple of these, and the thought is very intimidating!

 

[Tropicana100]

Are you given this information in order to "google" it.

Some places give you inteviewers' names when you get the interview invite such as Vanderbilt and Rochester. Sometimes if there is wait time before your interview, you can just go to the library and google your interviewers. 😀

 

[Tropicana100]

on that note, have a lot of you interviewed with assistant deans of admissions? I have had a couple of these, and the thought is very intimidating!

i had an interview once with the Dean of Multicultural Affairs, but never a dean of admissions. i've had number of emeritus professors, which i thought was pretty intimidating but also very exciting - they make the best interviewers IMO. i'd love to interview with an associate dean of admissions, but i have never had the fortune.

 

[MDRus]

on that note, have a lot of you interviewed with assistant deans of admissions? I have had a couple of these, and the thought is very intimidating!

i spent an hour and a half with the Dean of Admissions at one school. it went very, very well.

should i dare hope that that will help in the adcom meeting if he praises me? there were like 50 other people that day and i was the only one he interviewed.

look at me fishing for hope. i hate when people do that.

any hope??

 

[ICanDoThis]

i spent an hour and a half with the Dean of Admissions at one school. it went very, very well.

should i dare hope that that will help in the adcom meeting if he praises me? there were like 50 other people that day and i was the only one he interviewed.

look at me fishing for hope. i hate when people do that.

any hope??

I think it's always a positive sign when you leave an interview feeling like you carried the conversation well and conveyed your genuine interest in medicine. (Of course, as I'm sure you already know, these subjective judgments should be taken with a grain of salt). From personal experience, I had an interview with an assistant Dean of Admissions in which I thought he hated me. He ripped apart each of my answers with more questions of "why?" Sometimes he even blantantly shot down my answers as "wrong." I thought my chances at that school were shot....and yet, a few weeks later, I was accepted!

 

[Tropicana100]

Type U: The Skeptic - This type of interviewer is skeptical of seasoned interviewees and their excellent polished answers. The better your answers are, the more skeptical your interviewer becomes. They hate it when you are able to handle every difficult answer and avoid typical traps. The best way to deal with these interviewers is to "unpolish" your answers to sound less superhuman.

 

[Inuranic]

Type U: The Skeptic - This type of interviewer is skeptical of seasoned interviewees and their excellent polished answers. The better your answers are, the more skeptical your interviewer becomes. They hate it when you are able to handle every difficult answer and avoid typical traps. The best way to deal with these interviewers is to "unpolish" your answers to sound less superhuman.

Haha, this was the interviewer that was paired with my aforementioned "hot student".