Ethical?

[talia whiter]

---

Members do not see this ad.

So I had an interview today and the Chair asked me which places I am interviewing at. I kind of got nervous and told him where I was applying. Do you think he will call the programs about me??

 

[Fenster]

No.

 

[Nasrudin]

I've rattled off where I've interviewed when asked without batting an eye. It didn't occur to me to worry about it. On a few occasions I've kept it vague to cities/regions. I can't imagine a cabal of program directors meeting in elaborate secrecy to discuss the national movements of myself. As flattering and hilarious it would be if true. Sadly...it is not.

 

[hamstergang]

Do you think he will call the programs about me??

You really think they care that much about you personally and can spend that much time on all the applicants?

 

[whopper]

The chair also put a GPS device on your car, when he shook your hand he implanted another GPS tracking device, and you're being bugged.

Ever see Enemy of the State ?

http://klipd.com/watch/enemy-of-the-state/discovering-tracking-devices-scene

That chair I'm sure put as much investment into this as what's going on in this movie.

When you came home, took off your clothes, and started dancing to Richard Simmons' Sweating to the Oldies, yes now he knows about that too.



That secret meth lab you started to cook meth on the side for more money? Yeah, it's public now.


Yes I'm joking. (I hope with you, not at you.)

The chair probably asked you just to break the ice, get a bearing on what' you're interested in, and just get to know you.

Asking where else you're looking tells the chair what geographic locations you're willing to move, maybe what type of clinical scenarios you like, and a gauge of the pay you're expecting.

Don't let telling the guy that you're interested in other places unnerve you. It ups your stock. It sends a message to him that you're wanted elsewhere so you better be treated with respect. There's a difference between a doc with no other opportunities vs one that's highly respected and a wanted commodity. Tell him where else you're looking with pride. If you really want this guy's place, tell him that to make him know that his place is in your gunsight.

 

[talia whiter]

thanks guys!!!

 

[shan564]

This is a commonly-asked question and has no sinister implications. I'm actually surprised that you got all the way to mid-January without having to answer it.

The purpose of the question, as aforementioned, is generally just for the interviewer to get a feel for what you're looking for in a program so that they can tell you about the things at their program that would likely interest you. I generally answered the question in a way that would help them do that. For instance, I would have used some combination of words such as "major Midwestern academic biological neuroscience-oriented research-heavy programs" to describe my interests, and then I might give some examples of programs where I'd interviewed that fit that description. I might leave out some of those adjectives if I think they weren't appropriate for that particular situation... for example, if the interview was in New York, I might choose not to mention that I'm applying mostly in the Midwest, since I didn't want to give off the false impression that I have a strong geographical preference... but in the Midwest, I would mention that, since I did have a very mild geographic preference that was relevant in that particular situation. Conversely, if I knew that the interviewer has a particular area of expertise or interest, I might have highlighted our overlapping interests so that I can hear their opinion about it and we can have an interesting discussion.

It was a bit easier for me because I applied to a lot of places, but the majority of my interviews were at programs with the same flavor. So when I mentioned that my other interviews were mostly at other places that are generally similar, that helped to tell the interviewer that I'm a good fit for this program while also creating several new topics for discussion. It was especially good if I was able to explain why these are the particular programs that interested me.

 

[OldPsychDoc]

I've rattled off where I've interviewed when asked without batting an eye. It didn't occur to me to worry about it. On a few occasions I've kept it vague to cities/regions. I can't imagine a cabal of program directors meeting in elaborate secrecy to discuss the national movements of myself. As flattering and hilarious it would be if true. Sadly...it is not.

We don't get together to do that until March, at AADPRT--after ranking, before Match, so too late to foil Nasrudin's nefarious plans.