Friend's interview advice: how true is this?

[lemonsrule8]

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So I was asking my friend, who is a 4th year medical student, for interview advice and here's what he told me: being friendly, confident, and personable is just as important as how you answer the interviewers' questions. He said interviewers have just about heard it all and it's hard to say something particularly insightful. Also that it's tough to learn a lot about someone in 20-30 minutes and your demeanor and how you carry yourself is incredibly important. This advice was mostly aimed at our big state schools, which each interview around 800 people. So how valid is this? I'm pretty shy so this is definitely something I need to work on.

 

[Catalystik]

So I was asking my friend, who is a 4th year medical student, for interview advice and here's what he told me: being friendly, confident, and personable is just as important as how you answer the interviewers' questions. He said interviewers have just about heard it all and it's hard to say something particularly insightful. Also that it's tough to learn a lot about someone in 20-30 minutes and your demeanor and how you carry yourself is incredibly important. This advice was mostly aimed at our big state schools, which each interview around 800 people. So how valid is this? I'm pretty shy so this is definitely something I need to work on.

Sounds like good advice to me. Does your college have a career center that offers mock interviews with videotaping? The feedback from such an experience will be helpful to you.

 

[lemonsrule8]

Sounds like good advice to me. Does your college have a career center that offers mock interviews with videotaping? The feedback from such an experience will be helpful to you.

Yup, this is exactly what he recommended me to do. Off the top of my head I know I need to focus on lightening up and smiling more. I see interviews as very serious which makes me a bit stiff so I need to work on that.

 

[Goro]

Sounds like good advice to me. Does your college have a career center that offers mock interviews with videotaping? The feedback from such an experience will be helpful to you.

I agree with the wise Cat

 

[NOBO]

It all starts with a firm handshake.

 

[Catalystik]

Yup, this is exactly what he recommended me to do. Off the top of my head I know I need to focus on lightening up and smiling more. I see interviews as very serious which makes me a bit stiff so I need to work on that.

Maybe you're not a warm, personable person by nature, but a good plan is to learn how to "fake it 'til you make it." Getting coaching/feedback on your interview style is very helpful toward this goal.

 

[lemonsrule8]

Maybe you're not a warm, personable person by nature, but a good plan is to learn how to "fake it 'til you make it." Getting coaching/feedback on your interview style is very helpful toward this goal.

Gotcha. So preparing how to conduct myself is just as important as preparing what to say.

 

[676188]

I’m a serious introvert by nature, so when I started visiting in nursing homes I used it as an opportunity to hone my “personable” persona. Being friendly and smiley isn’t hard with older people who are delighted to have visitors, and I can go back to being a curmudgeon when I’m at home. 😉

 

[Catalystik]

Gotcha. So preparing how to conduct myself is just as important as preparing what to say.

Yes. Perhaps your med school friend will be willing to give you a mock interview, too.