Going on tangents during interviews

[lea]

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Are there any of you who speak well, but speak maybe either too much, or go on tangents when answering questions during the interview?

During my interviews, sometimes I forget what they asked me because I like to answer fully, that I have asked, "I forgot what question I'm supposed to answer!"
But the interviewer smiles and reminds me...

ARGH...how horrible is this?

 

[NapeSpikes]

That's pretty funny. If you have more interviews coming up, speaking slower and more deliberately may help.

 

[BaylorGuy]

To the OP, sometimes tangents are a good thing...only if the interviewer is still interested though.

At one of my interviewers we were talking about recent books i had read and i wound up talking about the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy...which then digressed into movies and other books that had been turned movies and so forth along those lines. Both of us were conversing with one another and it wasn't really stagnant at all. it was weird and it had nothing to do about medicine, but hey it worked (P.S. i got accepted there too).

I would say that if you can carry a convo and can read a person right, then you can tell when to stop talking and when to continue.

 

[NapeSpikes]

I think there's a HUGE difference between the tangent BaylorGuy's talking about and what the OP's talking about.

Subjects unrelated to medicine is fine, but when you're making your own tangents inside your head and while the interviewer is waiting for an answer to their question and you don't even remember the question because you're too busy talking and getting lost in your train of thought, well, then that's bad.

 

[thegenius]

Are there any of you who speak well, but speak maybe either too much, or go on tangents when answering questions during the interview?

During my interviews, sometimes I forget what they asked me because I like to answer fully, that I have asked, "I forgot what question I'm supposed to answer!"
But the interviewer smiles and reminds me...

ARGH...how horrible is this?

Horrible? No. But it can be somewhat frustrating to the interviewer. I am an interviewer (not for med school) and on occasion I get ramblers. If they never answer the question then I have to repeat myself, and then they answer it.

I usually chalk up ramblers to one part personality and one part nervousness. Hey, I ramble when I am an interviewee. But I try extremely hard to gauge my interviewer's level of interest and modify my speech.

My suggestion: Have a friend ask you one dozen questions and practice answering them within the first 10 seconds. Then ramble. That will go over much better.

 

[drjds]

I ramble also.

Are there any of you who speak well, but speak maybe either too much, or go on tangents when answering questions during the interview?

During my interviews, sometimes I forget what they asked me because I like to answer fully, that I have asked, "I forgot what question I'm supposed to answer!"
But the interviewer smiles and reminds me...

ARGH...how horrible is this?

 

[gardengirl]

I'm sure some people will find it endearing given the circumstances and all. Ah well.

 

[lea]

That's pretty funny. If you have more interviews coming up, speaking slower and more deliberately may help.

Haha, i...shall...take...your....advice.
😀

Seriously though, thanks for the advice. I should really practice more.

by the way, what does OP stand for? i keep seeing it throughout this forum.

 

[jebus]

OP = original poster.
do not confuse OP with OG. If you say you're a loc'ed out OP people will just look at you funny.

 

[NapeSpikes]

Haha, i...shall...take...your....advice.
😀

Seriously though, thanks for the advice. I should really practice more.

I do it often, talking slowly in a formal setting. People think I'm wise and contemplative, but I'm really just trying not to F' up. Furrow your brow a bit when you do this. Really. That is, if you got a face that can pull it off. No furrows for doll faces.