Help! My first interview!

[zarkle]

I'm so nervous! my first interview is next Tuesday (March 23). I am a shy person so I am VERY scared. I just get nervous around people I don't know. I am friendly and somewhat talkative around my friends but people I don't know and especially in an uncomfortable, stressful situation like an interview that is this important is going to make me go crazy! Any tips from anyone to prepare me and calm my nerves?

This is my first and only interview and I just HAVE TO get in. My life depends on it! OK not really but I have been out of school for 4 years now and desperately need to take my life in a new direction. I think I am ready for optometry school now, I just have to get in. I'm so scared!!

I'm trying to read other forums to see what everyone has said about the interviews so I have an idea of waht they will ask me. That's a start I guess. Uh, how important is this interview? Anyway I can get around it? hehe jk! But seriously, I wish someone could just do it for me or I could take some tranquilizers or something!

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[JG777]

hey zarkle!

well first... congrats on an interview and good luck!!!

i know it's nervewrecking... so take a few deep breaths and REALLY TRY TO RELAX. (i know, easier said than done!)

really, the interviewers are very friendly. i didn't interview with a student, just 2 professors. it's pretty routine (the questions). so it's good you have an idea of what they might ask you. they just kind of read it off the list. i didn't think they were intimidating at all.

think of it as an opportunity to sell yourself. make them feel that you belong there. the interview is about them getting to know you. so think of it as them wanting to get to know you vs grilling you on questions.

definitely practice interviewing as well. make eye contact and smile. and perhaps imagine speaking to the interviewers as if they were your friends. the interview is VERY IMPORTANT.

honestly, with all the stuff (finaid, essay) they had me do prior to the interview, my jitters waned off. and i think you might be having the tour too, so i think that helps to calm you down.

anyways, best wishes to you!!!

oh ya.. and be confident!

 

[basilisk312]

maybe if you just pretend that you are having a conversation with your friends. maybe then it won't seem that bad. i view interviews as a conversation where you are the dominant one because the focus of the interview is you. its a good feeing. i enjoy interviews. maybe if you just opt a different attitude for interviews you won't seem so nervous. good luck, i'm sure you'll just fine. its fun to interview. i just personally love to go to interviews because o get to dress up and i just love the interview process. just walk in..be confident, smile and shake your interveiwers hand with a firm shake.

 

[boston bound]

I interviewed at five different schools across the nation. All of the interviews were casual. They asked questions like why this prograqm? Why optometry? What do u see yourself doing after school? What are your non-school interests. Things that you feel make you unique or an individual? Before the interview close your eyes and take a few deep breathes. I have started doing yoga with my girlfriend this past year and I feel it has helped me become comfortable in any situation I am faced to endure. Another question they asked was How would you be able to contribute to the class of 2008? or future classes/?

 

[zarkle]

Thanks for all your help guys! This forum is really great! I had another question, what did they ask you that you thought was totally odd or weren't expecting them to ask you?

 

[The Musketeer]

Hey Zarkle, congrats on your interview!

If you are nervous about the interview and you mind goes blank during the interview, what you can do is to BRIEFLY rehearse some of the potential interview questions right now, so that IF in case your mind do go blank (hopefully not), you would be able to go back to your rehearse responses to get you going and relax(at least I found this very helpful for me as I am kind of nervous in interviews as well)! If you want to find out roughly what questions they will be asking, just go to either medical or dental (or both) interview feedback forum and look at what questions are asked most in various schools and try to come up with a response for each. Try not to rehearse it too much or else you will loose some of the personality in your responses!

Good Luck!

Medical Interview Feedback:
http://www.studentdoctor.net/interview/index.asp

Dental Interview Feedback:
http://www.studentdoctor.net/interviewdent/index.asp

Pharmacy Interview Feedback:
http://www.studentdoctor.net/interviewpharm/index.asp

P.S: SDN should start up a site for Optometry Interview Feedback also!

 

[zarkle]

also, what should I bring the day of the interview? I know I should dress professionally, but what do I need to bring with me? Any sort of paper work or what?

What kind of questions did yuo ask them? I have no idea what I would ask them when they want to know if I have any questions! I hate that! I am totally going to blank out during my interview!

 

[stwei]

Practise interview with someone whom you absolutely hate - work with the worst scenarios. Conquer your fears and all else will come easy.

 

[zarkle]

practice with someone you hate.. good idea .. hmm..... a friend of mine said he'd help me with a practice mock interview.. I hope he is available this weekend!

 

[Tony.]

zarkle,

at my school they have a program where you sign up with a counselor and they give you a mock interview that is taped. they tape you on video and ask you random questions. you then sit down with your counselor and watch yourself; your body language and what you have said....
it really helped me. see if they have that service at your university. it really helped me ( a lot) ......
one of the things you need to remember in an interview is that they really want to get to know you. They want to be confident that you wont drop out of their program and that you are mature enough for their curriculum. look at it from their point of view: if they accept you, and you drop out of their program, they look silly and you just wasted their time and yours........

am i right?

just go in there, pretend you are confident (everyone does this) and answer all their questions with a smile and show some excitement. I think the easiest interview for me was in Boston, I had this OD come and sit down with me one on one in their library: we talked about everything under the sun, not just optometry......and I got her to laugh at my stupid patient care experiences so...thats the key!
you'll do fine, the first 60 seconds of the interview is weird, after you pass that, just be yourself and you wont have a problem.
here is the secret though: dress business and always make eye contact with whomever you're speaking to ok.
hope that helps. you'll do fine, you already got an interview so you're 50% there already...

 

[Rosanna]

Zarkle:

Be sure that your friend who is mock interviewing you is brutally honest. Ask him to also note your tone of voice (some people shout or whisper when they are nervous) and any hand gestures or posture positions that may be annoying. If you shadow an OD, try to have him/her ask you a few questions also. Again, do not memorize your answers to specific questions.

If you truly do blank when a question is asked, you can tell the interviewer that you need some time to answer and get back to the question at the end. You need to be confident ? that?s a true necessity. This is not the time to be shy ? you really have to make an impression since you are interviewing a bit later.

Dress professionally, you?ll fee better about yourself. Since you are interviewing at SCCO, they do stress ?professionalism? in everything.

You won?t need to bring much to the interview. When you are given your topic for the writing assignment, they?ll also provide all writing materials. You may want to bring a clipboard or folder to place financial aid information in. I brought the essays I wrote for SCCO?s application and reviewed them shortly before interviewing.

Review the questions that yOyOYoo posted on the other thread. Weirdest question I got at the SCCO interview: What?s the difference between a professional handyman and optometrist? My friend got the same question the year before.

Remember you are interviewing the school as well. Since I?m assuming that you only applied to SCCO, tell the interviewers what made you so sure that SCCO is the place for you.

Good luck, and relax! Interviews are actually pretty fun once you loosen up. =)

Best wishes,

Rosanna