How To Improve Interview Skills

[customx]

I have had 5 pre-Dec interviews, but only 1 acceptance thus far. I have another interview coming up early next month and want to maximize my chances of gaining an offer of admission. I have been waitlisted at 2 schools and the other 2 are silent thus far. 3 of my interviews went very well IMO, 1 was pretty good, and 1, which was a group interview, didn't go well. I was expecting to get at least 2 additional offers on December 1, so I'm a bit disappointed at this point. I've been reflecting on my interviews and the answers I gave, as well as how I answered the questions. I really can't think of anything I would have changed, that's how well I felt about most of the interviews.

Can anyone give some advice on how to seal the deal? My app is obviously strong enough to gather interviews, but I've fallen short and don't want to blow this upcoming opportunity. Those of you with multiple acceptances, can you give some pointers? Thanks!

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[dentalgirl7893]

I don't know how helpful this will actually be but my biggest advice is honestly to not over-prepare. Have a general idea of what you want to say but don't answer a question in such a polished way that it's like you're reciting a speech to them. Let your personality show through and leave it a *little* rough around the edges to show who you are. Also eye contact and smiling, if that comes naturally to you. I normally smile a lot and I think that helped me and put my interviewers at ease. Just really try to show them YOU, because they want to see how you fit into their class of students. Good luck!!

 

[shaidester]

If you can make your interviewer smile and laugh, I think it will help them remember your application come decision day.

 

[gatsby121]

Yo, we met at MWU-AZ. funny thing is, i had 5 pre dec interviews, 3 Dec 1st acceptances and MWU wasnt one of them hahaha! (and i thought my interview went great, Polk kept saying "good answer!" "ill take that!" "oh, you wrote down some questions? thats bonus points for ya!")
As long as you come off as a normal, social person who has some measure of depth to him, thats all you can do! different schools look for different things. I got in to Nova and you got waitlisted there but you got in to MWU and i got waitlisted. There is no way to completely figure out what each adcom is looking for so just present your best self and hope for the best

If you can make your interviewer smile and laugh, I think it will help them remember your application come decision day.

This.

one of the dental students at UNLV saw that i had "certain professor" as my interviewer and said to me "ohhhh shes a hard ass, good luck"...went in there had a great conversation and made her laugh....best interview i had and i was promptly accepted.

 

[sgv]

Be a happy normal person. Don't act like a stereotypical interviewee that you see in the movies. The interviews are rarely that tense and awkward. It should be like a normal interaction. A getting to know you type of deal. The point is to turn a stranger into a friend. It's not a speech so don't memorize any script. Coming off as a very approachable person is a good start, meaning smile often and have a good open posture.

 

[customx]

Thanks for all the advice. The thing is, I smile a lot, make good conversation, and was not nervous during the interviews. Most were very relaxed and before I knew it they were over. At this point, having been to 5 interviews, I know what to expect so I'm not afraid or nervous, I just don't understand how I can walk away from the interview thinking I did quite well and then not have that translate into an acceptance.

 

[customx]

I also know what I want to say and don't have scripted answers. I tried to tie my experiences in with the questions being asked and showed why I would fit with the school.

 

[BabyShades]

Be a happy normal person. Don't act like a stereotypical interviewee that you see in the movies. The interviews are rarely that tense and awkward. It should be like a normal interaction. A getting to know you type of deal. The point is to turn a stranger into a friend. It's not a speech so don't memorize any script. Coming off as a very approachable person is a good start, meaning smile often and have a good open posture.

What if your interviewer asks about 20 questions in one hour? How do you shift the interview where it is conversational?

 

[FOX_ONE]

here is the real prep guide if you want to nail these things.

think "WHAT DO THEY WANT TO SEE?"
adcoms want to see a stable individual: one who is calm, collected, and has great potential to be a caregiver/healer. They also want to see open-mindedness and the ability to present your personality in a socially-acceptable manner... Do they want you on their team? Do they want you representing their brand?

pick out individuals who exemplify these qualities:

1.this dentist i shadowed had an amazing charisma about him so I took plays out of his book.

2. Russell Wilson has amazing public speaking skills, so I watched his interviews the night before and copied how he spoke and some general mannerisms. I also watched videos of Barack Obama interviewing and addressing the public. I took alot out of his playbook. He's the type of guy who could get caught in the bathroom by a reporter and still give a good soundbyte.

3. Bill Clinton is great to watch too.

4. TALK SLOWLY. this is crucial. eye contact will come naturally, don't worry about it.
- My main helpful point is that you should watch those who interview constantly: celebrities, public figures. They have received training in this area and are PRIME examples to learn from.

5. Your mindset should come from one that is 'giving'. You are giving the interviewer a good interview and a nice/enjoyable experience that they will remember positively. (positively for their own well-being, not positively so they will go talk highly of you to an adcom... do not think like this).

using these basics and fundamentals, i was able to answer even the toughest questions with very short responses. I was able to control the direction of the interview, to an extent, as well.

ALSO: Contrary to popular belief, they cannot see what you are thinking. I do not know why people keep spreading that, but they cannot see what you are thinking. Nobody can... That's assuming a lot when you think like that so don't delude yourself. You can lie straight up in your interview and if you deliver it right, they won't be able to tell the difference unless they do some organized fact checking. I am not advocating that you do this, I am just saying that when people say interviewers can tell when you are lying, they are full of giraffe poop

 

[customx]

Exactly what I was looking for, thanks!

 

[DentalFox]

I have had 5 pre-Dec interviews, but only 1 acceptance thus far. I have another interview coming up early next month and want to maximize my chances of gaining an offer of admission. I have been waitlisted at 2 schools and the other 2 are silent thus far. 3 of my interviews went very well IMO, 1 was pretty good, and 1, which was a group interview, didn't go well. I was expecting to get at least 2 additional offers on December 1, so I'm a bit disappointed at this point. I've been reflecting on my interviews and the answers I gave, as well as how I answered the questions. I really can't think of anything I would have changed, that's how well I felt about most of the interviews.

Can anyone give some advice on how to seal the deal? My app is obviously strong enough to gather interviews, but I've fallen short and don't want to blow this upcoming opportunity. Those of you with multiple acceptances, can you give some pointers? Thanks!

A. Talk to yourself (answer questions you think they may ask)
B. Talk to strangers.

 

[Greyangel6]

If they ask you about your biggest weakness, say it's hot fudge sundae. If they ask you about manual dexterity skill, talk a bit about underwater basketweaving. ^^ I kid (maybe? )

In all seriousness, don't make it look like a prepared answer, make it look like you articulated the question, and can answer with confidence (there's a slight difference to the interviewers even if not to you). Once you can distinguish between that, you can ace the interview.

In my case, I paused for a while before my start answering because some adcom were looking down at my files while asking the questions (on iPads and notepads/paper files) and did not make any eye contact, I had to draw their attention by letting the silence sink in and they look at me while I'm speaking, it also shows that I articulated my answers, then I become the chatter box haha....

 

[2THDDS]

here is the real prep guide if you want to nail these things.



ALSO: Contrary to popular belief, they cannot see what you are thinking. I do not know why people keep spreading that, but they cannot see what you are thinking. Nobody can... That's assuming a lot when you think like that so don't delude yourself. You can lie straight up in your interview and if you deliver it right, they won't be able to tell the difference unless they do some organized fact checking. I am not advocating that you do this, I am just saying that when people say interviewers can tell when you are lying, they are full of giraffe poop

I have to disagree, maybe you can put on a good act, but if something you say is not really coming out of your heart, maybe to some eyes, it will look fake or at least leave them befuddled.

 

[FOX_ONE]

I have to disagree, maybe you can put on a good act, but if something you say is not really coming out of your heart, maybe to some eyes, it will look fake or at least leave them befuddled.

being fake isn't really a problem. the fact that you are trying to put on a professional frame is what counts. look at your most successful politicians, hell even look at frank underwood from house of cards.

The best way they can tell if you are lying or putting on an act is if they ask additional questions regarding something you said and you fail to deliver or support what you previously said (say something glaringly inconsistent). If it's something bad you are lying about, then you should reconsider bringing it up or even, at a worst case, going to the interview at all.

and as for 'coming from the heart' that is icing on an already delicious cake. If you feel passionately about something then it will flow: that is very good, but it isn't necessary to ace an interview.

even the people who are supposedly judging you negatively will probably be somewhat impressed that you are able to deliver a point of view you may not feel passionately about with such vigor. they'd love to have people who are good speakers and can present themselves well be a part of their organization.

if you focus on being a good person, youll be fine.

if you are doing this to cover some sort of foul intentions then you should go deep throat a cactus


Example:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality_distortion_field

 

[sgv]

Also, you have to decipher what they're really asking. If they ask you "What's your greatest weakness?", what they're really asking is "Has this kid matured enough to develop the habit of reflecting and critiquing himself to become a better person?" Obviously, don't say you don't have any weaknesses because everyone has weaknesses. Saying you don't have any weaknesses means that you don't regularly take the time to reflect on your actions or errors. Don't respond with a laundry list of problems. You got to paint a picture of a specific situation that required you to become introspective and self-evaluate.

Don't memorize and spew out a scripted answer. Another critical purpose of the interview is to assess your ability to express your thoughts with clear, articulated speech. This is an essential aspect of developing patient-doctor relationship. Normal patient interaction does not involve recitation of a script. You will totally lose your interviewer if you sound scripted because they cannot assess your communication skills. Worst case scenario is that they'll interpret a response that sounds scripted as having the inability to communicate well. Complementary to clear expression are great listening skills. You can best show this off by asking the interviewer a relevant, open-ended question, listening to what they say, and following up with any comment that shows that you understood what they said.

People feed off of other people's enthusiasm or lack of enthusiasm. In the clinic, you will the set the tone for the entire appointment with the patient. If you appear and speak as if you're tired and don't want to interact with other people, the patient will view you as unapproachable. So smile with crinkling at the eyes and be excited at the interview. Catch yourself not smiling and correct it. The best way to become approachable is to have a Duchenne's smile (raised angle of mouth and crinkling of eyes).

 

[deleted659902]

The importance of interviews is over-rated. I think your chances of admission are heavily determined by your academic credentials along with shadowing hours. I also think that interviews only serve to let adcoms confirm that you are not a weirdo.

 

[sgv]

The importance of interviews is over-rated. I think your chances of admission are heavily determined by your academic credentials along with shadowing hours. I also think that interviews only serve to let adcoms confirm that you are not a weirdo.

That's only true if you apply to noncompetitive schools.

 

[deleted659902]

That's only true if you apply to noncompetitive schools.

I didn't know there were "noncompetitive" dental schools.

 

[sgv]

I didn't know there were "noncompetitive" dental schools.

now you know

 

[BrazilianRider]

Actually, all these people here are wrong. You need to video tape yourself having pretend (not mock... you ask the questions and then answer them yourself) interviews at least 15 times a week and then purchase $6,000 video software to help analyze your microexpressions.

 

[customx]

I must suck at interviews. I thought they went well, but I've been rejected from Michigan, waitlisted at Nova, accepted to MWU-AZ and LECOM (which I turned down), and I'm still waiting on UNLV and UW. I have a 3.4 GPA and my DAT is shown in my signature. I'm still holding out hope for UW, but time is running out.

 

[DentalDoge]

Can you give us an example of an interview you thought you did well and was not accepted?

And, it's maniacally easy to tell if someone's lying ... especially when they're playing on your own court. If I could do it, then 'that guy' who's been interviewing for the dental school for 15 years could too.

 

[customx]

Can you give us an example of an interview you thought you did well and was not accepted?

And, it's maniacally easy to tell if someone's lying ... especially when they're playing on your own court. If I could do it, then 'that guy' who's been interviewing for the dental school for 15 years could too.

UW was my fifth interview and my state school, so I'm somewhat surprised I haven't been admitted. I walked away at the end of the day feeling pretty confident. NOVA was probably my best interview, and UNLV went well too. I have no reason to lie about anything. I'm a non-traditional applicant with international travel and work experience. I was told at every interview I have an interesting path to becoming a dentist. I'm keeping my fingers crossed with the final two schools, especially UW. I'm a bit perplexed on where my interviews went wrong.