Insulted by an interviewer during interview?

[literallybased]

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At the end of my most recent behavioral interview, the guy interviewing me just started ripping parts of my applications: essentially, he said my EC's suck and implied that I was ugly. I smiled and laughed it off, but I was wondering if anyone else had encountered this?

 

[Sassafrass23]

At the end of my most recent behavioral interview, the guy interviewing me just started ripping parts of my applications: essentially, he said my EC's suck and implied that I was ugly. I smiled and laughed it off, but I was wondering if anyone else had encountered this?

How exactly did he imply that you're ugly?! If you didn't misunderstand him, he should be reported...

 

[Ace-Co-A]

You may find some examples here.

Sorry that he/she implied you were ugly. That seems a little over-the-top, even for a situation in which the individual is put under pressure intentionally. The criticism of your ECs may have been fair, but it's difficult to say with the limited amount of detail you've included in your description of the event.

 

[Lya]

Highly unprofessional.

If you want, you might want to report.

 

[The Buff OP]

At the end of my most recent behavioral interview, the guy interviewing me just started ripping parts of my applications: essentially, he said my EC's suck and implied that I was ugly. I smiled and laughed it off, but I was wondering if anyone else had encountered this?

Wow! I don't think I would keep my cool.

 

[terp720]

I have not experienced this, but I would consider reporting it.
Clearly someone found value in your application and decided you should get an II, so it's not helpful for anyone to then have the interviewer bash you during your interview, nor a good use of anyone's time. From the schools perspective, I doubt they want applicants to have this kind of experience and come away with a negative impression, so they may want to know if interviews like this are happening.

 

[QuinnTheEskimo]

At the end of my most recent behavioral interview, the guy interviewing me just started ripping parts of my applications: essentially, he said my EC's suck and implied that I was ugly. I smiled and laughed it off, but I was wondering if anyone else had encountered this?

Ripping your application apart is not unheard of. But can you explain what you mean when you say he implied you were "ugly?" What exactly did he say?

 

[Narmerguy]

At the end of my most recent behavioral interview, the guy interviewing me just started ripping parts of my applications: essentially, he said my EC's suck and implied that I was ugly. I smiled and laughed it off, but I was wondering if anyone else had encountered this?

This could range from frustrating but not uncommon interview technique, to inappropriate and reportable behavior. There's no guarantee that either really will make up for your interview, be formally acknowledged, or otherwise change his behavior. Obviously we weren't there so we can't know really where his behavior falls on those two categories. If you share some details about what he said and did, we can probably give better advice. I wouldn't jump to reporting though, a lot of people can be very defensive and understandably sensitive during such a tense process such that they interpret things more severely.

 

[literallybased]

Ripping your application apart is not unheard of. But can you explain what you mean when you say he implied you were "ugly?" What exactly did he say?

This could range from frustrating but not uncommon interview technique, to inappropriate and reportable behavior. There's no guarantee that either really will make up for your interview, be formally acknowledged, or otherwise change his behavior. Obviously we weren't there so we can't know really where his behavior falls on those two categories. If you share some details about what he said and did, we can probably give better advice. I wouldn't jump to reporting though, a lot of people can be very defensive and understandably sensitive during such a tense process such that they interpret things more severely.

I don't think it was worth reporting. I don't recall his exact words, but he had a picture of me on file and said something to the effect that my face looked disastrous in the photo. The picture was a little dark but not enough to be a terrible picture of me. English wasn't his first language, so he was probably condemning the picture and not me. I probably just looked too much into it.

Plus I'm pretty damn sexy anyway 😎

 

[Cmdr_Shepard]

Plus I'm pretty damn sexy anyway 😎

Post a pic and we'll judge for ourselves.

The interviewer could be right on.

 

[chenzt]

I don't think it was worth reporting. I don't recall his exact words, but he had a picture of me on file and said something to the effect that my face looked disastrous in the photo. The picture was a little dark but not enough to be a terrible picture of me. English wasn't his first language, so he was probably condemning the picture and not me. I probably just looked too much into it.

Plus I'm pretty damn sexy anyway 😎

Backhanded compliment on how you looked in person that got lost in the tone since he's foreign?

 

[milski]

At the end of my most recent behavioral interview, the guy interviewing me just started ripping parts of my applications: essentially, he said my EC's suck and implied that I was ugly. I smiled and laughed it off, but I was wondering if anyone else had encountered this?

You can always hint that he or she is much older as a comeback. 😉

 

[Narmerguy]

I don't think it was worth reporting. I don't recall his exact words, but he had a picture of me on file and said something to the effect that my face looked disastrous in the photo. The picture was a little dark but not enough to be a terrible picture of me. English wasn't his first language, so he was probably condemning the picture and not me. I probably just looked too much into it.

Plus I'm pretty damn sexy anyway 😎

Work it.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

If I were insulted or even have someone just rip the application without bothering to interview it would be enough for me to report it to the school, coca and the aoa. I'm not even kidding. If they expect us to be professional. I expect them to be.

 

[Cmdr_Shepard]

If I were insulted or even have someone just rip the application without bothering to interview it would be enough for me to report it to the school, coca and the aoa. I'm not even kidding. If they expect us to be professional. I expect them to be.

But they might be testing your demeanor under pressure.

 

[NorthernMav]

I heard that reporting your interviewers is more effective at gaining you admission than a solid letter of intent.

 

[Microglia]

Eh, if he was a foreigner there was probably something lost in translation. I wouldn't worry about it. I've had a couple extremely rude/aggressive interviewers and the best strategy I've found is to remain cool and pleasant the whole time. I'm sure you did fine.

Also: remember this if you ever become an interviewer. It's important to treat those below you with respect 🙂

 

[lobo.solo]

Eh, if he was a foreigner there was probably something lost in translation. I wouldn't worry about it. I've had a couple extremely rude/aggressive interviewers and the best strategy I've found is to remain cool and pleasant the whole time. I'm sure you did fine.

Also: remember this if you ever become an interviewer. It's important to treat those below you with respect 🙂

+1 Always remember what you went through and where you come from.

 

[PreMedOrDead]

I heard that reporting your interviewers is more effective at gaining you admission than a solid letter of intent.

lol

 

[boboyahoo]

I've been to such an interview before but it was a mock pt one, where I was handling the actor. They basically try to get you going and say something foolish that you'll want to roll back from. Just smile and handle it in a polite way. Remember, if you have nothing good to say, don't say anything bad either. Think of it as a very clever interview technique that shows you the amt of patience you might need to handle certain types of ppl that you meet as possible patients.

 

[Ashley1989]

But they might be testing your demeanor under pressure.

Maybe not "pressure" but how you respond to being insulted. Just in volunteering I was screamed at by patients and flat out told that I was dumb because I'm half Mexican and don't speak spanish. If I was the type of person to flip a lid or shut down when I get insulted then it would be very hard to be a productive volunteer, let alone a doctor. You can expect professionalism from the medical school staff and other professionals, but you're going to be dealing with people who don't have that obligation to you and whose pain may make them very irratible and downright rude.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

But they might be testing your demeanor under pressure.

There are appropriate and professional ways to do that. I would complain.

Maybe not "pressure" but how you respond to being insulted. Just in volunteering I was screamed at by patients and flat out told that I was dumb because I'm half Mexican and don't speak spanish. If I was the type of person to flip a lid or shut down when I get insulted then it would be very hard to be a productive volunteer, let alone a doctor. You can expect professionalism from the medical school staff and other professionals, but you're going to be dealing with people who don't have that obligation to you and whose pain may make them very irratible and downright rude.

Agreed, but to have a medical school do that is simply unprofessional. If they can't understand that I respond differently to different context, they are staffed by the wrong people.

 

[Longhorn16]

I would report it, that's super unprofessional. This is a two way process, and I doubt the school would be happy to know that interviewers are leaving with a bad impression. They want you to want to go there, afterall

 

[sobored]

I would report it, that's super unprofessional. This is a two way process, and I doubt the school would be happy to know that interviewers are leaving with a bad impression. They want you to want to go there, afterall

I agree and sympathize with that sentiment, but they also don't want whiners. Complaining after an interview might make you one of "those guys" in the admissions office eyes...not really the ideal impression to be leaving. And as I'm sure you know, taking crap never ends as a med student and beyond (perhaps until you are the chair of a dept). Complaining/whining isn't really highly regarded in this field. Now say he kicked you in the vag or something, then yes that's probably something to complain about. Otherwise just suck it up.

 

[darkjedi]

Just to echo what everyone has said here, I would definitely report it to the administration. It seems very unprofessional and tarnishes the reputation of the school for someone like that to act as a representative of it. I would also reflect what other people have said in that you also don't want to see petty, so it might be best to just report it anonymously and as politely as possible, prefacing the issue that you don't want this to reflect upon your own application, but that you feel that you should bring this issue to the attention of the adcom in hopes that perhaps this is not the first time this issue has been reported.

But they might be testing your demeanor under pressure.

Maybe not "pressure" but how you respond to being insulted. Just in volunteering I was screamed at by patients and flat out told that I was dumb because I'm half Mexican and don't speak spanish. If I was the type of person to flip a lid or shut down when I get insulted then it would be very hard to be a productive volunteer, let alone a doctor. You can expect professionalism from the medical school staff and other professionals, but you're going to be dealing with people who don't have that obligation to you and whose pain may make them very irratible and downright rude.

Theres a difference between conducting a normal 'pressure' interview and just being outright rude or mean. There are many ways of testing someone under pressure, but theres no reason to ever someone in a professional setting like this.

 

[terp720]

I agree and sympathize with that sentiment, but they also don't want whiners. Complaining after an interview might make you one of "those guys" in the admissions office eyes...not really the ideal impression to be leaving. And as I'm sure you know, taking crap never ends as a med student and beyond (perhaps until you are the chair of a dept). Complaining/whining isn't really highly regarded in this field. Now say he kicked you in the vag or something, then yes that's probably something to complain about. Otherwise just suck it up.

at the same time, this is the person who is supposed to be advocating for you during the committee meeting. I've definitely heard of people getting another interview because of reasons like this. I think there are ways to go about it that wouldn't come off as whining.

 

[Goro]

Context is everything. It's one thing to say or imply that you're ugly, but another thing toady" this is a bad photo of you. I'm getting a sense it was the latter, not the former.

I don't think it was worth reporting. I don't recall his exact words, but he had a picture of me on file and said something to the effect that my face looked disastrous in the photo. The picture was a little dark but not enough to be a terrible picture of me. English wasn't his first language, so he was probably condemning the picture and not me. I probably just looked too much into it.

Plus I'm pretty damn sexy anyway 😎

 

[sobored]

at the same time, this is the person who is supposed to be advocating for you during the committee meeting. I've definitely heard of people getting another interview because of reasons like this. I think there are ways to go about it that wouldn't come off as whining.

Sure, if you can come up with a way to address it without sounding whiny and petty, then by all means go for it.

 

[Cmdr_Shepard]

Well if there is a mechanism for an anonymous complaint, then sure.

Otherwise, I'd just leave it alone. If they offer you an acceptance, then you can go all pretty woman on them:

Adcom: “Hello, can I help you?”

literallybased: “I was in here yesterday, you wouldn't wait on me...and you insulted my face.”

Adcom: “Oh.”

literallybased: “You people work on commission and want the best students, right?”

Adcom: “Yeah.”

literallybased: “Big mistake. Big. Huge. I have to go shopping for Harvard sweaters now.”

 

[Ismet]

At the end of my most recent behavioral interview, the guy interviewing me just started ripping parts of my applications: essentially, he said my EC's suck and implied that I was ugly. I smiled and laughed it off, but I was wondering if anyone else had encountered this?

What did he actually say? It sounds like something was lost in translation. Just from what you've described, I think you did the right thing, and I don't really think it's worth reporting unless he was legitimately insulting you.

I had an interviewer who accused me of "gaming the system" by claiming to be a minority (I'm a first generation Hispanic-American who grew up in a rural town that was 97% white Caucasian) because he said I didn't grow up disadvantaged (because apparently minorities always have to be disadvantaged!?). Even though I felt slightly insulted, I kept my cool and we talked about it. I didn't think it was reportable because he really wasn't unprofessional, there was just a difference in opinion and probably a generational gap factor (he was 70-ish). You're always going to encounter people in medicine (and life) who are difficult to interact with. Whether this was a "pressure" interview tactic or whether he actually felt that way, I'll never know...but I did get accepted, so I usually tell people that there is still hope after a seemingly difficult interview.

 

[Pacna]

If I were insulted or even have someone just rip the application without bothering to interview it would be enough for me to report it to the school, coca and the aoa. I'm not even kidding. If they expect us to be professional. I expect them to be.

I had somebody be rude to me in an interview. They were looking for specific answers and telling me I was wrong for answering opinion questions "wrong".

I was just like "It's rude for a person in a position of power like yourself to treat someone in a weaker position like you're treating me right now. You want to know what I think? I'll tell you. Don't correct my opinions. That's very rude."

How would they react if I were rude to them? They'd throw my app out. Give what you take.

#fightthepower #onlydiditcuzihadanacceptancealready

 

[lobo.solo]

I had somebody be rude to me in an interview. They were looking for specific answers and telling me I was wrong for answering opinion questions "wrong".

I was just like "It's rude for a person in a position of power like yourself to treat someone in a weaker position like you're treating me right now. You want to know what I think? I'll tell you. Don't correct my opinions. That's very rude."

How would they react if I were rude to them? They'd throw my app out. Give what you take.

#fightthepower #onlydiditcuzihadanacceptancealready

Love it! Stick it to the man🙂