Interview Etiquette Question

[deleted997355]

Hi everyone!

Interview question here. If we are asked a question that is out of the ordinary or "deep" I suppose in relation to the typical interview questions asked, is it ever appropriate to say "May I have a moment to think about the question" or "May I take a moment to think"?

Have any of you current dental students done this in interviews? Thanks!

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[S_Diamond_DDS]

Yes. I’ve done this, it’s fine. In fact, one time I probably paused on one question way too long, but my answer was good so it was worth it I guess lol. Got accepted to that school.

 

[pinwheeels]

Yes, I had to request a moment to collect my thoughts several times in the same interview (they had a lot of hardball questions). But they never showed any displeasure in allowing me a moment to think. As a tip, in one of the cases, I knew I needed more time to hash out my thoughts so instead of continuing with the deafening silence, I let them in on how I was breaking my thoughts down by explaining why I was avoiding answering one way or the other, to help me land solidly on my final answer. I think this is a good strategy for also showing them your critical thinking skills in action and so they know you decided against answering a certain way for your own good reason.