Interview: Few questions asked to applicant

[Micro115]

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What do you make of interviewers who don't ask you any questions during the interview, and they immediately ask you whether YOU have any questions? I know that they can still evaluate you based on your questions, but most of the time, I felt like the interviewers were doing most of the talking since I was asking the questions (and I thought it was supposed to be the other way around!).

Also, if you're asking all the questions, how do you transition to selling yourself? I tend not to talk much unless I'm asked a question, because then, I know exactly what the interviewer wants to know about me. I know this is probably a big mistake (and didn't realize it until interviews just started), but I'd appreciate any thoughts with regards to my above comments.

 

[taurus70]

I had exactly the same experience at one of my interviews last week. I didn't know what to make of it either.

 

[bluealiendoctor]

Well, the interviewer should at least get the interview going. If he/she starts by asking a question...just answer it. A key thing to do is to make excellent eye contact...if there is more than one person....be sure to look at all of them....it makes them all feel involved. If they are just sitting there and simply ask 'do you have any questions'? Do the classics first...'what do you look for in a candidate?' "Do you anticipate any changes in the program in the next (3-5) years?'. 'Can you tell me what some of your graduates are now doing?' To transition the selling point...you can say.....'I honestly feel I am a great candidate for this program because: (insert selling speech). Or, if you have great stats...you can always say....'is there anything from my file you would like to discuss with me?'....This is only a good thing to ask if you know your file is jammin'.

 

[elr1983]

So I'm a little confused as to how you go about "selling yourself." I feel like I'm a relatively shy person, and as someone noted above, would prefer to answer specific questions and am not good at/comfortable "selling myself." Do you ask the program what they look for in an applicant, then follow that up with a discussion of why you're the perfect candidate? Should you use this time to highlight an outstanding academic record and high board scores? I'd imagine it might be better to highlight extra-curriculars/research, etc.....

 

[bluealiendoctor]

The whole idea is to show the program that you're a good person for them. For competetive fields/programs..you got the interview so the scores become a mute discussion. It takes a lot more than high scores to be a good physician. Walking around with your head down and poor communication skills are no way to progress through this career. That is what they want to see. Giving you the floor for the interview let's them see that you can carry a conversation and that you're not just one of those typical exam masters who can't carry a conversation or show some personality. If you can't communicate unless you are answering questions then you might not be someone the program is interested in. Just talk about your strong character traits...talk about a difficult situation you resolved....challenges you faced other than in medicine.....if it was just about scores then they could just set filters and choose their residents in a matter of minutes. Think to yourself, " If someone interviews here who has the exact same scores/gpa as I do....why should they choose me over them?" You could start with, " I have character traits that will be of great benefit to this program and although my scores are impressive, they can't reflect these traits..such as (insert your traits). If you feel right at the beginning it is a stand still...say this, " First I would like to thank you for this opportunity. I'm very impressed with your program and feel it would be an excellent place for me to fulfill my full potential. I particularily like..(whatever). Do you anticipate any changes in the next few years? I'm a firm believer in team work and feel you have a wonderful team that I could very easily work with. I studied hard for the boards but look forward to getting solid hands on experience and really get to learn my field through patient interaction." You know...just stuff like that.

 

[Law2Doc]

you got the interview so the scores become a mute discussion.

One would assume you mean "moot".

 

[Law2Doc]

...If they are just sitting there and simply ask 'do you have any questions'? Do the classics first...'what do you look for in a candidate?' ..you can always say....'is there anything from my file you would like to discuss with me?'....This is only a good thing to ask if you know your file is jammin'.

In another thread the consensus was that "what do you look for in a candidate" is actually not a good question, because either they describe someone different than you, which will be hard to recover from, or they describe characteristics you have and you are stuck with a lame "yeah, that's me -- I'm all that". You are better off selling your strong points with your own words rather than asking them what they are looking for because then when you echo what they said they wanted, it comes off hollow and contrived.

As for the "is there anything from my file you would like to discuss", that's going to just hasten the end of the interview and leave you with no ability to sell yourself if they say "no". So leave that for the absolute last question you can muster. It's a good idea to have 5-6 broad questions in mind in any interview, because the "no questions" interview isn't all that uncommon. It may represent a poorly prepared interviewer, someone who has no interest in your or the process, or a school with the view that they need to answer your questions and sell to you more than vice versa. Hard to know which. Treat it as a test of whether you can take the reigns of the interview and keep the conversation going for 20+ minutes.

 

[lord_jeebus]

When I had a really strong applicant, I liked to do this after asking a few questions to confirm that they are not a psychopath. I was mainly looking for a chance to sell our school. Their questions would also show me what the applicant's interests were (and if they had done their homework), to show me if they would be a good fit (or even a good merit scholarship candidate).

 

[bluealiendoctor]

LawDoc,

My point is that if you have the balls to handle these questions..they are a good way to get things going. Trying to predict what the interviewer will say is silly. If you ask 'what are you looking for in a candidate' and they proceed to not describe you...well..then maybe the program isn't for you...that's life. However, don't you think it would be quite unlikely that they would actually not describe you? I mean, these interviewers are people too and most likely you will get the typical blah, blah blah answer that anyone else would say. It also shows you have the balls to hear someone say exactly what they are looking for...and if you fit that description..you don't just say 'yep, that's me' it gives the intro for you to begin selling yourself while paralleling what they are looking for. And no, I didn't mean 'moot'...maybe a better word...but I didn't say....'mute point'. I said, 'mute discussion' meaning...no one would have anything to say. Careful LawDoc...I was a lawyer too...gotta read carefully.

 

[Law2Doc]

And no, I didn't mean 'moot'...maybe a better word...but I didn't say....'mute point'. I said, 'mute discussion' meaning...no one would have anything to say. Careful LawDoc...I was a lawyer too...gotta read carefully.

I still think you meant moot, lawyer or not. There is no such thing as a "mute discussion" -- they are contradictory terms (unless perhaps you are talking about hand signals for the speech impaired), it is not a phrase you will find in the English vernacular. Saying a discussion is moot however (meaning pointless) is acceptable English.

 

[Law2Doc]

LawDoc,

My point is that if you have the balls to handle these questions..they are a good way to get things going. Trying to predict what the interviewer will say is silly. If you ask 'what are you looking for in a candidate' and they proceed to not describe you...well..then maybe the program isn't for you...that's life. However, don't you think it would be quite unlikely that they would actually not describe you? I mean, these interviewers are people too and most likely you will get the typical blah, blah blah answer that anyone else would say. It also shows you have the balls to hear someone say exactly what they are looking for...and if you fit that description..you don't just say 'yep, that's me' it gives the intro for you to begin selling yourself while paralleling what they are looking for.

As for the above, this was discussed in another thread, and the consensus was that the "what are you looking for in an applicant" is a bad question to ask, largely for the reasons I outlined above. It has nothing to do with having balls and doesn't involve anticipating interviewer responses. My point is that NO MATTER WHAT the interviewer says, you are worse off than if you just sold yourself without first getting the interviewer's thoughts on the topic. It always sounds better to say you are X,Y and Z than have the interviewer say we are looking for X, Y and Z and then you have to sell yourself on the same points. It always sounds like you are tailoring your answer to his/hers if you let him/her go first. You are creating a situation where you are less likely to impress, so I say don't do it at all. Again, this is not just my opinion -- I'm basing a lot of it on thoughts of other posters on here too. Do what you want, but you are better off steering clear of this particular question. No good comes of it. It's not about balls -- it actually takes far more to just take control of the situation and sell yourself without first asking the question.

 

[dragonfly99]

This is mental masturbation you guys.
I personally don't think "What do you look for in an applicant?" is a great "sell-yourself" question either, but it's not an awful question. It's all about how you spin it...and it could be a good way to find out about the program. In my experience it's hard to get a straight answer to this question.

The main thing in these types of interviews is to keep the conversation going, and not to look uninterested...or uninteresting. If you can't think of any questions to ask, then you look like you didn't do your homework. If you read up about the hospital and residency program on the internet the night before, you should easily be able to think up 5-6 questions to ask. Ask about their new hospital wing, ask about their new cath lab, ask about their kidney transplant program...you get the picture. Just don't ask about a lot of things that are totally outside the interviewer's area of expertise. The "what changes do you anticipate in the next 3-5 years?" question is always a good one. You can ask what most graduates do after finishing the residency (i.e. fellowship, private practice, etc.); that's a fairly safe question unless the answer is bench research/academics and you strongly want private practice. And yes, you do need to find ways to turn the conversation to your advantage and sell the good parts of your application...this is expected and a skill you need to learn if you don't already have it. Make a list the night before of 2-3 things you want to emphasize during the interview (i.e. your research, your desire to live in that particular city and work @that particular hospital, or your interest in a particular subspecialty that is strong at that particular hospital).

 

[nsx]

I still think you meant moot, lawyer or not. There is no such thing as a "mute discussion" -- they are contradictory terms

love it

 

[tetris]

bluealiendoctor, I vote for "moot" too, so I'm afraid you're outvoted 3 to 1 on your own wording. LOL

 

[tetris]

In another thread the consensus was that "what do you look for in a candidate" is actually not a good question, because either they describe someone different than you, which will be hard to recover from, or they describe characteristics you have and you are stuck with a lame "yeah, that's me -- I'm all that". You are better off selling your strong points with your own words rather than asking them what they are looking for because then when you echo what they said they wanted, it comes off hollow and contrived.

As for the "is there anything from my file you would like to discuss", that's going to just hasten the end of the interview and leave you with no ability to sell yourself if they say "no".

Right. It's like a game of billiards - you need to think 2 steps ahead. Each remark should be a setup for the next.

 

[Law2Doc]

Right. It's like a game of billiards - you need to think 2 steps ahead. Each remark should be a setup for the next.

I think it was Dale Carnegie who described a good conversation as a tennis match -- you want to keep hitting the ball back to their side of the court (and keep them talking), but not leave yourself in bad position for their return. You have the opportunity to steer the discussion to the topics you are best able to volley.

 

[roadrunnerrita]

I'm all about bluealiendoc in this conversation (grammar aside) .... I think you can ask what you want to ask, as long as you have given thought to it. Consesus or not.


but then again, I bought a brown suit simply to stand out.

 

[Law2Doc]

but then again, I bought a brown suit simply to stand out.

LOL -- in my prior career some firms actually use jury/trial consultant services that advise lawyers what not to wear (as well as where to stand, where to put their hands etc), due to potential negative effect on juries. There is a whole industry built on analyzing public perception. I believe brown suits were deemed by jurors as less trustworthy than blues, blacks or grays. Green ties supposedly have a similar negative effect.

Interestingly, it's actually not an accident that the business standard is navy blue or charcoal gray suit with white shirt and maroon tie. This combo wasn't picked out of thin air. Not to say it matters much, or that everybody believes in this kind of social engineering. But when you do something to stand out, it can be positively or negatively.

 

[BlondeDocteur]

I was taught that a gentleman never wears a brown suit.