Interview flops: make or break?

[MudpuppyLake]

I have a question about interview flops and whether or not they make or break an applicant. If an interviewee appears to stumble on a question (or 2, 3...no more than 4/5) but overall appears to be competent and ready, such that the flops are probably attributed to nervousness or being a younger applicant (not a nontrad), how do interviewers respond to this? Also, if an interviewee recovers from the flop and has his mind cleared later on in the interview, is it ever appropriate to, at the end, re-approach the question and ask to clarify?

And really, I suppose this goes with any job interview, not just medicine. By flop, I mean answering any question undesirably, rambling on, making oneself appear in a worse light than needed, not answering completely, appearing nervous during a certain question, etc..I suppose everyone has their own interview nightmare in mind!

Do people who get into medical school generally have mistake-free interviewers, or do they generally just happen to have the least mistakes in their interview out of all other applicants?

Thanks, and I hope we have a good discussion on this because I think everyone has wondered this at some point! It would be helpful if med students, residents, docs, faculty, etc can contribute, since they probably know the most about these "flops" 😉

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[CannedPineapple]

I guess I'm not the most qualified person to comment on this, given that I'm just an applicant this year, but from talking to my advisers, I think that there's no 1 formula for "how many questions can I get wrong before they reject me?" etc. The weight of the interview will vary not only by school but also by applicant - for instance, one student with a stellar, amazeballs paper application may have already made a great impression on adcoms, and the interview is more so to verify that the student is amicable and seems to reflect his/her application. For another student who also received an II, the paper application may have been good, but with some flaws - so the interview would then play a larger role.

Also, answering a couple interview questions a little shakily is probably fine - hey, that might even show the interviewer how you respond to an uncomfortable situation or when you aren't in your prime. Also you're human, everyone makes a couple mistakes - it could even come across as endearing, maybe. If you flopped the entire interview, or at least the majority of it, then that would probably be a bad sign.

With regard to bringing up a question again later in the interview, I think you'll need to feel it out. What the personality of the interviewer is, what the feel of the interview has been, your rapport with the interviewer by that time, all would need to be assessed on the spot. My feeling is that you probably shouldn't bring it up again, though.

 

[MudpuppyLake]

I guess I'm not the most qualified person to comment on this, given that I'm just an applicant this year, but from talking to my advisers, I think that there's no 1 formula for "how many questions can I get wrong before they reject me?" etc. The weight of the interview will vary not only by school but also by applicant - for instance, one student with a stellar, amazeballs paper application may have already made a great impression on adcoms, and the interview is more so to verify that the student is amicable and seems to reflect his/her application. For another student who also received an II, the paper application may have been good, but with some flaws - so the interview would then play a larger role.

Also, answering a couple interview questions a little shakily is probably fine - hey, that might even show the interviewer how you respond to an uncomfortable situation or when you aren't in your prime. Also you're human, everyone makes a couple mistakes - it could even come across as endearing, maybe. If you flopped the entire interview, or at least the majority of it, then that would probably be a bad sign.

With regard to bringing up a question again later in the interview, I think you'll need to feel it out. What the personality of the interviewer is, what the feel of the interview has been, your rapport with the interviewer by that time, all would need to be assessed on the spot. My feeling is that you probably shouldn't bring it up again, though.

You seem well in the know! Thank you!! I almost disagree about bringing up a question later on, because wouldn't it show effort and interest? At least it's better than walking away leaving the person thinking that you totally bombed the question and you were okay with it? I think it depends on how badly you answered the question and what kind of segue you give about clearing up the mishap? But of course the reason I'm asking is that I am unsure whether it shows effort or shows clinginess and lack of professionalism...ah well. Best of luck to you 🙂

 

[Goro]

Your scenarios are exactly why I reject candidates. We expect people to listen carefully and be articulate with thoughtful and concise answers. I have a particular distaste for babbling idiots. Age has nothing to do with it, either.

Yes, it's OK to be nervous in interviews, but it's NOT Ok for it to affect your functioning,. You don't have the luxury of being nervous when dealing with a suicidal patient, or someone who's bleeding out from a ruptured aneurysm.

I have written at length in these pages on what it takes to bomb an interview. One actually has to work at it.

I have a question about interview flops and whether or not they make or break an applicant. If an interviewee appears to stumble on a question (or 2, 3...no more than 4/5) but overall appears to be competent and ready, such that the flops are probably attributed to nervousness or being a younger applicant (not a nontrad), how do interviewers respond to this? Also, if an interviewee recovers from the flop and has his mind cleared later on in the interview, is it ever appropriate to, at the end, re-approach the question and ask to clarify?

And really, I suppose this goes with any job interview, not just medicine. By flop, I mean answering any question undesirably, rambling on, making oneself appear in a worse light than needed, not answering completely, appearing nervous during a certain question, etc..I suppose everyone has their own interview nightmare in mind!

Do people who get into medical school generally have mistake-free interviewers, or do they generally just happen to have the least mistakes in their interview out of all other applicants?

Thanks, and I hope we have a good discussion on this because I think everyone has wondered this at some point! It would be helpful if med students, residents, docs, faculty, etc can contribute, since they probably know the most about these "flops" 😉

 

[Stlblues17]

Your scenarios are exactly why I reject candidates. We expect people to listen carefully and be articulate with thoughtful and concise answers. I have a particular distaste for babbling idiots. Age has nothing to do with it, either.

Yes, it's OK to be nervous in interviews, but it's NOT Ok for it to affect your functioning,. You don't have the luxury of being nervous when dealing with a suicidal patient, or someone who's bleeding out from a ruptured aneurysm.

I have written at length in these pages on what it takes to bomb an interview. One actually has to work at it.

I may have babbled like a bit of an idiot at my first interview (WL not surprising), but after reading @Goro 's interview guide I practiced not babbling and taking a pause if necessary to answer interview questions. This is probably why my second interview (Acceptance) went much better... Unfortunately the WL was a lot closer to home, but at least I'm starting med school in the fall!

 

[MudpuppyLake]

I may have babbled like a bit of an idiot at my first interview (WL not surprising), but after reading @Goro 's interview guide I practiced not babbling and taking a pause if necessary to answer interview questions. This is probably why my second interview (Acceptance) went much better... Unfortunately the WL was a lot closer to home, but at least I'm starting med school in the fall!

Can you post the link to Goro's interview guide? Seeing that Goro has a very strong position based on experience, it would be great to learn more.

--updated: nevermind, FOUND IT! Thanks for referencing me to it.

 

[sat0ri]

Can you post the link to Goro's interview guide? Seeing that Goro has a very strong position based on experience, it would be great to learn more.

--updated: nevermind, FOUND IT! Thanks for referencing me to it.

Since you found it, can you let us all know where it is by posting the link?

 

[barca4ever]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/goro’s-guide-to-interviews.1097033/

 

[darkjedi]

I would agree with Goro in that you are afforded some leniency for nervousness, but you should still be able to come across generally as well-articulated and composed. An interview should be a place where you are in your best polished state. If you fall apart in a situation like that, it calls into question your ability to handle more stressful situations.

It's pretty tough to bomb an interview to the point where it would be held against you. Most times interviews affirm what the rest of the application says.

 

[MudpuppyLake]

What do you guys think of using light humor in an interview?
If the interviewers laugh along, is that generally a good thing or does it just show they're playing along?
Does making a like joke (such as a joke that you may say with a professor or a boss) make you look un-serious or immature?

 

[Stlblues17]

What do you guys think of using light humor in an interview?
If the interviewers laugh along, is that generally a good thing or does it just show they're playing along?
Does making a like joke (such as a joke that you may say with a professor or a boss) make you look un-serious or immature?

This is ALL about CONTEXT. I experienced light humor in both of my interviews (1 accept/1WL). I would caution about attempting humor that does not naturally come about. I would imagine if you attempt humor for the purpose of lightening the mood or win over the interviewer you may open yourself up to look like a fool.

I'm sure that's something Goro would reject you for (unless you perfectly thread that needle; still wouldn't do it).

 

[MudpuppyLake]

I have heard of people just answering the question, and then suddenly realizing that they solicited a chuckle without actually trying to.

Personally, I feel that there are poor to "okay" med school interview examples on YouTube. It seems like each of YouTube's "really good" med school interviews actually have one violation of Goro's list, or can at least be critiqued with good evidence.

 

[Stlblues17]

I have heard of people just answering the question, and then suddenly realizing that they solicited a chuckle without actually trying to.

This is what I meant is the correct way. Where a legitimate answer happened to contain humor, this is when it works. This happened with my second interview, don't exactly remember what but a pretty funny play on words came about and my interviewers and myself had a laugh 🙂.

I'm simply saying one should not purposely go out of their way to include humor (try to be funny), as one is likely to NOT be funny (eg forced humor).

 

[Goro]

One of my colleagues interviewed someone who kept making jokes, and this person received a unanimous 0 score and was rejected. That's very uncommon at my school!

Tread carefully. It's better to be witty than outright humorous.

What do you guys think of using light humor in an interview?
If the interviewers laugh along, is that generally a good thing or does it just show they're playing along?
Does making a like joke (such as a joke that you may say with a professor or a boss) make you look un-serious or immature?