Interview help

[MedIsInMyBlood]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I just went on my first interviews and don't think I did so great. I felt like I rambled a lot with some answers... and maybe I wasn't as energetic and positive as I needed to be.

I posted this in the DO section as well, but I just realized you pre-MDs can answer this question just as well.


1. Am I allowed to pause for a few seconds after they ask me a question (to give me time to think about my response) ?

2. Is it okay to end a long answer with a brief wrap up of what your main point was. Example: " (after talking about my poor freshman year grades for a little while in a somewhat unorganized manner...exactly why I thought I struggled, what I did to improve, how the experience affected me, etc)... So, my main point here is that although I struggled with some courses early on in my freshman year, I believe it was a necessary growing expierence that has made me a stronger student in the long run."

3. Should I crack jokes and add colorful comments during the interview and try to lighten the mood up?

4. Should I just answer the questions they give me...or can I ask them questions as well during the interview (I am not talking about the end of the interview here, where they specifically ask you if you have questions for them) to make the interview feel more like a conversation as opposed to a one-sided interrogation?

 

[Barcu]

I just went on my first interviews and don't think I did so great. I felt like I rambled a lot with some answers... and maybe I wasn't as energetic and positive as I needed to be.

I posted this in the DO section as well, but I just realized you pre-MDs can answer this question just as well.


1. Am I allowed to pause for a few seconds after they ask me a question (to give me time to think about my response) ?

2. Is it okay to end a long answer with a brief wrap up of what your main point was. Example: " (after talking about my poor freshman year grades for a little while in a somewhat unorganized manner...exactly why I thought I struggled, what I did to improve, how the experience affected me, etc)... So, my main point here is that although I struggled with some courses early on in my freshman year, I believe it was a necessary growing expierence that has made me a stronger student in the long run."

3. Should I crack jokes and add colorful comments during the interview and try to lighten the mood up?

4. Should I just answer the questions they give me...or can I ask them questions as well during the interview (I am not talking about the end of the interview here, where they specifically ask you if you have questions for them) to make the interview feel more like a conversation as opposed to a one-sided interrogation?

1. Yes you can can (and maybe should pause to gather your thoughts). We're talking like a few one thousands here though, not like 10 or 20.

2. Sign-posting is always a very good technique. Don't be too repetitive though. Try to vary your word choice and other style stuff like that.

3. Jokes are good but risky. If you are sure it will not be construed as offensive, go for it. Having a joke bomb is not the end of the world, but sounding ignorant would be.

4. You can. I think this is case-by-case. Some interviewers obviously have questions to go through and want to get through them all (in one interview, he would ask a question, I would answer, then we would sit in silence while he wrote notes. I got in so it was probably good that I didn't ramble or try to fill silence with questions). On the other hand, if you are having a very conversational interview or set of questions, such as asking about interests, hobbies, etc, I think it is okay to try and involve the interviewer more. Questions about medicine, however, should probably be answered and then just let the interviewer ask the next question.

 

[MedIsInMyBlood]

Thanks Barcu. Nobody else? 🙁

I'm not looking for some kind of super interview master to answer my questions here.

As long as you have been on a few interviews and feel they went well then you are qualified to answer my questions here and teach me a few things about interviews, because apparently I am not a good interviewer (I have had about a handful of interviews so far... with 0 acceptances at this point).

I have 3 more interviews in the future, so your help would be very much appreciated.

 

[Meerkatology]

Thanks Barcu. Nobody else? 🙁

I'm not looking for some kind of super interview master to answer my questions here.

As long as you have been on a few interviews and feel they went well then you are qualified to answer my questions here and teach me a few things about interviews, because apparently I am not a good interviewer (I have had about a handful of interviews so far... with 0 acceptances at this point).

I have 3 more interviews in the future, so your help would be very much appreciated.

don't "tell jokes" you can use dry humor as you speak, and if it doesn't work (i.e. they don't get it or don't laugh) then you can just move on and pretend like you've never made a joke. don't use anything controversial or negative.

stay positive, don't say anything negative about anything.

its ok to pause.

prepare for commonly asked questions.

 

[image187]

1. You're allowed to do whatever you want. If you need to pause for a few seconds to answer a question, that means you're thinking, which I guess is a good thing. I don't know about some interviewers, but if someone just fired back a response at me without putting any time into thinking about the question, it might sound premeditated or insincere. If you can answer the question quickly, do so, but if you need to think about it then certainly take your time.

2. Of course you can quickly summarize a long answer to a question with a main point like that. It may not be wise to repeat yourself a million times, but if you have a long answer like that it may be easier for the interviewer to understand what you just said if you summarize.

3. Laughter is the key to anyone's heart, and this includes med school admissions interviewers. This is also true for cops.

4. Your interview is by no means an interrogation. It's a chance for the school to get to know you better and see if you're the kind of person they would want in their med school class, but it's also a chance for them to sell themselves to you and to get you interested. By asking questions and engaging the interviewer, you'll come off as more confident, intelligent, and definitely more fun to talk with than an applicant who just sits there and answers questions. Who would want to have a conversation where one person does all the talking? Interviewers like to see that you're inquisitive.

If I had to give you one piece of advice it would be to just be yourself in your interview. Just relax and try to talk to your interviewer like they're one of your friends. They know you're nervous and are probably overthinking and analyzing everything they say, so they understand if you choke up or do whatever. It's real nice for an interviewer though when an applicant comes in and acts "normal", engaging them in conversation and asking important questions despite the high-stress atmosphere.

 

[BSPS]

i have not been to any med school interviews yet since i am back in school taking all the pre-reqs now but i had a career as a trader/investment consultant and have been through many types of interviews for past jobs (stress, practical based, tell me abouts...). interviewing is interviewing no matter what it is for, the more you practice the more comfortable you are with you as a product.

1. are you allowed to pause after being asked a question? if you don't then your answer sounds pre-programmed and you look like a robot that doesn't think. try taking a deep breath and repeating what they ask out loud before you answer. that shows you are listening and during that time you are repeating the question you can formulate your answer.

2. your answers should not be long at all. you are wasting the interviewers time with long winded answers and then summarizing makes it worse. you need to answer the question and if they want to know more they will ask you follow ups, if they don't then they usually could care less.

3. crack jokes? no, but have a sense of humor. you should be able to read your interviewer to know if he/she has a sense of humor or is all business...play your cards tight.

4. yes you should ask questions throughout but you need to time them well and know the type of interview you are in (stress, panel, whatever). asking questions gives you bargaining power and shows you are interested. you need to control the interview and sell your product (you).

hope this helps.