Is this a bad question to ask an interviewer?

[mr chievous]

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At the end of every interview, when they ask the infamous "Do you have any questions for me?," would it be a bad idea to ask them "Given everything you've learned about me, is there any reservations that you have about giving me a spot in your program?"

Basically, my girlfriend has an interview in 2 weeks and she said she thinks that it would be a good idea because she would be able to explain any flaws in her application, if they brought it up. I told her it's a bad idea because they would remember those flaws as she exited, and it would be on their minds as they took down any notes about her.

What do you guys think?

 

[journeybegins]

My personal take is I wouldn't do it because

1) Some interviewers have barely looked at your file/application to know your flaws. This happened in like 3 of the interviews that I've gone to...where they had my file, but they haven't had a chance to look at it. One interviewer told me she didn't want to look at my file to avoid any assumptions about me before the interview. Then she would take a look at it after.
2) I'm not sure but I don't think interviewers have the complete verdict on whether you get into a program or not. An interviewer can put in good words for you, but another committee member can pinpoint another flaw in your file if he or she wanted to in front of everyone else.
3) I would only point out my flaws if the flaws are VERY obvious.. like extremely low GPA or something that sticks out immediately.

She would also have to have very concrete evidence to back-up any attacks on her flaws if she wanted to do that strategy.

 

[Sal427]

I definitely do not think you should ask that! Especially at the end of the interview. You should try to leave on a positive note 🙂 I think that you should not address any flaws in your application if they ask you specifically.

 

[mr chievous]

Thanks guys! That's what I told her! It looks like she won't be asking this question after all.

You all were great help 🙂

 

[Baker2010]

At the end of every interview, when they ask the infamous "Do you have any questions for me?," would it be a bad idea to ask them "Given everything you've learned about me, is there any reservations that you have about giving me a spot in your program?"

Basically, my girlfriend has an interview in 2 weeks and she said she thinks that it would be a good idea because she would be able to explain any flaws in her application, if they brought it up. I told her it's a bad idea because they would remember those flaws as she exited, and it would be on their minds as they took down any notes about her.

What do you guys think?

If she has to think if it is appropriate to ask that question, then she is probably not good at interviewing and wont get in anyways.

 

[rkhalil6]

If she has to think if it is appropriate to ask that question, then she is probably not good at interviewing and wont get in anyways.

what an ignorant response..

 

[UCSFx2017]

If she has to think if it is appropriate to ask that question, then she is probably not good at interviewing and wont get in anyways.

what an ignorant response..

The question is the equivalent of "So, am I in?" or "What don't you like about me?" The only difference is that you try to hide your insecurity by beating around the bush and by rephrasing the question.
You can ask why they rejected you only after you find out that you got rejected. No brainer. The whole point of the interview is for you and the school to get to know each other. Towards the end of the interview, it's your turn to ask questions about their school; it is not meant to quibble for interview advice. Doing so, by misusing the given time intended for you to get to know the school, gives off the impression that you are only interviewing at said school for practice and in preparation for another school.
It's also a terrible question because more likely than not, your interviewer is not on the admissions committee which decides who to admit. It's unfair and unprofessional to put the interviewer in such an awkward position. Think about it. Is it normal for you to ask a new acquaintance what they don't like about you after a 30 minute conversation? If they do step beyond their normal boundaries and tell you why they think you're not a good fit for the school, is the school any closer to their interviewing objective of finding a matching pool of matriculates? Are you any better off on finding out if that particular school is right for you?

 

[minafeet]

The question is the equivalent of "So, am I in?" or "What don't you like about me?" The only difference is that you try to hide your insecurity by beating around the bush and by rephrasing the question.
You can ask why they rejected you only after you find out that you got rejected. No brainer. The whole point of the interview is for you and the school to get to know each other. Towards the end of the interview, it's your turn to ask questions about their school; it is not meant to quibble for interview advice. Doing so, by misusing the given time intended for you to get to know the school, gives off the impression that you are only interviewing at said school for practice and in preparation for another school.
It's also a terrible question because more likely than not, your interviewer is not on the admissions committee which decides who to admit. It's unfair and unprofessional to put the interviewer in such an awkward position. Think about it. Is it normal for you to ask a new acquaintance what they don't like about you after a 30 minute conversation? If they do step beyond their normal boundaries and tell you why they think you're not a good fit for the school, is the school any closer to their interviewing objective of finding a matching pool of matriculates? Are you any better off on finding out if that particular school is right for you?

It's not a why-are-you-rejecting-me question. My school's prehealth committee members have actually recommended asking this question because basically it's your time to sell yourself. You want to be able to dispel any hesitations they may have about you. Whatever it is they bring up later when making the decision would then be brought to your attention and you can at least defend yourself.

For example, instead of them bringing up later that oh it seems you have very little of ____ experience, you would be able to say well I've had experience in _______ and inadvertently got experience in ______ etc etc.

It's neither unfair nor awkward. The whole point of the interview is for them to bring up questions to make you convince them to accept you. I've had interviewers ask me the same question of if I have any hesitations about their school because it's also their time to sell their school.

Stop ****ting on this girl for considering asking what is arguably a pretty fair and possibly useful question to ask.

 

[UCSFx2017]

It's not a why-are-you-rejecting-me question. My school's prehealth committee members have actually recommended asking this question because basically it's your time to sell yourself. You want to be able to dispel any hesitations they may have about you. Whatever it is they bring up later when making the decision would then be brought to your attention and you can at least defend yourself.

For example, instead of them bringing up later that oh it seems you have very little of ____ experience, you would be able to say well I've had experience in _______ and inadvertently got experience in ______ etc etc.

It's neither unfair nor awkward. The whole point of the interview is for them to bring up questions to make you convince them to accept you. I've had interviewers ask me the same question of if I have any hesitations about their school because it's also their time to sell their school.

Stop ****ting on this girl for considering asking what is arguably a pretty fair and possibly useful question to ask.

If it's not a "What are the negatives about me?" question, then what is it? You don't need to ask them to blatantly point out your weaknesses just so you can mention your strengths. You should have been elaborating on all the reasons why you are great fit for their school and what skills and backgrounds you can offer well before the end of the interview. If there is negative issue on your application that is worth noting or asking for, the interviewer will go ahead and ask about it. If they don't ask for it, then it's obviously not an issue worth talking about. If they had any hesitations worth talking about they would have asked about it, especially if it's about obvious grades. If the problem was with personality fit, something that is almost impossible to ask someone else to improve on or change, it would not be a criticism that would be openly given to you right at the interview. It's ridiculously awkward because it ruins the interviewees' day. Asking this question just screams insecurity. If you ever want to talk about a weakness that you had and want to spin it around by talking about how you overcame it, then talk about it when they ask you to name three weaknesses. Don't ask them to lay out reasons why they shouldn't send you an acceptance. There's too much risk with little benefit in asking. It's a terrible question but go ahead and ask if you really feel like it's necessary. There are a million other, much better, questions.

 

[KittySquared]

asking this question just screams insecurity.

+1

 

[mr chievous]

If she has to think if it is appropriate to ask that question, then she is probably not good at interviewing and wont get in anyways.

Read this article, it was the number one question on the list. Forbes is a pretty respectable source, as well. She was just curious, no need to be an ass.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/investo...estions-to-ask-at-the-end-of-a-job-interview/

 

[rkhalil6]

She was just curious, no need to be an ass.

Yeah that was an extremely ignorant response.. specially considering he/she's a dental student..

 

[RSalha17]

Read this article, it was the number one question on the list. Forbes is a pretty respectable source, as well. She was just curious, no need to be an ass.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/investo...estions-to-ask-at-the-end-of-a-job-interview/

Wow that Forbes article is very interesting. I personally would have thought that question to be a no no but after reading the article it definitely makes sense. You only get one shot to interview, so you might as well give yourself the best opportunity to leave all your cards on the table.

 

[Baker2010]

The question is the equivalent of "So, am I in?" or "What don't you like about me?" The only difference is that you try to hide your insecurity by beating around the bush and by rephrasing the question.
You can ask why they rejected you only after you find out that you got rejected. No brainer. The whole point of the interview is for you and the school to get to know each other. Towards the end of the interview, it's your turn to ask questions about their school; it is not meant to quibble for interview advice. Doing so, by misusing the given time intended for you to get to know the school, gives off the impression that you are only interviewing at said school for practice and in preparation for another school.
It's also a terrible question because more likely than not, your interviewer is not on the admissions committee which decides who to admit. It's unfair and unprofessional to put the interviewer in such an awkward position. Think about it. Is it normal for you to ask a new acquaintance what they don't like about you after a 30 minute conversation? If they do step beyond their normal boundaries and tell you why they think you're not a good fit for the school, is the school any closer to their interviewing objective of finding a matching pool of matriculates? Are you any better off on finding out if that particular school is right for you?

Exactly.
Asking that question easily does way more harm than good.

 

[Baker2010]

what an ignorant response..

I'm not being mean. I'm being real.
You can look around this forum and see that I try my best to help people.
Asking questions like that is just not good.
You can try that at your dental school interviews and watch the facial expression of your interviewer.
Asking what don't you like about me after interviewing, just shows a lack of confidence and puts any deficiencies that you may have in your application to light and thats the last thing that they remember about you when you leave and then they go write down your score.

 

[RSalha17]

What about saying something like, "is there anything else you would like to discuss so you have a complete idea of who i am as a person?" or something along those lines? I feel like that way you are not bringing up your flaws, but you may still have a chance to clear up any final attributes that maybe you didn't get a chance to talk about?

 

[503224]

The Forbes article is certainly interesting! I hope more people chime in on this question!

 

[RickCo]

I would say no, don't ask that. Many people (despite your intent) will undoubtedly view it as "so, am I in?" It will leave a bad taste in their mouth. May I make an alternate suggestion?

If you feel there is a deficiency on your application somewhere, and you haven't had a chance to speak to it during the interview, bring up that one item. "Well, when you look at my file, you'll likely notice that I spent all of freshman biology picking my nose. I'm not that person anymore, and have improved in X, Y, and Z ways."

That question, however you phrase it, just wouldn't sit well with me. But it's also her interview, so do what she thinks is best, and good luck!

 

[RSalha17]

At the end of every interview, when they ask the infamous "Do you have any questions for me?," would it be a bad idea to ask them "Given everything you've learned about me, is there any reservations that you have about giving me a spot in your program?"

Basically, my girlfriend has an interview in 2 weeks and she said she thinks that it would be a good idea because she would be able to explain any flaws in her application, if they brought it up. I told her it's a bad idea because they would remember those flaws as she exited, and it would be on their minds as they took down any notes about her.

What do you guys think?

I'm glad this post came back, because I literally JUST DID THIS in an interview, but I phrased it a little bit differently, and it did not seem to be a problem at all.

I said something along the lines of:

"Is there anything else you would like to know about me in order to be confident in making a recommendation to the other committee members, whether it be positive or negative, I don't want to leave this interview saying, "I wish I would have elaborated more on XYZ," so if you feel unclear on anything about me or my application, please feel free to ask."

One of the interviewers said he was good and didn't need to ask anymore, and the other two interviewers ended up asking two more questions each. It is all about how you phrase the question, and in my opinon, it IS NOT a bad idea if you phrase it similar to the way I did.

 

[predent12]

I think, perhaps, a better way to word it would be, "What characteristics do you look for in an applicant?" and see if any of the qualities align to you. I have also asked, "What advice would you give to an applicant at this point in the cycle?"