Looking for good interview questions

[Doctor Bob]

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When applicants come to interview at my program they get interviewed by 3 faculty and one resident. The blocks are 30 minutes long. It's my turn to do some interview days.

I try to avoid questions like "so what questions do you have for me" and "what made you decide to go into this field" because I hated getting those questions when I was interviewing. I'm not very spontaneously sociable, so filling 30 minutes with small talk isn't easy for me.

So what are some good questions to ask? I'm trying to come up with some fun questions to answer... the resident interview is supposed to be the relaxed portion of the day.

 

[Rogue Synapse]

Applicants are comfortable talking about themselves. Go through their application and find a research project or volunteer/work experience that seems interesting and ask them to tell you more about it. You should be able to get a good feel for their personality, interests, etc, just by asking them to elaborate on parts of their application.

 

[GmailQueen]

Some of my more enjoyable interviews occurred when the interviewer shared one of my non-medical interests and talked to me about it. I actually like it when people ask about my family but I know not everyone does.

Also, at this point in the season, most of the interviewees have probably been asked the same questions so many times that their answers will likely sound rehearsed no matter what.

 

[ShyRem]

I got into some lovely conversations when people asked about my hobbies... one time I taught my interviewer more than he knew about fixing cars, another I talked about his hand-knitted sweater his wife made him.

Make it personal and it will be totally non-stress.

 

[2Sexy4MedSchool]

Everyone loves to talk about their pets and kids, if they have them. Failing that, ask them about their favorite movie, the last book they read for fun, the last full album they downloaded from iTunes, their favorite "guilty pleasure" on network TV. It doesn't really matter if they've got a Pit Bull or poodle, like Stephen King or America's Top Model -- it's just a ploy to get them to open up and chat, and it takes a lot of the pressure off of you if you aren't naturally gregarious.

One place I interviewed at had all of us go around the table and share our best/most embarrassing halloween costume. By the time we had all shared we were quite relaxed and chatting easily. 2S4MS