Mock interview woes

[277768]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Ok, I just had a mock interview. My first one as a matter of fact. I got very little out of it and I found the counselor to be quite formidable.

Apparently, according to her:

I am histronic, emotional, and have a chip on my shoulder while at the same time being scared, nervous, and depressed. I am sort of confused here. I felt that I was confident, answered all questions honestly, and showed genuine interest and thankfulness in my interview style.


She made it seem that I have no chance of getting into any school I interview at. Frustrating 🙁

I am willing to go with a lot of her suggestions like speaking a little more cohesively, being less dramatic, etc. but some of her suggestions relating to confidence were very confusing. How do I know whether I am acting arrogant or defensive? What do I do?

Apparently, she dislikes doctors a lot because some doctor told her that her shattered knee would never be the same again. I told her, "If that's the truth, don't you want the doctor to be honest with you? Do you want them to build unrealistic expectations?" She proceeded to tell me that she wasn't looking for honesty, but for bedside manner. I was kind of shocked by her reaction.



😕😕 Confused!😕😕

 

[flip26]

She is probably giving you good advice.

Interviewing is a tough skill to learn without practice. You need to exude confidence, but you should not get defensive if an interviewer challenges you. You should think before you speak, and answer all questions calmly and confidently, but you should not get backed into a corner with your own words, then get defensive about it.

If you are asked an ethical question, you should ask for clarification of all parameters. If you aren't sure of an answer, you should say you need more time to think about it. If by the end of interview the topic has not come up again, you could offer to supply an answer in writing, say via email, if it is necessary.

Did she tape the session? That is essential, so that you can watch it and critique your own performance.

Finally, I have been to 4 interviews, and they have all been pleasant and conversational - I would not worry about all of this too much. Just be yourself, and know yourself - know your strengths, and turn the conversation to what you want to talk about when the opportunity presents.

 

[Homoochan]

Ok, I just had a mock interview. My first one as a matter of fact. I got very little out of it and I found the counselor to be quite formidable.

Apparently, according to her:

I am histronic, emotional, and have a chip on my shoulder while at the same time being scared, nervous, and depressed. I am sort of confused here. I felt that I was confident, answered all questions honestly, and showed genuine interest and thankfulness in my interview style.


She made it seem that I have no chance of getting into any school I interview at. Frustrating 🙁

I am willing to go with a lot of her suggestions like speaking a little more cohesively, being less dramatic, etc. but some of her suggestions relating to confidence were very confusing. How do I know whether I am acting arrogant or defensive? What do I do?

Apparently, she dislikes doctors a lot because some doctor told her that her shattered knee would never be the same again. I told her, "If that's the truth, don't you want the doctor to be honest with you? Do you want them to build unrealistic expectations?" She proceeded to tell me that she wasn't looking for honesty, but for bedside manner. I was kind of shocked by her reaction.



😕😕 Confused!😕😕

holy.. I had that experience yesterday..

My counsellor told me I need a lot of work to do. that was surely a confidence booster

 

[tallandshort]

Holy ****, I have a mock interview on Friday and now you guys are freaking me out!

 

[FuturaDocta]

To be quite frank, she sounds like an idiot, but not completely. She says that the doctor should have "bed side" manner when it comes to giving a diagnosis. Sure, they should be compassionate. But, lying about a diagnosis? That's just dumb! I can just picture the scene that she envisions....

Patient: So do I have cancer or not?
Doctor: Well, it did spread all over your body and there basically no hope for you since you waited so long. But, don't worry about it so much. Here some lemonade. Now, just sit back and relax and maybe watch some Jeopardy.

Bedside manner

On the other hand, she does have good advice that may not directed to you. But, you should sound like a doctor that would care and connect with patients (after all, part of a good diagnosis is being a really good listener).

 

[Exalya]

You have to take criticism for what it is. There were probably elements of what she said that are relevant to you, and you should consider them--it's one persons' opinion, and you never know what the opinion of the interviewer will be. Don't let this deter you from practicing and refining your skills. If she thought you were "way" too emotional, then dial back the emotion a little and focus more on the professionalism. You don't have to change the way you want to portray yourself to the school, but a sense of moderation might benefit you.

 

[277768]

I appreciate all the feedback I've gotten so far.

She just made me feel worthless and totally stupid about at all parts of the application cycle. If this is what graduate school counseling is, I'd rather just wing it and not get totally depressed.

 

[ILikeDrugs]

Apparently, she dislikes doctors a lot because some doctor told her that her shattered knee would never be the same again. I told her, "If that's the truth, don't you want the doctor to be honest with you? Do you want them to build unrealistic expectations?" She proceeded to tell me that she wasn't looking for honesty, but for bedside manner. I was kind of shocked by her reaction.



😕😕 Confused!😕😕

Go to another interviewer. Sounds like she has yet to get over her disdain for physicians. I will never understand why people like to live in fantasy worlds and want to be oblivious to the truth. How weird. To get back on topic, try going in for another interview. By the way, did you tell her that statement about getting the truth before or after you started the interview?

 

[NotSur]

.

 

[Zona Pellucida]

She is probably being extra super critical of you just to prepare you for the absolute worse. I have heard most interviews are very conversational and not too pressing so just stay calm and relaxed, smile, be confident, and speak clearly... while staying true to yourself.

 

[anxiousteen]

maybe she is homophobic. have you thought about that?

 

[ThaliaNox]

A good friend of mine with much better numbers than me interviewed at my current med school at the same time as me. I knew from previous experience (research presentations) that when he was very nervous he got stuffy and came off as arrogant. Anyway, it was his first interview and he was in full stuffiness mode. He got waitlisted and later rejected. We'd always tried to tell him that he comes off wrong when he was nervous, but he never believed us before that. He finally took the hint with the waitlist and later got into another medical school which was much higher ranked than the first. Listen when people tell you about things like this. They're trying to help you improve, not attacking your character.

 

[BozoSparky]

mock interviews are the hardest...just do them to get you nervous enough about the real thing so that you don't blow it. don't let a mock interview shatter your ego. just realize that you could improve and practice! some people love giving mock interviews just to torture premeds. it's not supposed to be a therapy session.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

Just a suggestion based on your post and some of the responses.

Don't fall into the "shoot the messenger" trap. It is very easy when you receive negative feedback to dismiss the source as clueless/crazy/etc. It is a natural defense mechanism, but it is not helpful. Try to understand what she was saying and why and think hard about how you project yourself and what you need to work on.

 

[URHere]

Many people make one huge mistake when they are nervous: they try to fake confidence by speaking more loudly, more forcefully, and more often. More often than not, they think they portrayed confidence, when they really just came off as frazzled and slightly abrasive. Is there any way that could have been your problem?

If so, the only way to get past that is to get past your nerves...which means more practice and more preparation. I would suggest going over your resume, old lab notebooks, and your application (if you have submitted one) before each interview to refresh the information. Either way, a new mock-interviewer may be the way to go. Not only is it more practice, it's a way to get a second opinion on your interviewing skills.