Not "clicking" during an interview

[constructor]

has anyone had the experience of not "clicking" with their interviewer from the start of the interview, be it due to difference in interests, generation, attitude, etc.?

after reading the interview feedbacks, my impression is that it doesn't seem to happen all that often and most times the interview is very fun and conversational. when i generally meet people and start talking to them, it's not always conversational right away because we don't know each other's interests or maybe (even worse) we have different interests. are the interviewers generally very good at keeping conversations going, or are the interviewees able to feign interest even during those times when they don't "click" with the interviewer?

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[tic112]

I think I have the same problem of not being able to click with interviewers. I really don't know how to, especially given that they are complete strangers. The only things I can think of are to smile often and show enthusiasm. Are there any tricks for starting conversations with interviewers?

 

[pratik7]

try to findout who your interviewer is and what specialty he is in. That way you can ask him a question about what attracted him to that specialty or if he regrets it if the conversation slows down.


PS. Im worried about the same thing

 

[constructor]

yeah, i hear that. it's just so difficult because each person is different and what might be a good way to start loosening up things in a conversation with one person might fail miserably with another person. oh, well...

 

[Megalofyia]

I had an interview last year that sucked cause we didn't not click. From the word go the interview went downhill. So it does happen.

 

[wxl31]

it's happened to me.

 

[DrPreet]

has anyone had the experience of not "clicking" with their interviewer from the start of the interview, be it due to difference in interests, generation, attitude, etc.?

after reading the interview feedbacks, my impression is that it doesn't seem to happen all that often and most times the interview is very fun and conversational. when i generally meet people and start talking to them, it's not always conversational right away because we don't know each other's interests or maybe (even worse) we have different interests. are the interviewers generally very good at keeping conversations going, or are the interviewees able to feign interest even during those times when they don't "click" with the interviewer?

YA. It wasnt a med school interview but the guy just sucked. He was soooooo biased and I could not change his views, no matter how hard I tried to convince him. Well, safe to say, I did not get the JOB. lol

 

[BobA]

Yeah, I just had an interview where we didn't get along very well. When asked about "the state of US healthcare" I told he I was concerned about the number of the uninsured. He asked me what I'd do about it, and I replied that I was inclined toward a national healthcare system. Being an old, farty prestigious doctor he was, of course, opposed to national healthcare. He seemed to think I was naive or foolish or something. . . next he asked about who my favorite medical heroes were - I was caught off gaurd and couldn't remember. It turns out that he was a sort of ameuteur medical biographer, so I missed this one too.

I tried to steer the conversation to what I did know - my job as a mental health counselor, which I've had for two years. This was better, but I feel it's best if you can actually agree with your interviewer on their grounds. I don't think I'd mention national healthcare again unless asked directly.

 

[Ames980]

ya know, this is the one thing i havent been really worried about thus far!! ack. but i think clicking with an interviewer has a lot to do with being open -- read them and act accordingly. i tend to be very enthusiastic as a whole, but if i see my interviewer is more stodgy and strict, i just let that lie -- dont want to grate on his nerves, ya know? i think looking for commonalities is key - even if its the same brand shoe or major in college. but like bob said -- its also best to stear conversation towards your strengths and hope for the best!

 

[Mumpu]

Clicked on one interview, felt that I didn't click at all on the other. Got very high marks (within 2 points of each other) from both. Ya never know.

 

[uclacrewdude]

has anyone had the experience of not "clicking" with their interviewer from the start of the interview, be it due to difference in interests, generation, attitude, etc.?

after reading the interview feedbacks, my impression is that it doesn't seem to happen all that often and most times the interview is very fun and conversational. when i generally meet people and start talking to them, it's not always conversational right away because we don't know each other's interests or maybe (even worse) we have different interests. are the interviewers generally very good at keeping conversations going, or are the interviewees able to feign interest even during those times when they don't "click" with the interviewer?

the one acceptance i got was with my worst interviewer. go fig. just goes to show you ...

Show you what, dad?

Huh?

you said, "just goes to show you ..." Whats the moral of the story, Dad?

Oh, no moral, I just like the story.

 

[VFrank]

I think one of the most important parts about interviewing is being able to read your interviewer. You can usually tell from the get-go whether this person is very conservative, whether they're amenable to a few jokes, whether some opinions might not go over so well and should just be avoided. I also think this skill is important to being a doctor -- from what I've seen, one of the first things doctors do when assessing a patient is read their body signals, their manners of speech, etc. to try to connect. Most patients will be strangers at first -- I think being able to relate to almost any personality type is a physician must-have.

 

[neuropower]

with one interview i had recently, the interviewer asked me about my "famous father" as soon as I walked in...(i don't have a famous father, although when i told my dad the story, he was like, see? i always knew people would come around!)
i was so confused and caught off guard...i was just like, uhhh......
then she said she must have been thinking of someone else and just seemed disappointed with me for the rest of the interview.