speaking advice for interviews

[dr.ryuk]

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I have a natural tendency to draw out the length of my words, speak in a high-pitched voice, and use “like” and “um” as filler words. Although I’ve improved significantly, I sometimes revert back to a “teenage girl” when I’m nervous. Has anyone else struggled with this and/or have any tips to share?

 

[Marr97]

Been dealing with the same issue myself! One thing that's helped me is to take a moment before answering each question to think about my answer and construct my sentences in my head. It'll look more natural to an interviewer if you take a few seconds to think about what you're going to say, and it'll help you cut down on using filler words when you feel like you're not sure what to say next. I've been making an effort to speak more slowly as well, as I revert more to the teenage girl-talk when I'm speaking quickly. Focusing on slowing my speech helps me sound calmer and lowers the pitch of my voice. I've also been trying to be aware of when the ends of my sentences are ticking up in pitch, making it sound like I'm asking a question rather than making a statement. It's a tough habit to break, but just practicing with a variety of friends/family has been helping a lot! Good luck!

 

[dr.ryuk]

Been dealing with the same issue myself! One thing that's helped me is to take a moment before answering each question to think about my answer and construct my sentences in my head. It'll look more natural to an interviewer if you take a few seconds to think about what you're going to say, and it'll help you cut down on using filler words when you feel like you're not sure what to say next. I've been making an effort to speak more slowly as well, as I revert more to the teenage girl-talk when I'm speaking quickly. Focusing on slowing my speech helps me sound calmer and lowers the pitch of my voice. I've also been trying to be aware of when the ends of my sentences are ticking up in pitch, making it sound like I'm asking a question rather than making a statement. It's a tough habit to break, but just practicing with a variety of friends/family has been helping a lot! Good luck!

Yes, slowing down has helped me a lot! I've been able to break most of my bad habits, but I think the one-on-one interview style makes me feel awkward and a bit self-conscious. I will definitely keep practicing

 

[Goro]

I have a natural tendency to draw out the length of my words, speak in a high-pitched voice, and use “like” and “um” as filler words. Although I’ve improved significantly, I sometimes revert back to a “teenage girl” when I’m nervous. Has anyone else struggled with this and/or have any tips to share?

Take an acting, speech or debate class.

 

[deleted804295]

Record your interview responses and play them to yourself while you cull out the sound "um"

 

[Cornfed101]

Practice answering interview questions with a good friend or SO. When I did this with my wife she said “why are you saying [filler word] so much??” Just like anything else, practice makes you a lot more comfortable. All of my interviews have been pretty low stress because I’ve interviewed for dozens of jobs in my life. You don’t need to go interview for a bunch of jobs, but my point is that you can practice and improve.

 

[WrenchesToMD]

Side question, what/where would be a good resource for reviewing common interview questions?

 

[Cornfed101]

Side question, what/where would be a good resource for reviewing common interview questions?

Medical School Interview Question Generator

Medical School Interview Questions INTERVIEW QUESTION GENERATOR Select a category below and click 'Ask Me!' You'll be presented with a random question that you can think about and work on.If you would like the ability to record yourself and get feedback on your answers from your advisor, mentor...

medicalschoolhq.net

You could also just google common med school interview questions.

 

[WrenchesToMD]

Medical School Interview Question Generator

Medical School Interview Questions INTERVIEW QUESTION GENERATOR Select a category below and click 'Ask Me!' You'll be presented with a random question that you can think about and work on.If you would like the ability to record yourself and get feedback on your answers from your advisor, mentor...

medicalschoolhq.net

You could also just google common med school interview questions.

Good stuff! Google turned up a ton of common questions that I've printed out, but I was just curious to know if there was anything I was missing.

 

[Kardio]

I have a natural tendency to draw out the length of my words, speak in a high-pitched voice, and use “like” and “um” as filler words. Although I’ve improved significantly, I sometimes revert back to a “teenage girl” when I’m nervous. Has anyone else struggled with this and/or have any tips to share?

Practice! If you can’t get an a acquaintance or friend to sit and listen to you babble for 30 minutes, just tape record yourself answering common interview questions and pretend you’re speaking to somebody.

You’d be surprised how closely “knowing the recorder is running” can emulate a high-stress situation (if you’re legitimately pretending that what you say is your real answer). It will make you think on your feet.

Edit:
Also, be mindful of your filler word usage in daily life. Practice not using them as you talk to people over the next few weeks.