Taboo Interview Topics

Started by Kurk
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Kurk

Kurk

Full Member
7+ Year Member
I'll be participating in a few mock interviews soon and wanted to test the waters as to what is and isn't allowed in my answers.

1.) When they ask, "why dentistry?", I wanted to incorporate, in addition to wanting to serve people, how I like that it's one of the few careers left that allow for self-employment and autonomy.

Is that a touchy subject that shouldn't be brought up at liberal schools since it may be seen as being for the status quo and not for the corporatized future?

2.) Can I say how I like the flexible lifestyle or will they think I'm not suited for "the future" of dentistry?


Any other tips? 😛

Edit: Also what about "tell me about yourself" ? Where do I start exactly? With my parents? Where I was born? High-school on?
 
blablabla1 said:
Maybe think about it in 3 years when you’re getting closer to interview time, you never know how much the landscape is gonna change under this presidency.
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What do you mean by changing under this presidency? I have mock interviews right around the corner, one of them at a top choice school during pre-dental day. I can't ignore it till actual application time. I'm pretty much going to wing it for the mocks; I just need to know if this is a no-no.
 
Jesus Christ! I have a mock interview this weekend with either dental students or faculty at a top choice school. I don't want to go in there making a bad impression, so I just need a few pointers as to my OP questions. I understand it's not the real thing but the point of the fake interview is to gradually prepare, am I right?
 
The purpose of a mock interview is to hone in your interview skills, not to ace the interview itself. Whoever is interviewing you will give you critical feedback on what you say and give you the kind of advice you're asking here, that's when you are going to find out whether something is appropriate or inappropriate. Just go and be honest/ be yourself, don't just give them what you think they want to hear.

I will say that I agree with the others on the forum as well. You are only a couple weeks into school and are already trying to plan out your life and worrying about what may or may not happen. It's important to have drive and passion, however it is also important to relax and explore all opportunities and make connections. Part of being a dentist is being a part of the community and building relationships, so it is important to get good experience. I spent 3 years of college exploring careers and taking a wide range of classes till I figured out what made me happy and what I wanted to do. I applied this cycle (my senior year) and I have 5 interviews right now. You don't need to kill yourself worrying to make sure everything gets done right away, you have time! Please find something that makes you happy!
 
murra651 said:
The purpose of a mock interview is to hone in your interview skills, not to ace the interview itself. Whoever is interviewing you will give you critical feedback on what you say and give you the kind of advice you're asking here, that's when you are going to find out whether something is appropriate or inappropriate. Just go and be honest/ be yourself, don't just give them what you think they want to hear.

I will say that I agree with the others on the forum as well. You are only a couple weeks into school and are already trying to plan out your life and worrying about what may or may not happen. It's important to have drive and passion, however it is also important to relax and explore all opportunities and make connections. Part of being a dentist is being a part of the community and building relationships, so it is important to get good experience. I spent 3 years of college exploring careers and taking a wide range of classes till I figured out what made me happy and what I wanted to do. I applied this cycle (my senior year) and I have 5 interviews right now. You don't need to kill yourself worrying to make sure everything gets done right away, you have time! Please find something that makes you happy!
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Okay. I will speak my mind.
 
averageasian said:
how can you even think about interviews when you can't even handle 4 classes a semester?

do well in school. otherwise, your interview skills will mean nothing if you dont have the GPA, ECs, and test scores to get an interview in the first place
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That is true. It isn't so much that I can't handle the classes more than it is my expectations are so high that I get bummed out when I get a B+ on a bio exam. I mean technically I've been scoring in the top 10-5% of my classes according to the grade-book site, but I currently have B pluses in chem, biology, and a lab. I haven't started freaking out only because I know I have room to get them back up to at least A minuses.
 
All jokes aside if you're dead set on dentistry for whatever reason, you're in a really good position. Just keep your grades up and structure your ECs towards dentistry and you're golden pony boy. Wish I was that focused at your age, all I cared about was chasing tail and video games lol. But then again those were good ole times
 
based_DMD said:
All jokes aside if you're dead set on dentistry for whatever reason, you're in a really good position. Just keep your grades up and structure your ECs towards dentistry and you're golden pony boy. Wish I was that focused at your age, all I cared about was chasing tail and video games lol. But then again those were good ole times
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And I wish it was that easy.
 
Kurk said:
That is true. It isn't so much that I can't handle the classes more than it is my expectations are so high that I get bummed out when I get a B+ on a bio exam. I mean technically I've been scoring in the top 10-5% of my classes according to the grade-book site, but I currently have B pluses in chem, biology, and a lab. I haven't started freaking out only because I know I have room to get them back up to at least A minuses.
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It's a good thing that your expectations are high. You want that A grade? Make it happen, simple as that. Now get off SDN and focus on your grades & classes.
 
Kurk said:
That is true. It isn't so much that I can't handle the classes more than it is my expectations are so high that I get bummed out when I get a B+ on a bio exam. I mean technically I've been scoring in the top 10-5% of my classes according to the grade-book site, but I currently have B pluses in chem, biology, and a lab. I haven't started freaking out only because I know I have room to get them back up to at least A minuses.
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You should get A's in most classes, getting B's will leave you with a low B gpa. I agree with other posters, get off SDN and focus on your grades. Then do the DAT and after all this focus on interviews.
Be settled and focussed. Either way, they likely wont even remember you in 3 years so you can see how you did and get a candid feedback and be better prepared.
 
I didn't know "pre-interview interviews" were even a thing and I made it into dental school just fine.

OP, you've been told over and over that you are wasting your energy focusing on irrelevant minutiae. Go study.

As for your question, it's all about behaving appropriately according to the social setting. Talk about what's relevant, not the latest episode of (insert favorite show). Don't cross any boundaries, such as asking interviewers how much they made last year. And it's always a safe bet to avoid religion and politics.

Based on what you're saying, you're sGPA is about 3.3 at this point (3.0 if you're talking Texas). No bueno. Your next exams are infinitely more important than your fake interview with students that will have graduated by the time you interview, or faculty that will likely not remember you. Prioritization and time-management are critical for success, especially in dental school.
Kurk said:
I can't ignore it till actual application time.
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Yes, you can.
 
Kurk said:
Jesus Christ! I have a mock interview this weekend with either dental students or faculty at a top choice school. I don't want to go in there making a bad impression, so I just need a few pointers as to my OP questions. I understand it's not the real thing but the point of the fake interview is to gradually prepare, am I right?
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Since it's a mock interview the point is to make your mistakes in the sandbox, learn from them, and refine your interviewing strategy. There is something to be gained from the actual exercise itself, so my advice is to use it as it is intended. Try things and get feedback from your panel about what worked well and what could have been handled better. Trust me, as long as you don't go in there and spout pro-Nazi ideology the faculty are not going to remember you all good or bad. Mock interviews are not pre-interviews. Go drink a tasty beverage of your choice, watch some HBO, and don't talk about lizard people taking over the government or alien conspiracy theories. It's not a crisis. You will be OK.
 
Kurk said:
Jesus Christ! I have a mock interview this weekend with either dental students or faculty at a top choice school. I don't want to go in there making a bad impression, so I just need a few pointers as to my OP questions. I understand it's not the real thing but the point of the fake interview is to gradually prepare, am I right?
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Wait.. So an actual dental school took time out of the schedule during actual interview season to give a mock to a high schooler? Did you inundate them with calls like you do with threads?

That's pretty crazy. More power to ya, I suppose.
 
Self employment and autonomy come with a lot of jobs/professions...not just dentistry. I ask D4 applicants who are less than a year from graduation and applying to my program, who after all are already treating patients, why they chose dentistry. You would think they could put it all together by that time, but even they have trouble with a cogent answer.
Dentistry is an expensive and exhaustive undertaking, so you as an undergrad should give every consideration to other paths as well. Now is your time, and realizing that there are choices other than dentistry may sound harsh to someone like you, but it is a fact.
Let me tell you some of the negatives:
Minimum 3 years of college, which is not cheap. Even if you work part time, you cannot cover this expense. Hopefully you are one of those who got a scholarship and most of the tuition is defrayed. If you are a college athlete, you may already have another career path to ponder.
In any case you have lost 3 years full time salary.
Minimum 3 years of dental school, most likely 4. Quite expensive and very difficult. We as dentists must learn an entire set of repetitive hand skills, and another language that we only speak amongst ourselves. Combine this with upper level basic science, and multiple multi step procedures, and the reason D school is tough becomes evident. Another 4 years of full time salary lost.
I will not go into saturation and corporate stuff, it has been discussed ad nauseum
Dentistry is for the most part a brick and mortar profession, completely non portable. You need an operatory to perform most procedures.
This means you are generally stuck in one place, and when you leave that place for another, you start all over again. Licensure in dentistry is akin to Game of Thrones. Little state kingdoms fighting for their sovereignty.
Overhead in dentistry is high. Everything we use is very expensive, even disposable items, which there are plenty of.
Lastly, although everyone, and I mean everyone needs to see a dentist regularly, most do not because of fear, anxiety, expense, or lack of access. The scramble for fee for service patients is real.
There are lots....and I mean lots of other jobs/professions that pay as much if not more, which come with different types and perhaps less expensive headaches. Greater portability IMHO is the #1 reason I would not choose this profession today. I see my own son who is an attorney. He works anywhere he can get a WiFi connection. His office is literally in his backpack. If he feels like working at 2AM, it's not a problem. Meets with clients via Skype/GoToMeeting from anywhere. Files paperwork with the courts electronically. Gets paid electronically.
No third party mess. He can work a few hours while away on vacation if he needs to. I cannot do any of this. When I close the door to my office and go home, all production ceases. Not that I don't need a break, but the rules of work have changed over the years, and set hours seem old school (Most D schools have lecture on podcast. My point illustrated. Was not available when I went to school in the 80's.)

I would be more than happy to tell you the pro's as well, but starting off with these ideas above may be an eye opener.
 
setdoc7 said:
Greater portability IMHO is the #1 reason I would not choose this profession today. I see my own son who is an attorney. He works anywhere he can get a WiFi connection. His office is literally in his backpack. If he feels like working at 2AM, it's not a problem. Meets with clients via Skype/GoToMeeting from anywhere. Files paperwork with the courts electronically. Gets paid electronically.
No third party mess. He can work a few hours while away on vacation if he needs to. I cannot do any of this. When I close the door to my office and go home, all production ceases. Not that I don't need a break, but the rules of work have changed over the years, and set hours seem old school (Most D schools have lecture on podcast. My point illustrated. Was not available when I went to school in the 80's.)

I would be more than happy to tell you the pro's as well, but starting off with these ideas above may be an eye opener.
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First, let me say that this has to be one of the most insightful and helpful posts I have seen on one of my threads in a long time. Thank you.

In reference to portability and hour flexibility, part of the dilemma between dentistry and law for me is exactly what you said about your son.

I often think to myself that I would become bored with the 9-5 schedule of dentistry, and that I would need to entertain myself with other hobbies or forms of work outside those hours. I have fantasized about my dental office's hours being 8:00am to 8:00pm with Wednesdays off, and half-days for the weekends, only to think to myself, "who the hell would want to work for me?".

I really like how dentistry allows for many doctors to pursue their other interests, but I'm finding that my other interests are mostly just other forms of work and/or side-ventures. For the handful of actual hobbies I look forward to, I feel that the most important one to me is going to be obsolete by the time I'm 40—tinkering with old cars. Not the cars themselves per-say, but the possible gasoline shortages and restrictions on internal combustion cars (A few European cities have already banned cars older than x years from being driven other than for special events) combined with just the gradual death of car culture.

I also think about—and others have said this on SDN—what will have changed about me when I'm 40. Maybe I won't have the same ambition burning inside of me as I do now at middle-age. Maybe I will prefer the 9-5 hours of dentistry at that point over the 60+ hours lawyers work. I'm not the type of person who can go on a week vacation and be comfortable not doing anything productive the entire time, even if it's just a few hours a day. As far as immobility, I understand, but am not the type of person to just pickup and leave anyway. I've created an excel document of all the US states and have narrowed it down to 10-12 potential candidates, over the years, to settle down in using a variety of factors (guess which dental schools I'll be applying to).


If you don't mind, what are some of the pros to dentistry now, and how do you think they may change with the future?
 
Taboo topics:

Religions
Politics
Aliens
Ghosts
Conspiracy theories ( nope, don't talk about how the earth could or that spaceship that they are ....... )
Sex

Don't show them you support any racist group (I hope you don't anyway!)

Mental illness problems ( you don't want to tell them you hear stuff you know!)
Bf/gf problems

What else, did I miss something!
Yeah definitely don't ask them to go on a date with you and last but not least

Don't freaking spoil the ending of their favorite show ( meaning if you've read Game of Thrones Novel, don't spoil the ending for him/her if he bring that topic up )


I think that's about it.
 
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