What do you all think about this approach?

[JohnSmiley]

Hey everyone, I was perusing the forums when I stumbled across a post about what to do when asked if you "have any questions for me" by an interviewer, especially as the first question in an interview. I ran across this response. What do you all think about it?

"when some interviewers flip it around and say "do you have any questions about the program that i can help answer" very early in the interview, i'll often flip it right back around and say "well, i've learned a lot from the other residents and reading about the program beforehand....do YOU have any questions about me or my background that would help you get a better understanding of me and how well i would fit in here as a resident? is there anything i should know about this program that you would want to know if you were in my shoes?" etc....i don't like when an interviewer takes the focus off of me and switches it to the program....that's what the rest of the day is for, and it troubles me to leave an interview with the feeling that the program knows me no more than they did before i got to the interview...especially when i don't know for sure if they've read my application, personal statement, letters, etc...anyone have that same experience/feeling?"

Thanks!

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[doobiedoobah]

Thats pretty much exactly what I do.

 

[235009]

i'm not a big fan of your approach. the interview serves two purposes: it allows you to sell yourself to the program and allows the program to see how interested you are and how well you'll fit in. asking questions is a great opportunity to demonstrate your interest but can also help you sell yourself.

1. you need to listen very carefully for what the program emphasizes in the presentations and on the tour
2. you want to ask specific questions acknowledging that you have either heard about it briefly before or read about it on the website
3. try to ask questions that the person interviewing you would be especially knowledgable about. is the person a primary care doc? ask something related to primary care. is the person a PD or aPD? ask something related to resident education.
4. in your question talk about how what you're asking about relates to your experiences and why this is important to you. you can also do this as a follow-up once the interviewer has answered the question.

 

[coffeebeanjenn]

I agree with SkinMD. I try to phrase my questions in a way that tells the interviewer more about me and shows that I'm interested. Like "I'm really interested in blah blah and have spent a lot of time volunteering with blah blah, can you tell me more about the blah blah related thing I saw on your website?"

 

[dozitgetchahi]

What I've been doing a lot recently is asking 'what do *you guys* look for in an applicant?' Once they've responded to that, you can then sell yourself on the basis of what they seem to be looking for.