What is considered a bad interview?

[RemainPositive]

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Hey y'all,

With interviews coming up this cycle, I am sure many of us are worried about how we perform on our interviews (or is it just me lol). I am just wondering on what do y'all consider to be a bad interview performance overall?


For me, a bad interview is when I struggle to come up with a coherent /succinct answer to a question/questions, in addition to rambling/ not having anything of interest to say.


I would love to hear feedback from current students as well!

 

[AppalachianDentalBoy]

Not having good answers to obvious questions like: Why do you want to be a dentist? Why our school? And not being able to speak fluently and passionately talk about aspects of your application. If you answer their questions with “to help people” or “because dentists make a lot of money” or you say you hated volunteering at the food bank then you’ll probably be put in the discard pile. Just be honest and genuine and you should do fine.

 

[coldicecream]

I think not having good eye-contact and fidgeting with your hands/hair/tie/etc can also hurt you.

 

[941635]

I think interviews are about connecting with your interviewer. Agree with everything TAMU20 said--if you can't give a direct answer to a direct question then that's a bad sign.

I also think that a lot of applicants want to tell the interviewer what they want to hear, which isn't the best approach IMO. Being true and genuine to your thoughts, feelings, aspirations, etc. will come through in your responses and will (hopefully) be tailored and attractive to the particular school you are interviewing with.

Being polished in your responses, keeping a handle on any nervous ticks you have (this can be challenging but should decrease with practice/repetition), and doing your research about the institution's mission/core values/culture will help you succeed!

 

[pma96]

I would add that if you can't give solid/deep reasons why you want to attend that school, it's also a bad sign. Thoroughly research the school, even beyond the website (sometimes they have youtube channels with very informative videos). Convince the interviewer that you are a good match and that you'll be attending that program.