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An interview isn't a normal conversation. How many times have people asked you your strengths and weaknesses or an example of leadership in normal conversation?
Worst/Funniest Interview Experiences
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An interview isn't a normal conversation. How many times have people asked you your strengths and weaknesses or an example of leadership in normal conversation?
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I mean I'm sure it would come up pretty frequently if you ever had a normal conversation meant to evaluate someone's personality, skills, background, and fit.
I should've quoted the post I was responding to. Someone up top asked how hard it is to have a normal conversation and act like a human being in the context of the "tell me about yourself" interview question. I guess if you have a job in HR where your sole responsibility is interviewing potential candidates or you're a perpetual job hunter with interview everyday then this question would be "normal." I wouldn't consider talking about strengths and weaknesses as an example of leadership or having my personality, skills, background, and fit as normal everyday conversation so you're proving the point I was trying to make lol.
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Ah, yes, that makes more sense. Taken out of context, it seemed like your post was saying that other interview questions are more conversational while "tell me about yourself" is not.
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I did something similar at one of my interviews, but with respect to an ethics question.
Interviewer: What would you do if you had a patient ask you to do something you found to go against your personal code of ethics?
Me: Any situation in particular?
Lol.
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I think I could see the value in an interviewee asking for an example, especially since the interviewer specifically asked about something against your personal code of ethics. I get that the question sort of sounds like you should say "No, I wouldn't compromise my ethics because a patient asked," but I think there are circumstances when it could be appropriate.
For example, I can imagine someone whose religious ethics prohibit performing a procedure but it is in the best interest of the patient, so they either do it or refer to someone who will. Just my $0.02.
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Man, I see a lot of fodder for the next revision of my Guide to Interviews post.
One of the functions of the med school interview is to weed out people who can't think beyond the concrete. "Tell me about yourself" is a simple interrogatory. It's another way of asking "what kind of person are you?" or "Who are you?" or "What are you like?"
Imagine a long lost cousin came to meet you for the first time and asked you the same thing.
I just tried out the question on my 12 year old. She had some problem with it...but she's 12. You're adults.
The fact that it's not a normal conversation item is irrelevant. Being able to communicate effectively (which go both ways, as in being a good listener) is a required competency for pre-meds, medical students and residents.
My interview questions are challenging, but they are understandable. If someone has to ask for clarification, that's close to being lethal for me. The question about doing something against one's code of ethics is an example. What is so difficult about the term "your personal code of ethics"?
One of the functions of the med school interview is to weed out people who can't think beyond the concrete. "Tell me about yourself" is a simple interrogatory. It's another way of asking "what kind of person are you?" or "Who are you?" or "What are you like?"
Imagine a long lost cousin came to meet you for the first time and asked you the same thing.
I just tried out the question on my 12 year old. She had some problem with it...but she's 12. You're adults.
The fact that it's not a normal conversation item is irrelevant. Being able to communicate effectively (which go both ways, as in being a good listener) is a required competency for pre-meds, medical students and residents.
My interview questions are challenging, but they are understandable. If someone has to ask for clarification, that's close to being lethal for me. The question about doing something against one's code of ethics is an example. What is so difficult about the term "your personal code of ethics"?
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this was unecessary as you do not know us. it doesnt "speak volumes" about anything other than us acknowledging that it isnt natural. i have no problems with speaking to people, and could be more "normal" than you consider yourself... but again you do not know anything about us so the only awkward thing here is you drawing conclusions on almost no information
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"what are you like?" is determined by the entire interview. most interviews i have been on do not ask this question, and i even recall you saying its not asked at your school because it generates "canned answers". so at least you seem to acknowledge that this is a question that is commonly prepared for.. which to me means that it isnt that natural or telling of a question.
Lol the same person who tells people to stop fussing and take a breath saying that asking for clarification during an interview is close to being lethal. Situations like these are why we as premeds fuss, stress, and become apneic.
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The app process is different than the interview process. One is like trying to land the audition. The other is the audition itself. The former brings out neuroses. The latter, well...you have less wiggle room when you're auditioning, whether it's for Macbeth, or med school.
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I had a disaster of an interview recently. This one guy asked me only sports-related questions. I don't watch any sports, nor do I care to.
I think the worst of the whole set was when he asked me what sports figure I'd consider a role model, to which I replied that I wasn't going to name anyone. He said, "Really? No one?" and he looked down his nose at me like I was a *****. I said that I'm not just going to name names when I all I know is a few famous names and I literally know nothing about what kind of people the sports figures are, and that I'd need to know something other than "this guy plays football/basketball/whatever" to determine if I'd consider the person a role model or not. He continued to look down his nose like I was the stupidest person he'd ever had the misfortune of interviewing.
Still waiting to hear back from that school...
I think the worst of the whole set was when he asked me what sports figure I'd consider a role model, to which I replied that I wasn't going to name anyone. He said, "Really? No one?" and he looked down his nose at me like I was a *****. I said that I'm not just going to name names when I all I know is a few famous names and I literally know nothing about what kind of people the sports figures are, and that I'd need to know something other than "this guy plays football/basketball/whatever" to determine if I'd consider the person a role model or not. He continued to look down his nose like I was the stupidest person he'd ever had the misfortune of interviewing.
Still waiting to hear back from that school...
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I had a disaster of an interview recently. This one guy asked me only sports-related questions. I don't watch any sports, nor do I care to.
I think the worst of the whole set was when he asked me what sports figure I'd consider a role model, to which I replied that I wasn't going to name anyone. He said, "Really? No one?" and he looked down his nose at me like I was a *****. I said that I'm not just going to name names when I all I know is a few famous names and I literally know nothing about what kind of people the sports figures are, and that I'd need to know something other than "this guy plays football/basketball/whatever" to determine if I'd consider the person a role model or not. He continued to look down his nose like I was the stupidest person he'd ever had the misfortune of interviewing.
Still waiting to hear back from that school...
You should complain to the admissions committee about that. Did you make clear you don't follow any athletics from the get-go? You definitely shouldn't need to know about sportsball to tell him why you deserve a seat.
Surely if his questions aren't able to extract useful information about all interviewees its a problem.
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He had a pre-determined set of things to ask, so it wasn't really his fault. I have no doubt that lots of people are going to struggle with that guy (the odds that I'm the only premed not into sports are low), and I have a feeling that was the whole point.
If he had been my only interviewer, or only one out of two or three, I would have definitely complained... but I had ten interviewers, so that guy's at most 10% of my interview scoring anyway. I felt like I had a really good rapport with my other interviewers.
Edit: Maybe I should have complained - just got rejected from that school. Oh well.
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After I asked for clarification, they told told me to answer in the general. So, I basically said that if a patient challenged my ethics, whatever ethic it was, I would challenge their position by asking why they would want to do this particular procedure and how this would make their life better. I would then state the pros and cons based on the best medical science, and if they still want to do it, then I would refer them to a physician that would grant them their wish.
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That’s a actually a great analogy. And no, tell me about yourself isn’t a particularly difficult question. It’s actually a wonderful opportunity to showcase the parts of you that you want them to see. You know you may get asked it, so why wouldn’t you think ahead about the cool parts of you that you’d want to talk more about?
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It's hard to distill a person into a sound byte, especially when that person is you. Some people are better at this, but I don't think it's easy for a lot of people. With that said, "Tell me about yourself," as much as I hate it, is not a surprise question. Interviewees should expect it will be asked and plan accordingly.
As for personal ethics...I don't think the term "personal code of ethics" was the problem. I think it's that there's a time and a place for abiding by personal ethics and there are times to set aside them aside, but it is highly context-dependent. I would probably not have asked for clarification, but my answer would have had to be qualified, which could come off as wishy-washy. On the other hand, I would see "I would never compromise my personal ethics for a patient's request" as being overly rigid, since personal ethics don't always reflect values that everyone shares.
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I completely agree with the justification in asking for clarification. That is not specific enough of a question. Its actually so unspecific that I can imagine if you answered that you would stick with your code at all times that the interviewer would follow up with a tricky situation “even if ......” to trap you. I think this is definitely too dependent on the situation.
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I have been asked "Tell me about yourself" numerous times at job interviews.
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Interviewer: So, do you have any questions for me?
*noticed interviewer went to UT Medical Branch for medical school*
*is not at UT Medical Branch*
Me: So, what did you think about UTMB? Did you like it there?
- I didn’t actually say this, but I WAS thinking it... -
*noticed interviewer went to UT Medical Branch for medical school*
*is not at UT Medical Branch*
Me: So, what did you think about UTMB? Did you like it there?
- I didn’t actually say this, but I WAS thinking it... -
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Interviewer: So, do you have any questions for me?
*noticed interviewer went to UT Medical Branch for medical school*
*is not at UT Medical Branch*
Me: So, what did you think about UTMB? Did you like it there?
- I didn’t actually say this, but I WAS thinking it... -
I have almost done this as well! I did ask some people about residencies, though. It’s hard to catch yourself as you begin to ask about another school.
Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
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Didn't actually, say this, but thought it...
Interviewer: "So why do you want to come to this school? It's pretty far removed [read: all the way across the country] from your home."
Me, in my head: "Because my ex wanted me to apply to be close to her and I sent the app in before I got dumped..."
Didn't say that and instead commented on the quality of the clinical education at the school.
That was a rough interview overall (I was jet lagged, it was a panel interview, the interviewers were tough, etc.). I also managed to say that I wouldn't have enough weight to convince a friend to stop acting immorally and asked for clarification about what the panel wanted when asked to tell them about myself... and this was all before the MMIs 🤔.
Result: TBD...
Interviewer: "So why do you want to come to this school? It's pretty far removed [read: all the way across the country] from your home."
Me, in my head: "Because my ex wanted me to apply to be close to her and I sent the app in before I got dumped..."
Didn't say that and instead commented on the quality of the clinical education at the school.
That was a rough interview overall (I was jet lagged, it was a panel interview, the interviewers were tough, etc.). I also managed to say that I wouldn't have enough weight to convince a friend to stop acting immorally and asked for clarification about what the panel wanted when asked to tell them about myself... and this was all before the MMIs 🤔.
Result: TBD...
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Had the worst faculty interviewer experience thus far.
Faculty interviewer was ill-prepared, disinterested, and mechanical.
Their monotone, mumbling, and heavy accent resulted in long stretches of silence, and me repeatedly asking them to repeat the few jumbled questions they were able to formulate.
Lack of eye contact and burying their face in my app throughout conflicted with the advertised conversational style that my pre-interview research led me to expect. The last question, they literally had both hands cupped to their face and was vigorously rubbing both eyes as if trying to rub out the percieved boredom.
The sad reality is that this faculty member was the only faculty I met at the school. Since there were few faculty members who showed up at the scheduled lunch (none at our table) this interviewer was the only example that I had to go on. I did not meet another faculty member there to counter this unmemorable experience.
My view of the school was soured by this interviewer. Too bad since the students I met did their best to sell the school.
Faculty interviewer was ill-prepared, disinterested, and mechanical.
Their monotone, mumbling, and heavy accent resulted in long stretches of silence, and me repeatedly asking them to repeat the few jumbled questions they were able to formulate.
Lack of eye contact and burying their face in my app throughout conflicted with the advertised conversational style that my pre-interview research led me to expect. The last question, they literally had both hands cupped to their face and was vigorously rubbing both eyes as if trying to rub out the percieved boredom.
The sad reality is that this faculty member was the only faculty I met at the school. Since there were few faculty members who showed up at the scheduled lunch (none at our table) this interviewer was the only example that I had to go on. I did not meet another faculty member there to counter this unmemorable experience.
My view of the school was soured by this interviewer. Too bad since the students I met did their best to sell the school.
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Yikes. Praying you get into other schools.
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Thanks! Fortunately, this experience was an outlier.
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These are the worst! I had a similar experience and it altered my perception of the school entirely.
You gotta cut the robots some slack, it’s hard emulating human emotion. I’d be salty too if my responses were limited to a string of ones and zeroes.
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Not a medical school interview, but i was interviewing for an ER scribe last year and on the last question:
I: "Well your application looks great, oh how many words per minute can you type?"
Me🙁without thinking) Pfffffffft no clue
I: "Pfffft no clue good or pfffft no clue bad"
Me: Oh deff bad!
still waiting to hear back xD
I: "Well your application looks great, oh how many words per minute can you type?"
Me🙁without thinking) Pfffffffft no clue
I: "Pfffft no clue good or pfffft no clue bad"
Me: Oh deff bad!
still waiting to hear back xD
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Was at an interview last week with my girlfriend. My interview went well I think, but my girlfriend told me that her interviewer asked her "Can you describe pH?".
I forgot her response exactly but she said she used the word "something" at one point in her explanation and he kept asking "what is something?". She said he was nice and the interview went well other than that tidbit.
I forgot her response exactly but she said she used the word "something" at one point in her explanation and he kept asking "what is something?". She said he was nice and the interview went well other than that tidbit.
Well at least you stood out for them ... which is what you want to do ... kind of ... maybe ... ahhh I hate interviews!!!
Interviewer (who I researched quickly beforehand and found out that she does research on over prescription of antibiotics and how it relates to antibiotic resistance): "supposed you have a 6-month year old patient who was in the ER diagnosed with pneumonia and given 10 days of antibiotics. for some reason, the mother misunderstood the instructions and stopped after 5 days. mother brings her into your office with fever, cough, etc. you can't do any tests because [something about how presentation lags behind the medicine]. how would you feel?"
Me: (remembering her research) "uhh that's a difficult situation...conflicted would be the best word to describe how I'd feel...I don't want to prescribe antibiotics because if it's a new viral infection, then they're unnecessary, but I also don't want to send the child home with pneumonia...I'd confer with my colleagues and in the end go with my gut because..."
Interviewer: interrupting me, "I said not what you'd do but how you'd feel"
Me: "oh well, I guess it would just be challenging and I'd be conflicted"
Interviewer: "so like you said in your application how medicine is a dynamic between experience and evidence which can cause conflict"
Me: "yeah"
Interviewer: (VERY long pause) "great answer!"
Was SUPER awkward and was totally confused by her response
Result: Accepted two days later!!
Me: (remembering her research) "uhh that's a difficult situation...conflicted would be the best word to describe how I'd feel...I don't want to prescribe antibiotics because if it's a new viral infection, then they're unnecessary, but I also don't want to send the child home with pneumonia...I'd confer with my colleagues and in the end go with my gut because..."
Interviewer: interrupting me, "I said not what you'd do but how you'd feel"
Me: "oh well, I guess it would just be challenging and I'd be conflicted"
Interviewer: "so like you said in your application how medicine is a dynamic between experience and evidence which can cause conflict"
Me: "yeah"
Interviewer: (VERY long pause) "great answer!"
Was SUPER awkward and was totally confused by her response
Result: Accepted two days later!!
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Please complain to the Admission dean, because this is the only way we can cleanse the process of such terrible interviewers. They're a blight on all our schools. Always remember that you're interviewing the school as much as they're interviewing you!
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Had argueably the worst interview earlier this month at my number 1 choice. First off the school traditionally gives only 1 interview but apparently this year they were experimenting with 2 (a faculty and a med student). I was the only person in my group of 12 to get the 2 interviews. The med student went alright but the faculty one was terrible. Grilled me on my application and cut me off numerous times when I was trying to answer his question. Lasted almost an hour and by the end of it, I was stumbling over answers. Didn’t even ask if I had any questions at the end. I don’t hear back until February but literally have been thinking about it everyday since it happened.
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This happened to me at a past interview. The dude was more interested in me naming specific reagents in experiments I ran than what I learned from my research, and every time he did ask me about something interesting from my app he would cut my answer off to correct me on some matter or the other or bring up a hypothetical ethics scenario I could have faced.
Probably the most demoralizing experience I've ever had in my life. Not surprised I was ultimately rejected, but honestly had no idea what I could've done differently to connect better with him.
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I truly considered doing so, but am a bit reluctant because of the following:
During the hospital tour after our interviews, I briefly spoke to another applicant who interviewed with the same interviewer after me and they didn't have any complaints. So I don't know whether my complaint to the Admissions Dean would be taken seriously.
Of note, the faculty member's secretary did mention that this faculty does very few interviews.
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All that it takes for evil to triumph is for good men and women to stay silent.
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Update: Accepted, somehow...
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Mock Interviewer: Why do you want to me a doctor?
Classmate: To help people.
Classmate: To help people.
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Honestly this makes me feel so much better about an awkward blunder not being the kiss of death when you have strong responses to other questions.
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It's a pre-med delusion that interviews are deliberately designed to be stressful. Some interviewers are indeed hardasses, but others are softies. The behavior the OP described is unprofessional and simply beyond the pale.
And spare us the "power dynamic" thing. We do what we do because we take this job seriously, not because we want to get our jollies.
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I believe that the interviewer's behavior as described by DVT below should be reported.
On the flip side, many SDNers nowadays don't like being interrupted and having their thought processes challenged.
Faculty interviewer was ill-prepared, disinterested, and mechanical.
Their monotone, mumbling, and heavy accent resulted in long stretches of silence, and me repeatedly asking them to repeat the few jumbled questions they were able to formulate.
Lack of eye contact and burying their face in my app throughout conflicted with the advertised conversational style that my pre-interview research led me to expect. The last question, they literally had both hands cupped to their face and was vigorously rubbing both eyes as if trying to rub out the percieved boredom.
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It's the universe... Karma knows you were dumped and wanted to have a little fun with your psyche
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The most awkward part of that post was the thing he didn’t actually say.
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Interviewer: So how did you get into that chair?
Me: Well, I tripped a little bit, fumbled on the table cloth, and eventually got seated into the chair.
Interviewer: I meant more of your journey through the process
Me: Oh..
Me: Well, I tripped a little bit, fumbled on the table cloth, and eventually got seated into the chair.
Interviewer: I meant more of your journey through the process
Me: Oh..
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But I feel like that could come off as adorably funny because you're stressed out, rather than super cringey...
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Not a bad answer per se, but I got nervous and checked my watch to see how long my interview had lasted (to keep it going if it was short).....how bad is that?
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Gotta be honest. Answer depends on if interviewer noticed. If they didn't, then no worries.
However, if they did see you looking at your watch, did you see any facial cues that indicated annoyance? Did the interviewer's mannerism change?
For you next interview(s), I suggest removing the watch, putting it in your pocket, and putting it back on after the interviews.
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I: "So how did you find out about X medical school"
Me: ..... "MSAR"
Results: TBD
Me: ..... "MSAR"
Results: TBD
