Worst Interview Answers

[rxlea]

In the pre-med forum, they have an entire thread where they share their worst interview answers ever. So, spill it guys! Everyone knows that nervousness can get the best of us sometimes!

Interviewer: What challenges do you think pharmacy will see in the future?

Me: *blank stare for at least 10 seconds as I think* (blank-nothing) Are you asking me to predict the future?

Interviewer: *chuckle* I guess I am

...waitlisted...

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[michaelhardy]

Hah...that is good. I never had an answer quite like that, but sometimes I just pulled stuff out of nowhere to try to give a credible response. So basically it came out as verbal diarrhea. I thought it was making sense but I'm sure if I listened to a tape recorder I would just shake my head in shame of the random ramblings..haha

 

[holymolys]

i actually got that same question at one of my group interviews... i went blank, just said blah blah, more people getting older, more demand for pharmacist... something like that, then some of the people basically just said what i said... but some of the people in my group came with obviously canned answers...


my interview with a professes went bad

5 mins into the interview...

interviewer: I am still not convinced that you are into pharmacy, can you give me 1 more reason...

me: stare for 10sec (you cannot be serious).... then i said something stupid, i just spent the last minute answering "why pharmacy", and got nothing else left

interviewer: something about how my reason has nothing to do with pharm lol, and more pharm experience would help me tell the difference between med and pharm etc etc...

me: i absolutely agree.....

....10 minutes later....

interviewer: Im looking at your GPA, and its not good (with a "you are screwed" tone)
......


i think i answered the GPA question well, but i think i'll get waitlisted anyway lol... obviously didn't appreciate my experiences as a medical assistant

 

[PreHealthRx]

I was a re-applicant this year...

Interviewer: Besides getting a job in a pharmacy, what else have you done to better your application this year? (or something like that)

Me: "Um..." *stare off into space for what seemed like eons but was probably only 10 seconds or so* "well, I've...uh...I've worked on myself...on...on educating myself more about the profession"...ramble ramble....

It was horrible, I had NO CLUE what I was saying. I bounced back from that one quickly with his next question, but I thought for sure that with that answer I would get rejected or at best, waitlisted. Glad to see the rest of the interview seemed to go well because I was accepted just last week! *phew!*

PS: Great thread!

 

[Espada]

One of the worst question's asked is the team-building question.....

Q: What would you do if someone in your group does pull their load in the project? How you you react to it?


A: *birds churpping.....:"


I figured they just want to see how you answer this. I rambled on about letting the person know that the objectives of the project and the grade that comes from it will affect everyone in the group.

What do you guys think?

 

[Tinkerbell22]

At least most all of you guys were accepted and/or waitlisted and not completely rejected. That's my biggest fear! lol

 

[kmoogs]

One of the worst question's asked is the team-building question.....

Q: What would you do if someone in your group does pull their load in the project? How you you react to it?


A: *birds churpping.....:"


I figured they just want to see how you answer this. I rambled on about letting the person know that the objectives of the project and the grade that comes from it will affect everyone in the group.

What do you guys think?

I got a question like that too!

 

[justjack]

i think the question was "what's your best quality?"

it was like listening to a broken record. i was stuck on a line midway and literally repeated the same sentence 3 times while figuring out where i was going with my answer.

 

[Carboxide]

One of the worst question's asked is the team-building question.....

Q: What would you do if someone in your group does pull their load in the project? How you you react to it?


A: *birds churpping.....:"


I figured they just want to see how you answer this. I rambled on about letting the person know that the objectives of the project and the grade that comes from it will affect everyone in the group.

What do you guys think?

Oh, I always say that I make sure they know what they're expected to do, if they aren't good at taking initiative then I will ask them to do a specific task, and if they still choose to not participate then I just do it myself, because at some point it has to get done.

 

[uncbiograd]

Oh, I always say that I make sure they know what they're expected to do, if they aren't good at taking initiative then I will ask them to do a specific task, and if they still choose to not participate then I just do it myself, because at some point it has to get done.

I said all that but then my interviewer pushed me on whether or not I would go to the professor. That didn't bother me but my first interview my interviewer made me go through why I chose pharmacy 2 times, and then said she was still confused by my answer... In my head I was like.. Are you serious lady?!?

Yeah I got rejected , but my interviews since then have been smooth sailing

 

[Tinkerbell22]

I said all that but then my interviewer pushed me on whether or not I would go to the professor. That didn't bother me but my first interview my interviewer made me go through why I chose pharmacy 2 times, and then said she was still confused by my answer... In my head I was like.. Are you serious lady?!?

Yeah I got rejected , but my interviews since then have been smooth sailing

Do you think you might end up at Mercer? If I'm accepted we might be classmates. lol

 

[Dr.iz-n]

This is a good thread. I got a question about where did I see pharmacy going in the future. I said that I thought that there would be more reliance on technology to get the word out to patients on medications like webinars or podcasts and stuff. I didn't know if that was the answer he was looking for??...

THen the other question was are you concerned since you don't have pharmacy experience if that will be a disadvantage--i can't even remember what I said all I know is it was a lot of word vomit! I just rmemeber saying "No I don't think this willl hinder me, blah, blah..."

Do you think you might end up at Mercer? If I'm accepted we might be classmates. lol

 

[uncbiograd]

Do you think you might end up at Mercer? If I'm accepted we might be classmates. lol

Haha yeah that'd be cool! I really like Mercer but I need to hear back from Maryland first. Which seems like it's taking forever..

 

[Tinkerbell22]

Haha yeah that'd be cool! I really like Mercer but I need to hear back from Maryland first. Which seems like it's taking forever..

That's true... you're a resident in Maryland right?

 

[uncbiograd]

That's true... you're a resident in Maryland right?

Yup, came to NC for undergrad but I think it's time for me to head home. Or maybe experience somewhere new like Atlanta

 

[cschellh]

In the pre-med forum, they have an entire thread where they share their worst interview answers ever. So, spill it guys! Everyone knows that nervousness can get the best of us sometimes!

Interviewer: What challenges do you think pharmacy will see in the future?

Me: *blank stare for at least 10 seconds as I think* (blank-nothing) Are you asking me to predict the future?

Interviewer: *chuckle* I guess I am

...waitlisted...

I love this! We all have silly moments in interviews that make us want to die looking back...

This one is particularly funny though! A good story for the grandkids =P

Mine includes me repeating myself a lot... and rambling...

 

[fujitsux]

The adcoms asked me if there's any question i would like to ask. Instead of asking about the program or pharmacy-related business, I went on to discuss about the praying center they just built. I was clueless and naive :h brother::

 

[vinny808]

In the pre-med forum, they have an entire thread where they share their worst interview answers ever. So, spill it guys! Everyone knows that nervousness can get the best of us sometimes!

Interviewer: What challenges do you think pharmacy will see in the future?

Me: *blank stare for at least 10 seconds as I think* (blank-nothing) Are you asking me to predict the future?

Interviewer: *chuckle* I guess I am

...waitlisted...

haha, I got asked exactly that same question.

*Blank stare* *Oh crap*...Improvise..."well, I think one of the challenges are in patient care. I feel a pharmacist should not just treat the individual as a patient, but as a person." Shouldn't just treat the disease but the entire person sort of thing....blah blah...and I feel like pharmacist are making good strides in this area. etc etc.

Interviewer: "Oh! Kind of like cura personalis! Very good!"

Me: "YES, exactly!"...*phew*

 

[fujitsux]

haha, I got asked exactly that same question.

*Blank stare* *Oh crap*...Improvise..."well, I think one of the challenges are in patient care. I feel a pharmacist should not just treat the individual as a patient, but as a person." Shouldn't just treat the disease but the entire person sort of thing....blah blah...and I feel like pharmacist are making good strides in this area. etc etc.

Interviewer: "Oh! Kind of like cura personalis! Very good!"

Me: "YES, exactly!"...*phew*

Let me guess. This is Creighton's University.

 

[hidanp]

actually my interview went well. at the end i was even told that i don't have to worry about other schools i applied to.
BUT during a school tour:
my interviewer: any question?
me: no, not right now. then awkward moment....
my interviewer was explaining things about the school, so i didn't wanna bother her...but i should've asked many qs.

 

[twinspharm]

Well at the two interviews I went to, I was asked the exact same question:

Interviewer: "Why did you choose Pharmacy?"

I answered the questions exactly the same way each time it was asked to me. I prepared for this question ahead of time. I was expecting this obvious question because it was the same question Pharmcas assigned for the essay.

I could tell by the response and facial expressions that he people at Pitt liked my answer.

But at LECOM neither interviewer looked too happy. I mainly talked about retail pharmacy in my response both times. The LECOM interviewers then insulted me and asked if I knew that there was a lot more to pharmacy than retail. Of course there is more to pharmacy but I chose to stick to retail in that answer. I told them that there was a lot more to pharmacy than retail but it didn't matter, they felt I knew nothing about pharmacy.

After the first question the Interview went down hill.

 

[uncbiograd]

Well at the two interviews I went to, I was asked the exact same question:

Interviewer: “Why did you choose Pharmacy?”

I answered the questions exactly the same way each time it was asked to me. I prepared for this question ahead of time. I was expecting this obvious question because it was the same question Pharmcas assigned for the essay.

I could tell by the response and facial expressions that he people at Pitt liked my answer.

But at LECOM neither interviewer looked too happy. I mainly talked about retail pharmacy in my response both times. The LECOM interviewers then insulted me and asked if I knew that there was a lot more to pharmacy than retail. Of course there is more to pharmacy but I chose to stick to retail in that answer. I told them that there was a lot more to pharmacy than retail but it didn’t matter, they felt I knew nothing about pharmacy.

After the first question the Interview went down hill.

Interesting. I wonder what they are looking for, because my answer hasn't changed much but the interviewer definitely wasn't impressed at LECOM-Bradenton. I still think it's because I was her last interview of the day... she was probably bored of listening to everyone

 

[crazybob]

I've heard about someone in my class who was supposed to counsel a patient on the patient-interaction part of our interviews last year. The patient was coming from a family with a farm, and the guy used the phrase "crappy farm." I heard he got waitlisted because he didn't show enough empathy, but he eventually got in.

 

[dreezy10]

Interviewer: what three things i would take to an island if i was stranded,

My Answer: have you ever seen castaway with tom hanks? do you remember Mr. wilson, well one thing I would take is a basketball, and I would draw a face on it and call him Mr. Spalding"

dunno if this is a bad answer, but we all laughed!

 

[JDbb]

How would you even answer a question like "why choose pharmacy over medical school?" or "why haven't you volunteered at any pharmacies prior to applying?"

 

[SquirrelMonkey]

Interviewer: what three things i would take to an island if i was stranded,

My Answer: have you ever seen castaway with tom hanks? do you remember Mr. wilson, well one thing I would take is a basketball, and I would draw a face on it and call him Mr. Spalding"

dunno if this is a bad answer, but we all laughed!

I got the same question! I said:
1. Knife - For utility
2. Water - to drink
3. Bear Gryllis - So I could relax

Only 1/3 interviewers knew who Bear Gryllus was!!!! I was dying inside!!

 

[twinspharm]

Interesting. I wonder what they are looking for, because my answer hasn't changed much but the interviewer definitely wasn't impressed at LECOM-Bradenton. I still think it's because I was her last interview of the day... she was probably bored of listening to everyone

Honesty at LECOM Erie the interviewers basically acted like they didn’t even want to be there. They challenged my answers and didn’t give me any feedback. Plus they asked me twelve different questions which dragged the whole thing out to almost an hour.

Before the interview I was possibly looking forward to attending their college. After the interview I was just exhausted and was no longer interested in their college. On top of that I had a four hour drive to get home which didn’t help.

 

[dreezy10]

I got the same question! I said:
1. Knife - For utility
2. Water - to drink
3. Bear Gryllis - So I could relax

Only 1/3 interviewers knew who Bear Gryllus was!!!! I was dying inside!!

How can they not know Bear! the man drank the water out a dead camels stomach. He will get you off that Island haahaa!

 

[uncbiograd]

Honesty at LECOM Erie the interviewers basically acted like they didn’t even want to be there. They challenged my answers and didn’t give me any feedback. Plus they asked me twelve different questions which dragged the whole thing out to almost an hour.

Before the interview I was possibly looking forward to attending their college. After the interview I was just exhausted and was no longer interested in their college. On top of that I had a four hour drive to get home which didn’t help.

I know some people really like the school, but I definitely wasn't one of them. It was odd to me that some of the students giving the tour were pretty critical of LECOM. Definitely ended up last on my list of schools so the rejection didn't bother me.

 

[kmoogs]

How can they not know Bear! thae man drank the water out a dead camels stomach. He will get you off that Island haahaa!

Maybe they are Les Stroud fans?

Interviewer: what three things i would take to an island if i was stranded,

Haha! Bear was asked the same exact question in an interview ... see video below...

[YOUTUBE]p0qyKyWaNEQ[/YOUTUBE]

 

[jung1]

I got the same question! I said:
1. Knife - For utility
2. Water - to drink
3. Bear Gryllis - So I could relax

Only 1/3 interviewers knew who Bear Gryllus was!!!! I was dying inside!!

Bear Grylls so I can relax...lmaooo
I shared that with another Man vs Wild enthuse.

I was prepared to answer the question "Tell me about your hobbies"

My hobbies include camping and doing other activities in nature. By no means am I a survival expert but I think I can survive lost in the wild better than most since I can make fire with sticks and a shoelace. I also have interest in ethnography and anthropology. By the way, I'll be involved in an archaeological dig this summer.

It may be a pipe dream but if accepted into your pharmacy program, I think I can combine my personal and professional interests with my experience in research to successfully study indigenous tribes living deep in the jungle and rain forest to discover new medicinal plants and compounds.

i'm glad they didn't ask because i could not come up with a more contrived answer.

 

[twinspharm]

I know some people really like the school, but I definitely wasn't one of them. It was odd to me that some of the students giving the tour were pretty critical of LECOM. Definitely ended up last on my list of schools so the rejection didn't bother me.

When we were walking through the school several students whispered to us, "Don't come here." This wasn't reassuring.

Which other schools did you apply to that you liked?

 

[uncbiograd]

When we were walking through the school several students whispered to us, "Don't come here." This wasn't reassuring.

Which other schools did you apply to that you liked?

So far I've liked Mercer and Maryland.

 

[dreezy10]

Maybe they are Les Stroud fans?

Haha! Bear was asked the same exact question in an interview ... see video below...

[YOUTUBE]p0qyKyWaNEQ[/YOUTUBE]

haha, pre cut hand holes in the ice, lol, that's great!

 

[rcao385]

Faculty: Why did you change your mind about medicine? (I was originally a pre-med)

Me: I couldn't stand the sight of helpless individuals suffering knowing that there was nothing I could do to help them.

Faculty: Are you saying that you won't see any suffering as a pharmacist?

Me: Yes

*pause*, all 3 faculty members smile

Me: Well, it definitely depends what field of pharmacy you work with.

EPIC FAIL...supposedly the pharmacist that asked me this started his career as pharmacist working in ICU

 

[desmoulins45179]

Faculty: Why did you change your mind about medicine? (I was originally a pre-med)

Me: I couldn't stand the sight of helpless individuals suffering knowing that there was nothing I could do to help them.

Faculty: Are you saying that you won't see any suffering as a pharmacist?

Me: Yes

*pause*, all 3 faculty members smile

Me: Well, it definitely depends what field of pharmacy you work with.

EPIC FAIL...supposedly the pharmacist that asked me this started his career as pharmacist working in ICU

Ouch...

Interviewers: Tell me about a time when you were stressed and you were tempted to do something unethical? (Might have used a slightly different word than unethical but meant the same thing. Might have been dishonorable. I don't remember)
Me:.....um....I always try to act with honorably...Maybe I don't understand the question
Interviewers: Tell me about a time when your friends may have done something that wasn't as honorable as you thought and what did you do about it.
Me...My friends have engaged in underage drinking. There's nothing I could do to really stop them. I told them it was illegal and told them not to drive afterwards.

Epic fail. I was wait listed

 

[BioCaficionado]

Interviewer: Do you have any questions for me (3rd time asked)

Me: Uh... well uh... 10 seconds, What do you think about the whole swine flu vaccine thing, I saw that you do research on vaccine economics? (Had read this off a list of his publications near the elevator)

Interviewer: Well, that has nothing to do with this school, and that project was a while ago... short dismissive answer.

This was my first interview and the most unnerving of my life.
and I just realized I have amnesia for a good portion of it. It was so stressful I don't even remember half the questions!

Has this happened to any one else?

 

[iPharm12]

Well this was not my answer but one of the guys interviewing in my group had one of the worst answers I could think of. We were all asked to "Describe how you are professional" or something similar. He then decided to go off about an experience his mother had with a doctor and how he was angry about it. He repeatedly called the doctor dude, like "That dude" "This dude" and then he decided to show his professionalism by dropping the F bomb twice during his rant.

Oh and this was all right after he fell asleep snoring during the dean of pharmacy's welcome presentation. I thought he was planted by the school to see how we would react to him.

 

[KMIMSM]

Interviewer: Do you have any questions for me (3rd time asked)

Me: Uh... well uh... 10 seconds, What do you think about the whole swine flu vaccine thing, I saw that you do research on vaccine economics? (Had read this off a list of his publications near the elevator)

Interviewer: Well, that has nothing to do with this school, and that project was a while ago... short dismissive answer.

This was my first interview and the most unnerving of my life.
and I just realized I have amnesia for a good portion of it. It was so stressful I don't even remember half the questions!

Has this happened to any one else?

i thought he would be impressed that you read up on the faculty members because you were interestede in them and the school.

that was a mean response he gave.

i asked about 3 questionsa nd one of them was what do you like to do for fun around here since I've never been to the schools town before. that had nothign to do with the school. i just wanted it to be on a conversational tone since previous quesitons i asked had to do with students and the school etc.

 

[dreezy10]

Interviewer: Do you have any questions for me (3rd time asked)

Me: Uh... well uh... 10 seconds, What do you think about the whole swine flu vaccine thing, I saw that you do research on vaccine economics? (Had read this off a list of his publications near the elevator)

Interviewer: Well, that has nothing to do with this school, and that project was a while ago... short dismissive answer.

This was my first interview and the most unnerving of my life.
and I just realized I have amnesia for a good portion of it. It was so stressful I don't even remember half the questions!

Has this happened to any one else?

wow, he shut you down immediately! sheesh. you put in a good effort though! I respect that.

 

[medicalCPA]

When we were walking through the school several students whispered to us, "Don't come here." This wasn't reassuring.

A school would have to be terrible if its own students tell others not to go there.


And regarding the things I would take on a desert island if I was stranded, I would take only one thing: a manual about how to get off a deserted island (It's amazing the things TV can teach you.

 

[PharmOl]

How would you even answer a question like "why choose pharmacy over medical school?" or "why haven't you volunteered at any pharmacies prior to applying?"

I never understood the point of the "Why not medical school?" question. When my friend decided she wants to be an English professor, I never asked her why not train conductor. Neither did I ask a person buying a chicken sandwich why not hamburger. You choose your profession because it's just what you are keen for. Not because you aren't fond of something else.

 

[CaliChemist]

Interviewer had a deep Australian accent that took me a little bit to get used to;

Interviewer: Korean? (i heard "profession?")
Me: uh... pharmacy tech?...
Interviewer: No, Korean?
Me: okay... outpatient pharmacist?
Interview: No. Are you kor-ree-en?


Interviewer: Age? (i heard "date?")
Me: January 22nd
Interviewer: Is that when you were born?
Me: No...


Oh good times indeed.

 

[ShineBrite]

Interviewer had a deep Australian accent that took me a little bit to get used to;

Interviewer: Korean? (i heard "profession?")
Me: uh... pharmacy tech?...
Interviewer: No, Korean?
Me: okay... outpatient pharmacist?
Interview: No. Are you kor-ree-en?


Interviewer: Age? (i heard "date?")
Me: January 22nd
Interviewer: Is that when you were born?
Me: No...


Oh good times indeed.

oh my gosh, I probably wouldv'e died! do you know if you got accepted/rejected?

 

[appalpharm]

Interviewer had a deep Australian accent that took me a little bit to get used to;

Interviewer: Korean? (i heard "profession?")
Me: uh... pharmacy tech?...
Interviewer: No, Korean?
Me: okay... outpatient pharmacist?
Interview: No. Are you kor-ree-en?


Interviewer: Age? (i heard "date?")
Me: January 22nd
Interviewer: Is that when you were born?
Me: No...


Oh good times indeed.

HAHA thats one of the funniest things i've read on here! although, im sure it was not funny to you at the time! i wouldn't have known what to do, that would be awful. when i interviewed at one school, there was another guy interviewing there who told the rest of us that he couldn't understand his interviewer because of her accent. apparently she would ask him a question, he would respond, and then she would say "okayyy, but thats not what i asked you" , needless to say i felt bad for the guy!
hope the rest of the interview went somewhat smoothly for you after that!

 

[dreezy10]

Interviewer had a deep Australian accent that took me a little bit to get used to;

Interviewer: Korean? (i heard "profession?")
Me: uh... pharmacy tech?...
Interviewer: No, Korean?
Me: okay... outpatient pharmacist?
Interview: No. Are you kor-ree-en?


Interviewer: Age? (i heard "date?")
Me: January 22nd
Interviewer: Is that when you were born?
Me: No...


Oh good times indeed.

Haaahaaaa! That is great! haahaaa!

 

[crazybob]

Interviewer had a deep Australian accent that took me a little bit to get used to;

Interviewer: Korean? (i heard "profession?")
Me: uh... pharmacy tech?...
Interviewer: No, Korean?
Me: okay... outpatient pharmacist?
Interview: No. Are you kor-ree-en?


Interviewer: Age? (i heard "date?")
Me: January 22nd
Interviewer: Is that when you were born?
Me: No...


Oh good times indeed.

You're going to hear many more accents when you are in pharmacy school and out on your rotations.

Sometimes you're going to have to take what they say and turn it into something you can understand, and do that quickly.

 

[FarscapeGirl]

I never understood the point of the "Why not medical school?" question. When my friend decided she wants to be an English professor, I never asked her why not train conductor. Neither did I ask a person buying a chicken sandwich why not hamburger. You choose your profession because it's just what you are keen for. Not because you aren't fond of something else.

The problem is too many people view pharmacy as a back-up if they don't get into medical school. It's not that they can't decide between the two, or even which lifestyle they'd prefer. It's just that drive to "succeed" by becoming some sort of doctor so much without considering what being that type of doctor means. In my book and probably yours, it's finding a career I like with a lifestyle I can tolerate (lifestyle being hours, pay, location, etc.) I don't think this is the case with everyone.

 

[SquirrelMonkey]

I never understood the point of the "Why not medical school?" question. When my friend decided she wants to be an English professor, I never asked her why not train conductor. Neither did I ask a person buying a chicken sandwich why not hamburger. You choose your profession because it's just what you are keen for. Not because you aren't fond of something else.

That has to be the best answer to that question I've ever heard! I'm so using the hamburger-chicken sangwich analogy if I get asked that question!

 

[FarscapeGirl]

That has to be the best answer to that question I've ever heard! I'm so using the hamburger-chicken sangwich analogy if I get asked that question!

Yeah, if you answer along the lines of the two are completely different careers, most interviewers should be happy.