Things you should never, ever say in an interview: #1

[nanila]

Most of my student interviews yesterday went quite well. One of them, however, was excruciating. I always try to make the students comfortable before I start questioning them on technical aspects of the lab. Here is how the bad interview started.

Me: "So, what did you think of the lab? Did you enjoy it?"
Student: "I hated it."
Me: ...

Now, I appreciate honesty. Some of the students have admitted to being less than thrilled with the repetitive nature of one part of the experiment. However, they are usually quick to point out that they enjoyed another part of it, or that they liked doing the data analysis. It is wise to qualify a negative response with positive aspects when you are speaking to the person who is determining your mark. It is wise when you are speaking to someone who is determining whether or not you will get a job. In fact, it is wise in just about every interview situation I can think of, except perhaps with a mental health professional. How on Earth do you get into university without figuring this out?

Comments

[alwayswondered]

Um, wow. I can only hope/assume that student had decided to take an entirely different direction in life and was pretty confident about never looking back…

[nanila]

I hope so too, because this person clearly doesn't enjoy physics. I tried to draw the student out by asking whether the theory or the analysis were more enjoyable than the experiment, and the answers were all no's. Pardon my American, but dude, WTF. Quit now before you get a third. There's no shame in discovering you don't like doing something and moving on from it.

[alwayswondered]

WTF indeed. I know there's an element of Concorde Syndrome when you've started down a path and then discovered that it's not for you, but seriously. You're talking about the REST OF YOUR LIFE. There are very few truly compelling reasons to spend approximately forty years doing something you hate.

[becala]

Wow, yeah, definitely a very miserable individual. And probably a bit disheartening for you, even though I'm sure you don't have the unrealistic expectation that you can make all learning activities fun for everyone. I'd be a bit disheartened, anyway, even if I knew that it was irrational to be.

And yeah, I am often shocked by how few social skills some folks manage to pick up by university age.

Here's hoping they find a new path, and soon. Or some Prozac, perhaps.

[nanila]

Fortunately the other interviewees were all enthusiastic and reasonably clever. They made an effort, and even occasionally came up with the right answers.