Unpopular Opinion: You don’t have to interview.

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Common knowledge says that if one can interview, they should.  Interviews put a face to the stack of paper that is your application. But interviews aren’t the best for everyone.

As with everything else, there are levels of competency with interviews. For some people, interviews always seal the deal. For others? Interviews are the kiss of death.

For me, face to face (or face to Skype) interactions have always been my ace in the hole. I’m personable and I think on my feet. So, in my limited experience, interviewing is a no-brainer.

Which, of course, just isn’t true for everyone.

While I’ve spoken about interviews quite a lot, and in fact, called them mandatory in the past… I may have been a bit hasty to say so.

I do think that many or most people should interview. But, of course, there is no one-size fits all formula or black and white line for who should and should not interview.

So I’ll break down a few of the strong indicators/types of people, and if they should or should not interview.

Charismatic:

For you, a smile and some nice words are no hardship. You can become best friends with anyone you talk to. Even when you’re not totally sure what to say, you’re always smooth with the delivery. You have great energy that draws people to you.  If nothing else, you’re charming.

Your Interview Weakness: You’d rather do some pleasant small talk than say something offensive, so you’re noncommittal when you speak.

Should you or shouldn’t you? If this sounds like you, interviewing will probably seal the deal. You might be the type who comes across better in person than on paper, so make sure you get that face time in.

Gift of Gab:

You are an acrobat when it comes to thinking on your feet. It’s nearly impossible to stump you, because your mind is generating an answer as you speak it. You’re not one to stop for breath until you finish a thought. Your bullsh*t skills are pretty high; you can make anything sound pretty and sugarcoated. You’re very enthusiastic.

Your interview weakness? Because you don’t always think out what you’re going to say in advance, sometimes the well of brilliant ideas runs dry and you put your foot in your mouth or talk in a circle.

Should you or shouldn’t you? You absolutely should. Try to stop for a second and think about what your answer’s thesis is (the point you’re going to make) before you speak, but as long as you don’t have any major hiccups, you’re going to be great.

Absent Minded Genius:

You’re smart. Anyone who has ever spoken to you for more than two minutes knows it. You’re a little spacey at times because you get trapped in your head, you’re frighteningly passionate about your interests, and sometimes you accidently speak in jargon. You would call yourself socially awkward, and the idea of sitting down and having to sell yourself to someone is a bit daunting. You’re still a pleasant and friendly person, you’re just a bit awkward.

Your interview weakness? You’re awkward and you know it. That can lead you to be a bit shy or uncomfortable in the interviews.

Should you or shouldn’t you? This may shock you, but you absolutely should. Your recs are going to mention your brilliance, and even a short interview is going to demonstrate that for the adcoms. Yes you’re a bit awkward, but professors love the students who are so brilliant they forget what day it is.

(Caveat: This type only applies to someone who is an actual special snowflake kind of brilliant, not your run of the mill 4.0/2300 “smart kid.”

A friend I had in high school was this type and he is legitimately brilliant. On his breaks from college he comes and guest lectures AP Calc BC and math theory, and he coached mathletes as a student. Think long and hard. Make sure you are actually the absent minded genius)

Pretentious Intellectual:

You’re smart, and you know it. You’re not humble, and why should you be? You’re not one to downplay your accomplishments. Some people call you arrogant, but really they’re just jealous that they’re not as smart as you. You give well thought out, well cited answers (Oh I was just reading in the Wall Street Journal the other day…).

Your interview weakness? The silly or creative questions tend to stump you because you don’t like to think too far outside the box on trivial things like what flavor ice cream you are.
(Note: Comment or message me what flavor ice cream you are and why. I’m cotton Candy- a little weird, delicious, sweet, and usually pink).

Should you or shouldn’t you? This is the middle ground. While you could probably impress people in your interview, your arrogance/attitude will be noted, and that could be a tip factor in the wrong direction. If you can keep your ego in check, and avoid offending anyone, go for it.

Ambivalent:

To be perfectly honest, you’re the type who is better on paper than in person. You have all of the parts to make a great applicant, but you’re sort of a boring person. Even if you excel, you’re not outwardly passionate about anything. Your people skills are fine, but nobody is going to remember you or anything you said.

Your interview weakness? You’re a bit dull. You’re run of the mill. You don’t have the energy or passion to come across as a great interviewee.

Should you or shouldn’t you? Let your application speak for itself. Don’t interview, a “meh” reaction is worse than leaving the interview section blank. Still tour the school and send emails, but the interview might hurt more than it will help.

Too Shy for Words:

The spoken word is not your friend. The thought of selling yourself to someone in five minutes is terrifying, as is speaking to a stranger who’s job it is to make a judgment on you. You’re shy. You might be anxious. You’re awkward. Unlike the Absent-minded genius, your intelligence does not shine through when you speak.

Your Interview Weakness: Even if you have the answers to their questions, you can’t form them into coherent ideas, or get the words out at all.

Should you or shouldn’t you? You are the type of applicant who can be hurt by a poor interview. Not everyone is great at face-to-face evaluations, and you shouldn’t dwell on that. Just make sure to express interest in other ways and put extra effort into your essays and resume.

When writing these types I had a person in mind for each of them, but that doesn’t make this the final list of interview types.

My biggest tip is to be honest with yourself. Find someone who is blunt and will tell you the truth. If you’re not sure if interviewing is the right choice for you, think long and hard before you make the jump. There are extroverts who are terrible at interviews (usually due to a foot-in-mouth situation) and introverts who excel.
There is not one clean-cut distinction for who should and should not interview, but remember that it could make or break your application.

But seriously everyone, interview prep time, leave a comment or send me a message about what flavor ice cream you are, and why.