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What demeanour did you adopt in your interview?

I was generally polite and talkative- talking problems through out loud. And when I didn't know something, I admitted it. For example, a female tutor asked me if I'd ever give an elderly, terminally-ill patient an overdose of morphine if they asked me to because they said they wanted to die. I said, until I was in such a situation, I honestly don't know how I'd react. She said, she didn't know what she'd do either.

However, for one of my interviews, both interviewers were very aggressive and I consequently got more aggressive too e.g
Me: ... so I think the NHS should be, first and foremost, focused on healthcare, not profit. It's not a business-
Interview: (sarcastically, cuts in) Oh really? Well, this college is a business. It turns a profit each year.
Me: (sarcastically) Good.

But hey, I got in. And into that particular college too.

Reply 41

digital-observations

To be honest, I don't know how I came across at all. I don't really think I made any conscious effort to do anything in particular, I just did whatever came naturally. Obviously the usual things like being polite, sound as though you have some confidence in yourself and your opinions, keep eye contact as much as you can, smile etc, but don't try too hard or you're just going to end up seeming too rehearsed. I remember pausing a lot on several occasions to think things through, lots of umm and err-ing, thinking things through out loud and in some cases getting myself into a mess and changing my answer completely. However you plan to act you'll probably forget about once you're in the interview anyway...

Reply 42

Murk

An air of intelligence.

Damn I'm good. I ought to be in Drama school.

Reply 43

aaron the seh teddy

I found big puppy dog eyes seemed to work with the lady tutors

Reply 44

CoS88

To echo what pretty much everyone else has said here - just be yourself. In my case, "being myself" meant sitting outside my interview room swearing continuously and silently and wondering if it was too late to escape the whole thing by just climbing out of the window...and then going in thinking "oh screw it, here we go", and...well. "being myself" for me basically translates to "wave hands around while talking, make sarcastic comments, and generally reveal the crazy person that is me".

well. it did work...

Reply 45

georgecrabbe

3

Open with some insipid and irrelevant remark about children being surprising. Be nervous and fidgety. Get really obvious questions wrong and sit so that the sunlight goes right in your eyes (if you're asked whether you'd like to move, decline). Keep saying, "I don't know" without explaining your thought process. If you're guessing something, make it really obvious that you're guessing. Finally, on the way out, apologise for being such an idiot.

Worked for me. :smile:

Reply 46

henryt

17

Also, don't panic if you get stuff wrong. I (temporarily) forgot how to integrate... Not the best approach to a Maths interview, it has to be said, but I still got an offer...

Reply 47

bourbon_creams

8

apologetic and self-deprecating as usual but also talking loads because i am actually genuinely passionate about history. sometimes i forgot what i was talking about and grinded to a halt. but i didn't let them argue me into a corner about anything, so i thought about what i was going to say carefully and didn't give any throw away comments because some people i spoke to the interviewers started to argue with them and in the end they had to admit defeat; i was determined they wouldn't catch me out ... but then also maybe they were just nice to me and decided not to argue.
maybe it was because i didn't act all confident and arrogant - i was shaking !!

i hate interviews !!

Reply 48

bourbon_creams

8

aaron the seh teddy

I found big puppy dog eyes seemed to work with the lady tutors

yes, you're exactly right... and the photos i sent in on forms and stuff were also in pleading big eyes mode.

Reply 49

Chess Piece Face

OP

bourbon_creams

apologetic and self-deprecating as usual but also talking loads because i am actually genuinely passionate about history. sometimes i forgot what i was talking about and grinded to a halt. but i didn't let them argue me into a corner about anything, so i thought about what i was going to say carefully and didn't give any throw away comments because some people i spoke to the interviewers started to argue with them and in the end they had to admit defeat; i was determined they wouldn't catch me out ... but then also maybe they were just nice to me and decided not to argue.
maybe it was because i didn't act all confident and arrogant - i was shaking !!

i hate interviews !!

I had a mock interview today and while I was assured that my answers were good, I said them in a kind of stream-of-consciousness way and generally just kept talking and talking... is that OK? I was a bit concerned that I should have, as the senior staff told me, formed more of a rapport with the interviewers and listened more to them (even though I did directly address their questions).

Reply 50

schrodinger's kitten

I interviewed for physical sciences at Cambridge. The interview mostly consisted of solving problems, some using pen and paper and some discussed orally with the interviewer. I tried to focus on the problems, suggested methods of solving them even if I didn't know how exactly to do it, and if I couldn't see any way of solving it suggested random things I knew that were related to the topic. And when really stuck, I asked for help from the interviewer. I got in. An interview is basically a mock supervision - they're looking for your ability to learn well in that kind of environment, not for what you already know.

Reply 51

missygeorgia

18

Everyone who's replying 'just be yourself' are you constantly the same? Do you not switch from being nervous to confident to shy to flirtatious to angry? With most people 'being yourself' means constantly changing your demeanor according to your environment. I think the OP's question was a very interesting one.

Reply 52

Tom

15

My demeanour in the interview?

Terror. Probably sums it up.

Reply 53

Elegy

I just acted naturally and let my nervous energy flow. I told one of my interviewers that I thought the theory of intelligent design was crap (I even used that word) and I came up with the most awful phrases. My subject interviewers and I were discussing utilitarianism and one of the things I said was "it's good bang for your buck". But I managed to get in because even though I may have a slight casual swearing problem and talk more colloquially than some, I did justify most things I said while appreciating the flaws and problems with my justifications. At least that's what I'm assuming.

I actually found that my subject interview went by very quickly, I thought it would drone on for what would seem like hours but the discussion was very interesting and the time just flew by.

Reply 54

Profesh

20

Chess Piece Face

I had a mock interview today and while I was assured that my answers were good, I said them in a kind of stream-of-consciousness way and generally just kept talking and talking... is that OK? I was a bit concerned that I should have, as the senior staff told me, formed more of a rapport with the interviewers and listened more to them (even though I did directly address their questions).

Ideas first; discipline later. (Or, in my case, not at all.)

Reply 55

--

3

Homosexual. Sure-fire winner, with my face anyway.

Reply 56

Geo123

1

Personally, I think if you intend to act a certain way in order to impress, as soon as you get in there it'll all go out of the window. I don't remember much of the interview I advise to keep talking, maintain eye contact and if you haven't got a clue what they're on about, come across as though you're learning something. I don't advise to lie- I said I read science fiction in a panic and he soon caught on I was lying. Got the offer though.

Reply 57

o00o

beckynewsome

Im a successful applicant, and I was completely myself the whole time. I said something stupid and about 30 seconds later, realised what I said and couldnt stop laughing because it was so idiotic!At the time I thought i wouldnt get in because of it, but looking back I think it helped me because they knew i wasnt pretending to be something im not.
QUOTE]

i'm intrigued, what did you say? :smile:

Reply 58

talespirit

15

Talk to the interviewer the day before during a Uni presentation (only to be forgotten the next day). On the day, walk in not knowing what the two most important words in the passage meant (come out knowing what they mean), shook hands, answer the questions to the point, i was honest when i didn't know the answer, came out as though i learnt something(i did). Support what you say with evidence, and ask good questions that have not been answered anywhere else. Before leaving, ask the interviewer how her day has been, ask her to visit my country sometime, shook hands, say thankyou for her time, and walk out....

Don't know how i went though...got my fingers crossed.

Reply 59

Nissay

just came out of my Cam interview. so nervous, babbled like hell (and painfully aware of how incredibly stupid i sounded) at first but as the interview went on i relaxed and just got on with things. i answered fair, told him i needed time when i was stuck. my interviewer was lovely, he was really friendly and just kept helping me when i got a little stuck. it was an incredibly technical interview, i didn't think it was going to be so hands on to be honest.

that said i'm not too confident of my chances.. oh well.

What demeanour did you adopt in your interview?

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