CDA Interviews

[Guest wishywish82]

So I just found out my blowing of the CDA interview cost me getting in. I knew the type of questions they asked and everything, but I just didn't know how they wanted me to answer them.

 

Does anyone know what they're looking for in the answers?? Or how to tackle the questions??

 

It's not that I wasn't prepared and I wasn't really nervous I just think I went about it wrong.

 

Thanks

[Guest TheRetardedOneDDS]

They put you into situations and want to hear how you would handle them. There are no right and wrong answers as long as the answer you give is justified. In listening to how you arrive at your solution, they are looking for qualities that would make you a good dentist.

 

Do not stray from the questions. I'm sure you are dying to tell them how you saved thousands of starving children in Africa, and have volunteered for 1000000 hours for your local dentist. Do not bring it up unless it is directly relevant to the question.

 

Talk throught the questions out loud. Explain how you arrived at certain decisions. Explain why you eliminated some alternatives. Be detailed, but don't blab about nothing.

 

Do your best. Now you've done a round of interviews and know what to expect. Learn from your mistakes and move forward.

[Guest UBC DMD for me]

I feel for you. Something similar happened to me on my first interview, then I prepped differently for my second interview and now I'm in!

 

I sent u a PM

[Guest shesallDAT]

Hey,

 

Yeah, I had no idea how to handle the questions either...but it must have worked out ok, because I got in everywhere I applied!

 

Here are a few tips I can offer:

 

If the question has several parts, get them to repeat it, and also double check with them when you answer to make sure you have addressed all the parts (shows attention to detail)...plus, the repeated reading buys you time to come up with something.

 

Pause after the question to think about your situation. (Ask if you can have a couple seconds to think about it.) If nothing comes to you after a couple minutes, ask politely if you can come back to it later. Sometimes they will come back with a different question (score!) NEVER say "That situation would never happen to me/has never happened to me". I overheard interviewers dissing the guy before me who'd said something like that.

 

When I answered, I got to the gist first (ie, yes or no, or a 1-2 sentence summary of the situation I thought of) and then added supporting details. Add reasons for everything you say, as much as possible. Think out loud, and don't rush anything. They are looking for the process as much as the answer. Make sure you are confident in supporting your answer without sounding like you've only considered one side of things, as many of the questions are not "black and white".

 

Here was one of my answers (as best I can recall):

 

You are new to a job at a store and the boss is going away for the weekend. He asks you to mind the store alone, even though you are not familiar with the cash register. What do you do?

 

-I would mind the store, as I would be concerned about making a good impression to boss (one sentence summary, shows motivation)

-ask him to review cash register procedures and ensure I'm comfortable with it

-ask him to leave notes in case I forget

-ask him to leave contact info-phone number or e-mail

(shows concern about doing the job well, and also shows realistic impression of self-ie, I have no idea what I'm doing and need help!)

-I would serve the customers as best I could, and if there was any trouble I'd consult notes or call boss (maturity)

 

(follow up: Is there anything you would NOT do?)

-I would not do any procedures on register I still was not comfortable with. For example, if I didn't know how to take credit card, I'd explain situation to customers, apologize, and ask if they could pay by debit (or something) (shows maturity, indicates ability to deal with people)

 

(follow up: What do you think would be the outcome of your actions?)

-here, I would just talk about the best case scenario. I could say something like "well, hopefully, I would be able to run the store and serve the customers well, and that would make the boss happy and also be an advantage for me, because I would learn how to use the register faster" or something like that.

 

When you are done, be sure to thank the interviewers. I heard debates on whether to ask them questions in return, but I didn't, as I couldn't think of any that would make me sound really good...

 

Anyhow, best of luck!

[Guest Labby Labberson]

Wishy,

 

Man, I know where you are coming from. I have had 6 interviews, and finally, on my sixth one, I got it right and got into UWO. The other five times though I was told that my interview cost me. This year what I tried to do was not worry about giving them the right answer, and give them a definitive, and confident answer. Basically the motto I lived by was "It's not what you say, its how you say it".

 

Be honest, justify your answers, be professional, polite, and pleasant, be confident in your answers, and make sure you say things that are definitive that will set you apart from others and say something strong about your character. For example, this year in my uwo interview, as part of an answer I said "I would rather get 100 on one exam/project and 0 on the other than 50 on both". Thats a pretty bold statement, but I was convinced that they were impressed that I had the guts to say that.

 

Obviously, being 1 for 6 im no expert on interviews, and I really think its mostly luck, seriously. You have to be interviewed by the right people, and the right time of day, and before and after the right applicants. I used the same strategy everywhere and u of T and dalhousie basically told me I blew the interview, but uwo said they loved me.

[Guest wishywish82]

Labby,

 

You must of had the same interviewers ar Dal I had. It didn't seem so bad at the time, but after getting the results back I realized how rough it was.

[Guest TheRetardedOneDDS]

6 interviews !!?!

 

Wow. Congrats on getting in.