Worst experience of your life? Interview question.

[rball641]

Just wondering how other people would answer this interview question...

What was the worst experience of your life?

[cinntsp]

I wouldn't count on being asked that one. Or were you actually asked it? That's kind of a creepy question, lol. I'm sure many people have "worst experiences" that they would rather forget than share at a PA school interview.

[rball641]

I was asked this question - don't worry I thought it was weird too :)

I blanked and said that all the experiences I've had have made me who I am and why I'm here...etc..

[Just Steve]

creepy question for sure

[cinntsp]

creepy question for sure

 

Seriously. When they ask a medic that question and the answer is "I watched from the next humvee back as my buddy's leg was disintegrated by an IED," what would they say then? :=Z:

[Sara Wajek]

I was asked the most disappointing moment of my life at one of my interviews. I felt like an honest answer would have been way too personal and really none of the business of the person interviewing me.

[Just Steve]

Seriously. When they ask a medic that question and the answer is "I watched from the next humvee back as my buddy's leg was disintegrated by an IED," what would they say then? :=Z:

 

exactly...sorta puts a mood killer on the day.

[ToppDog]

Okay, maybe those of you who have been through this can give your perspective... I teach people how to answer questions like this during job interviews. I would classify this as a "trap question" in that they ask it in a generic way hoping you'll fall into the trap & reveal personal information that would have been illegal to ask of you directly. I tell my students to only answer these questions as they relate to their work/professional experience, & to not reveal any personal info that could be used against them. So, should prospective PA's treat these questions the same way during an interview for PA school, or should they be expected to open up & reveal personal info as well?

[vaston]

FWIW, in my experience questions like these are typically asked of people that may be perceived by the adcoms as having maybe an "easy" life. I doubt seriously that this question would be asked of someone with combat experience or had discussed the death of a loved one in their personal statement. If they see a 22 year old individual from an upper-middle class background that went to an expensive undergrad institution, they may be wanting to see what kind of challenges they have experienced. Regardless of how you feel about this question, it's not illegal to ask, so if you didn't discuss any challenging situations in your personal statement then be prepared to answer this type of question.

[Just Steve]

I really would not want to share some of my darkest things. Maybe if I was in that situation I'd try to tap dance a little...ask them to specify what aspect of my life are they hoping to discuss? "The most horrible thing in my academic life? My relationship life? My home life? My work life?" It is a fairly contextual question. If you can wiggle a bit and avoid the truly dark segment of life and give them a softball answer, it may bail you out.

 

I am not completely convinced if I would want to attend a program that asks this sort of question. If they feel this is an important question to ask their applicants, what are they hoping to achieve? Do they look for the game of "one upmanship" where they compare the applicants' stories to find the most gross or disturbing or sad?

 

Creepy question

[greenmood]

^ I agree with this. There should be a reason for every question asked. That's a matter of integrity. There are ways to assess an applicant's ability to handle challenges without trying to force them into a deeply personal disclosure. There is also a difference between putting a little pressure on someone during an interview and making them truly uncomfortable.

[vaston]

 

I am not completely convinced if I would want to attend a program that asks this sort of question. If they feel this is an important question to ask their applicants, what are they hoping to achieve? Do they look for the game of "one upmanship" where they compare the applicants' stories to find the most gross or disturbing or sad?

 

Creepy question

 

They don't compare. They want to see how you responded to what happened. You can tell a lot about a person by how they respond to trials and difficulty in their life. PA school is challenging. It's HARD. Some people may even say that it's the worst thing they have ever experienced. Adcoms want to know how you will respond to hardship. If I were asked that question I would tell them about how my daughters were born extremely premature and how it was an amazing difficult thing to deal with emotionally. But my wife and I worked through the difficulties and supported our daughters in everything they needed. I am now a stronger person because of it. That's what I think they are looking for. To assume that they are trying to dig up personal information from you is a bit extreme. Use that question as an opportunity to show how you have overcome a difficult situation in your life. Besides, it's completely up to you what you share as your "worst experience". Even if it's not, you can illustrate how you made it through whatever situation you actually share. And no, after the interview they won't sit around wondering if you actually shared your "worst" experience.

[vaston]

they can ask that of anyone, not just privelaged folks.

 

My apologies. I didn't mean to suggest that question would only be asked to privileged people, although I can see how my answer could be easily taken that way. I only meant to suggest that some applicants may not have shared any challenging experiences when writing personal statements/supplementals. If that is the case then adcoms simply want to see how you handled a bad experience.

[IdahoPA]

I think there is probably a better way to find out "how you handle a bad experience." For example, I was asked "Tell us about a time you faced adversity." I shared a little story about an insulting patient whose leg I was trying to stitch up. I didn't have to share a life-altering problem. FWIW, I probably would not have answered "What was the worst experience of your life?" in an interview with strangers. Like the other military members, my worst experinece was overseas. But what if you were the victim of a personal crime or witnessed something really bad, like murder? Those kinds of things shouldn't be opened in an interview, esp one without the proper structure to handle the kind of emotions that are sure to be elicited. I'm surprised the committee would even be that insensitive.

[vaston]

I think there is probably a better way to find out "how you handle a bad experience." For example, I was asked "Tell us about a time you faced adversity." I shared a little story about an insulting patient whose leg I was trying to stitch up. I didn't have to share a life-altering problem. FWIW, I probably would not have answered "What was the worst experience of your life?" in an interview with strangers. Like the other military members, my worst experinece was overseas. But what if you were the victim of a personal crime or witnessed something really bad, like murder? Those kinds of things shouldn't be opened in an interview, esp one without the proper structure to handle the kind of emotions that are sure to be elicited. I'm surprised the committee would even be that insensitive.

 

Again, this question is not meant to encourage you to divulge your deepest darkest experience. YOU choose how to answer this question. YOU choose the story that illustrates how you have dealt with a challenging situation. None of the interviewers will know of your worst experience. They will trust that what you have told them was in truth a difficult situation that you had to overcome, and it may have actually been life altering. Simple as that. To take it so literal is really kind of silly. Murder? Personal Crime? Do you honestly think the interview committee is looking to hear about the time a marine witnessed his friend die right next to him? I don't understand why this question has been taken so far off course. The likelihood of being asked a question like this is very high. This is not illegal, over the top, or even that far off base! Be prepared to answer it. You are in ultimate control of how you answer questions.

[IdahoPA]

Relax, vaston. I think the rest of us are just saying the question could (and should) have been worded better. This helps the applicant know how to respond in a comfortable way and gives the adcom an idea of how the applicant would react in a not-great situation. Win-win.

[vaston]

Relax, vaston. I think the rest of us are just saying the question could (and should) have been worded better. This helps the applicant know how to respond in a comfortable way and gives the adcom an idea of how the applicant would react in a not-great situation. Win-win.

 

Don't worry, I'm plenty relaxed. I'm almost done with my program. Got in on my first try. Have a job all lined up. I have been involved with 4 interviews at my program since I came here. I know how their adcoms and interviewers work. I know what they are looking for. I have insight that I thought I would try to pass on to all of the pre-pa folks that are obviously not relaxed about their current situation. But, if it's not wanted, then I will not give it. Good luck.

[HopefulPA]

Okay, maybe those of you who have been through this can give your perspective... I teach people how to answer questions like this during job interviews. I would classify this as a "trap question" in that they ask it in a generic way hoping you'll fall into the trap & reveal personal information that would have been illegal to ask of you directly. I tell my students to only answer these questions as they relate to their work/professional experience, & to not reveal any personal info that could be used against them. So, should prospective PA's treat these questions the same way during an interview for PA school, or should they be expected to open up & reveal personal info as well?

 

I agree. As a former HR professional all questions no matter how silly/creepy you may think they are they all reveal something about who you are even if you keep the answer to only professional and not personal experiences. Try and keep it professional but there is nothing wrong with a personal answer either. Maybe you have lost a loved one and it was the moment the doc informed you of their passing. Just if you are going to choose a personal issue becareful and think about what you will be revealing about yourself.... Always when you answer a question like this not only reveal the answer but how you handled the situation.

[Just Steve]

Listening to an interview with an Iraq vet one day being aired on NPR...they were talking about the difficulties of transitioning back to civilian life, how school was going for him, how things at home were...then they asked him what is the worse thing about being home from the war was....

 

He answered "the worse thing about being home is having all these people ask, no, beg me to tell them some horror stories from the war. When I look at them and tell them 'My life is not your pornography", they get insulted. Like I'm supposed to be their thrill for them."

 

Questions like this one could be asked in about a dozen different ways. If an HR group can't recognize that fact, I wouldn't want to work for that company. They failed that interview with me.

[greenmood]

That's what I mean. I think the phrasing should be more careful, that's all. Nothing wrong with trying to get them to explore their methods of dealing with adversity, but to ask already nervous students about the "worst experience of their life" is just borrowing trouble. The argument can be made that someone under the emotional pressure of an interview should be able to dodge the question and answer appropriately, but it goes back to... do you want to go to a school that employs that kind of psychology? Even if the applicants answer without revealing something truly horrific, their minds have already "gone there" and the school risks them being ruined for the rest of the questions (assuming the other questions have legitimate purpose as well).

 

If you really want to get that question answered, ask it better.

[swimrgal02]

Just wondering how other people would answer this interview question...

What was the worst experience of your life?

 

This question is so straight to the point it leaves no alternative for BS. You either have an answer with substance or you don't. That's why they asked it exactly the way they did.

[mackjacks]

Perhaps the ADCOMs wording on the question was designed to see if the applicant has enough discretion to avoid something very, very personal? It's hard to say how I would answer this question if it were sprung on me during the state of mind I find myself in during interviews, but sitting here now I am considering an answer like:

 

"The *absolute worst* experience of my life stems from a difficult personal relationship among my immediate family members, but I do not feel that this interview is the appropriate place to discuss it. Deferring to my professional life, when I first started looking for patient-care experience jobs after passing my CNA exam, I applied for over 80 medical assistant and hospital nurse assistant positions. It was important to me to get experience in a hospital or clinic setting, since this is where I will likely work as a PA. After a month without even one call for an interview I felt very dejected, but I contacted the hiring managers for several of the positions and found that they all had firm policies against hiring applicants without experience. I found that home healthcare was an easier area to get started working with patients, as many agencies hire new CNAs, and I quickly was offered positions taking care of stroke survivors and a quadriplegic. After gaining initial experience in this manner, I applied to more clinical positions and was hired as a Nurse Aide on a General Surgery unit in a large hospital, working in a setting more like where I plan to be as a PA."

 

Whatd'ya think? Kind of seems like it might be a lame cop-out, but it lets them know that I realize it's not the place to talk about something like my parent's divorce...

[PArunner]

If I was going to be an interviewer, I would sort-of be offended if you said "this is not the time or place to discuss xyz". If you want to use your professional story as your worst experience, stick to that, don't explain that you have a worse personal situation and that you'd rather not discuss it. Don't feel bad if it's a lame cop-out. They want to know how you handled a certain situation and whether you resolved it, which you did in a decent and respectable manner.

[mktalon]

The issue with the wording is that they don't ask for a bad experience, they ask for the WORST. There is no room in the middle for a cop out answer. It leaves the interviewee with option of either lying and giving a bs answer and looking like they have had a cush life with nothing to overcome, or being inappropriate and divulging a story that should not be talked about in a professional environment. If I were in that situation I would ask them to clarify as to whether they are looking for my worst professional or educational experience or worst all around. The ball would then be in their court. If they then asked for worst all around then I probably would not answer the question and say that I would prefer to keep the questions relevant to my professional and educational experiences and how they relate to their specific program.