Skype Interview

[FfIghter23]

I was offered a "Skype Interview" for a school that is across the country from where I currently live. I never once asked for one and always assumed that interviews were supposed to be face-to-face! Flying out to the school is not a problem for me and I made that clear, but the program admin insisted. Is this weird? I would never attend a school without first being on campus and have a good idea where all my money is going. Thoughts anyone?

[HopefulPA]

No it is not weird. Many employers have been doing interviews via tele-conference before sykpe was around. It provides a way of "Meeting" without the expense of airfare, hotel, car rental etc... Dress just like you would for a face to face interview. If you haven't been on Skype before I would suggest that you practice because there is a slight delay at times. If you get accepted then fly out to see the campus, city etc... Good luck

[winterallsummer]

I did this for a job once. For them I guess it is fine.. go ahead and do it but if you are accepted of course go check out the campus yourself and ask for a tour and whatnot.

[JCrownover]

I did a telephone conference interview for a PA residency across the country. After they were sure I wasn't a total weirdo I was invited for an in person interview. When I got there in person I made sure THEY weren't total weirdos.

 

I totally agree that if they offer you a spot in the class you should fly out and get a campus tour with someone from THE PROGRAM available to answer questions. Remember you are also interviewing them =). You have to live with this tuition expense and time sink, so make sure you are comfortable with it.

 

Yes practice ahead of time. I'm not talking about content, but about technology instead. Phone & Skype interviews are awkward! You don't want to deal with the learning curve while trying to impress them.

 

Good luck!

[swimbikerun4fun]

I just did a Skype-like interview and was told I was denied entrance into the program because I totally FAILED the interview. They told me I should seek some speaking skills coaching....I am a professional motivational speaker and get paid up to $3,000 for my speaking events. None of my evaluations in audiences of up to 3000 women has ever eluded to any sort of issue related to connecting with my audiences or conveying my message of preventative health measures. I responded to the program director that I felt it was an extremely unfortunate circumstance that Skype was used as the method to select the final 60 students out of 120. I have been repeatedly told all my professional career (20 years) that I hold a unique and amazing gift of professional presence, lighting up the room when I walk in, making people feel very comfortable, knowing my stuff inside out (I am a certified dietitian, diabetes educator, personal trainer, life coach) fun, humorous, and encouraging. While I tried my best to convey these positive attributes in a computer screen for an hour, the interviewer felt I was overly eager, too excited, too talkative and gave too many examples for the questions asked. The Program Director's response for using Skype was that "it would be too expensive to ask students to fly here for an interview". Are you kidding me? Your program's tuition is the cheapest in the nation at $32,000, I think it would be ok to ask 120 people to fly in for a night, geez.

[JCrownover]

The expense of flying to wherever for an interview is nothing compared to a year lost due to having to re apply after not getting in.

[FfIghter23]

In my humble opinion, I think Phone/Skype interviews are an unreliable source of gauging a students attitude and true personality. I understand that "technology" has come a long way and many large corporations use it to hold conferences/hire employees, but this is a professional interview for a MEDICAL career that all students are not capable of undertaking. Anyone can sound good on paper, but few can walk the walk.

[swimbikerun4fun]

Hey Jcrownover, just a note to further make you as POed as I am, this particular school I am referring to above only takes students every 2 years. So, I ended the phone conversation with the Program Director in my softest and most humble voice, with children crying in the background, by stating, " I am not waiting for another 2 years. I WILL get accepted to the other school I applied to, which is 550 miles away, and my 8 and 10 years olds thank YOU for making mom move away for 17 months to achieve her dreams of being a FABULOUS PA-C." pilates-mycoachcathy.com

[mackjacks]

Hey Jcrownover, just a note to further make you as POed as I am, this particular school I am referring to above only takes students every 2 years. So, I ended the phone conversation with the Program Director in my softest and most humble voice, with children crying in the background, by stating, " I am not waiting for another 2 years. I WILL get accepted to the other school I applied to, which is 550 miles away, and my 8 and 10 years olds thank YOU for making mom move away for 17 months to achieve her dreams of being a FABULOUS PA-C." pilates-mycoachcathy.com

 

In my personal opinion, it was not very professional of you to make that phone call in a situation where children would be crying in the background. Was there no other option?

[swimbikerun4fun]

Oh as if! No, the Program Director called me back on my cell phone at her convenience, which was at 5:45 pm. I was hoping she would say she would like me to re-interview, but she did not, so I got teary eyed, and so my kids in the back seat started crying. Really, it is against my professional judgement to even be posting my anger and disappointment on this forum, I did so in a weak moment and am regretting it greatly, so let me just end my opinions on this subject here. All the best to each of you, Skype interview or face-to-face.