Post interview blues

[2017]

So I just had a PhD Skype interview with a program I'm interested in, but thinking back over my answers and the responses of interviewers, I'm concerned that I spoke too quickly and wasn't very clear. In previous interviews, I have had interviewers who either nod their head or smile to acknowledge that they are listening / understanding what I'm saying, but these interviewers kinda just stared at me when I talked and then would move on to another question without any comments on my previous responses. Their lack of conversational engagement and my own assessment of my responses is making me pretty upset because I don't think I performed as well as I could have. Has anybody had similar experiences either with interviewers or self-doubt? Or people who thought they did poorly but ended up getting the spot/position?

[olayak]

I just had an interview and she was so hard on me, I was so nervous I did not give good answers. I have the blues, too. I'm already expecting that rejection letter. It's a shame because I usually interview so well. 

[0002684179]

Sorry to hear that. What went on that was especially difficult?

[CoffeeFueledAnxiety]

Yesterday I had a quite similar experience. Unlike others I had, the conversation in this Skype interview did not seem to flow and I was quite nervous. It did not help that the interviewer was in quite a dark room and I can't really see her face nor her expression clearly so I could not be sure if she was satisfied with my answers or not. I was unable to answer few question on the basic scientific knowledge of my field (I suddenly forgot quite a lot of things) and it feels like she just went on asking the question from a list without any follow up for my answers, etc. Definitely had my post-interview blues for the whole day but now I think I am feeling better. Trying to remind myself that what happened happened and all I can do now is hope for the best and do my best if I got another interview offer.

Still waiting to hear until the end of the month to find out if she thought I was adequate for the program.

[2017]

23 hours ago, CoffeeFueledAnxiety said:

Yesterday I had a quite similar experience. Unlike others I had, the conversation in this Skype interview did not seem to flow and I was quite nervous. It did not help that the interviewer was in quite a dark room and I can't really see her face nor her expression clearly so I could not be sure if she was satisfied with my answers or not. I was unable to answer few question on the basic scientific knowledge of my field (I suddenly forgot quite a lot of things) and it feels like she just went on asking the question from a list without any follow up for my answers, etc. Definitely had my post-interview blues for the whole day but now I think I am feeling better. Trying to remind myself that what happened happened and all I can do now is hope for the best and do my best if I got another interview offer.

Still waiting to hear until the end of the month to find out if she thought I was adequate for the program.

Thanks for sharing! If it makes you feel better, the school I wrote this post about ended up rejecting me from the PhD, but liked my application enough to fully fund me for an MA. When I asked if I wasn't accepted for the PhD because of a poor interview, the department responded by saying that they felt my interview was very strong, and that I only wasn't accepted because this year's applicants were "unusually" strong. The program is a top one, so I don't think they would have offered a funded MA if I sounded like a total idiot, which I thought I did. So don't lose hope! We are often our harshest critics. 

Edited February 4, 2017 by 2017

[CoffeeFueledAnxiety]

@2017 Thanks, that does make me feel better. I guess some interviewer just has different style and ways to handle the interview than others.

Also, congratulation for the offer!