Post OCI follow up: explaining a bad interview Forum

[Anonymous User]

I OCI'ed with a firm and the interview did not go very well. I haven't received a pfo yet. I am thinking of sending them an e-mail explaining that I was nervous during the interview. Is this a bad idea?

[kaiser]

We get one chance. In the real world, there are no mulligans. You would make yourself look like a fool to make such a request.

[luthersloan]

Yes, that sounds like a bad idea.

[Anonymous User]

I am an otherwise very strong candidate (top 5% grades.) And I genuinely have a good explanation which is basically, I was sick on OCI day. Is this definitely a bad idea?

[Void]

I am an otherwise very strong candidate (top 5% grades.) And I genuinely have a good explanation which is basically, I was sick on OCI day. Is this definitely a bad idea?

Wait, are you OP again, or another person who thinks he gets a mulligan?

[Helmholtz]

Please don't take the OP seriously.

[luthersloan]

wait, why were you nervous if you were sick? The explanation sounds like it would raise more questions then it would answer.

[Void]

Please don't take the OP seriously.

A mod hint. Nice.

[Anonymous User]

I am an otherwise very strong candidate (top 5% grades.) And I genuinely have a good explanation which is basically, I was sick on OCI day. Is this definitely a bad idea?

I should have been top 1% of my class and I can explain why I am at the bottom now: I was sick during my finals, both the first and the second semesters. I've been very healthy all the time; I swear I am smarter than all the doods in my class. It's just that I was sick during my finals.

[Void]

I am an otherwise very strong candidate (top 5% grades.) And I genuinely have a good explanation which is basically, I was sick on OCI day. Is this definitely a bad idea?

I should have been top 1% of my class and I can explain why I am at the bottom now: I was sick during my finals, both the first and the second semesters. I've been very healthy all the time; I swear I am smarter than all the doods in my class. It's just that I was sick during my finals.

I was sick during a class in undergrad that would have otherwise bumped my GPA high enough to give me a shot at HYS, so can I just email OCI firms and asked to be considered as a Harvard Law student?

[Anonymous User]

^ If that was the case, then you could definitely address that in any admissions personal statement. I think my question came out the wrong way, what I meant to ask is, if I think I seemed uninterested during an interview, what can I do to show that I am in fact interested in that firm

[de5igual]

eh, honestly what do you have to lose? worst they'll do is ignore you. at least it'll bring you some closure so you're not left wondering "what if?"

[dood]

oh im sure it will go real well, just like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0PUrNwvvBk

[dood]

eh, honestly what do you have to lose? worst they'll do is ignore you. at least it'll bring you some closure so you're not left wondering "what if?"

worst is he didnt really screw up and they were prepared to make him an offer but due to retarded explanation of bad interview they decide not to.

[Anonymous User]

OP:

It's up to you, and it probably depends on how you do it. I had a screener where I absolutely had a terrible answer, but good rest of interview. Sent him a thank you later that day (e-mail) with a post script that said, hey, I was a touch nervous because I am really interested in your firm, here's the information you wanted and I didn't provide....

It fit with my general character from the interview, and if anything, made my application stronger. But this is totally dependent on your situation and how it will jive with what you did/didn't portray in interview. If you just plain had a bad interview, I am not sure that I would try and push it. If one individual just 'got to you' send them a quick thank you, noting that you really enjoyed the intellectual challenge and that interviewers at other firms hadn't been nearly as effective at actually stimulating a demanding, but rewarding series of questions.

Remember, any time an interviewer acts a certain way, especially if it's on purpose (v. disinterested or not caring), it's because he/she thinks they have some superior method for assessing you. Letting them know that, in the right way, is something I've never been afraid to do. Could it backfire? Sure. But it conveys so many different things... recognition, maturity, confidence, respect, all these things are great, and properly applied, can take you far. Done correctly, you've addressed the situation whether he/she thought you did great/bad, and having a candidate tell them their chosen method IS superior is a winner if you are capable of communicating effectively. YMMV.

[tlstlstls73]

eh, honestly what do you have to lose? worst they'll do is ignore you. at least it'll bring you some closure so you're not left wondering "what if?"

worst is he didnt really screw up and they were prepared to make him an offer but due to retarded explanation of bad interview they decide not to.

Yea there is no chance if OP did screw up that a post-interview mea culpa will get anywhere. There are plenty of other qualified candidates interested in that firm, the interview is to set them apart, a failed interview means OP is already out.

If OP didn't screw up, then contacting the interviewer outs OP as lacking in confidence and more importantly, lacking in perception. Don't think this can end well, just gotta let it go.