I dont think i passed interview....

[azmameshiba]

I just had the JET interview but i don't think i passed...

the internet is filled with people who say they always ask "why did you pick so and so area"
and always finish with "do you have any questions for us"
but i was never asked these. it was really quick in and out. by the end of it i feel like i had said only 1%
of what i had prepared and that i didn't get to emphasis my main points.


anyone who got into jet feel the same way?....

[Bejma]

From what I've gathered on the internet, the interview (much like the JET program itself) is a very "every situation is different" type deal. A current JET and friend of mine said they asked him only 4 questions and none of them pertained to anything that is written on most internet websites. He said his interview was about ten minutes and that was it, he still got accepted. Another friend said it was very intimidating and they focused only on his weaknesses. Then there are the war tribunal type panels where they drill you and make accusations about you're motives.

Don't feel terrible, every situation truly is different.

[KoeiS]

^ I agree.
I've heard so many stories about how horrible people's interviews went but they managed to get shortlisted nonetheless. My interviewers didn't ask the placement preference question either but I thought my interview went pretty well. Some people just don't get the "do you have any questions for us" and it could very well be because interviewers in your city doesn't ask that or they are behind on time. They're not must-ask questions like why Japan/JET. I felt like my interview went by really quick and I didn't say much of what I planned to say. You've done as much as you can and there's nothing more you can do now so it's time to relax and waaaaiiiiiitttttttt!

[Bejma]

^ I agree.
I've heard so many stories about how horrible people's interviews went but they managed to get shortlisted nonetheless. My interviewers didn't ask the placement preference question either but I thought my interview went pretty well. Some people just don't get the "do you have any questions for us" and it could very well be because interviewers in your city doesn't ask that or they are behind on time. They're not must-ask questions like why Japan/JET. I felt like my interview went by really quick and I didn't say much of what I planned to say. You've done as much as you can and there's nothing more you can do now so it's time to relax and waaaaiiiiiitttttttt!

Yeah, the waiting is going to be killer. Gonna have to hit the gym a bit more frequently to get my mind off of it. That's what I'm doing today to get my mind off of my interview tomorrow, lest I worry myself into a coma.

On topic: Don't worry, the interviews never go as you plan in your head. Time to be patient like everyone else and wait for the decision.

[ladama]

I've heard so many stories about how horrible people's interviews went but they managed to get shortlisted nonetheless.

Yup, and I also hear stories of people who think their interviews went pretty well but they were made alternates, or even not accepted.

I was so nervous during my interview, they asked a lot of questions, but my answers were short with little elaboration. They asked me a couple "name 3 things . . ." style questions and I know I bombed those, my brain basically bluescreened when they asked "What 3 American movies would you show Japanese students?". If I had it to do over again, I would have answered all the questions differently. When I talked to other interviewees, they would say things like "Oh, it was less like an interview and more like a discussion" or "Yeah, I was in there for over the allotted time." Trust me, by the time the interview results came out, I had convinced myself I for sure wasn't going to be accepted. And I was . . . made an alternate, so clearly my interview wasn't awesome, but it wasn't as awful as I had thought either.

[megandd]

I keep going over my interview in my head, thinking of things I wished I had said or done differently. I'm hoping that my qualifications and statement of purpose will make up for any weaknesses in my interview. I guess all I can do now is wait and pray..... and maybe pound the Japanese textbooks! lol

[losdutchmen]

I just had the JET interview but i don't think i passed...

the internet is filled with people who say they always ask "why did you pick so and so area"
and always finish with "do you have any questions for us"
but i was never asked these. it was really quick in and out. by the end of it i feel like i had said only 1%
of what i had prepared and that i didn't get to emphasis my main points.


anyone who got into jet feel the same way?....

Where did you interview? From what I'm hearing, different areas have different "styles" of interviews. I got to my interview a little early, all of the interviewers were being briefed, so I imagine they all ask similar questions. At our location they had 4 sets of interviews going on at the same time. They seemed to have a menu to choose from. No good cop/bad cop routines, no really weird questions, no simulated lessons, just basics. Basically the opposite of what you've read on the boards here. Overall it was fairly pleasant.

Don't worry about it. They asked what they wanted to know. As long as you answered genuinely you'll be fine.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

I just had the JET interview but i don't think i passed...

the internet is filled with people who say they always ask "why did you pick so and so area"
and always finish with "do you have any questions for us"
but i was never asked these. it was really quick in and out. by the end of it i feel like i had said only 1%
of what i had prepared and that i didn't get to emphasis my main points.

I got these two, and a fair few of the 'standard' ones too.

[danicoro]

I just had my interview today as well, and my panel didn't ask me why I chose the area I chose. They DID ask me if I had any questions about the programme, but to be fair, I didn't because I knew any questions I might have would be situational, and as we know, ESID, but everything else that I might have wanted to ask had already been answered either through research or the forums. Don't sweat it. Either way, it's out of our hands for now, and we'll find out in April what really transpired.

[tkmd]

my interview had very little of what i had prepared for. it lasted about 20 or 25 min and i wish i could have said more on a few questions. to my surprise, they didn't ask about my placement choices. they asked the obvious "why did you choose jet?" "why do you wish to go to japan?" questions. i left really confident but as it got later in the day, i realized i could have said more on some.

i didn't get any q's on "name 3 things..." or "what would you bring..."

also, they didn't ask me if i had any questions. they told me if i had any q's to ask the panel in the waiting area. i have to say that all three interviewers were extremely nice. i might have gotten lucky but my experience was nowhere near any of the nightmare stories i've read. we'll just have to wait until april though.

if it's any consolation, i read somewhere the odds of getting accepted after the interview are between 1 in 6 and 1 in 3, which, if you think about it, are obviously better odds than getting accepted into many universities, winning the lottery, etc. 1/6 is pretty darn good. it's like, would you go swimming in the sea if 1 in 6 people got attacked by sharks? besides, i think it's a lot like finals in college or even ap tests in high school: you probably did way better than you think you did.

anyways, good luck to everyone!

edit: the toughest question i got was somewhere along the lines of "you're in a rural fishing village. how would you motivate a student who doesn't feel he would ever need to learn english?" i said something along the lines of keeping the activities fun and enthusiastic while pointing out the importance of internationalization so as to keep the students motivated. sheesh, i hope i did ok....

[word]

Try to stop stressing about it.

I wasn't offered a chance to ask questions at my interview, either. After I left, I was coming down off the adrenaline so hard, I remember my hands were shaking as I left the building. My brain was in a blurry haze during the entire (six-hour) drive home (luckily, I was not driving). It seemed as though my interview has been ridiculously brief, and that I'd spent the entire time babbling like a complete moron without saying anything intelligent. For the next several weeks, every time I thought about the interview, it seemed even worse and worse. I tried to downplay the interview and entire JET program to everyone who asked me about it; "it's a longshot; I probably won't make it," etc.

Shortlisted. Since then, I've seen a lot of people get in who thought their interviews were bad, and lots of people fail to get in who though they'd had the greatest interview on the planet. Just try to focus on something else for now; worrying isn't gonna help anything.

[Eigen]

It's very normal to second-guess yourself after your interview! I did last year, but I was shortlisted, even when I couldn't do any of the Japanese questions. They flat out skipped the Japanese section! They'll look at your strengths, your background and the full picture before they decide whether or not to accept you.

[fiori]

I just had the JET interview but i don't think i passed...

the internet is filled with people who say they always ask "why did you pick so and so area"
and always finish with "do you have any questions for us"
but i was never asked these. it was really quick in and out.

Perhaps they were waiting to see if you would take the initiative to request whether you could ask a question at the end of the interview..... just think about that for a minute

[Queequeg]

I don't know what to think about my interview. I feel like I didn't say anything that wasn't on my app or essay, and everytime they asked for specific examples I froze. I even commented on the how good the office view was!
But even with that, we went for half an hour, and they seemed personally disappointed when I pointed out I didn't have my early admission forms in so I wouldn't be heading out in april. Even stopped me to ask how soon I could get them in! But the rest of the interview and my app were bland and disappointing, I even said America was meant freedom, oh man.

Sorry, I just got wifi on the train so this is the first I've had to mention this to anyone.

[Ertai87]

I didn't get asked either of those questions either, about my placement preferences or if I had any questions. I think my interview went pretty well otherwise, though.