General Tips About Interviewing
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Wherever possible, respond to interview
questions with answers that provide evidence that you possess
the skills, qualities, and attributes programs want, such as
maturity, learning from problems in the past, a strong work
ethic, and an ability to get along with other team members
and to relate to patients effectively. |
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Try to strike a balance between being
prepared for questions you expect to be asked but not to the
point of sounding too rehearsed. Choose the appropriate
people at the program for asking different kinds of
questions. For example, it's OK to ask residents if
moonlighting is permitted or about perks, but not the program
director. |
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Always try to answer in ways that
demonstrate that you have the maturity, enthusiasm, work
habits, and ability to work as part of a team—qualities all
programs want in residents. |
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Bring along a copy of your ERAS application,
money, a small portfolio, pen, and printouts of program
information that you collected during your research and
reviewed the night before the interview. |
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Maintain good eye contact, have a firm
handshake, don't fidget, and be honest in your responses and
thoughtful in answering the tough questions with no right
answers, like the hypothetical situation or ethical dilemma
type of questions. Glib replies to these will come across as
overly rehearsed and insincere. |
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Never criticize other programs or
specialties, even if the interviewer invites you to do
so. |
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Don't over stress how experienced you are to
compensate for your fears of being considered too old. |
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Try not to be late, but if it's unavoidable,
always call to warn the program staff that you will be and
let them know when you expect to arrive. |
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NEVER ask how they intend to rank you. This
is against the NRMP rules. |
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While you are doing out-of-town interviews,
take a look around the community. Check out rental and
housing prices. If you match happen to match at these
locations, you'll need this information. |
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Immediately after the interview day, make
time to jot down notes about your impressions, as well as the
names of those you spoke with. You will need these notes once
interviews are done for personalizing thank you letters and
to think about when you are comparing and ranking programs
later on. |
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If questions about a program occur to you
after the interview, it's OK to call and ask program staff.
This also is a subtle way to let them know that you are still
interested in their program. |
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Write a thank you letter to the program
director. However, it isn't necessary to write thank you
letters to everyone you met during the interview day. Mention
a few specific aspects about the program that particularly
impressed you. |
Interview "DON'TS"
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Don't be late. If a blizzard delays your
arrival, call program staff to forewarn them and provide
information on when they should expect you. |
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Don't try to make a fashion statement.
Medicine is a conservative field; dress conservatively. |
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Don't act like a student. As this is really
a job interview, relate on a professional level. Be polite to
everyone you meet, as you never know who really wields power
in the program. |
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Don't make negative comments about other
programs in the specialty or about any other specialty
area. |
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Don't try to impress an interviewer by
exaggerating your credentials or past experiences. |
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And finally, don't forget to send thank you
letters with special thanks to those who went out of their
way to be informative or kind. Mention specifics that make
their program particularly attractive to you.
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