Tips For Interviewing
A Typical Interview Day
The day usually begins at 8:00 am with an introduction to the program director and/or chief residents. You will most likely attend a morning report, followed by a tour, interviews (can be from 1-4 and each usually takes ~30 minutes), and lunch with residents/noon conference. Depending on the program, the interview day usually ends somewhere between 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.
The Content Of The Interview
Most applicants are happy to discover that interviews for residency are generally predictable and most often very pleasant. The program has already recognized your academic performance by granting you the interview. So, in most cases, your interviewers just want to learn more about your personality. At the same time, they also realize that this day is your opportunity to learn as much as possible about the 'personality' of the program, so much of the interview may be focused on providing you with this additional information.
Questions Frequently Asked By Interviewers:
- What are your 2 biggest strengths/weaknesses?
- Tell me about your research
- What are you looking for in a program?
- How do you handle stress?
- Tell me about yourself.
- What rotation was your most difficult?
- Tell me about a rewarding patient experience.
- Do you have any questions?
In fact, it is not uncommon for interviewers to start of the meeting with you with the query “do you have any questions?” As benign as this sounds, it does take some planning to formulate good questions that are appropriate for an interview. Many questions can be answered by reading the Web site information (easily found on Freida) and by reading the program's brochure. It's very helpful to read this information carefully before your interview day to avoid responses such as "the answer to that question is covered in our information packet--did you receive one?" The best questions are those that you encountered while reading the brochure, and those that are clearly unique questions about that particular program. The questions listed below are examples of common questions asked by students, although not necessarily the "best" questions (see the Residency Forum Packet). Of note, some interviewers have heard these questions so frequently, that they will answer these questions without being prompted. So, it's always a good idea to keep a few extra questions up your sleeve.
Common Questions Asked Of Faculty:
- Strengths/weaknesses of the program.
- Changes that have taken place in the last few years, predicted changes for your entering class.
Level of responsibility of the residents.
- Opportunities for research/projects that residents are currently involved in.
- Unique opportunities for residents
- Relationship between faculty and residents
Topics More Appropriate To Discuss With Residents:
- Night float/cap/early post-call departure/jeopardy system for call.
- The 80 hour work week
- Camaraderie among residents as well as residents and faculty.
- Favorite aspects of the program.
- Surprises about the program discovered during internship.
- About the city: where they live, cost of living, recreational activities.
Note: Questions regarding salary, benefits, etc can be found on individual program Web sites. It is generally not a good idea to address these on your interview day although some residents may bring it up.
Additional Questions Frequently Asked By Students:
What Do I Wear?
Books have been written on this very subject, but here we'll just make a few comments. Be neat, clean, and professional. Black/navy/and gray suits (with pants and/or skirts) were the most common for women. It's a very personal decision to determine how much individuality you would like to disclose in your outfit. For the men, gray and navy suits were abundant, and the ties ranged from very conservative to Peanuts cartoons. Again, an individual decision. If you have concerns/questions about the outfit that you have chosen, you can show your outfit to one of the advisors or Dr. Hunt and get some specific feedback before you take it on the road.
How Many Interviews Do I Schedule?
This is a difficult question to answer and depends on the types of programs to which you are applying, the strength of your application, and other individual characteristics. It is important to talk with your advisor about these issues to select a number that is appropriate for you, but the general guideline for most student is to plan on attending 10 interviews.
Should I Call Programs About Interviews?
Ideally, your application will be submitted in early September. The earliest that most programs begin scheduling interviews is in mid-October. Some programs, however, will wait until early November (when they have your Dean's letter) to contact you. This can be somewhat undesirable when you're trying to coordinate interviews! There are no formal recommendations about when to contact a program, but if your application has been submitted (and you have visited the ERAS Web site to see that the program has downloaded your file) then you may want to call the program coordinator if you haven't heard anything by mid-October. You can simply ask for the status of you application, and if it has not been reviewed yet, find out when it will be processed. Many people hesitate to call the programs for fear of being "annoying". Most coordinators receive hundreds of calls throughout this time, and are more than happy to help you in any way they can. And, it may be the case that your application was on hold (or lost, etc) for some reason, and, had you not called, you would not have discovered this until Nov--when it may be too late to remedy the situation. Prophylaxis is key, and it will give you some peace of mind to know when to expect to hear from programs. Note: check email frequently during this time. Once programs have contacted you with an invitation to interview, call the program ASAP to arrange a date as spots fill up fairly quickly.
What If I Don't Get An Interview At A Program I'm Very Interested In?
Call the program coordinator. Some programs will email you stating that they are unable to grant you an interview at this time, others may not contact you at all. In any case, it would be nice to find out why. It has happened in the past the application was simply misplaced, and after the phone call, the interview was granted. In other scenarios, applicants have discovered that despite a stellar application, they had one number (USMLE 1 score, etc) that was below the program's screening cut off. While frustrating to learn this, it might be reassuring to know that it was such a small part of your otherwise strong application.
How do I Prepare For The Interview?
Read all of the available information about the program, and review it the evening before your interview. Make a list of questions to carry with you on the interview day. Review your application, and be sure to read your personal statement, again. Be ready to answer questions about your application, and think about the answers to questions listed above.
