Interview season is here! To all those who aspire to be joining a Residency Program in the United States, this statement means a multitude of things- relief, at what seems to be the last leg of a rather long and dizzying process; excitement, at the chance to interview at the programs you’ve been vying to be a part of for what seems like eternity and nervousness, at feeling somewhat powerless at this stage in the journey.
It also meant the chance to travel the length and breadth of the US and take in all the sights and sounds of the country and along with it, the various programs in a specialty of your choice. This year, with the pesky virus taking trips around the world instead, things look a little different.
Interviews, like most other aspects of 2020, are going virtual. While that may mean good and bad things for applicants, it is definitely going to be unlike any other interview season prior to Match. Therefore, it goes without saying that it requires applicants to be prepared for all the ups and downs of selling themselves and evaluating programs from across a screen.
At the end of the day, a Residency Interview is a chance to showcase yourself as a good fit for the Program while you objectively evaluate whether you truly will be one.
Through a screen or not, the basic tenets of the interview remain unchanged. Here are a few tips I gathered from my experiences at various interviews across the country, that I am sure will go a long way in helping out applicants this year too, albeit the changed nature of the exercise:
1. Introspect well enough to be able to articulate who you are.
I cannot overstate the importance of this step. It is crucial to look inward and know yourself well enough so that you can express clearly to a third party( aka the Interview Panel) what makes you unique– your interests, what you are looking for in a program, your goals, aspects of your personality that make you stand out, your strengths, your weaknesses, and your quirks.
Almost every interview that I attended began with the overused and predictable start- “Tell me about yourself”. Use this as an opportunity to provide a concise, clear introduction to pave the way for the rest of the exchange. I would recommend having two versions of the answer to this question- short and long and using either after reading your audience.
2. Be confident in who you truly are and portray it.
If there was ever a time to unapologetically be yourself, this is it. You most likely won’t get away with trying to be a person you’re not and in the off chance that you do, you don’t want to fool the Program Director into thinking you’re someone you aren’t and matching into a Program only to discover that it does not align with what you truly seek.
This will only lead to unhappiness and a sense of restlessness for the following three years and Residency is hard enough without that. So stay true to yourself, what you believe and what you aspire for.This implies that in retrospect, you were honest in all parts of your application process and can vouch for everything you (claim to) have done.
Be self assured without seeming overconfident. ( fine line to tread yes, but easier than it seems). In short, be an advocate for your true self.
3. Be able to tie in past experiences with future goals.
In being able to draw in from situations and circumstances that you have been through and linking them with your targets for the future, you create a picture of someone who is not merely a passive participant in their lives but takes effort to synthesize purpose from opportunities presented to them.
It doesn’t need to be a tear-jerking story of an ill child or an old grandfather. It just needs to be a coherent stream of thought explaining why your passion lies where it does and where you see it going in times to come.
4. Do your homework regarding the program and what it has to offer.
As much as applicants should want to do this purely because it gives them a sense of the program they’re likely to match into, it doubles up in creating a good impression with the Interview Board.
Know what stands out about the program- the Fellowship match rates, the top-notch Cancer Research Center, faculty whose work you’ve been closely following or even the city it is located in. When someone asks why you want to match into a program, they’re looking for these specifics rather than generic responses tooting their horns but could interchangeably be used for any other program you are interviewing at.
5. Evaluate the program and what it has to offer objectively.
Another extremely important aspect of Interview Season is the chance it offers applicants to take a score of the program to help them create their rank list at the end of the season.
So this is a pretty important day for the Programs too- they want to be liked as much as you do. So use your power wisely- be observant to the schedules, the didactics, the research opportunities, the people around you- faculty and fellow applicants, current Residents( very important ), food and accommodation( ARGUABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT LOL) and ask questions if you need to clarify.
Make sure your questions are well thought out and are not aspects of the program clearly delineated on their website or explained in a presentation that was just delivered. As always, do not ask a question just to ask a question.
6. Be friendly with those around you.
May seem like the most obvious tip to give but Interview fatigue is a real thing. By the end of the season, it may feel like a chore to smile and be amiable. While feigned enthusiasm is easy to spot, it does help to reach within and find some energy to create a good rapport with those around you be it fellow applicants, Residents, or faculty.
Programs are looking for those who are and will be good team players as patient care is not a one-man job. You will make some friends through the journey and can expand your network.
While this may seem like a lot and may overwhelm you, with some practice, I can safely say most applicants will check off most, if not all of these boxes. It is a rather exhilarating journey at the end of the day and will create memories you will cherish for a long time.
It is an important time for you all, be sure to place your best foot forward during the culmination of your efforts.
Want more such tips for interviews? We are now offering practice virtual interview sessions by current residents who have been through the interview process and thoroughly researched on how to succeed in interviews. Find more information here.
From the Author – Dr. Keerthana Haridas
I am a first-year Internal Medicine Resident in New York City. I was raised in Bangalore, where I also went to medical school. I am interested in Endocrinology as a clinical area of practice but look forward to contributing to healthcare in a larger sense through participation in the fields of public health and policy in the future.
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