How to Ace the Residency Interview

Outlines interview tips and tricks, discusses common interview questions and how to answer them - All for free!

Course Outline

 Basic interview etiquette
 Preparing before hand - What? and How?
 On the day of interview
 Introducing Yourself
 General Q & A
 What should I ask the interviewers?
 Closing
 How to prepare for these questions?
 What not to do

How do I enroll for a free session?

Please be aware due to the high volume of requests for this session and we limit each session to 20 candidates, the seats fill up quickly. The 20 candidates per session limit is to give attention to each of your questions and spend more time per question.

To enroll please register with us and you will receive an email invite shortly for our next available session. If you have registered and requested an invite you will go in a queue and receive invites appropriately. All for free!

I am an IMG. My credentials were 96/94/CS attempt with one month USCE.
I had three interviews this year. I would like to share my experience and suggest some tips from these interviews

The Invite: This is the one thing I was eagerly awaiting. It is quite a bit of a stress, you will be checking the in-box everyday hoping for invites and you will get many rejects. But don't lose heart, you will eventually get invites. Remember you may be on the waiting list also and may get an invite even into January. So DON'T LOSE HOPE. If possible, try to be in US during that period, as you may be asked to come at very short notice. One of my friends was invited for a interview on Friday and it was scheduled for Monday.
In the invite, they give a choice of dates. If possible, try to schedule the interviews such that you minimize the time traveling. After you decide the date, send them a reply. Thank them for the invite and state how pleased you are to receive this opportunity. The Program co-ordinator will then send a mail with the interview dates and the schedule, directions and details about the accommodation. Remember to be polite in all your interactions with the Program Co-ordinator.

Travel : The fastest mode (and best) is flying to the venue. But if possible, check out Amtrak and Greyhound. They may help to save money. But, they turn out to cheap only if you are traveling to other states close by.

Stay : One of the places I interviewed at provided overnight accommodation at a nearby hotel. If not, the Program Co-ordiantor might suggest some of the hotels nearby and there may be a discounted rate for people interviewing at the program. Make sure that you select a hotel which is not too far from the Hospital/ Interview Venue. Thus, you will be able to avoid unnecessary travel on the day of the interview and avoid the risk of being late. Rarely, you may come across a program which does not even suggest an accommodation, let alone provide one. In such case, the best possible option is to use Google Maps to search for hotels nearby. You can decide the hotel depending on your budget. The Marriott is of course, very comfortable, but does  cost a bit more. Choosing motels/hotels with free WIFI will help you prepare for your interview. I,personally, chose to stay in the Choice hotels. They were pretty comfortable and cost about one hundred $ a night. I stayed only for one day. They have a check-in time of 4pm and check-out by onetwopm the next day. So, if you want to leave on the same day after the interview, you can just keep your bags at the front desk and collect them later. Also, some hotels provide a free airport shuttle. So its a good thing to look out for those as it makes it a bit easier.

Preparation for the interview: Review your application and your Personal Statement as you mostly will be questioned regarding it. Read up about the program and whether there have been any recent awards or recognition. If the program co-coordinator mentions the people who will be interviewing you, it will also help to look up the person online and get to know more about him/her. Have mock interviews and rehearse what questions to ask and whom to ask and how to answer various questions. Ask a family member (who has attended a few interviews and not your baby brother) to interview you and get their feedback. Do 3-5 mock interviews and fine tune your answers.

The Interview Day : Dress professionally and be neatly groomed. It is good to be over dressed than under. Carry copies of your Resume, Personal Statement, MSPE, Letter of Recommendation in a neat folder - all organized. Remember You don't want to fumble through your documents if they ask for something. The typical day starts with an introduction by the Program Director about the merits of the program etc. followed by a tour of the hospital by one of the residents. Show your interest in the program and ask relevant questions but do not overdo it.
After the tour, there will be the interviews. In one of the places, I was interviewed by two faculty members while in the other two, there was only one interview. Try to find out if the hospital offers a second look and say that you will be interested.

After the interview : Make sure you send a thank you letter to the people who interviewed you. Though it may not make a difference overall, it certainly cannot hurt. Keep in touch with the program and inform them about any recent clinical or research experience. Before the match, send them a mail and let them know that you really liked the program and that you are ranking them highly.

Ranking the program : Rank the program only if you are sure that you would not mind being a resident there. There have been many suggestions that the NRMP Match algorithm can be manipulated. But its very simple, just rank the programs in your order of preference. Do not worry about the way the program ranks you. So, if Program 'A' is your first choice, then rank it first even if it was your worst interview. You dont lose anything.

Just my two cents. All the best and hope you match!

By Dr. S