Congratulations! If you are reading this it’s probably because you’ve received some interviews for residency or fellowship. It might seem like a given that you were going to get an interview or two, but take a moment to appreciate the opportunity because some other applicants would be thrilled to be in your position. Seriously, this means you are one step closer to matching into residency so don’t take it for granted.

Once you’ve been given an interview, the program has determined that you are qualified on paper and they want to get a better feel for how you might fit in with the rest of their faculty and staff. How you perform in the interview is now the most important factor in determining your Match Day success. I won’t go as far as saying that none of your test scores, research, extracurriculars matter once you’re asked for an interview, but I think they matter a lot less. With that in mind, you want to make sure you are prepared so you can present the best possible version of yourself. You also want to use the interview to learn about the program so you can figure out where you fit. It might sound cliché to talk about fit because many people are most concerned with simply making sure they match in the first place. The tips below should help you crush your residency or fellowship interview so that you give yourself the best possible chance of matching at your dream program!

Be Prepared

-You want to have an idea of what you’ll say for common questions like the ones below. Talking with older residents/fellows can be an easy way to figure out what some of the common questions are.

• Tell me about yourself
• Why this specialty (or subspecialty)?
• Why our program?
• Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
• What are your strengths?
• What are your weaknesses?

-Practice saying things out loud. You don’t want your responses to sound overly rehearsed so having an outline of what you want to say is great. Try to avoid memorizing a word for word response.

-If you are told who will be interviewing you ahead of time, spend some time to learn a little about them. If you can ask about their background and interests it will lead to better conversation. You want to avoid a scenario where you have nothing to ask your interviewer because you know nothing about them.

Be Your Best Self

-You want to highlight your strengths and unique attributes in conversation when possible. This will require you to reflect on who you are so that you can figure out what you want interviewers to know about you. Students often feel like there is nothing particularly unique about them, but you don’t necessarily have to find attributes or skills that no other applicant has.  If you’ve done more research than most of your peers and enjoy that area of the field then it will be important to highlight that. If you faced a difficult challenge during your upbringing or your training, find a way to weave that into your interview and explain how it helped you grow.

-Don’t be afraid to show emotion when you’re discussing something important to you so that your passion can be seen. If you can find those topics that you care about, the interview will probably flow more smoothly and you’ll be able to leave more of a lasting impression.

-Part of being your best self is being authentic. It’s totally acceptable to pat yourself on the back or highlight the really cool things you’ve done as long as you do so in a humble way. On the flip side, being authentic also means being honest about your shortcomings or areas where you could improve. If you get asked about your weaknesses, I think it’s best to avoid responses like “I’m a perfectionist” or attempting to paint a strength as a weakness. Be honest about what you struggle with and share how you have worked to improve upon this with examples. In reality, we all have weaknesses and having awareness of those weaknesses is important.

-Pay attention to your body language. Vanessa Van Edwards has some great tips for interviewing so you can check her out on Youtube but this article includes some quick tips. It might be helpful to record yourself responding to a few common questions. Play the video back when you’re done with the audio off. How is your body language? Do you look interested but also friendly? Or do you look bored? Now take a look at the article below and see if there are improvements you can make.

Remember to Interview the Residency/Fellowship Program Too

-You need to evaluate the program based on what you’re looking for as each program will be slightly different. Admittedly, there is less variation among residency programs compared to fellowship programs.   

-You will be given significant time to ask questions so make sure you have some. Start by making a list of the things you care about, whether that’s research, mentorship, culture or whatever else. Then formulate a list of questions for your interviewers (if you know who they are).

-Take note of how you feel after each interview and at the end of the day. When programs have so much in common, the interactions can be really useful for differentiating where you feel you fit best.  Are you energized and excited or wishing the interview day was over? This seems small but these feelings can be helpful as you sort through your rank list at the end.

Tips for Virtual Residency/Fellowship Interviews

While many fellowship programs are starting to return to in person interviews, most residency programs are still conducting interviews virtually. The pros and cons of in person versus virtual interviews are a separate topic but it’s important to understand that how you prepare will be slightly different for the virtual environment. Below are some tips that are important specifically for virtual interviews.

-Spend some time testing out different locations in your home or apartment for conducting virtual interviews. Adjust lighting and camera height to see how you are showing up on camera. You may consider investing in a webcam or backlight so that you can be seen more clearly. Make sure that the background is relatively clear of clutter and debris. It sounds small but I’ve seen applicants who have a terrible setup and it can be distracting. Make sure whatever room you choose is quiet and won’t have a bunch of background noise. Nobody likes listening to the construction going on across the street.

-Body language is still important because you don’t have the same opportunity to connect with your interviewer since you aren’t in person. Vanessa Van Edwards also recommends waving at the beginning and end of the interview since you can’t shake hands. Make sure you have good posture and are looking into the camera. This may require you to adjust your Zoom/Thalamus settings so that your view of the person interviewing you is centered and near the top of the screen. That way you aren’t looking off to the side of the screen because this can be distracting.

-Triple check and make sure your internet is working well. You don’t want to be the person who runs in to issues the day of and starts their first interview 10 minutes late. Have a backup plan in place so you can act quickly if something goes wrong. This may mean you need to take the interview from your phone while you reboot the router.