Residency interview is perhaps the most important, and therefore the most stressful element of your
residency application process. How can you prepare for such a huge undertaking? Not only do residency
interviews test your communication skills and compatibility with the programs you applied to,
but they also tend to test how quickly you can think on your feet
and how well you can articulate answers to often unexpected questions.
Today, we will go over some commonly asked residency interview questions that can catch you
off guard if you do not prepare for them properly! These questions come from our interview experts,
MDs and DOs, who have personally faced these questions in their residency interviews.
In this video, we will provide detailed guidance on how to ace answering these types of questions.
Hi! My name is Chris and I’m an admissions associate here at BeMo. Before we get started,
be sure to subscribe on whatever social media channel you’re watching this from now,
so you don’t miss any of our upcoming videos. If you would like us to help you with your residency
interview, visit bemoresidencyinterview.com to schedule your free initial consultation.
As a quick tip, check out the time stamps in the description of this
video to navigate to specific sections of the video that you are interested in.
Here’s what we are going to cover: Residency Interview Question: #1.
What do you do for fun? Residency Interview Question: #2.
Why should we choose you? Residency Interview Question: #3.
How many emails are in your inbox? Residency Interview Question: #4.
When was the last time you got mad? Residency Interview Question: #5.
What differentiates you from other candidates? Bonus Residency Interview Question
And The Key to Your Residency Interview Success By the way we're giving away $50 Amazon gift
cards every week to best comments and questions - comment below for a chance to win. At the end
of the video, we will reveal the ultimate key to your residency interview success,
so please keep watching to find out. Let’s get started with the first question!
Residency Interview Question: #1. What do you do for fun?
This question by itself should not catch you off-guard, but it can be really surprising to
be asked about hobbies and interests outside of medicine at a professional interview.
Although program committees have read your residency personal statement, interviewers
want to know something more personal about you and get more insight into your personal life.
Even more than having a “real-life” conversation between applicants and interviewers,
this question is also trying to figure out how you make the most of your free time. Stress, anxiety,
and burn-out are huge problems in residency and big factors in career duration and satisfaction.
How you choose to balance and prioritize your personal and professional life will go a long
way to helping you make the most of residency and beyond. As well, many of your fellow residents
have said that they have met their interviewers later on in their training who remember them
as “the baker,” “the record collector,” or “the girl who hates working out but does it anyway.”
This question is also a chance to let a unique part of your personality shine through.
Residency Interview Question: #2. Why should we choose you?
Similarly, the intent of this question — to find out what strengths you would bring to a
program — shouldn’t be a surprise. However, it can be surprising when it is asked so bluntly.
It can feel like you are being asked to lay your cards directly on the table.
One good approach to these types of questions, whether they are asked as straightforward as this
or not, is to structure your response in a way that demonstrates your strengths as a resident
and as a colleague. Most programs are looking for teachable residents and residents that they
want to have around for the duration of the program. You’ll be spending a lot of time,
particularly in high-stress situations where you have to rely on each other, and it would be ideal
to have those other people be individuals you like. This doesn’t mean that likability
trumps talent. It means that you have to bring an aptitude and good attitude to the program and your
response should emphasize your professional skills, suitability for the profession,
and technical abilities equally with the qualities that make you a good collaborator
and communicator. Residency Interview Question:
#3. How many emails are in your inbox? Expect to have a strange and quirky question
come out of the blue, so spent some time thinking of the weird animal or kitchen appliance that best
epitomizes you. You can approach this quirky question from many angles. On the one hand,
the interviewers might just want to know if you’re the type of person to respond to emails,
and it’s probably not going to reassure them if your answer is,
“I’m not sure. Maybe over a thousand?” Or, maybe it’s one of those unpredictable questions that
test your ability to keep your composure and a level head. Perhaps it isn’t that complicated and
was supposed to be an easy question to ease into the interview. In any case,
keeping calm and answering honestly during your residency interview is a good approach.
Off-the-wall questions like this are made to change the momentum of the interview. While it
can be easy to overthink them, try and answer them quickly and honestly. They are evaluating how you
answer questions and how you respond to different situations. If you get stuck and need more time,
repeat the question back to the interviewer to buy yourself a few seconds. Say something like,
"That's an excellent question. How many emails do I have in my inbox…” It gives you a few seconds
to think and compose your thoughts. Don't be concerned that this is going to make or break you.
It might also just be a chance to lighten the mood. Relax and enjoy the light-hearted question.
Residency Interview Question: #4. When was the last time you got mad?
This question can really throw you off. It can feel like any answer you give will trap
you into a response that will make you look like an undesirable applicant. Our interview experts
have shared that they talked about this question afterward with a few of their staff physicians
with whom they were working and it was reassuring to know that they wouldn’t know how to provide a
good response as well. Still, it’s still important to have a good interpretation of this question.
First, the types of scenarios that you will be asked about are generally universally experienced.
That is to say, almost everyone will have experienced conflict, acted as a leader, worked
in a group, and have gotten mad at some point in medical school. It would be extremely unusual
to not be able to provide an answer to these types of questions, simply because they’re designed to
be able to be answered by anyone. This means you shouldn’t shy away from the question or avoid
providing an answer. Second, there are some situations that one should get angry about.
Sometimes not getting angry means tolerating the unacceptable and that is not a desirable trait.
Third, anger is a perfectly natural and human response and usually occurs in a mix of emotions.
So keep these three things in mind when you practice your answer.
Residency Interview Question: #5. What differentiates you from other candidates?
While this question might not be asked directly, a lot of questions interrogate this angle.
It is important to understand that most candidates who have made it to the interview stage
will make great physicians. This leaves other key aspects of a good trainee besides strong academics
to be desired or sought after. Remember, this is a job interview which is very unique. Programs
are looking for candidates who will perform clinical duties but are also good learners.
With that in mind, what do you think makes a good resident? From the work perspective, a diligent,
hard-working candidate with attention to detail is important. From a learner perspective,
it is important to be self aware, understand your limitations and know when to call for help
if required. Additionally, humble candidates who are open to feedback and are coachable is always a
plus. It is very hard to teach someone who is not humble and appreciative of new ways to do things.
Finally, residencies can range from 2 to 6 years and being personable goes a very long way.
If the interviewers will be working with you for the next 2 to 6 years, they want someone who is
adaptable and easy to get along with. Bonus Residency Interview Question:
Please explain the following… Not every candidate has something
on their residency CV or application that warrants discussing or clarification during the interview.
However, you would be surprised what programs are interested in seeking clarification
when it comes to one’s application. Residency selection committees and program directors
want to give you an opportunity to explain any discrepancies or red flags on your application.
These things could be obvious, such as taking a year off, failure of an exam or the identification
of lots of elective time spent in a different specialty. The less obvious questions can
revolve around lots of research experience in a school that focuses more on clinical practice,
or rural vs. urban experiences in schools which serve the opposite demographic.
For questions related to academic performance or red flags, programs want to know a little
bit more about the circumstances surrounding the event. Were you going through a rough time? If so,
tell us about it and how you handled that time of your life? What did you learn from the
experience and how are you a stronger candidate today? Residency training programs are tough,
proving to result in ample demand on both your time and cognitive load. Programs
want to ensure that candidates will be able to endure the academic rigors of their program.
Ultimately, programs want to make sure that you are a good fit for the program and, generally,
that’s where these questions stem from. For example, non-research-oriented programs want
to make sure that research-oriented candidates understand that their program is mostly focused
on clinical practice to avoid disappointment later down the line. The converse is true as well;
research-heavy programs want to make sure that candidates understand research is a big part
of the program they hope to join. Similarly, questions regarding rural vs. urban experiences
center around expectations of the type of clinical practice and the opportunities which will be
available to the resident. Remember, this is your opportunity to explain to the selection committee
how you are a good candidate for their program. With that being said, this is a two-way street.
If you find that a program is focused more on academic activities
or experiences which don’t suit your goals or what type of clinician you want to be, then
most likely, this training program is not for you. Learn the Key To Your Residency Interview Success
Now that we have gone over some sample residency interview questions,
it is time to talk about one fail-proof way that you can prepare for your interviews.
While going over practice questions is a great way to familiarize yourself with question categories
and prepare answer strategies, practicing with sample residency interview questions
is only a supplement to mock simulations. Mock interviews are like the golden goose of
residency interview prep. You know how an athlete doesn't become good at a sport without practicing
and how a presentation can be painful if the speaker didn't adequately prepare?
Well, the same goes for doing well on your residency interview.
There is no better way to prepare for your interview than by participating with real-life
mock interviews that will simulate the actual interview environment you'll be experiencing.
First, participating in a mock interview will help you practice accurately with the correct
interview format. Residency interviews can be conducted in a variety of different formats.
They can be conducted over the phone, virtually, and in-person.
The in-person interviews could be a traditional interview, where you are interviewing one-on-one
with your evaluators. A more common type of residency interview, however, is the
panel interview, where you'll be interviewing with multiple evaluators, known as a panel.
Lastly, the multiple mini interview (MMI) is also popular for residency interviews and with this
format, you'll be rotating between a variety of different timed stations, meeting multiple
evaluators one on one and discussing or answering prompts placed outside of the interview room.
As you can tell, all of these formats are very different, so simulating the appropriate format
is essential in preparing effectively. During excellent simulations, you'll have the opportunity
to virtually meet with trained admissions consulting team members, have them ask you
questions, practice answering these questions, all while practicing in the correct format.
This means that if your residency interview will be an MMI, your simulation will be in the MMI
format. Each response will be timed, evaluators will not respond or gesture in any way, and
you'll be automatically moved to the next station when the time runs out. Practicing in this way
is particularly necessary to perfect not only the content of your response but the timing. Depending
on the program, interviewees will have between 4-8 minutes at each station to discuss the prompt.
If you haven't participated in mock interviews, you'll have a very difficult time getting the
timing of your response right without rambling or finishing after speaking for only a minute or two.
These simulations will also cover very common residency interview questions that you can
expect to come up during your actual interview. Finally, participating in mock interviews is
beneficial as you'll receive personalized feedback on your responses. While practicing with residency
interview we outlined earlier is a good start, if a professional isn't evaluating your responses,
how will you know if your sample answers are considered strong or weak?
What if your response isn't really answering the question appropriately?
What if your answer is red-flagged for being morally or professionally inappropriate?
What if it doesn't show the best version of you? What if it comes across as insincere or robotic?
The reality is, you are not a professional trained admissions expert, and most likely,
neither are your friends or family members. The best way to ensure your responses are excellent
is to receive feedback that is specific to your answers. This way, you'll know
exactly which areas you need to improve so you can reduce or eliminate your weaknesses
and ensure no matter what question is thrown at you in the interview, you'll be able to nail it.
Check out our blog to learn more about residency interview.
I have included a link in the description of this video so you can find the blog easily.
If you would like us to help you with your residency interview,
visit bemoresidencyinterview.com to schedule your free initial consultation.
Hopefully you enjoyed the video so please subscribe, like and leave a comment.
If you have any questions about residency interview that I didn’t cover in this video,
let me know in the comment section and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Don’t
forget that we're giving away $50 Amazon gift cards every week to best comments and questions -
comment below for a chance to win. Thanks so much for watching this video, see you next time.