Interview season is coming up, so those looking for some quick tips should find this article useful. It will be a summary of suggestions based on my personal experiences interviewing at multiple medical schools as well as books and advice I have garnered from other resources. This is not a list of common interview questions; those you can find elsewhere on the web. What I present is a comprehensive overview to help guide you through your interview.
We are going to break down the interview into a few key parts:
0. The Prep
1. The Look
2. The Act
3. The Talk
0. The Prep
Preparation. This is the most important part of an interview. Not the first five minutes in, or the last five minutes out. Your interview begins even before you get in your car or plane. How so? The interview lasts typically 30 minutes to 1 hour, and the interview day usually consists of 1 to 2 separate interviews. When you are invited for an interview, they have already considered you to be an acceptable and interesting candidate. From now on your GPA, MCAT score, and essays are no longer in your hands, but the interview is still something that you very much can control. So spend some time, the more the better, looking over your application, reviewing common interview questions, looking over the school's website, and talking to other medical students at the school if possible. You should know your application inside out; there really is no excuse not to, and it is poor form if the interviewer knows your application better than yourself. Try to conduct a mock interview with a friend, relative, or professional and get feedback on where and how you can improve. Reciting answers in your head is a useful exercise, but it cannot replace being held on the spot and telling your story to another person. Some have also found it helpful to record themselves, which my reveal unknown tics or distracting habits.
Before getting on your flight or car, make sure you have all your essentials with you, including spare clothes and hygienic supplies. Gum in the pocket and Clear Eyes in the bag for the morning before you head out. Shoes polished, suit pressed, and be ready to look your absolute best on game day, leading us into the next part.
1. The Look
No matter what anyone tells you, you should expect to look your absolute best. When in doubt, go for conservative, clean, and professional. A simple black or navy suit with a white or light blue shirt goes a long way. Ties are an absolute must for guys, though a vest is usually overdoing it. Conceal any tattoos or inappropriate piercings. For those with longer trips, a lint roller can become very useful. It is probably best to leave all jewelry items at home save for a simple watch or wedding ring. Ditch the perfume/cologne. Do not forget to pack essentials such as lotion, deodorant, hair product, and comb. How you present yourself says a lot about you and it will definitely reflect on the interviewer. Whether you like it or not, appearances play a definite role in the impression you give and evaluation you receive. Recent studies have shown taller, charismatic, and fitter individuals to receive a significantly better result in receiving jobs, promotions, and raises.
2. The Act
This is what you do, what you say, what kind of facial expression you make, where you stand, how you move, all of it. It starts the moment you step onto the medical school campus. Do not count anyone out - try to give your best impression to everyone you meet, whether it is the janitor you see on your way in or the secretary taking down your name. Cheerful, excited, with a bit of nervous energy is expected, but do not overdo it either. You do not want to look like a weirdo who cannot grasp common decorum. Smile a lot, and remember that talking to fellow interviewers is okay! It will help engage your mind and even ease some tension.
3. The Talk
This is when you step into the interviewer's room and start you actual interview. It incorporates all of the above, so keep that in mind. "The Prep" should give you the knowledge base and confidence to properly answer questions. "The Look" should add to that confidence, and begin to project an image of yourself to the interviewer. "The Act" is a prologue to this final stage, the main performance. As trite as this may sound, the best advice here is to be yourself. Do not regurgitate memorized answers or try to mold yourself into someone that you are not. Giving unique, well-thought answers that demonstrate a clear passion for medicine is the best way to impress your interviewer. It is okay to express opinions that deviate slightly from the norm, but always be professional and do not appear too rigid in your thinking. Also remember that interviewers vary widely in how they approach the interview and what kind of questions they ask. There are some that are friendly and try to have more or less of a conversation, whereas others keep it strictly to a question-answer format. Do not be distracted by what the interviewer does or says; oftentimes they do this intentionally to throw you off. Focus on presenting yourself in the best light possible - in the end, this is all you can do. End the interview with a firm handshake and a smile.
For further tips, check out this book: The Medical School Interview: Secrets and a System for Success. Personally, I found a lot of helpful advice from this book while preparing for the interview.
