Career Planning > The Residency Application Process > Interview Tips

Interview Tips

• General:
  • Be on time
  • Be nice to everyone. How you interact with staff is highly regarded.
  • Make eye contact
  • Be confident
  • Be honest
  • Express interest in the program
  • At the end of the day, take notes of important details
  • Try to get resident contact information (email address or phone number) if you have additional questions
    
    
• Preparation:
  • Know your cv and personal statement
  • Be prepared to explain gaps or delays in your education
  • Be prepared to answer questions on your research-what you did, what were the outcomes, what experience did you gain?
  • Review the program website and be familiar with key faculty
  • Be prepared to answer why you have chosen that field, program, area of country (avoid saying “For the lifestyle”)
  • Be prepared to articulate your strengths and challenges
    
    
• What they are looking for:
  • Will you be a good fit?
  • Is this someone we can work with for 3/4/5 years?
  • What can you add to the program?
    
    
• Questions to ask:
  • Have well prepared questions for everyone, especially the program director, even if you already heard the answer.
  • Tailor questions appropriately for level of interviewer (i.e., don't ask a faculty member about the intern call schedule)
  • Ask opinion-type questions. You can ask the same question to several interviewers and compare answers
  • Residents – Are they happy? What do they like about working here?
  • Inquire about the strengths and weaknesses of program- you can ask this of more than one person and compare responses
  • Do they foresee any changes?
  • What do graduates do?