Interviews and how they influence a program's rank list

[ggidgetzz]

As I've gotten further into the interview season, I've noticed that often someone will interview me with literally only one question: "So, what questions do you have for me?"

These interviewers have not read anything about me, don't seem to care to know anything either. Honestly I think it is kind of a lazy way to interview someone, expecting them to direct the conversation. I understand that it's important to ask intelligent questions, etc, but at the end of the day after hours and hours with the residents at dinner, the tour, lunch... it's hard to keep coming up with good questions. Ok, sorry, that was a rant.

My question is, how can asking someone "what questions do you have?" possibly help determine how you will rank someone or how they will fit into the program? How does this stratify applicants? Am I missing something?

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[mcl]

Interviewers ask what questions you have so they don't waste time talking about things you don't really care about. They have 15-20 minutes with an applicant and don't want to spend it talking about research opportunities only to find that you are really interested in how many procedures you'd be expected to do as an intern or how many patients are seen in a typical clinic. Also, interviewers don't know what questions you've already been asked and don't want to be the 4th person to ask you to tell them about a difficult decision you've had to make. Many interviewers see recruitment as a process that allows them to be more a resource helping applicants get the information they need to make good decisions when it comes to ranking programs rather than an interrogator parsing elements of an application.

The AAMC actually has a list of questions residents compiled of things they wish they had asked during interviews. (https://www.aamc.org/download/77936/data/residencyquestions.pdf)

 

[ggidgetzz]

Thanks for the link, that is very helpful.

I guess I'm just confused because everything I've read says that the interview is a very important factor in how programs rank their applicants, but I'm having a hard time seeing how that works if they just answer questions about their program the whole time without getting to know the applicant.

 

[gutonc]

As an interviewer, what I get most out of the "what questions do you have" question is whether you're a decent human being or a massive tool. As southern points out, open ended questions are the best way to get a good idea of how someone will fit in. This is the most open ended question of all.

 

[HoboCommander]

but applicants ask mostly the same questions. how does "what questions you have?" stratify applicants? there's some tools who can be instantly eliminated but there's just too many intelligent applicants. plus interviews are so short.

 

[gutonc]

but applicants ask mostly the same questions. how does "what questions you have?" stratify applicants? there's some tools who can be instantly eliminated but there's just too many intelligent applicants. plus interviews are so short.

You'd be surprised how much the "intelligent" and "tool" sets overlap.

Both of those groups have prepared good answers to all the standard interview questions. Making them freestyle separates the douchebags from the actual grown-ups.

 

[Law2Doc]

Thanks for the link, that is very helpful.

I guess I'm just confused because everything I've read says that the interview is a very important factor in how programs rank their applicants, but I'm having a hard time seeing how that works if they just answer questions about their program the whole time without getting to know the applicant.

The interview is hugely important but mining the applicant for information about the CV isn't really ever the function, and often not a great approach. The goal is to have a 20-30 minute conversation with the applicant and formulate whether this is someone smart and personable who would fit in. So it doesn't matter if you get the ball rolling with the interviewers questions or the interviewees - the goal is to get the ball rolling.

 

[lockjaw]

but applicants ask mostly the same questions. how does "what questions you have?" stratify applicants? there's some tools who can be instantly eliminated but there's just too many intelligent applicants. plus interviews are so short.

You're typically not just being judged on your short interviews, but on the entire interview day. We weight record and interview equally, but the interview score is based on our interactions with you over the entire course of the day - breakfast with faculty, information session, tour with the chiefs, lunch with the residents, plus the actual interviews. So unless there's something really compelling in your application, good or bad, that we want to address during the interview time itself, we have a whole day's worth of interactions to judge how well you'd fit in, so we use that interview time more to try to entice you to come to our program - by allowing you to ask questions.

 

[IwannabeDrP]

To piggyback a bit off this thread, I wanted to throw an additional question out there.

After some of my initial interviews, I sent thoughtful emails to each of my interviewers, PD, and chairman detailing why I liked the program and thanking them for specific conversations we had. One of these programs is likely to be my top choice and is a very competitive program. From said program, I received responses to nearly all my thank you notes that were very enthusiastic about my coming there (using words such as thrilled to participate in my training, etc.)

For those interviewers out there, do you typically respond with "kind words" even if you don't think the candidate would be an amazing match (although he/she may be a good match)? I'm just wondering how canned responses are. Also, I get the sense that this program wants to hear me say "I'm ranking you number 1". Is this magical phrase important in who the program ranks? Thanks.

 

[Law2Doc]

...
For those interviewers out there, do you typically respond with "kind words" even if you don't think the candidate would be an amazing match...

Absolutely interviewers universally try to respond this way. The specialties are small and there's never a reason to dis anyone. They will be nice until the end, and it has nothing to do with the rank list.

 

[BlueRug]

As an interviewer, what I get most out of the "what questions do you have" question is whether you're a decent human being or a massive tool. As southern points out, open ended questions are the best way to get a good idea of how someone will fit in. This is the most open ended question of all.

What could an applicant ask that would designate them as a massive tool? I'm finding it hard to imagine such a scenario.

 

[Frederica]

What could an applicant ask that would designate them as a massive tool? I'm finding it hard to imagine such a scenario.

Will I be eligible for a faculty position here when I am done with my residency? True story.

 

[BlueRug]

Wow. Being an interviewer must be pretty entertaining at times.

 

[ggidgetzz]

Asking me what my research is on, and then telling me that that was a terrible study design.

Asking me what I plan to do my fellowship in, and then giving me advice about applications including name dropping several prominent attendings at his home institution.

This is amazing.

 

[choc_mint]

Asking me what my research is on, and then telling me that that was a terrible study design.

Asking me what I plan to do my fellowship in, and then giving me advice about applications including name dropping several prominent attendings at his home institution.

!!
"... and congratulations on winning the massive tool award of the year..."

 

[JohnBender]

I guess I'm still not clear how an applicant distinguishes themselves during an interview day from anyone else.

Assuming you're not a sociopath and also have basic social skills, I'd imagine most can have a pleasant and uncontroversial conversation with faculty and residents in 20 minute chunks without doing anything outrageous. Given that it's also a formal setting, I can't imagine too many people are letting their life-of-the-party, giant personalities loose either. So if applicants are blunting the lows and the highs and just maintaining a pleasant, professional demeanor, it seems they'd all just blend together as middle-of-the-road. So how does it help?

I'm also curious about how the entire day factors into the ranking. In my experience so far, the only time we have with faculty are during interviews and the brief program overview in the morning (usually without any q&a). During the tours, it's pretty much residents talking at a large group of applicants, and maybe the applicant who happens to be walking next to one can have short conversations with them. The meat is really in the one-on-one interviews and the lunch with residents.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

I guess I'm still not clear how an applicant distinguishes themselves during an interview day from anyone else.

Assuming you're not a sociopath and also have basic social skills, I'd imagine most can have a pleasant and uncontroversial conversation with faculty and residents in 20 minute chunks without doing anything outrageous. Given that it's also a formal setting, I can't imagine too many people are letting their life-of-the-party, giant personalities loose either. So if applicants are blunting the lows and the highs and just maintaining a pleasant, professional demeanor, it seems they'd all just blend together as middle-of-the-road. So how does it help?

I'm also curious about how the entire day factors into the ranking. In my experience so far, the only time we have with faculty are during interviews and the brief program overview in the morning (usually without any q&a). During the tours, it's pretty much residents talking at a large group of applicants, and maybe the applicant who happens to be walking next to one can have short conversations with them. The meat is really in the one-on-one interviews and the lunch with residents.

I think to some degree you need to see the other side of the curtain.

A large percentage of applicants are pretty much "meh". That's not a good thing, it's actually a pretty bad thing.

A smaller percentage stand out positively. They are articulate. They understand what they want from their careers, are able to fit their research interests and background into a career plan. They can adequately explain their motivations for pursuing their field in a way that resonates with the interviewer. They have interesting backgrounds and are passionate.

A smaller percentage still stand out negatively, for reasons I and others have given examples of above.

People also stand out negatively in less dramatic ways. Tentative, nervous appearing, disinterested body language and posture. Can't explain their own research projects that are listed on their CVs. Haven't researched the programs they are interviewing at. Etc.

The ones who stand out positively, when you combine their CVs and their interviews - skyrocket to the top of the rank list. The "meh" group makes up the middle of the rank list - the territory you are statistically unlikely to drop down that far on your rank list, but who would probably be fine if they actually matched.

The others - they make up the bottom of the list or in many cases don't get ranked at all.

This doesn't get into the other aspects of the day. I think you underestimate the degree to which people stand out negatively or positively in the other parts of the day like the tours, lunches, etc. Also...people talk. If I interviewed someone and thought they were kind of a dud...and then I talk to my buddy who sat next to them at lunch and thought the same...then both of us end up with a negative opinion.

 

[lockjaw]

I guess I'm still not clear how an applicant distinguishes themselves during an interview day from anyone else.

Assuming you're not a sociopath and also have basic social skills, I'd imagine most can have a pleasant and uncontroversial conversation with faculty and residents in 20 minute chunks without doing anything outrageous. Given that it's also a formal setting, I can't imagine too many people are letting their life-of-the-party, giant personalities loose either. So if applicants are blunting the lows and the highs and just maintaining a pleasant, professional demeanor, it seems they'd all just blend together as middle-of-the-road. So how does it help?

I'm also curious about how the entire day factors into the ranking. In my experience so far, the only time we have with faculty are during interviews and the brief program overview in the morning (usually without any q&a). During the tours, it's pretty much residents talking at a large group of applicants, and maybe the applicant who happens to be walking next to one can have short conversations with them. The meat is really in the one-on-one interviews and the lunch with residents.

Obviously varies by program, but here's how it is at mine. We have a 45-minute meet-and-greet breakfast with faculty and residents in the morning, so a lot of people get a chance to interact with the applicants then. We have small interview days but still split our group in two, so while half interview the other half has their info session & tour, which means it's only 3-4 applicants with the 2 chiefs, so there are lots of opportunities for individual conversations. And then there's lunch with the residents. Of course the individual interviews they have are important as well, but we judge them on their interactions with us all day. We're a small program, so we're looking for people whose personalities are a good fit. So while you're right that most people are middle-of-the road in terms of their demeanor, by the end of the day we tend to have a good feel as to whether someone stands out as someone who fits in perfectly with our group of residents, or if someone is a terrible fit, or if they're something in between - fine but not standouts. Those who are in between will get an average score for the interview day, so their spot on the rank list will be determined more by how highly we scored their record, since the two numbers are averaged.

 

[choc_mint]

I think to some degree you need to see the other side of the curtain.

A large percentage of applicants are pretty much "meh". That's not a good thing, it's actually a pretty bad thing.

A smaller percentage stand out positively. They are articulate. They understand what they want from their careers, are able to fit their research interests and background into a career plan. They can adequately explain their motivations for pursuing their field in a way that resonates with the interviewer. They have interesting backgrounds and are passionate.

A smaller percentage still stand out negatively, for reasons I and others have given examples of above.

People also stand out negatively in less dramatic ways. Tentative, nervous appearing, disinterested body language and posture. Can't explain their own research projects that are listed on their CVs. Haven't researched the programs they are interviewing at. Etc.

The ones who stand out positively, when you combine their CVs and their interviews - skyrocket to the top of the rank list. The "meh" group makes up the middle of the rank list - the territory you are statistically unlikely to drop down that far on your rank list, but who would probably be fine if they actually matched.

The others - they make up the bottom of the list or in many cases don't get ranked at all.

This doesn't get into the other aspects of the day. I think you underestimate the degree to which people stand out negatively or positively in the other parts of the day like the tours, lunches, etc. Also...people talk. If I interviewed someone and thought they were kind of a dud...and then I talk to my buddy who sat next to them at lunch and thought the same...then both of us end up with a negative opinion.

Thank you @southernIM ! This is very helpful. I too was confused by how program ranked candidates based on an interview day.

Question: What do you guys think about positive feedback from the interviewer?

I was told by one of the interviewer that he likes me and would not hesitate to recommend me to PD. The PD concluded the IV by saying "you are a strong applicant, you have interesting CV and will be a great asset to any program that will have you". It was my top choice program.

I don't know whether to be happy with it or if it is a generic remark and it doesn't mean anything. I heard that programs tend to praise applicants in order to influence applicants to rank them high, much like some applicants send multiple "you are my #1" email. So I wasn't sure how to take it..

 

[Law2Doc]

Thank you @southernIM ! This is very helpful. I too was confused by how program ranked candidates based on an interview day.

Question: What do you guys think about positive feedback from the interviewer?

I was told by one of the interviewer that he likes me and would not hesitate to recommend me to PD. The PD concluded the IV by saying "you are a strong applicant, you have interesting CV and will be a great asset to any program that will have you". It was my top choice program.

I don't know whether to be happy with it or if it is a generic remark and it doesn't mean anything. I heard that programs tend to praise applicants in order to influence applicants to rank them high, much like some applicants send multiple "you are my #1" email. So I wasn't sure how to take it..

Usually it means you did well. That's it. Doesn't mean the next dozen people they meet they won't like even better or if you will get bumped up or down during the ranking meetings as each committee member horse trades for their favorites/favors. The good applicants all hear some variation of this comment, but I wouldn't read too much into it unless they get explicit about being ranked to match (and most places won't ever say this). You will know in March if it meant anything.

 

[choc_mint]

Thank you Law2Doc! I agree that it's too early to tell whether they will rank me or not especially as the IV season has just started November in some programs.

Thanks again!

 

[choc_mint]

Wow. I finally met a quirky applicant. Noticed some red flags. Talked negatively on programs that she wouldn't care to rank where staffs were present, interrupting other people when it wasn't her turn to talk and then making it about her. But the epic one: saying outright that a certain aspect that the program is very proud of as a unique feature to be NOT true during the Q&A with residents. Smh.

 

[drk]

My last interview was with a hospitalist and he was staring at his computer screen working on patients while "interviewing" me. It was the only interview at the program and I just wondered what the he could say about me as he wasn't even listening. Waste of time and money going to that place. How do you give feedback to the program?

I've met some pretty weird applicants on my trail...during a group interview with several applicants they had asked tell us something we don't know about you and most of us said something normal then this nice Asian applicant said "I wish I was born black." The chief resident in the room was African American, maybe he was trying to impress him.

 

[choc_mint]

My last interview was with a hospitalist and he was staring at his computer screen working on patients while "interviewing" me. It was the only interview at the program and I just wondered what the he could say about me as he wasn't even listening. Waste of time and money
I've met some pretty weird applicants on my trail...during a group interview with several applicants they had asked tell us something we don't know about you and most of us said something normal then this nice Asian applicant said "I wish I was born black." The chief resident in the room was African American, maybe he was trying to impress him.

My last interview was with a hospitalist and he was staring at his computer screen working on patients while "interviewing" me. It was the only interview at the program and I just wondered what the he could say about me as he wasn't even listening. Waste of time and money going to that place. How do you give feedback to the program?

I've met some pretty weird applicants on my trail...during a group interview with several applicants they had asked tell us something we don't know about you and most of us said something normal then this nice Asian applicant said "I wish I was born black." The chief resident in the room was African American, maybe he was trying to impress him.

That was awkward.. What did he say his reason of wanting to be born black?

Yeah that type of group IV is interesting to uncover applicants who can't appreciate other people's opinion, the bossy ones, etc.

 

[EaglesAllDay]

My last interview was with a hospitalist and he was staring at his computer screen working on patients while "interviewing" me. It was the only interview at the program and I just wondered what the he could say about me as he wasn't even listening. Waste of time and money going to that place. How do you give feedback to the program?

I've met some pretty weird applicants on my trail...during a group interview with several applicants they had asked tell us something we don't know about you and most of us said something normal then this nice Asian applicant said "I wish I was born black." The chief resident in the room was African American, maybe he was trying to impress him.

Wow

 

[gutonc]

Wow. I finally met a quirky applicant. Noticed some red flags. Talked negatively on programs that she wouldn't care to rank where staffs were present, interrupting other people when it wasn't her turn to talk and then making it about her. But the epic one: saying outright that a certain aspect that the program is very proud of as a unique feature to be NOT true during the Q&A with residents. Smh.

I've met some pretty weird applicants on my trail...during a group interview with several applicants they had asked tell us something we don't know about you and most of us said something normal then this nice Asian applicant said "I wish I was born black." The chief resident in the room was African American, maybe he was trying to impress him.

I hate to say I told you so but...I told you so.

You'd be surprised how much the "intelligent" and "tool" sets overlap.

Both of those groups have prepared good answers to all the standard interview questions. Making them freestyle separates the douchebags from the actual grown-ups.

Now will you pay attention to those of us who have done this before (on both sides of the table)?

That was a rhetorical question, I know the answer is still no.

 

[choc_mint]

I hate to say I told you so but...I told you so.



Now will you pay attention to those of us who have done this before (on both sides of the table)?

That was a rhetorical question, I know the answer is still no.

Haha oh I do pay attention to the suggestions given here. I just couldn't imagine how people would invest money to travel and interview yet seems like constantly burning bridge after bridge with the program.

 

[drk]

That was awkward.. What did he say his reason of wanting to be born black?

Yeah that type of group IV is interesting to uncover applicants who can't appreciate other people's opinion, the bossy ones, etc.

His reason was interesting but everyone in the room was still pretty shocked. He said African Americans are well built and age very well.

 

[choc_mint]

His reason was interesting but everyone in the room was still pretty shocked. He said African Americans are well built and age very well.

Your IV day must be very interesting!

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

My guess is it is much easier to move down a ranking list than up with an interview.

I'm usually a solid interviewee and thought interviews would be my strength.

So far I'm fairly sure I've bombed 1 and feel the other 3 have been fairly neutral.

 

[drcrispmd]

Some questions/comments that can get you on the DNR list:
What time will I actually have to show up in the mornings?
What time will I be able to leave?
If nothing is going on in the afternoon do I still have to stay or can I go home early?
Do interns have to do weekend calls?
After I get my number if deliveries, do I still have to cover OB if I don't like it?
Do we get the week of Christmas off?
Will I ever have to see more than 5 patients in the hospital?
Exactly how many weekend am I going to have to work?
What happens if I am sick and supposed to be on call on the weekend?

The above were all from the same applicant.

Other comments/questions:
I plan on becoming the program director when I finish residency.
I do not really like working with peds or women's health. How much will I be required to do? (For an OB & Peds heavy FM)
Harassing the resident who had to stay late with an unstable patient because she showed up in scrubs to take you out to dinner and tell her you are offended she did not bother going home and showering before taking you out to dinner. And keep making it an issue the next day. (Residents work long hours and have to get up a lot earlier than interviewers. They do not like to take applicants to dinner at 8 or 9 o'clock at night).


Another action that can get you on the DNR list: pulling a random white pill out of your shirt pocket and saying "this keeps me going". We have no idea what it was.

 

[drcrispmd]

I have seen applicants move up the list after their interview.

Also if you act completely uninterested or we are wasting your time, you will move down.

Also, do not ask out any of the secretary, program coordinator, or residents on your interview day.

Don't ask if you get to do breast exams as part of the women's health exam.

 

[choc_mint]

This thread keeps getting more interesting..

 

[drcrispmd]

One of the applicants kept making a huge deal because the resident picked him up to go to dinner in scrubs. It was 7pm and she had just left the hospital. He kept making a huge deal and was very abrasive the whole dinner with her. Next day he kept making an issue out of it. I heard about it the entire time at lunch with him. He brought it up with attendings as well. Being an FMG from a little known Carib school you don't want to be complaining very much. He got dropped from the rank list.

 

[Law2Doc]

...
Don't ask if you get to do breast exams as part of the women's health exam.

If you really want to know the answer to questions like these you can ask about standardized patients, the OSCE exam, or more generally about a schools teaching of clinical skills and the physical exam during the first two years. Or you can express an interest in women's health and ask what kind of training the program has during the first two years. lots of ways to craft questions without sounding like a creeper.

The short answer though is yes you will learn this and all aspects of a physical exam as a doctor. And most likely you will learn this on someone's grandmother, not a supermodel. so now you guys won't have to ask.

 

[Law2Doc]

One of the applicants kept making a huge deal because the resident picked him up to go to dinner in scrubs. It was 7pm and she had just left the hospital. He kept making a huge deal and was very abrasive the whole dinner with her. Next day he kept making an issue out of it. I heard about it the entire time at lunch with him. He brought it up with attendings as well. Being an FMG from a little known Carib school you don't want to be complaining very much. He got dropped from the rank list.

Crazy.

 

[drcrispmd]

If you really want to know the answer to questions like these you can ask about standardized patients, the OSCE exam, or more generally about a schools teaching of clinical skills and the physical exam during the first two years. Or you can express an interest in women's health and ask what kind of training the program has during the first two years. lots of ways to craft questions without sounding like a creeper.

The short answer though is yes you will learn this and all aspects of a physical exam as a doctor. And most likely you will learn this on someone's grandmother, not a supermodel. so now you guys won't have to ask.

This one phrased his question like this: "so are breast exams part of women's health exam we will get to do." Considering we did a lot of women's health and OB we thought there could be major issues with this one.

There are different ways to word questions to get the information you want without sounding creepy, lazy, etc.

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

Some questions/comments that can get you on the DNR list:
What time will I actually have to show up in the mornings?
What time will I be able to leave?
If nothing is going on in the afternoon do I still have to stay or can I go home early?
Do interns have to do weekend calls?
After I get my number if deliveries, do I still have to cover OB if I don't like it?
Do we get the week of Christmas off?
Will I ever have to see more than 5 patients in the hospital?
Exactly how many weekend am I going to have to work?
What happens if I am sick and supposed to be on call on the weekend?

The above were all from the same applicant.

Other comments/questions:
I plan on becoming the program director when I finish residency.
I do not really like working with peds or women's health. How much will I be required to do? (For an OB & Peds heavy FM)
Harassing the resident who had to stay late with an unstable patient because she showed up in scrubs to take you out to dinner and tell her you are offended she did not bother going home and showering before taking you out to dinner. And keep making it an issue the next day. (Residents work long hours and have to get up a lot earlier than interviewers. They do not like to take applicants to dinner at 8 or 9 o'clock at night).


Another action that can get you on the DNR list: pulling a random white pill out of your shirt pocket and saying "this keeps me going". We have no idea what it was.

Well after reading this maybe I really overreacted saying "I bombed one interview"

 

[Law2Doc]

Well after reading this maybe I really overreacted saying "I bombed one interview"

There are bombs and there's hiroshima...

 

[killerleaf]

Some questions/comments that can get you on the DNR list:
What time will I actually have to show up in the mornings?
What time will I be able to leave?
If nothing is going on in the afternoon do I still have to stay or can I go home early?
Do interns have to do weekend calls?
After I get my number if deliveries, do I still have to cover OB if I don't like it?
Do we get the week of Christmas off?
Will I ever have to see more than 5 patients in the hospital?
Exactly how many weekend am I going to have to work?
What happens if I am sick and supposed to be on call on the weekend?

We must have interviewed the same person--needless to say, they will not be ranked. While we are not a workhorse program, we still need a little more work out of you!

 

[waitlist22]

So I am applying in a competitive surgical specialty and have been on two interviews thus far. My interviews have, for the most part, been very much question/answer, question/answer and less of a back and forth conversation. I realize this will vary between specialties and even different programs but is this pretty typical? Do I need to make more of a concerted effort to try and make it more conversational or ask questions back after I answer a specific question? Or do I just answer the question to the best of my ability and then wait for the next one? Since it seems the interview can have a fairly large impact on rank list just wanted to get some advice for future interviews. Thanks in advance.

 

[Frederica]

So I am applying in a competitive surgical specialty and have been on two interviews thus far. My interviews have, for the most part, been very much question/answer, question/answer and less of a back and forth conversation. I realize this will vary between specialties and even different programs but is this pretty typical? Do I need to make more of a concerted effort to try and make it more conversational or ask questions back after I answer a specific question? Or do I just answer the question to the best of my ability and then wait for the next one? Since it seems the interview can have a fairly large impact on rank list just wanted to get some advice for future interviews. Thanks in advance.

I think the question/answer versus back & forth conversation is more of personal style than a specialty style. Don't force things, if the you can make the conversation work go for it, otherwise stick to question and answer. One of the most important things with interviews is to be yourself.

Just out of my own curiosity, have you had much of a chance to ask questions or has it consistently been the interviewers asking you questions?

 

[DermViser]

Will I be eligible for a faculty position here when I am done with my residency? True story.

 

[MDin2014]

I am a reapplicant in a very compeititive specialty. One of my aunt's friend has offered to help me get an interview invite at a program I am very interested in. She is a faculty and knows the PD well. Should I accept her offer? And if I did end up getting an interview, how seriously would they consider my candidacy? I feel it would just be out of courtesy and that I may not even be ranked. I am no rockstar, just an average candidate with a decent application.

 

[DermViser]

Asking me what my research is on, and then telling me that that was a terrible study design.

Asking me what I plan to do my fellowship in, and then giving me advice about applications including name dropping several prominent attendings at his home institution.

 

[DermViser]

I am a reapplicant in a very compeititive specialty. One of my aunt's friend has offered to help me get an interview invite at a program I am very interested in. She is a faculty and knows the PD well. Should I accept her offer? And if I did end up getting an interview, how seriously would they consider my candidacy? I feel it would just be out of courtesy and that I may not even be ranked. I am no rockstar, just an average candidate with a decent application.

YES.

 

[DermViser]

My last interview was with a hospitalist and he was staring at his computer screen working on patients while "interviewing" me. It was the only interview at the program and I just wondered what the he could say about me as he wasn't even listening. Waste of time and money going to that place. How do you give feedback to the program?

I've met some pretty weird applicants on my trail...during a group interview with several applicants they had asked tell us something we don't know about you and most of us said something normal then this nice Asian applicant said "I wish I was born black." The chief resident in the room was African American, maybe he was trying to impress him.

 

[dabeags]

I am a reapplicant in a very compeititive specialty. One of my aunt's friend has offered to help me get an interview invite at a program I am very interested in. She is a faculty and knows the PD well. Should I accept her offer? And if I did end up getting an interview, how seriously would they consider my candidacy? I feel it would just be out of courtesy and that I may not even be ranked. I am no rockstar, just an average candidate with a decent application.

Hell yes.

 

[MDin2014]

Hell yes.

Hell yes accept the offer? or are you agreeing with what I am thinking?

 

[ThoracicGuy]

I am a reapplicant in a very compeititive specialty. One of my aunt's friend has offered to help me get an interview invite at a program I am very interested in. She is a faculty and knows the PD well. Should I accept her offer? And if I did end up getting an interview, how seriously would they consider my candidacy? I feel it would just be out of courtesy and that I may not even be ranked. I am no rockstar, just an average candidate with a decent application.

An interview gives you a chance to get ranked for a position. No interview gives you zero chance. Take the interview.