I don't know if we've talked about this before, but do programs not realize that we're interviewing them as well? Here are a few common things I've encountered that are HUGE turn-offs.
#1: Asking Behavioral Questions
Tell me about a time when......Programs say that these questions enable them to "objectively assess applicants". Bull****. If we have all of the unconscious biases that people say that we actually have, being objective is an impossible task. These questions are awful and make the interview feel choppy. They do, however, allow me to objectively assess if a program values standardized questioning over actual normal human interaction. In a year in which the only impression you can give of your program is a zoom call, why on earth would you choose a format that feels cold and impersonal? Applicants rank places that "feel good" the highest. The logical play here is to be warm and inviting and just talk like a human.
Error #2: The Cardinal Sin of Being Awkward
So they've asked me their standard behavioral interview questions that I hate, and then ask me if I have questions. I ask three really good ones, then thank them for their time and responses. I assure them that I've had ample opportunity to ask questions and will reach out if I have any more. A long silence ensues, where both of our minds are racing for filler, and they finally manage to ask me if I have hobbies. We talk about hobbies, but it's disjointed and super awkward. I'm trying to carry things along, but it's just not happening so I finally give up and give in to the awkward silence.
If you are the interviewer, you have to be able to carry a f****** conversation. How the hell are people so bad at it? Also, you have an entire file of fodder for us to talk about. It's called my application. It has at least 25 conversation starters. Pick one.
Error #3 Offering In-Person Visits
I don't care what your opinion is about COVID, pretty much all medical students and programs agree that in-person visits are a bad idea this year. So when you offer me an in-person visit to rotate at the hospital, you're ignoring pretty much all conventional wisdom and showing me that you're tone deaf. It's not that going to your hospital is any more dangerous for me or your patients. It's that you're choosing to ignore how things are being done this year. And I'm supposed to go out of my way to drive to a different state to visit your hospital for a day for a SURGERY PRELIM amidst a pandemic?? You're out of your damn mind. What they're doing is using it as a screening tool to see how serious (or desperate) people are. I'm sad to say that it's working.