Interview prep resources

[vantheman]

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As you know, there are plenty of resources out there describing how to kill an interview. All of this information can be overwhelming and it is hard to know which advice is truly useful.

So my question for you is which resources (websites, SDN threads, books, etc) seem to be most useful for you? I know many of us have yet to be interviewed, but if you have found something to be particularly useful, please post it here! That being said, for those who have already been to an interview, what resources do you believe helped you the most?

ps. Goro's guide has been a fantastic resource for me IMO!

 

[Samir Desai]

I like Goro's guide as well, and recommend it. I've also had a chance to write about medical school admissions interviews. Below are some links to these articles which I believe you will find useful:

Strategies From An Admissions Officer

How To Nail Interview Questions About Healthcare

What Is Your Weakness?

There are also two books that I've written on the medical school admissions interview. The first book helps applicants prepare largely for the traditional interview but also has material for the MMI, behavioral interview, and group interview. Below is a link to the first chapter:

Medical School Interview: Winning Strategies From Admissions Faculty

As more and more medical schools adopted the MMI format, students reached out to me, asking about the best way to prepare for the MMI. That led me to write a very detailed MMI book. Below is a link to the first chapter of this new book:

Multiple Mini Interview (MMI): Winning Strategies From Admissions Faculty

If you have any questions about these resources, feel free to let me know.

Good luck to all of you who are interviewing.

Samir Desai, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine

 

[danib2k15]

I like Goro's guide as well, and recommend it. I've also had a chance to write about medical school admissions interviews. Below are some links to these articles which I believe you will find useful:

Strategies From An Admissions Officer

How To Nail Interview Questions About Healthcare

What Is Your Weakness?

There are also two books that I've written on the medical school admissions interview. The first book helps applicants prepare largely for the traditional interview but also has material for the MMI, behavioral interview, and group interview. Below is a link to the first chapter:

Medical School Interview: Winning Strategies From Admissions Faculty

As more and more medical schools adopted the MMI format, students reached out to me, asking about the best way to prepare for the MMI. That led me to write a very detailed MMI book. Below is a link to the first chapter of this new book:

Multiple Mini Interview (MMI): Winning Strategies From Admissions Faculty

If you have any questions about these resources, feel free to let me know.

Good luck to all of you who are interviewing.

Samir Desai, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine

Thank you thank you thank you thank you! I have an MMI coming up and this is incredibly informative and useful!

 

[Gandyy]

I like Goro's guide as well, and recommend it. I've also had a chance to write about medical school admissions interviews. Below are some links to these articles which I believe you will find useful:

Strategies From An Admissions Officer

How To Nail Interview Questions About Healthcare

What Is Your Weakness?

There are also two books that I've written on the medical school admissions interview. The first book helps applicants prepare largely for the traditional interview but also has material for the MMI, behavioral interview, and group interview. Below is a link to the first chapter:

Medical School Interview: Winning Strategies From Admissions Faculty

As more and more medical schools adopted the MMI format, students reached out to me, asking about the best way to prepare for the MMI. That led me to write a very detailed MMI book. Below is a link to the first chapter of this new book:

Multiple Mini Interview (MMI): Winning Strategies From Admissions Faculty

If you have any questions about these resources, feel free to let me know.

Good luck to all of you who are interviewing.

Samir Desai, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine

Instantly bookmarked this thread after viewing your post for just a couple of seconds.

 

[caffeinemia]

All the written resources are a great way to gain perspective and organize your thoughts.

However, let me emphasize that there is nothing like practicing it in front of an actual person. Better yet, do it in public - like at a starbucks to simulate your real interview where multiple strangers might just be sitting there listening to you. You will see how difficult and painfully awkward it is, especially if you are the type that has a running narrative of you commenting on how you messed up. Based on my experience of doing mock interviews for people, this is the number one thing to get rid of before you interview - the urge to comment on how you just messed up or said something stupid or how you need a redo... real life doesn't happen that way. You gotta trudge on like you own the stage and run the show -- humbly of course.

 

[Gandyy]

All the written resources are a great way to gain perspective and organize your thoughts.

However, let me emphasize that there is nothing like practicing it in front of an actual person. Better yet, do it in public - like at a starbucks to simulate your real interview where multiple strangers might just be sitting there listening to you. You will see how difficult and painfully awkward it is, especially if you are the type that has a running narrative of you commenting on how you messed up. Based on my experience of doing mock interviews for people, this is the number one thing to get rid of before you interview - the urge to comment on how you just messed up or said something stupid or how you need a redo... real life doesn't happen that way. You gotta trudge on like you own the stage and run the show -- humbly of course.

You know what, for some reason, I have an easier time talking to strangers about medicine if they were to ask than in an interview.

For example, one of my interviews I thought went badly (It really went alright apparently), and I felt like I had some kind of mental block going on.

I get on the plane to go back home from my interview, and I start talking about "why medicine" and other healthcare topics/problems in the USA for 2 hours with a stranger on the plane.

 

[caffeinemia]

You know what, for some reason, I have an easier time talking to strangers about medicine if they were to ask than in an interview.

For example, one of my interviews I thought went badly (It really went alright apparently), and I felt like I had some kind of mental block going on.

I get on the plane to go back home from my interview, and I start talking about "why medicine" and other healthcare topics/problems in the USA for 2 hours with a stranger on the plane.

You've proven my point. Sounds like you were assessing how you were doing during the whole interview, while in your conversation you weren't critically appraising yourself the whole time.

 

[Gandyy]

You've proven my point. Sounds like you were assessing how you were doing during the whole interview, while in your conversation you weren't critically appraising yourself the whole time.

Yea, i guess so.

 

[vantheman]

Thanks! I appreciate you taking the time to post

I like Goro's guide as well, and recommend it. I've also had a chance to write about medical school admissions interviews. Below are some links to these articles which I believe you will find useful:

Strategies From An Admissions Officer

How To Nail Interview Questions About Healthcare

What Is Your Weakness?

There are also two books that I've written on the medical school admissions interview. The first book helps applicants prepare largely for the traditional interview but also has material for the MMI, behavioral interview, and group interview. Below is a link to the first chapter:

Medical School Interview: Winning Strategies From Admissions Faculty

As more and more medical schools adopted the MMI format, students reached out to me, asking about the best way to prepare for the MMI. That led me to write a very detailed MMI book. Below is a link to the first chapter of this new book:

Multiple Mini Interview (MMI): Winning Strategies From Admissions Faculty

If you have any questions about these resources, feel free to let me know.

Good luck to all of you who are interviewing.

Samir Desai, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine