Interviews are not what I expected

[Melkor]

So I've completed a few interviews now, in both rads and some TYs and I'm feeling a little disappointed in general. All the places I've been to have us spend 90% of the time with the residents-which is certainly great to get a better idea of how the program is run but once the actual interviews start they consist of anywhere from 1-3 interviewers for 20-30 minutes each. The problem is they don't ask any questions aside from maybe the standard, tell me about yourself, why this program, why radiology... I just am not feeling like I am able to adequately separate myself from everyone else with these questions. Half of my interviews thus far have actually consisted of them not asking me a single question other than, do you have any questions for us?

During my first interview I actually asked one of the interviewers when they were going to start asking more difficult questions in an attempt to sound jovial. Anyways, I assume everyone has decent/standard answers to those questions above so how do these programs rank everyone without really getting any new information during the interview?

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[Melkor]

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[greg1184]

Enjoy the process, enjoy visiting many different citys and programs. It will work itself out.

Good luck.

 

[Melkor]

Enjoy the process, enjoy visiting many different citys and programs. It will work itself out.

Good luck.

I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting the cities and the tours given by the residents and expect to continue to enjoy this, I just don't understand how the interview itself changes anything

 

[cocobutter]

Pretty sure at this stage of the game every applicant does well on interviews. Interviews are more for you to learn about the program and ask questions.Very very few applicants actually stand out based on interviews alone.

 

[Melkor]

Pretty sure at this stage of the game every applicant does well on interviews. Interviews are more for you to learn about the program and ask questions.Very very few applicants actually stand out based on interviews alone.

I thought the general consensus was that your stats got you the interview but how you did on the interview gave you your rank, is this not true then? If it's not, then everyone can completely disregard the post.

 

[cocobutter]

I thought the general consensus was that your stats got you the interview but how you did on the interview gave you your rank, is this not true then? If it's not, then everyone can completely disregard the post.

Your post brings up a good topic. What kind of difficult questions were you expecting? It is reasonable to expect that they rank you based on your entire application, with interviews being just one factor.

 

[Melkor]

Your post brings up a good topic. What kind of difficult questions were you expecting? It is reasonable to expect that they rank you based on your entire application, with interviews being just one factor.

I was expecting more questions like, why should we rank you higher over your peers/sell yourself to me, what is your biggest weakness, what attributes do you think would make a successful resident at our program, how would our program benefit by having you as a resident, describe what your fellow classmates/peers would say about you, ethical questions like "tell me how you would react if you disagreed with your attending's treatment decision" or "when have you found it necessary to break the rules for the patients benefit", random questions about society and current politics, questions without necessarily a right or wrong answer such as "which imaging modality is single handedly the most important in current medicine", where do you see yourself in 10, 15, 20 years, do you consider yourself a leader or a follower, when was the last time you made a major change in your life and why did you do it and how did it end up, whats the last book you read and what did you learn about yourself from it, aside from medicine what is a passion in your life, give me 3 things you would like to change about yourself, teach me something, who is a hero of yours and why and then finally the un-preppable/random questions like what type of animal would you like to be, how far away is the sun from the earth, pie or cake...Basically just questions that can help the interviewer understand the candidates thought process and ability to think under stress as this can be difficult to gauge from a CV alone.

Anyways, I definitely agree that the interview is/should be only one factor in the ranking process but I just don't see how it can change any type of rank order given how little can be ascertained about the interviewee from the limited interaction.

 

[a runner]

How long does it take you talking to a person to get a feel whether you like them or not?

For me, I can almost always tell in less than 20-30 minutes, usually much, much less.

I'm not "in the know" but I'd imagine that's the #1 thing an interviewer wants to know about a person once they get to that stage: do I like you or not? Would you be a drag or enjoyable to be around? Of course one person might find you annoying (and you likewise them) while another person enjoys your company. People are different. That's what interviews are really for, I believe, to see who they'd like to work with. It doesn't take "hard" questions to figure that out. In fact, easy questions probably work better. It tells who you are, where you come from, your upbringing, values, personality, etc.

 

[qwerty89]

"During my first interview I actually got a little annoyed and asked one of the interviewers when they were going to start asking more difficult questions"

What I don't even...

 

[Melkor]

"During my first interview I actually got a little annoyed and asked one of the interviewers when they were going to start asking more difficult questions"

What I don't even...

Haha, yeah, I asked it in a joking way because things were going smoothly so far (I think) and it was the only question I had left in response to their standard "Any questions for me?" so I asked it to come off comical.

How long does it take you talking to a person to get a feel whether you like them or not?

For me, I can almost always tell in less than 20-30 minutes, usually much, much less.

I'm not "in the know" but I'd imagine that's the #1 thing an interviewer wants to know about a person once they get to that stage: do I like you or not? Would you be a drag or enjoyable to be around? Of course one person might find you annoying (and you likewise them) while another person enjoys your company. People are different. That's what interviews are really for, I believe, to see who they'd like to work with. It doesn't take "hard" questions to figure that out. In fact, easy questions probably work better. It tells who you are, where you come from, your upbringing, values, personality, etc.

Yeah, I can appreciate what your saying I think. If I just randomly start talking to someone, your right, it doesn't take long to determine if I like them or not if they aren't specifically trying to make me like them (ie if they are simply being themselves). In this specific situation though I think everyone will be able to hide any quirks/tics/etc for a half hour especially if they are not under stress as I do think its easy enough to feign a general likability with a little practice.

 

[avatar2525]

Lol I had a full 20 minute interview with one of the attending radiologists about how Destiny is overrated and how Call of duty is a big joke now.

 

[greg1184]

Lol I had a full 20 minute interview with one of the attending radiologists about how Destiny is overrated and how Call of duty is a big joke now.

And this summarizes why I love radiology.

 

[bwmd]

The interview is more of an opportunity to differentiate yourself in a negative way than to shine. It's the final filter to screen out the pathological types.

 

[shark2000]

So I've completed a few interviews now, in both rads and some TYs and I'm feeling a little disappointed in general. All the places I've been to have us spend 90% of the time with the residents-which is certainly great to get a better idea of how the program is run but once the actual interviews start they consist of anywhere from 1-3 interviewers for 20-30 minutes each. The problem is they don't ask any questions aside from maybe the standard, tell me about yourself, why this program, why radiology... I just am not feeling like I am able to adequately separate myself from everyone else with these pitifully easy questions. Half of my interviews thus far have actually consisted of them not asking me a single question other than, do you have any questions for us? Of course we all have a few bread and butter questions in our bank but the program won't learn anything from me if I'm the one asking all the questions... The programs that specifically don't have any questions for me make me think they are uninterested in me as an applicant and probably only gave me an interview either because their program is in the same part of the country where I live or my stats just happened to be higher than average but they don't intend on ranking.

During my first interview I actually got a little annoyed and asked one of the interviewers when they were going to start asking more difficult questions (probably not a good idea in retrospect). Anyways, I assume everyone has decent/standard answers to those questions above so how do these programs rank everyone without really getting any new information during the interview? The absolutely only thing that I have seemed to make any type of difference in how they view us is with their initial question of-"so why did you apply here, do you have family here?" and inevitably when I say no but give other specific pertinent reasons for applying to their program they look less interested. I'm about ready to just say yes and if they ask tell them I have a 2nd cousin in the area or something stupid like that.

So, as of yet I haven't had any programs give me any type of hint about where they would rank me which makes me seriously worried. Is this normal or am I just completely flubbing the interviews (although I don't really see how I could with them being so limited). And with that in mind, pretty much every interviewer I've had is seriously laid back/nonchalant about the whole interview which is fine but then do you continue to sit with your back completely straight/rigid/focused to show them you are taking the interview seriously or do you echo their persona and act more casual at the risk of looking unprofessional.

I guess the main point of this post is how the hell do any of these programs make any sort of judgement about their candidates when during the interview they either only ask very very basic questions or worse no questions at all. I can make small talk all day long but I assume everyone else (or at least most candidates) can do the very same. If I really liked a program and want to rank them first but the interviewer only asked me if I had any questions and didn't even begin to let me tell them how much I liked their program/will rank them 1st/etc,do I still rank them first if they are a reach program since I have absolutely no idea where they will rank me compared to the other 100+ equally if not more qualified applicants they interviewed?

/end rant

Are you serious or joking?

What do you mean by difficult questions? Do you expect them to ask you about MRI physics or type of catheter to select right carotid artery?

The whole idea of interview is introduction and is to eliminate obvious pathologies. Otherwise, most applicants look the same.

Nobody, at least in medicine is charming enough to be able to impress an interviewer in 20 minutes.

 

[Melkor]

Are you serious or joking?

What do you mean by difficult questions? Do you expect them to ask you about MRI physics or type of catheter to select right carotid artery?

The whole idea of interview is introduction and is to eliminate obvious pathologies. Otherwise, most applicants look the same.

Nobody, at least in medicine is charming enough to be able to impress an interviewer in 20 minutes.

I was just under the impression going into these that they would be similar to an interview you would see at a standard business/law firm where it is your duty as a candidate to make yourself stand out from others. As for the tough questions, no I wasn't expecting tough questions related to medicine (other than maybe ethics) but more thinking on your feet type questions.

Given the responses of others experiences, I feel much more reassured about the whole process. I guess I just figured since they weren't grilling me, that meant they weren't interested in me as a candidate which was grossly over analyzing on my part. Thanks everyone for your input, like always, SDN delivers!

 

[colbgw02]

1) As others have mentioned, the goal isn't necessarily to decide if you're an awesome guy, but rather if you're shady. It's amazing how many people can't suppress their personality disorder for 24 hours.

2) I'd say that residency interviews are different than on the "outside" because there's an assumption that you're qualified, hard-working, and intelligent enough to do the job. That is, the interview pool is pre-screened, which isn't the case for most businesses. It gets "worse" once you get to fellowship and job interviews, because then it's all about who you know. My experience in those areas is that they've already basically decided who they want, and interview is just a code word for "lunch with a tour".

3) You're focusing on the formal interviews too much. Remember that the interview starts the moment you walk in the door.

4) Most people stink at interviewing, and I can virtually guarantee that the program has never provided any sort of training about how to conduct one. If your interviews feel disorganized, then there's a good chance it's because the interviewer is just mimicking the crappy technique he was exposed to as an applicant.

5) We should be a little thankful that we don't place too much emphasis on the formal interviews. There are lots of good physicians practicing today who can't interview worth a crap. If we overly select for people who can shine with a stranger in a 30 minute window, then it comes at the cost of diversity (of personality), which I'd say is a bad thing.

 

[avatar2525]

I feel like it would be way to difficult to rank people based only on the interview. Imagine them trying to compare 100 people they interviewed only on their interview answers. "Candidate #1 on nov 6th said his strengths were work ethic while candidate #2 on nov 12th said his strengths were his laid back personality... but lets not forget about candidate #3 who said his strength was his leadership skills."

At the end of the day, I'm sure the primary source of ranking comes from your stats/ geography/ personal connections with the program.

 

[bjb305]

I was expecting more questions like, why should we rank you higher over your peers/sell yourself to me, what is your biggest weakness, what attributes do you think would make a successful resident at our program, how would our program benefit by having you as a resident, describe what your fellow classmates/peers would say about you, ethical questions like "tell me how you would react if you disagreed with your attending's treatment decision" or "when have you found it necessary to break the rules for the patients benefit",

i'm sorry but i just don't see how asking these questions can separate good/bad residents. just because you come prepared with preset answers to these questions will not make you a good resident. I would rather work with someone that was nice, easy to talk to, and passionate about radiology.. not whether or not they could tell me their "biggest weakness" or talk about any current political thing

 

[bjb305]

also another point... the interview isn't the only thing to determine you rank... if you aren't cool around the residents (which according to you is 90% of your day) then your rank will drop. I go to most interview dinners and you can bet that if i get the sense someone just isn't right, i'm going to speak up to my program about it, or if someone seems like the perfect fit, i will certainly tell the PD about them too

 

[tco]

Are you serious or joking?

What do you mean by difficult questions? Do you expect them to ask you about MRI physics or type of catheter to select right carotid artery?

The whole idea of interview is introduction and is to eliminate obvious pathologies. Otherwise, most applicants look the same.

Nobody, at least in medicine is charming enough to be able to impress an interviewer in 20 minutes.

Speak for yourself <3

 

[Melkor]

also another point... the interview isn't the only thing to determine you rank... if you aren't cool around the residents (which according to you is 90% of your day) then your rank will drop. I go to most interview dinners and you can bet that if i get the sense someone just isn't right, i'm going to speak up to my program about it, or if someone seems like the perfect fit, i will certainly tell the PD about them too

Thanks bjb for your comments. In the last few months leading up to these I've had multiple mentors (who are in a variety of jobs) tell me to prep for these interviews like I would if I was interviewing at a high powered law firm or wall street job. This advice was obviously not well directed and I see that now. Like I stated before, the 90% of the day spent with the residents has been awesome and exactly how I envisioned it would be. I haven't met any residents who didn't like what they were doing and everyone has been great at answering all our questions in a relaxed atmosphere. I was simply taken aback once the formal interviews started because of the similarly relaxed nature, mostly because I had the notion that the formal interview was where you were supposed to "plead your case" as to why you would be a good fit at that program. Based on everyone's responses however it sounds like the interview day (including the formal interview) is used more often to catch/uncover any personality flaws and exclude those applicants rather than as a tool to solely determine where to rank the interviewers (albeit I'm sure it does play some role, just not nearly as large as what I had originally figured it would).

 

[shark2000]

Speak for yourself <3

If you are charming enough to impress an interviewer in 20 minutes, there is definitely something wrong with you to do medicine.

 

[fun8stuff]

So I've completed a few interviews now, in both rads and some TYs and I'm feeling a little disappointed in general. All the places I've been to have us spend 90% of the time with the residents-which is certainly great to get a better idea of how the program is run but once the actual interviews start they consist of anywhere from 1-3 interviewers for 20-30 minutes each. The problem is they don't ask any questions aside from maybe the standard, tell me about yourself, why this program, why radiology... I just am not feeling like I am able to adequately separate myself from everyone else with these questions. Half of my interviews thus far have actually consisted of them not asking me a single question other than, do you have any questions for us?

During my first interview I actually asked one of the interviewers when they were going to start asking more difficult questions in an attempt to sound jovial. Anyways, I assume everyone has decent/standard answers to those questions above so how do these programs rank everyone without really getting any new information during the interview?

The people interviewing you are physicians who's main job is not interviewing. If you're lucky they will have glanced over your application the night before. Some may be chief residents who have never had to interview anyone before. Nobody trained them how to interview and their main job is not to interview- just something they have to get done on top of primary duties. The rank list will mostly be determined by your board scores, grades, and letters of recommendation. The interview day is just as much for the applicants to sell the program.

The interview isn't going to help or hurt the majority of people. But you would be surprised how many people come off as being weird in the interview- these people will be docked. Your goal for the interview day should be able to come off as a normal person that they would want to work next to for the next 4-5 years. A skillful candidate can work their qualifications into all the standard interview questions that are asked.

Some of the questions you are hoping to be asked like "teach me something" is stupid and nearly pointless. We don't care how well you can bull**** us. I don't care who your hero is. While others questions like "where do you see yourself in 10 years" are going to be pretty much the same sets of answers for everyone (e.g. academics vs. private practice)... or we know you are probably too naive to have a good idea of what you want.... or we'll get these answers from looking at your application or from the other more standard questions (e.g. if we ask you your weaknesses, you should tell us some things about yourself you have tried to change... or if you have done a handful of research projects/activities then we will infer that you have a future in academia).

 

[bjb305]

Thanks bjb for your comments. In the last few months leading up to these I've had multiple mentors (who are in a variety of jobs) tell me to prep for these interviews like I would if I was interviewing at a high powered law firm or wall street job. This advice was obviously not well directed and I see that now. Like I stated before, the 90% of the day spent with the residents has been awesome and exactly how I envisioned it would be. I haven't met any residents who didn't like what they were doing and everyone has been great at answering all our questions in a relaxed atmosphere. I was simply taken aback once the formal interviews started because of the similarly relaxed nature, mostly because I had the notion that the formal interview was where you were supposed to "plead your case" as to why you would be a good fit at that program. Based on everyone's responses however it sounds like the interview day (including the formal interview) is used more often to catch/uncover any personality flaws and exclude those applicants rather than as a tool to solely determine where to rank the interviewers (albeit I'm sure it does play some role, just not nearly as large as what I had originally figured it would).

well i think there's a big difference between interviews outside of medicine and those in medicine.. out in business i'm sure they just want the best person for the job to make the most profits.. in medicine.. i think we're all pretty qualified for the job, but we're looking for people we can work along with (which is ultimately better for the patient). might be why most people have the laid back kinda interview -- just my guess, at least that's how i would interview a potential applicant

 

[Gadofosveset]

If you are charming enough to impress an interviewer in 20 minutes, there is definitely something wrong with you to do medicine.

Truth. There's "normal charming" and then there's "too charming," which for me is kind of a red flag.

In my radiological experience, "too charming" is not much use when the poo meets the propeller. Mostly because these people think they can succeed without reading.

These people know who they are.

 

[newradsmd]

My two cents. Medicine interviews vs "real world" interviews are very different, and when you break it down even further, Radiology interviews vs other specialties (surgical in my experience), are just as different. The more challenging questions you thought you would get are questions I got from the surgical interview trail (Gen surg/ENT), where they grill you on crazy stuff to try and gauge how you "think on your feet". Very old school surgeon mentality. After discussing with many other residents, interviewing (I am in transition from ENT to Radiology), and reading this thread, Radiology interviews are much MUCH different. There is an emphasis on "can I work/teach this person for the next 4-5 years?". The flow is much better, as most interviews seem to be conversations more than actual interviews. So, as previously recommended, try not to over do it, just be yourself and make sure you remember its you who is also interviewing them.

 

[Esquire]

.

 

[IJL]

If you're disappointed that interviews are too laid back, there's a good chance they're getting an uptight read from you.

Yeah, no joke.

My thoughts on the OP:

 

[txguy]

So I've completed a few interviews now, in both rads and some TYs and I'm feeling a little disappointed in general. All the places I've been to have us spend 90% of the time with the residents-which is certainly great to get a better idea of how the program is run but once the actual interviews start they consist of anywhere from 1-3 interviewers for 20-30 minutes each. The problem is they don't ask any questions aside from maybe the standard, tell me about yourself, why this program, why radiology... I just am not feeling like I am able to adequately separate myself from everyone else with these questions. Half of my interviews thus far have actually consisted of them not asking me a single question other than, do you have any questions for us?

During my first interview I actually asked one of the interviewers when they were going to start asking more difficult questions in an attempt to sound jovial. Anyways, I assume everyone has decent/standard answers to those questions above so how do these programs rank everyone without really getting any new information during the interview?

Melkor, I mean this in the nicest way possible, but you need to chill out and relax. This is the best advice I can give. You are not interviewing in a business environment for a high power management consulting position, known to practice behavioral interviewing techniques, etc. Just be a cool person, relax, and you'll be fine. I will agree with the above comment that a skilled interviewee will still find a way to get his/her points across even if not directly asked about it.

 

[medictal]

What about those interviews where the interviewer does all the talking and doesn't even ask a single question?

About 1/3 of my interviews have consisted of the interviewer going on and on about how fabulous their program is, how happy their residents are, and what makes their program unique...and I can hardly get in a dozen words edgewise. I've tried posing questions, commenting on interesting talking points/shared interests (even family vacation photos, artwork, anything I can find in their office), or referencing specific reasons for my interest in their program, but they seem to stick to a scripted spiel and have no interest in a real back-and-forth conversation. I'm not sure what to make of these, as it seems unfortunate to travel across the country and be able to say little more than, "I'm doing well, grateful for this opportunity...nice meeting you, thanks for your time," to the program director. Is this just personal style? Or a sort of behavioral test? Or an indication that you're a particularly high/low priority? Or am I just seriously overthinking this and 15 mins of smile-and-nod is the way to go?

 

[avatar2525]

15 min of smile and nod is always the way to go.

 

[cocobutter]

Next time you should take over the interview. Show them who is alpha

 

[je355804]

Interviews are for weeding out weirdos... other than that, your rank spot is probably already determined.

 

[cocobutter]

Interviews are for weeding out weirdos... other than that, your rank spot is probably already determined.

How do you know if you're a weirdo? Is there a weirdo test I can take online?

 

[IJL]

How do you know if you're a weirdo? Is there a weirdo test I can take online?

Melkor = weirdo