The "No Way They Did/Said That" Applicant Thread

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I find this very hard to believe.

If true, please report to the relevant ERAS authorities so this person can be disciplined appropriately.
Riiiiiight. And which specialty do you suggest I switch to after being blackballed from EM? :hungover:

So seriously, it's not uncommon for people to get asked illegal questions at interviews. Most of the time, it's probably innocent and not being used to discriminate. In the case I mentioned, the interviewer clearly wanted to find out if there were issues with people moving to that city, finding jobs for the spouse, support for childcare, etc. But even though those questions shouldn't have been asked, it seems like a bit of an overreaction to report the program over it! This is exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about when I asked before if we could all cut each other a little slack. For a specialty full of laid back people, this thread comes across like we're pretty uptight.

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So back in the day....its my first ever residency interview at a place I had just finished rotating at for 2 months for EM and trauma...I'm excited to finally be at that point...and here's how the interview with PD goes.

Interrupted 4 times so he can confirm his hockey schedule. Tells me how he "knocked up" his then girlfriend so he had to marry her. Discusses the merits of porn with me. This all goes on for a half hour. Then its time to hand me off to a different faculty member, and he says, "do you have any questions?"

So I say, "is there anything you'd actually like to know about me?" He says, "yeah, have you ever been in jail?"

I was both shocked and pissed at the same time. Needless to say, didn't end up on my rank list.
 
At one of my interviews there was a girl who had no plans for the night after the interview, no flight, no hotel room, nothing. The PD offered to let the applicant stay with her and the girl took her up on it.

It shocked me that you would show up to an interview without any plans for the night after - I've done a lot of traveling without any definite plans (like in Europe and Asia) but I always at least knew the morning of where I was spending the night and I would never do that in a professional setting. Plus I'd be really cautious about staying with the PD.

On the other hand, the kindness of the PD really made an impact on me. Favorable impression of the program.
 
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At the risk of belaboring the point, I'll put it simply; There are things that may seem benign to you but are seen as impolite by your interviewers. It's in your best interest to play it safe (while still being yourself) on interview day.

I'd agree with that. And I'd argue that the nuances of when it would be ok versus impolite to check are probably difficult for an applicant to parse when so much of our attention is focused on interviewing and the stress surrounding our lives at the moment. So it's probably best to just not attempt the judgment call and err on the side of not using your phone at all, which is what I'll do for the last few interviews I go on.

But then again, I'm not important enough to making checking my email regularly a necessity. :D
 
whoops. totally meant to post that as a new thread.
 
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At one of my interviews there was a girl who had no plans for the night after the interview, no flight, no hotel room, nothing. The PD offered to let the applicant stay with her and the girl took her up on it.

It shocked me that you would show up to an interview without any plans for the night after - I've done a lot of traveling without any definite plans (like in Europe and Asia) but I always at least knew the morning of where I was spending the night and I would never do that in a professional setting. Plus I'd be really cautious about staying with the PD.

On the other hand, the kindness of the PD really made an impact on me. Favorable impression of the program.

Anastasis, how nice it must be to have never had a flight canceled or a hotel reservation messed up on priceline and to discover that information in your e-mail ten minutes before you have to be at your interview!!

I've been in a similar situation myself so feel like I should speak up(mine was because of a flight cancellation, thanks Delta!) I was honest about it at my interview, because I needed to use a computer to look up alternate plans. Nobody offered to let me stay with them, but I certainly would have thought about it! It was snowing, I was unfamiliar with the town, and my wallet was empty (cue sad music).:rolleyes:

Just saying: If you're going into EM and this shocks you:eek:.... wellll......
Unless she cried. Then it's a whole other ballgame. ha.

Point is, almost everybody is going to have a travel snafoo and if we judge each other on every missed flight, scuffed shoe, pantyhose run, accidental spot of coffee on the blouse, or yawn then spotting the real crazy folks just isn't as much fun as a sport. Then it's just a witch hunt!

Actually, I'm tempted to find all the others this has happened to and start a movement: No advance travel plans for EM applicants next year to prove your fortitude in impromptu situations. Shows you can think on your feet! Who's with me?

:laugh:

.....Now if anybody has seen someone light something on fire during an interview, THAT I wanna hear about!!!!!!!
 
Anastasis, how nice it must be to have never had a flight canceled or a hotel reservation messed up on priceline and to discover that information in your e-mail ten minutes before you have to be at your interview!!

I've been in a similar situation myself so feel like I should speak up(mine was because of a flight cancellation, thanks Delta!) I was honest about it at my interview, because I needed to use a computer to look up alternate plans. Nobody offered to let me stay with them, but I certainly would have thought about it! It was snowing, I was unfamiliar with the town, and my wallet was empty (cue sad music).:rolleyes:

Just saying: If you're going into EM and this shocks you:eek:.... wellll......
Unless she cried. Then it's a whole other ballgame. ha.

Point is, almost everybody is going to have a travel snafoo and if we judge each other on every missed flight, scuffed shoe, pantyhose run, accidental spot of coffee on the blouse, or yawn then spotting the real crazy folks just isn't as much fun as a sport. Then it's just a witch hunt!

Actually, I'm tempted to find all the others this has happened to and start a movement: No advance travel plans for EM applicants next year to prove your fortitude in impromptu situations. Shows you can think on your feet! Who's with me?

:laugh:

.....Now if anybody has seen someone light something on fire during an interview, THAT I wanna hear about!!!!!!!

Sorry to have offended.

My impression is that it was not a travel issue (which is understandable and has happened to me as well) but an intentional act on her part, which is why I found it surprising.
 
We had an applicant show up for the dinner, order takeout, and leave.
Wow. That is just....ballsy. Though what the applicant should have done is call the restaurant and ask if one of the residents could deliver the food to their hotel room. :D
 
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I was at the after interview lunch with a group of candidates. Someone was talking about the movie "Waiting" when the waitress at the end lifts her skirt and show her junk. This guy says "looked like Don King in a head lock". I laughed so hard my water came out of my nose. The other attendings there kind of looked at him with some concern. When it came to rank day I kept saying we needed that guy. He acually had really good credentials and I think a dose of irreverence is always a good sign. We didn't get him. Somewhere out there's a guy who probably knows how to stand his ground.
 
On a similar note, supposedly there is an EM attending somewhere that keeps a guitar in his office and makes everyone who put 'playing guitar' as a hobby on his CV play.

I'm not even applying to EM, but I'll consider it, just to do this. I actually do play guitar, rather well. Did it professionally for 10 years before med school. I'd love to melt that smirk off his face. :D
 
If you can't stay off your phone for half the day, wait until you interview for a faculty position somewhere. I had 2 interviews at programs last month and each one lasted the entire day with 7 hour long interviews. One had me give a resident lecture. So just tuck your phone under the seat in your rental car or in your little roller bag, as you can go without it! I think everyone saying that it is okay to text and email at an interview is under 25..just a guess! Something about that generation.
 
Something about that generation.

I don't think its so much about THAT (my) generation, as it is about culture changing, slowly, every year/decade/century. Things that seem unacceptable to one generation are very acceptable to subsequent generations. The only reason people attribute particularly vile features to whichever generation succeeds them is because we are more similar than different. Specifically comparing the 20-25 to 35-40 'generation', we are more comfortable with smart-phones :)
 
From a friend who's doing interviews for her Surgery program.

Guy interviews a couple of weeks ago, has a great CV. Top tier med school, AOA, pubs, the whole bit. Interesting to talk to and asked a bunch of insightful questions including "what advice would you give about doing 2nd looks?" To which my friend replied, "for your own peace of mind, I suggest doing a 2nd look at the programs you think will be the top 2 or 3 on your rank list."

Today she gets a thank you note from this dude that says, "thank you for your time and insight during my interview at Program X, particularly about doing 2nd looks. I will be doing 2nd looks at Programs Y and Z."
 
I don't think its so much about THAT (my) generation, as it is about culture changing, slowly, every year/decade/century. Things that seem unacceptable to one generation are very acceptable to subsequent generations. The only reason people attribute particularly vile features to whichever generation succeeds them is because we are more similar than different. Specifically comparing the 20-25 to 35-40 'generation', we are more comfortable with smart-phones :)


No, it is all about your generation. It is not okay to play with a phone during a professional interview unless you are in the bathroom or otherwise on your own private time (i.e. in your car).

That is professional etiquette. You can choose to ignore it and it may not bother some people, but you risk turning off others.

Medicine is a conservative profession which is slow to change.
 
No, it is all about your generation. It is not okay to play with a phone during a professional interview unless you are in the bathroom or otherwise on your own private time (i.e. in your car).

That is professional etiquette. You can choose to ignore it and it may not bother some people, but you risk turning off others.

Medicine is a conservative profession which is slow to change.

That said, I'm pretty sure that if you showed up for an interview at Google or Apple and halfway through your chat with Sergey Brin or Steve Jobs you busted out your smartphone and checked in on FourSquare, security would be there to escort you out of the building before you could put it back in your pocket.
 
No, it is all about your generation. It is not okay to play with a phone during a professional interview unless you are in the bathroom or otherwise on your own private time (i.e. in your car).

That is professional etiquette. You can choose to ignore it and it may not bother some people, but you risk turning off others.

Medicine is a conservative profession which is slow to change.

I agree with you that it would be completely unacceptable to check your email DURING an actual interview. And this has nothing to do with email specifically, both the interviewer and the interviewee owe their full attention to each other during those 20 or so minutes. So it would be as rude to check email on your smartphone as it would be to pull out a newspaper and start solving your crossword puzzle.

However, some posts above suggested that it would be rude to check your smartphone during the interview DAY, such as when a bunch of applicants sitting around in a room just chatting to each other.

"Actually, I think you would be well served not to take out your phone at all while on the trail."

I would wager that a room full of 25-ish year olds would not be offended if one of them quickly checked his phone during a lull in the group's conversation.

You are right, of course, in that it may offend some older people (which is why I avoid doing it), but that does not mean that it's because they know how to behave professionally while younger people do not. What you consider a sort of universal 'professional etiquette' may partly be age bias, which creeps in whenever people of different generations discuss morals, fashion, music, and apparently smart-phones.
 
So back in the day....its my first ever residency interview at a place I had just finished rotating at for 2 months for EM and trauma...I'm excited to finally be at that point...and here's how the interview with PD goes.

Interrupted 4 times so he can confirm his hockey schedule. Tells me how he "knocked up" his then girlfriend so he had to marry her. Discusses the merits of porn with me. This all goes on for a half hour. Then its time to hand me off to a different faculty member, and he says, "do you have any questions?"

So I say, "is there anything you'd actually like to know about me?" He says, "yeah, have you ever been in jail?"

I was both shocked and pissed at the same time. Needless to say, didn't end up on my rank list.

He might acted like that because you had been there 2 months and viewed the interview as a formality. I haven't been through match, but I did intervew at my medical school after doing an SMP and it made the interview much more random.

Of course, no one told me about their porn, so your interview was a order of magnitude wierder.
 
You worry me. You sound like the type of resident who would be difficult to teach, won't take feedback, and will always argue the point in hopes of "being right" rather than trying to take another perspective and learning from it.

Go ahead. Play with your phone on interview day. I'll be watching.

Oh yikes. I don't think I have had this heated a conversation about phones before and certainly didn't know that my stance on cell phone usage said so much about the type of resident I would become. I yield good sir! I yield!
 
You worry me. You sound like the type of resident who would be difficult to teach, won't take feedback, and will always argue the point in hopes of "being right" rather than trying to take another perspective and learning from it.

Go ahead. Play with your phone on interview day. I'll be watching.

Geeze, name your program so people can prepare for intense scrutiny.
 
A group of us are sitting around talking and waiting for our next interview. Some guy is telling a really long and boring story about his love for fish sticks. He is laughing as he finishes the story saying "I just love fish sticks." Another applicant walks in the room at the same moment and says, "What are you a gay fish?"

Silence
(besides the sound of me laughing my ass off)

Everyone else just stares at this guy and then me.

"Southpark?"

One girl mutters, "I hate that show" and literally turns her back on me to basically face the wall. No one else says a word for the next minute until someone else came in the room...

I really hope I match with that dude, and none of those other snobs.
 
heh! that's kinda funny! I don't get the south park reference but how can you not like south park
 
Is it really that hard not to use your phone for 6 hours? If you need to make arrangements to get to the airport, do it the night before. Choosing to interact with your phone rather than the other people around at the interview day raises concerns in us 30-year-old-fogies who don't think that that sort of thing is polite. You are here to interview for residency - something you've been working very hard towards for many years - focus.


I think your being a bit unreasonable. To expect a traveling interviewer not to use his phone AT ALL during a 6-8 hour interview day is rediculous. And how exactly does someone using thier phone during a supposed break make them a bad potential resident/physician???
 
I think your being a bit unreasonable. To expect a traveling interviewer not to use his phone AT ALL during a 6-8 hour interview day is rediculous.

Really? That just blows your mind, huh? :rolleyes: Some of us don't even own cell phones :eek:
 
I think your being a bit unreasonable. To expect a traveling interviewer not to use his phone AT ALL during a 6-8 hour interview day is rediculous. And how exactly does someone using thier phone during a supposed break make them a bad potential resident/physician???

I am finding this thread amusing. An attending physician at an academic program is recommending that applicants not access a smart phone because it makes one appear disinterested and the responses are that he must be "old." Incredible.

You have been given advice to conduct yourself in a professional manner in the way you dress, be considerate of everyone you meet, and even been advised not to refer to the ED as an "ER" as it may offend someone. Why is the phone conversation more difficult to accept than the ED/ER nonsense?

You are applying for a job, conduct yourselves in a way that makes you appear professional.

iride
 
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The flip side of all this is maybe the applicants should be left alone during those 10 minutes between interviews. I know programs want us to meet as many people as possible but I'd rather have a few minutes to re-load, check my email, talk to my fellow applicants (which we don't get to do much because it would be rude not to be talking to the attending/resident sitting there.) In between the lunch and the dinner before and the tour I usually get to ask everything I can think of to the residents. I know that it's all part of the interview day, you are never "off" as long as you are at the residency. But I think it's worth asking if having a resident sit in with those waiting for an interview is helping or just causing more stress. Sure I can do the day without any breaks, but maybe the programs will get better looks at people and have better interviews if people get a bit of time.
 
I think your being a bit unreasonable. To expect a traveling interviewer not to use his phone AT ALL during a 6-8 hour interview day is rediculous. And how exactly does someone using thier phone during a supposed break make them a bad potential resident/physician???

It doesn't. But you have to remember that the interview is a job interview. Someone who is using their cellphone in a noticable way is going to appear disinterested to those observing him. And while you can debate whether it should make a difference, applicant interest factors highly when programs are making their rank lists. And while it may seem cruel, many programs will expect you not to be using your phone for personal business during a shift either. So if you can't go 6-8 hrs without checking your email/fantasy football/facebook status, that may be a problem in more than just the interview.
 
You have been given advice to conduct yourself in a professional manner in the way you dress, be considerate of everyone you meet, and even been advised not to refer to the ED as an "ER" as it may offend someone. Why is the phone conversation more difficult to accept than the ED/ER nonsense?

I suspect it's because many people are now looking back at their cell phone usage at interviews and thinking "That couldn't have made any difference could it?" to themselves. It's also because no one is really that addicted to calling it an ER but but the little glowing box? Gotta have it.
 
Some things which stood out for me as an applicant last year:

1. One of the interviewers said to me, "I didn't have a chance to look at your file at all so I don't know anything about you." I was put off by this, to be honest. I know they are busy but after just driving 14 hours straight, spending the money on a hotel room, and researching everything I could on the program prior to the interview, it bothered me.

2. One program was placed on probation where I was offered an interview. I decided to go ahead and go to the interview and give the program a chance, plus see what they had to say about the probationary status. I got there and the PD wasn't there the entire day. The whole presentation was given by the program coordinator. I felt like if I was going to give this program a chance, I'd at least like to hear from the PD why they were on probation. We didn't even get a chance to meet the PD.
 
I went to a resident dinner, but none of the residents showed up. It was just me and a couple of other applicants.

Maybe they were just hiding in the next booth and watching Jane Goodall style...
 
I went to a resident dinner, but none of the residents showed up. It was just me and a couple of other applicants.

Thats scary - haven't had that happen yet.

On the note of the extensive phone conversation in this thread - I was at an interview with about 12 people where 4-5 applicants were sitting in the resident lounge (just us applicants) at any given time between interviews. A fellow applicant kept getting on the phone and talking loudly to a bunch of different people (mom, best friend, boyfriend, gardener). It was ridiculous and made conversation between the rest of us difficult because she was so loud.
 
I went to a resident dinner, but none of the residents showed up. It was just me and a couple of other applicants.

One place I interviewed I was supposed to call the resident that evening to find out where dinner was.
No answer. No call back on voicemail.
No mention at all the next morning, and the person I was supposed to call wasn't there either.
 
Interesting article that showed up on AOL's front page today.

The headline is:
This Guy Just Cost Himself the Job
Chatting on a cell phone, even in the company's lobby, is one of 10 surefire ways to wreck your interview.
Of the 10 ways to wreck your interview #5 is having your cell phone ring. They go on to say:
Shut your phone off before even entering the premises. It is even bad form to be observed busily chatting on your cell in the lobby.
 
That's exactly what I was going to say. DAMN YOU BROCK SAMSON!

You've got to get up pretty early to best someone who is half Swedish, a quarter Polish, and a quarter Winnebago.
 
I am under the impression that residency interviews should be conducted in the same manner as job interviews in other fields as far as etiquette goes.

Maybe these clowns with the cookies, crying, and the cell phones have gone the high school to med. school route without ever really having had much experience in the workforce.
Therefore, I recommend some additional med-school classes for the select few: "Common sense in the Real World. Get Some.", " Social Interactions Without Technology", and "You are Really Not as Special as You Think You Are"

But then I'm one of those 30'ish individuals as well.


God, I sound like my parents.
 
Anastasis, how nice it must be to have never had a flight canceled or a hotel reservation messed up on priceline and to discover that information in your e-mail ten minutes before you have to be at your interview!!

I've been in a similar situation myself so feel like I should speak up(mine was because of a flight cancellation, thanks Delta!) I was honest about it at my interview, because I needed to use a computer to look up alternate plans. Nobody offered to let me stay with them, but I certainly would have thought about it! It was snowing, I was unfamiliar with the town, and my wallet was empty (cue sad music).:rolleyes:

Just saying: If you're going into EM and this shocks you:eek:.... wellll......
Unless she cried. Then it's a whole other ballgame. ha.

Point is, almost everybody is going to have a travel snafoo and if we judge each other on every missed flight, scuffed shoe, pantyhose run, accidental spot of coffee on the blouse, or yawn then spotting the real crazy folks just isn't as much fun as a sport. Then it's just a witch hunt!

Actually, I'm tempted to find all the others this has happened to and start a movement: No advance travel plans for EM applicants next year to prove your fortitude in impromptu situations. Shows you can think on your feet! Who's with me?

:laugh:

.....Now if anybody has seen someone light something on fire during an interview, THAT I wanna hear about!!!!!!!


I have twice been in your situation on the interview trail. Thankfully I was interviewing at a program with residents/attendings who understood the plight of the traveling interviewee (and knew the weather was bad) and let us check our email and call airlines. During my interview the PD even went on his computer to change my flight! Needless to say, that program is high on my list.
 
i was at a dinner the night before my interview and there was this female applicant sitting next to a resident (male and married) and she literally could not keep her hands off of him. it first started when she asked him his technique for reducing a shoulder or some nonsense, during which time she proceeded to put her hand on his shoulder and do this strange massage-y type of motion. then afterwards, every couple minutes should would either touch his arm, put her hand on the back of his chair, lean in SUUUUUPER close or something or another. it was incredibly awkward and the rest of the residents and applicants couldn't help but stare as if it were a bad car accident. one resident literally had her mouth open while looking. it was soooo uncomfortable for all of us. i kinda felt bad for her (the super touchy feel-y applicant)
 
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