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SOFTWARE
General guidelines for interviews
You don't need outstanding medical knowledge and don't try to read too much medicine for interviews. You have already passed exams and it is more than enough to handle interviews.
Read your application, SOP and recommendation letters (if you have permission to see you LOR's).Prepare list of possible questions from those and write answers. Give strong reason if you have long gap after graduation and if you failed in any exams.
Gather information about the program and good source is their website.
Try to attend the programmes which are last choices first to get experiences of interviews
Describe/Tell me about yourself/strengths.
Prepare 3-4 attributes that are relevant to the requirements of the role. Be able to analyze why and how you are strong in those areas. Be prepare to explain those attributes by mixing your behavior,knowledge,skills and experiences. You must be confident and at the same time try not to appear overconfident or arrogant.
Example of good attributes
ambitious, hardworking and persevering.....
quick learner,flexible,easily adaptable..
weakness
Most of the students talk about their strength and not about their weakness but don't forget there is no perfect human .so you must have some weakness but you can present your weakness in a positive way as below
Sometimes being impatient with other's laziness at work
Trying to do too much and to be too enthusiastic
You can start by saying that you don't believe you are actually 'weak' in any area and acknowledge certain areas that you believe you can improve.
Body language
walk briskly
hold head up
hold shoulders upright
make firm handshake
open arms/palms
plant both feet on the floor
RELAX: sit in relaxed manner .relaxed manner suggest confidence
Fidgeting is death: don't play with you hair ,bite your nails and don't wiggle your feet. Fidgeting suggests lack of confidence and focus.
Positive gesture: pressing your fingers together to form a steeple suggests attentiveness and thought. But make sure, you are not overdoing it. Keep posture erect
Maintain eye contact: It means you are confident, prepared and engaged in conversation. If there are more than 1 interviewer, you must quickly return to the interviewer who asked the question.
QUESTIONS YOU MAY BE ASKED IN INTERVIEW
General questions
Why are you interested in this program?
How and why did you become interested in this specialty?
What are your strengths? List some accomplishments of which you are proud
How can this specialty fit your long term goals?
matcHow would you describe yourself?
What are your weaknesses? How do you handle them?
What are your hobbies/interests? What do you do in leisure time?
Do you have any questions?
Why should I select you for residency ?.
How different you are from others making you special to chose for this program?.
Career related questions
What made you to chose the medical career?
Why are you interested in this specialty? What would be the toughest/most-least enjoyable aspects of this specialty?
What are your overall career goals? Are you planning on taking a fellowship and/or doing research?
What are your ten year plans...where will you be?
Tell me about an interesting experience you had with a patient and what you learned from it.
What is your most memorable patient encounter?
Tell me about an interesting case you have seen?
What differences do you see between the health care delivery of your country and America and how well you prepared to deliver patient care in USA?.
How many residency interviews have you got and completed so far?. Most of the programmes expect at least 15%of interviews from the programmes you applied.
Do you have any medical /non medical research experience?
Residency program related questions
What is your perception of the strengths/weaknesses of this program?
What kind of challenges you are going to encounter in this program?
How would you contribute to our residency?
How well you prepared to treat the patient population and diseases in this community (where the hospital located)?