Now imagine you're trying to get hitched on a dating website. What do you want in a partner? Loving, smart, successful, funny,compatible, will get along with my family and friends. Do you see any similarities with the director?
The fellowship interview is like dating. Your partner has to find reasons why (s)he thinks (s)he's found The One.
How do you make this happen?
Simple. Four steps: Know the program. Know yourself. Find common ground. Prepare for questions
Now let's go through each step.
Research the Program
Read everything about the program, the faculty, hospital and city.
What is the history of the program? Any areas of excellence? Who are key faculty?
Read extensively about the faculty- their education, committee memberships, research, voluntary work, hobbies. This is a very important way of finding common ground. For example, I found out that my mentor trained together with a couple important faculty at a program I was interviewing at.
You should study the curriculum. How does it differ from other programs?
What's unique about the hospital? What's the demography of the city?
Research Yourself
Read your personal statement. Read your CV. Anything exciting or questionable (like gaps in training)? Be prepared to discuss any part of your CV or personal statement.
I learned more about myself during the interview trail. Even if you've made up your mind about where you want to match, I think going on several interviews is worth it. Enjoy meeting new people, enjoy the cities, and most of all enjoy getting to know you.
Find Common Ground
Here, you're creating a bridge between what you learned about the program and what you learned about yourself.
I will address this some more in the next section.
Prepare for Questions
There are 3 types of interview: the highly structured, the semi-structured, and the seemingly informal interview. Be ready for any of these. You're the salesman. You will adapt to the interview structure and pitch your talents. Be deliberate and honest. Back up your statements with examples.
Here are 9 questions that could be worth preparing for:
1. Why did you apply to our program?
Tips: Focus on the program's virtues. Don't start with city, weather etc. Be specific. You can talk about what you like about the curriculum, mentors with similar research interests etc.
You might also use this opportunity to throw your mentor's name out there. Here's an example I once used: "My mentor Dr. xx recommended that I apply to this program. She told me great things about the program and coming changes that the new Chair, Dr xx (a former colleague of hers) is bringing. This is definitely an exciting time to be a part of this program".
If you have family ties, you can add this. Ties are very important, but they're an add-on, not a prime reason.
2. Tell me about yourself
This is very often the ice breaker. There are many ways to answer this question.
I have started with "I grew up among 4 boys. This experience nurtured a competitive edge in me..."
I have also started with "I am currently a 2nd year..."
Think about this question like you've got first serve in a tennis match.
You can totally decide where you want the conversation to lead, and you should; serve to your areas of strength.
3. Why did you chose this specialty?
Try to be original. You don't need to repeat your personal statement verbatim. Don't appear like you're reading off a rehearsed speech.
4. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Give genuine answers with examples. Be careful not to give weaknesses that will drown you (I am always late, I don't have much motivation etc.).
An example I once gave was that I didn't like to fail and I was very hard on myself. Of course I didn't end there. I explained examples of times that I have actually learned from my failures and how I have come back stronger.
Couple every weakness with how you have improved on it.
5. What key skills do you have?
Give unique skills. With examples of course. Maybe you can communicate in difficult situations? You speak 15 languages?
6. Discuss a difficult/interesting case you once had
This is not a very common question, particularly for fellowship interview. However, don't be blindsided if you're asked. On the other hand, you can tie this with the 'why this specialty' and 'key skills' question. While discussing this, your goal is to convey attributes like curiosity, out of the box reasoning, resourcefulness or other skills that make you unique.
7. Talk about a mistake you once made
The interviewer is asking you to discuss a mistake and what you learned from it. How has it made you a better physician?
8. What sets you apart? Why should we choose you?
Humbly summarize your strengths and how you fit with the program. Remember it's give and take. Talk about what you're going to gain from the program and how you will benefit the program.
9. Do you have any questions for me?
No, thank you. - Read as 'I am not interested'.
Your default answer is yes. Equivalent of triple match point in tennis or free throws to win a tie game in basketball.
Prepare questions tailored to each faculty.
You should generate questions from the faculty's bio. You can ask questions related to their clinical, research, administrative work or hobbies. You can ask questions about a publication of theirs you read. You might even suggest how your skills can be useful for their research.
Don't ask faculty questions that can be answered by a simple online search, or one that fellows can answer.
Here are 3 of my favorite questions for faculty:
-What do you enjoy most about working here?
-What do you value most in your fellow?
-How do you advise me to improve my current preparation, such that on day one, I'm ready to excel (You should outline the things you're already doing).
Ask fellows the hard questions. Dig deep into the curriculum. Ask about things that matter to you. How is the scut work? Do you feel you get enough autonomy? What are your hours like? Do you think the program supports having a child during training?
This is your chance to know the day to day life of the fellow. You want to make sure the program is the right fit.
Closing the loop
The success of an interview also depends on your communication afterwards. You should thank the faculty, staff and fellows you come across. Emails are fine. Handwritten cards are even better. I typically send both since emails are usually deleted. My program coordinator in residency showed me the handwritten card I sent to her a year later. She kept it!
Some programs like you to communicate your interest after the interview. Those programs will usually tell you this during the interview. At the end of the day, no program wants to match a disinterested fellow. If you think a certain program is your favorite, do let them know. Tell them reasons why you want to match there. Don't sound desperate. Remember, by NRMP rules, there's no quid pro quo. You can tell a program you will rank them, but the're not obliged to do the same, and vice versa.
To summarize, the fellowship interview is the most important factor in the match. Go with your 'A' game. The recipe for winning is preparation, preparation and preparation. Learn everything about the program. Learn everything about yourself. Find common ground. Ask questions. Be courteous.
And finally, if you don't believe in yourself, your interviewer cannot believe in you. Now, go ye and slay!
Feel free to post your comments or questions.
Hakeem Ayinde
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