In Part I of these interview tips, I talk about how to prepare for the interview. In this segment, I’d like to offer tips applicable for after you have arrived on the hospital campus.
- If you get invited to a pre-interview dinner, try your best to go. It is not the end of the world if you cannot make it, but this is your time to really get to know your residents and future co-workers outside of the hospital. It can provide you addition insight into the program and if it will be a match for you. It is also a big gesture for a hospital to offer this, so try to take advantage of it.
- Dress business casual to the dinner. It’s not as formal as the interview, but you still must consider it part of the interview.
- Approach cocktails with professionalism. If you are going to partake in drinks, just have one, two max. You are being judged at these dinners even if you are told you’re not. Put your best professional foot forward, keep your cool, and make sure you leave with composure. Remember, you still have a long day ahead of you.
- Lodging and the morning of the interview. If you are offered a hotel room, take advantage of it. The hotel will usually be very close to the hospital, and it is always better not to stress about time on the morning of an interview. Just use that time to relax before the interview process begins. Interviewers want a relaxed, low maintenance candidate, so try to stay calm.
Hope these tips help and I definitely will have more to come.
Hello Kris
My name is Charlene, a medical undergraduate in Peking University, China. I happened to have the honor to read about your articles concerning narrative medicine and parallel charts. Several classmates and I are preparing for a relative study. We’d be so glad if you could give us some suggestions. Would you mind？
My email address is 1510120107@pku.edu.cn
We sincerely look forward to your reply! Thank you!