Residency Interviews: The three most important questions to know how to answer

As interview season for residency winds down, the kinds of questions that I got on the interview trail varied. However, there are a few questions that kept surfacing irregardless of who was interviewing me. These are questions that you must know the answer for.

First, let me say that these are not guaranteed to be asked. However, I found them to be the most common question asked among all the interviews I had. That said, which questions are the most common?

      1)      Tell me about yourself?

      2)      What are your strengths?

      3)      Why are you interested in this specialty?

With these questions the programs can get an insight into who you are. Every program wants someone that is competent and fits into their team well. When you talk about yourself, they get a little glimpse into who you are.

Your strengths are something that even if you are not asked you want them to know. You want them to remember you. You want them to see that they are getting the best possible candidate. You want to sell them on the fact that there will be no regret when they choose you.

As for your interest in this specialty, it lets them know if you will be a happy worker. A happy worker gets along with his fellow colleagues, does his/her work well, makes things pleasant for people around them.

Know the answer to these questions and even if they are not asked, weave them into the conversation. Because, remember, you are not there to answer questions, you are there to sell yourself as the best possible candidate for that position.