FAQ

Q1.What should I wear at interviews?

Business professional. You definelty want to wear slacks, a coat, a nice top, or a long sleeve shirt. It’s deffinelty a suit and tie event, even if your interview is just 15 min. 

Q2.When should I arrive before my interview time?

Get there about 10-15 minutes before. Chances are there is only 1 waiting seat outside the door and another student is using it. You never know if the interview is running fast or slow.

Q3.Who will I be meeting at the interview?

The director, the resident(s), and an attendee. If the program is small they may just send 1-2 to hold interviews. If the program is big, you can expect to see 5-10 people.

Q4.Is there anything I should know about interview format?

There is rapid fire, hands on surgery, social questions, 1-on-1, and groups of 10 interviews.

Q5.How long does an interview last?

Typically 10-15 minutes. This allows for the student to ask questions at the end.

Q6.What should I bring?

An umbrella, two nice attire outits, two social outfits, pen, paper, portfolio, phone, charger, several pens, 2-3 study books, your laptop, Tide pen, wallet, cash and credit cards, photo ID, don’t forget your belt, your medications, hair gel, and your favorite perfume. 

Q7.Where should I get a hotel at?

There are several hotels around the interview area. Some students do actually stay at the interview site hotel, but just realize you will be running into several directors while there.

Q8.Do I need to print my resume?

Yes, always have 2 copies on you, incase they forget or misplace yours.

Q9.Should I bring a binder or portfolio?

Yes, this makes you look organize. Don’t show up with a pen and white sheet of paper. 

Q10.Should I print my application form I submitted online?

Yes, print the entire application. There has been a few instances when they get misplaced, always have a packet of what you submitted just incase. 

Q11.Should I be texting the attending at interviews?

I would recommend to text them, only if they texted you first. The attendings are tired, and have long niterview hours, try not to bug them.

Q12.Should I be texting the residents at interviews?

Only if they text you first, again, they can’t tell you if you did good or bad since they have several students to interview. 

Q13. Should I pay money to take a professional picture?

Yes, it actually makes a BIG difference on how you are seen by residents and students. 

Q14. Should I room with a friend at a hotel?

Yeah why not! It’s your first and last time you will ever get to do this. have someone to enjoy it with. If you are a lone wolf, then get a hotel solo. 

Q15.Should I rent a car?

Most students do, because the airport to the hotel is very pricy. It all depends if you plan to see the city and want personal freedom to drive.

Q16.What should I talk about during social interviews?

Your vacations, a new netflix show, sports, outdoors, big upcoming plans, etc. Just try to avoid talking about podiatry. 

Q17.How many drinks should I have at a social interview?

1-2 alcoholic drinks, then order water. DON’T be a slopy drunk at interviews.

Q18. If a residency program says, “we want you, here is our residency contract just sign here and you got the job” what should I do?

First of all, the program shouldn’t be doing that. Second, politlety say that you want to wait until after interview to do it the appropriate way by ranking online, and have a deep conversation with family/spouse since this decision affects them as well.

Q19.If a residency program calls you to say “hey we are going to rank you high, you should rank us high too” what should I say?

I would say, “Thank you so much for reaching out to me, I really enjoyed the interview, and I will definitely keep you in mind”. You don’t have to say that you are ranking them high or low, that is your privacy.