I was listening in on the residency forum provided by Sigma Sigma Phi where they rounded up current/graduated residents in different programs. One student asked the panel, “What makes for a bad impression from an interviewee?” The answers not only apply to interviews for residency spots but also for prospective students interviewing for medical school spots.
I know that we all intuitively know what makes a good and bad interview, but sometimes in our nervous angst we might forget some of these key pointers. I think the most important advice they gave is, “Do not be a know-it-all.” Not only is it “annoying and not impressive,” interviewers who are looking at adding you to their team wants to know if you are teachable because, after all, medicine is an on-going learning process. Being a know-it-all is associated with being difficult to work with and, even more important, it’s just not a professional attitude.
I think if we practice early on our professional attitude, we all will be well prepared for that important interview. Over time, it becomes inherent for us to behave in the manner we are most familiar, even under the most stressful circumstances. Whether it’s for a job, medical school or a residency program, professionalism is ranked highly and it mustn’t be overlooked.
