Interviews III

Here are ten suggestions of how I would change interview days to be better for applicants.
1. Often programs offer dinner the night before the interview to meet residents. West coast programs should schedule an earlier dinner (to accommodate those coming from the east coast) and east coast programs should schedule a later dinner (but not too late as applicants want time to wind down in the evening). I realize they have to be timed so that residents can make it. Dinners should accent the flavors and diversity of the city. Residents should intersperse themselves among applicants, and the dinners should not drag on forever. Cuisine should not leave strong odors in applicants' clothing, since everything goes back in the suitcase.
2. Residents obviously cannot be censored in what they say, and it's easy for applicants to tell if they're being candid. However, if the first thing a resident says is, "I love the hours and the pay," then the program is going to attract those people that are interested in hours and pay.
3. The interview day should not start at 6:30am (especially east coast interviews - the equivalent is 3:30am).
4. Program administrative staff should meet applicants as they arrive. At one place, applicants just showed up in a room and waited for the program director to arrive; we never knew who the faceless person behind the emails was.
5. Program directors should have applicants introduce themselves. This decreases the awkwardness of being among foreign suits. Plus, we run into the same people on the interview trail and they may be our future colleagues, so it's good to get us to mingle. Any talks given by the program director should be made available in the packet given to applicants.
6. Tours are a problem. On the one hand, they're expected and standard. On the other hand, all hospitals look pretty much the same. Tours stand out if the hospital is new or innovative or if they incorporate history. But most of the time, they're bland. Tours turn out to be a good time for questions with residents, and residents should know that.
7. The interview schedule should anticipate that interviews will run over time and applicants must ferry from place to place. Interviewers should have time between meetings to jot down impressions.
8. Lunch is usually provided. The food should be appropriate to be eaten in a suit. Spaghetti sauces are dangerous.
9. Some interviews, especially medicine interviews, have applicants attend teaching sessions like morning report or noon conference. I like this! Other applicants might not care, but I like learning something. That being said, make sure the teaching sessions are good. I saw a morning report taught at a third year medical student level; that doesn't reflect well on the program.
10. Reuse name badges. At the end of this whole process I'll have about 20 name badges that I won't use again. Be green. (Some programs have alternatively changed to name stickers - I don't like these as much; the adhesive comes off and they simply don't look as professional).