Navigating the Virtual Interview

It’s September and medical school interview season is upon us. If you submitted your AMCAS and secondary applications early (you should have!), you may already be receiving invitations to interview. Again this year, thanks to COVID, medical school interviews will be virtual. Maybe next year things will be different…we can always hope. 

I’ll write some future posts (soon) about what to expect from interviews and how to rock them but, first things first, let’s discuss these virtual interviews and some things to keep in mind.

I always tell people that if you get an interview, you’ve gotten through the toughest part of applying—the application review process. Members of the admissions committee have already poured over your application in its entirety and scrutinized your grades and scores. They likely think you’d be a good fit for their program, the interview is a chance to see how you present yourself and your personality. This virtual interview world is somewhat limiting in that regard, but here are some things to keep in mind to help you put your best self forward.

Remove Distractions. 

Be mindful of your surroundings. Having done medical school and residency interviews virtually this past year, let me assure you that if your surroundings are distracting, your interviewer is going to be distracted. If you don’t follow any of the advice below, please-please-please be in a room by yourself for the interview! If you live in a house, dorm, or apartment with other people and those other people can’t go somewhere else for the few hours of your interview, then you at least need to get off to yourself and close the door. [And you might need to find new friends who will give you some privacy when you ask for it, but that’s your business…] The bottom line is that no one should be walking around in the background. Your cell phone shouldn’t ring. Your dog shouldn’t be trying to get its face on the screen. None of that. And while I’m talking about distractions, Lord clean up your space! Seriously! If you’re in your bedroom, make up your dang bed and move the pile of clothes, books, and whatever else you’ve collected that should’ve been washed, shelved, or thrown away long ago! If there’s something in the background that your grandma would not be happy with, then you need to remove it. If you have “interesting” posters on your wall (a half-naked LL Cool J- I’m dating myself on that one, I know- Megan and Cardi, Bob Marley smoking a blunt, etc)…TAKE ‘EM DOWN! You don’t need to go buy new curtains or prints of Bible verses in fancy script to hang on the wall behind you. Your best bet would probably actually be to just get somewhere where you have a plain wall behind you. 

Yes, I want you to be true to yourself and let your personality shine through, but don’t be silly…take care to make sure your space is presentable. They have a medical school seat that you want. When you get that seat, then you can drive to class on the first day, in your white coat, listening to Megan, Cardi B, Bob Marley, and LL Cool J all at the same time if you want to. 

If you absolutely can’t find quiet in the space in which you live, then go somewhere else! Ask a friend or relative if you can use their place while they’re at work or class. Or reserve a room in your school’s library or in an empty classroom. If you do use a space other than somewhere that you’re used to, be sure to check it out, including the internet connection, in advance so there are no surprises on interview day! 

Now, if something happens outside your room window, you have no control over that and we as interviewers understand that. Acknowledge and apologize for it, speak a little louder, and keep going. But do your best to eliminate the distractions that you can control. You room should be clean anyways…you’re grown. J

Put on Real Clothes.

Just because your college professor is okay with you showing up to virtual classes in your pajamas, your medical school interview is not the time to do that. Your camera will be on, that’s how it works. It’s not casual Friday, not team gear day, not Greek day, and not a day of shadowing in the OR. Set aside your t-shirts, letters, and scrubs and put on some real clothes. And by real clothes I mean: Put on the same thing you would wear if you were going to an interview in person. You’re saving money on flights, buy yourself a nice (I did not say expensive) outfit, even if it’s just one that you use for every interview. This also includes wearing bottoms –yeah, I said it!—you never know what may happen…put on a whole outfit.

Practice.

You can set up a personal, limited, Zoom account for free. I think you should do that and ask a friend or mentor or someone to do a mock interview with you. They don’t have to ask any specific questions, just give you the opportunity to talk back and forth in the virtual setting.  It really does have a different feel and you want to be as comfortable as possible when you get to the real thing. You can even try on your interview outfit and make sure your lighting is good. If you’re one of those people who already has a fancy ring light (been making TikTok videos?) this is the time to use it. If you don’t, there’s no need to go buy one, just get in some decent light- give the people the full melanin effect and a little glow! 

Be Engaged.

It’s hard to make eye contact sometimes on virtual platforms, depending on where the camera is on your device, and interviewers know this. Try to do your best to position the camera so you can appear to be making “eye contact.” You don’t have to go back and forth between looking at the screen and your camera, that’s dizzying for the person looking at you! And be engaged. Act interested! You want this coat, don’t you?! Yes, you’re not face-to-face, but try to be as warm as possible: smile, nod your head, be engaged. Don’t read from notes, you wouldn’t do that in person and it’s really obvious on camera. And, as best as you can, try not to do the awkward “talkover” that happens on these virtual calls sometimes. If it happens a few times and you realize there’s a delay, make a change to correct it. 

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These are just some ideas and tips from my experience with virtual interviews. Nothing novel or mind-blowing, but some points that you may have needed to be reminded of. Do you have other tips for how to maximize the virtual interview experience? If so, feel free to leave them in the comments section below. If you have specific questions, you can also send them to me by email!