Hi everyone,
At sixteen, I appeared for my Harvard interview wearing a slate-blue acrylic pullover. I’d ridden the subway from Queens to 5th Avenue, where a middle-aged alumna met me at the door of her high rise, unimpressed by my attire. I didn’t see myself as a Harvard man, and neither did she. I sealed my fate by declaring allegiance to Columbia, though I still managed to make the wait list.
I've learned a few things about interviewing since then and recognize you're more skilled than I was in high school. Still, with fellowship interviews looming, it can’t hurt to review some tips and tricks today.
The Obvious: Find a quiet spot, check your Wi-Fi, clean your room, dress professionally, arrive on time, and keep your camera on unless told otherwise.
Fair Game: Prepare to discuss anything and everything on your application: research, extracurriculars, stories in your personal statement, and hiccups in your record. If it's in your application, it’s fair game.
Prepare: Be ready to answer “why this program?” Avoid generics (clinical exposure, research opportunities) and be specific (working with refugees, joining Dr. X’s lab). If you know who’ll be interviewing you, study their bios.
Respect: Treat everyone with respect, including current fellows, other applicants, and staff. Assume everything you do or say will be shared with the selection committee.
Honesty: Don’t claim to be someone you’re not (i.e., don’t claim interest in a research career if your path is clinical). Interviewers know who’s pretending.
Vision: You will be asked: What do you see yourself doing after fellowship? What skills do you hope to gain here? Uncertainty is okay (maybe asthma, maybe ILD), but you must show that you’re thinking.
Bring Questions: You will be judged on the thoughtfulness of your questions. Be program-specific (Can you tell me more about your cardiac amyloid clinic?), interviewer-specific (How did you transition from basic science to translational research?), and future thinking (How do you prepare fellows for grant applications?). Feel free to explore concerns (Do you expect major changes with a new program director coming?), but save questions about salary, benefits, and cost of living for sessions with current trainees and program coordinators.
Anticipate the Inappropriate: Programs should not ask personal questions (marriage, family planning), where else you’re applying, or where you plan to rank their program. Such questions are Match violations. There’s no “right” way to answer inappropriate questions, but you can always say “I’m not prepared to discuss that right now.”
Show Interest: Excitement is contagious, and true enthusiasm can move candidates up the rank list (or down if they seem bored). If you’re truly uninterested in a program, cancel the interview and give another candidate a chance.
Give and Take: Provide detail but avoid soliloquies. Let the conversation flow both ways and leave time for interviewers to ask all their questions and for you to ask yours.
Follow Up: It’s hard to keep track of follow up rules, so pay attention to what programs say. If they tell you not to send a thank you, then don’t. If they say they don’t consider post-interview communications when ranking applicants, believe them. Be wary of programs that imply you need to follow up, affirm your interest, or, worst of all, specify your ranking decision. This is another reportable—and too common—Match violation. Programs may invite you to ask follow up questions, share updates (my paper was published!), or meet people who were unavailable on your interview day. If such follow up will help you make decisions, go for it.
Be a Mensch: Interviews may be the only way programs can learn about your interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence. Use the time to show your warmth, curiosity, and sense of humor. This should be easy for you: be yourselves.
Your core mission throughout recruitment season is to persuade programs to choose you. Remember that, if you remember anything, as you put on your interview suits.
Enjoy your Sunday, everyone. We’re spending the weekend visiting family in Philadelphia. I’ll be back from vacation tomorrow.
Mark
P.S. What I’m reading:
- A Dangerous Escalation of the Science Wars By Céline Gounder
- The A.O.C. Deepfake Was Terrible. The Proposed Solution Is Delusional. By Zenep Tufekci
- A Management Anti-Fad That Will Last Forever By Arthur C. Brooks
- Eric Cartman, Welcome (for Now) to the Resistance By James Poniewozick
- The Master By Colm Toibin
- Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global By Laura Spinney
- Einstein and the Rabbi By Naomi Levy