As September comes to a close, residency interviews are on the horizon🌅.
Last week during Sunday Morning Rounds I shared my free list of residency interview questions, which can be accessed at any time on my resources page🆓.
At the very top of that list of questions to expect on interview day is the often dreaded "Tell me about yourself".🫤
We actually discussed how to best answer this question during Sunday Morning Rounds in October 2023, but it's worth revisiting today🔁.
As intimidating as this question can be, knowing that we're almost guaranteed to be asked it gives us the advantage of time to come up with a game plan🤔.
That's when we introduced the concept of the elevator speech, which is a blurb to pitch yourself to the interviewer in 30-60 seconds, or about how long we would have if we were riding an elevator with someone🛗.
When it comes to residency interviews, a good elevator speech consists of 4 main components:
1. Introduce who you are👋🏻
2. Describe why you are applying to this specialty🔎
3. Mention one or two interesting points about yourself😎
4. Make a genuine connection with the interviewer🤝
Executing a high quality elevator speech is easier said than done, so where do we start? Taking some time to answer the questions below can go a long way in figuring out what's important to say⬇️
- Why did I choose this specialty, and what are my long term goals within it?
- Why am I interested in this specific residency program?
- What unique experiences/skills do I have that demonstrate my interest?
- What strengths do I have that are best suited for this position?
- What are some hobbies I can mention that could create conversation?
- What interesting points can I make to connect with the interviewer?
While we probably can't address every single one of these questions in a short elevator speech🤦🏿, we can certainly identify some critical information that might be important for the interviewer to know🏗️.
In addition to this, reflecting on these questions will absolutely be beneficial at other points in the residency interview✅.
Here's an example of an elevator speech I could use for myself during an Emergency Medicine residency interview🚑:
Hello! My name is Masood Mohammed. I am a fourth-year medical student at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I'm interested in pursuing an Emergency Medicine residency because treating a wide breadth of patients from newborn to elderly, and from stable to critically ill is very appealing to me. I think that my ability to think on my feet and adapt to rapidly changing circumstances parallels what is needed from an Emergency Medicine resident, and I've experienced that first-hand on my clinical rotations as well as an emergency ultrasound elective I completed. Outside of medicine, I really enjoy watching college football, listening to podcasts, and hiking.
This elevator speech provides a quick summary, addresses several of the questions listed above, and even creates some space for conversation if my interviewer shares any of those hobbies🏈. After a little bit of practice, that elevator speech only takes about 40 seconds!⏳
As a reminder, while some interviewers may be more stone-faced and serious🪨, the majority are just looking for a frank conversation where they can get to know you. Being honest, being yourself, and being memorable can go a long way in standing out during a residency interview🌠.
Best of luck to everyone during the residency interview season, and be sure to follow Med School Moose on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube for more residency interview tips and advice!
🛍️ Residency Interview Essentials: Check out my Amazon Shop for a collection of important, must-have products for the residency interview season!
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