Interview season has arrived. Invites have been sent out and the dates are set. So, what’s an interviewee to do? I’ve covered a large amount of this in the Applying to Residency section, but I think it deserves its own post to dive into a little more detail and emphasize certain points. If you are reading this and have yet to hear from programs don’t be alarmed. Invites are sent throughout the season, so be patient. If you have received an invite, jump in.
Responding to Interview Invites
The majority of interview invites are sent via email although some programs still send it the old-fashioned way via USPS. Regardless, a timely and well-worded, yet concise, response is always necessary. Ideally, you should respond immediately. If you must wait, a response should be sent within 2 business days at the latest. This is not only reflective of common business practices but it shows that you are interested. Some programs give you options of dates to choose from while others give a single date. Deciding on which date to accept is a balancing act. There will be conflicts and logistical issues. Some tough decisions will have to be made. You can attempt to estimate when interviews will be by using SDN, but it’s only an educated guess. As mentioned before, if you schedule an interview and need to cancel, do it in a timely and respective manner.
Programs will frequently require you to RSVP for their social. If you can make it, I would encourage you to go. If you are able to, RSVP when you respond for the interview. Many times this will depend on when you plan on arriving, and it is acceptable to tell the program that you will let them know as soon as your travel plans have been completed (as long as it is within their deadline). I will discuss more about the social later.
Traveling to Interviews
Traveling to and from and in between interviews can sometimes require some logistical gymnastics. A hurdle to overcome, depending on which dental school you attend, is being excused from class. You can’t make an interview if you can’t get out of class. If necessary, review your school’s interview policy with the dean or advisor. Operating within these guidelines and getting necessary approval beforehand can prevent a lot of headaches and avoid conflict with the administration or your professors. Some applicants I know had to take unexcused absences to make their interviews because of difficult administrative rules. I personally do not advise breaking school policy, but sometimes you gotta do what ya gotta do.
Once you have clearance from the school, make the necessary travel arrangements (train, plane, or automobile) to arrive early. See a recurring theme here? Arriving early to your destination affords you a variety of options. First, it allows you to be prepared and relaxed. Scrambling from the airport to your hotel to the social or interview leads to increased tension that is difficult to hide. Second, getting to know the program’s city is nearly as important as getting to know the program. Being at a great program in a place that you hate for 4-6 years can really take a toll on you. Take a stroll around your hotel or go grab a meal at a popular local place. Getting a feel for the atmosphere of a city can be really helpful when deciding between programs. I understand that arriving early isn’t always an available luxury, but if it is, take advantage of it.
Traveling intelligently can also reduce your stress burden and costs. You don’t have to map it out like the D-day landings, but at least have a good idea of how to get to and from the airport, where your hotel is in relationship to the hospital, and where in the hospital the program is located (and the parking if driving). Honestly, all of the above probably takes less than 15 minutes. Having this information ahead of time can make getting around a lot easier and less stressful. I’ve mentioned this before but TSA precheck is awesome and worth the money. It takes about a week from the time you interview until you receive your known traveler number so make sure to do it ahead of time. There are infinitely more ways to maximize travel efficiency, but this isn’t a travel website so I’ll leave the rest up to you in that department.
The Social
By far one of the best parts about interviews is the social. As a student, free food and drinks are hard to beat. Getting one on one time with the residents outside of a stiff, interview environment is really informative and will give you a good deal of insight into a program. Most residents are very upfront and candid about their programs, which is a good sign. A red flag is a program that tries to sell itself as perfect. Every program has its share of problems. The goal of the social is two-fold. It is as much of an interview for you as it is for the residents. Are they who you see yourself working alongside every day for years on end? Do you get along with them? Are they someone you want to drink a beer with? Do you fit in? These questions are extremely important for determining where you want to be for your training.
Another aspect of the socials I enjoyed, and encourage you to do as well, was meeting and getting to know other applicants. For the most part, these are going to be your future colleagues. For the benefit of the profession and yourself, it would probably be helpful to establish these types of relationships sooner rather than later. It is also beneficial to discuss your experiences and knowledge of other programs in addition to listening to other applicants’ perspectives about programs. You’ll be surprised what some people know that can be a game-changer. And finally, socials are a great way to unwind, especially if they are after the interviews. The guys and girls interviewing alongside you are some of the only people that know what it took to get here. Most of my classmates had no idea. Being able to have others to relate to can be a real stress reliever and help you get through the process.
*Disclaimer*
Although these are frequently casual and attending free events, don’t be fooled. Socials are as part of your evaluation as anything else. I am not saying this to stress you out. I just want to make it clear that you are being judged every moment you are with residents and faculty. I included this as a “disclaimer” because I feel like it is common sense and most people have enough social awareness to be normal. However, I have seen enough candidates screw this up that I feel like this statement is warranted. If you are someone that lacks this social awareness (be honest with yourself), be very light in your consumption of alcohol, avoid any shit-talking, and don’t talk about your accomplishments unless asked (no one cares). Keep those three things in mind and you can avoid 90% of the pitfalls candidates make at socials. Remember, the social can’t completely make you, but it can absolutely break you.
Interview Day
The interview day is actually pretty straightforward for pretty much every program. You arrive at a specific time, eat breakfast, wait around (a lot), have rounds of interviews with faculty and often residents, eat lunch, have more interviews, and then you are excused or have a social. Pretty simple overall if you ask me. Going into minute detail about the logistics of interviews is not generally helpful so I will not do that here. Being prepared can minimize most of the stress of interviews, which is why I cover so many of the other topics in-depth and will continue to focus on those. So, I will leave you with just a couple of notes about the actual day of the interviews.
- Make sleep a priority both in quantity and quality
- Arrive at least 15 minutes early to anywhere you are scheduled. This is not a recommendation this is a rule.
- Know exactly where to go on interview day
- Have your suit prepared the night before by ironing, steaming, etc and ready to go
- Eat something before arriving at the interview, even if it is small, or bring a protein bar. Most places offer food but there was a rare occasion where nothing was available. Don’t interview hungry and stay hydrated.
- Please shower and brush your teeth; not only for your sake but for the interviewers as well
- Stay off of your phone as much as possible; not only is it rude, but you are surrounded by people; talk to them for a change
- Know as many attending and residents’ names as possible, preferably all of them. Take the time to do this.
- If you take any medications or will need them (tums, eye drops, Adderall, etc) make sure to take them beforehand or bring them with you.
- Bring a pen and professional portfolio/notepad/binder for notes and so you have something to do with your hands
I’m sure there are some more things I can add, but these are the biggest concerns. The rest is up to you and how you prepare, which brings us to the next topic…
Preparing for Interviews
For interviews, preparation is everything. I mean this both for interview season as a whole and for each individual program. To prepare yourself for interview season, there are a few things you need to do that include: 1. Organizing your travel. 2. Knowing your application. 3. Practicing for interviews 4. Learning about the programs. I have already covered step one. For the second part, know your application and yourself really well. You should be able to elaborate on any part of your application and explain why you did the things you did. If you don’t know yourself, how are the programs supposed to get to know you? Ask yourself the hard questions, come up with good answers, and formulate goals for your future.
The next step is practicing for interviews. Interviewing is a skill. Some applicants are natural interviewers or have had extensive interview experience and will require only minor practice. However, if you struggle to interview, practicing this skill can be beneficial and help reduce your stress on interview days. Good people to schedule mock interviews with include OMFS faculty and residents, friends, and family. Those with OMFS experience are able to challenge you technically and will ask pointed questions that can help you get an idea of important interview topics. Friends and family are also beneficial because even if they may not know OMFS material, they can give you genuine feedback on body language, character, and the general “feel” of your interviews (i.e. friendly, stiff, nervous, etc). Plus, they know you the best and can tell if your interviewing feels genuine or not.
As far as interview questions go, there are several that will be asked at every program. I have mentioned them elsewhere and will list them again.
- Tell me about yourself
- Four-year programs, six, or both, and why?
- Why oral surgery?
- Why here?
- Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten?
- Do you have any questions for us?
Ask yourself these questions and have a good answer for all of the above. Canned answers suck and are easily picked up on by interviewers. Again, know yourself well enough and plan ahead so that you can present answers to these questions in a non-robotic way. This is your chance to tell your story! Sell yourself! Interviewing is the only time when you don’t have to be humble. The entire goal of interviews is to tell them why you are the best for their program and why they should want you. Tell it with at least a little enthusiasm. If you aren’t enthusiastic about yourself and why you are there, why should they?
The last step of preparation is program-specific. Know the names and roles of the faculty and residents. If this information isn’t available before you arrive, it can be gathered at the social. Do whatever it takes to remember people’s names!!! It will be noticed if you use the wrong name or have to be reminded the 5th time. It is truly something people appreciate. Furthermore, know the general strengths and weaknesses of the program. It doesn’t help you in an interview if you don’t want to do cancer and it’s a cancer program. Ideally, this is information you should have researched before applying. Some applicants take the time to read the faculty’s research. This is extremely time-consuming and I did not do this, but I can see where it might be able to help you.
Do all of these things, and it will make for a much easier interview process. Prepare, prepare, and prepare some more. If you prepare well enough on the front end, you will be a pro by the end of interview season.
Post Interview
The time after being released from interviews can be spent in a variety of ways depending on your schedule. Sometimes you’ll have to fly out immediately while others you will have time to go out with other applicants or explore the town (highly encouraged). Every now and then there would be a social 2.0 of sorts where the residents would invite the applicants out to either see the town or get their impressions. These were some of the most fun I had on the trail and were a way to unwind.
Some post-interview housekeeping tips to keep in mind. The first is to write thank-you letters (preferably handwritten) or emails to at least the chairman and program director. Send them within 1-2 days after your interview if possible. Use professional, customized stationery if possible. Thank you letters are probably unnecessary to send to residents (feel free to send one to them as a group if you wish), but if you exchanged numbers with any of them or got to know them a simple text thanking them for the experience is always a good gesture. Don’t abuse this though by asking something dumb like, “how did I do?” or tell them, “I’ll be ranking you high!” Keep it simple and show your gratitude. If they want to talk to you more in-depth they will reach out, otherwise, don’t try to initiate it.
For your personal benefit, review your interview experience. If you are interviewing at multiple programs, write down some things you liked or disliked. Experiences from programs tend to start running together at the end and being able to reflect can help you with your rank list in the future.
I invite those who have been on the trail before to share their experiences or by candidates on the trail now. Good luck with interviews in this and future seasons!