Ace your medical or graduate school virtual interview: Tips for success

As COVID-19 continues to rage, medical and graduate schools have been forced to rely on technology to conduct student interviews. In fact, once COVID is over, many programs may make virtual interviewing a permanent part of the admissions process as this new way to interview may save time, money, offer flexibility, and increase efficiency for students and admissions staff at various universities nationwide.

Mastering the virtual interview is going to be a major determining factor as to whether or not you are admitted. Here are a few tips that I have learned through my virtual interviews this cycle, that may help you to ace your interviews.

1. This sounds like a no brainer, but you should test your technology prior to the interview. Testing your equipment and your Internet connection will help you to avoid technical glitches.
2. Keep your virtual identity professional. Many virtual interview programs such as Zoom or Cisco WebEx will use an email address or a name (And sometimes a. picture) as your virtual ID. You don’t want to give your interviewer a bad impression of you by you using a silly email or Internet ID that you used 10 years ago. One of my friends actually used a dating profile name that was shall we say, inappropriate. This may be why he was denied admissions, post interview.
3. Again, this goes without saying but you should dress for success, as cliched as this may sound. Wear your best business attire and if you don’t have a suit, wear your nicest business casual attire.
4. Use the appropriate backdrop. If possible, you want to have a blank background but if this isn’t possible, make sure that your background is clean and orderly. Also, check the lighting in your room.
5. Make sure to monitor your body language. I have a bad habit of swiveling my chair back and forth during virtual Zoom meetings with my dissertation committee. For my virtual interviews, I had to post a sticky note that said, “Daryl, do NOT swivel in your chair!” Watch your hand movements, sit up straight, smile, and keep the camera in such a position that you don’t appear to be looking up or down. Keep your eyes focused on the camera as you converse with your interviewer, not the image of them on your screen.
6. Eliminate distractions. Turn off your cell phone. If you have a cat or dog, close your room door or put your pet in another room. Make sure that the TV in the next room is off and if you need to close the window to shut out the sounds of the lawn mower or honking car horns, do it.
7. Practice answers to common medical school interview questions BEFORE hand. There are a variety of online resources, such as the 50 Most Common Medical School Interview Questions by Princeton Review, that you can use to find practice questions.
8. Finally, don’t forget to follow your interview with a ‘thank you’ email or letter. Treat the virtual interview as you would a face-to-face medical school interview. Within 24 hours of the interview, send an email to whomever you interviewed with, thanking them for taking the time to speak with you. If you can’t find their email address, you can send an email to the admissions office and they will ensure that the email finds its way to your interviewer.

Virtual interviews are becoming an increasingly important part of the medical and graduate school (and residency and post-doc) selection process. As the admissions process continues to evolve, I would not at all be surprised to see the virtual interview become a permanent feature of the admissions process at many programs. Please take the necessary steps to prepare yourself. If you follow these few simple steps, you will master your virtual interview and will be one step closer to your future White Coat ceremony future Dr.!!!!