How to Rock Your Medical Residency Interview

good crowd this morning when Jana was talking about scrubs I saw a lot of you have seen the show that was the realistic show years ago as you heard I worked for the AMA when that show was actually still on the air and being produced the AMA had a meeting in Los Angeles and in a breakout session that was just for medical students and residents the cast the writers the production crew of scrubs came to meet with the group and students and residents just wow these are the real people the real activists the people through scrubs were going wow these are real residents real students one of the reasons why that show became so realistic was they took that session that was supposed to be kind of downloading information for people like you and use that to inform actual scripts actual even the scrubs one of the residents said why don't you have everything tucked in well isn't that no no this is how we really wear them it was realistic down to the smallest detail because he actually took the time to meet with real people so it is a realistic show and they were they were wonderful to meet and work with as you heard I do a lot of speaker training a lot of the work that I do is training physicians to speak like this in public to do interviews with news media and it turns out that many of the skills are absolutely the same or at least so similar between speaking in those settings and speaking in interviews I've ended up helping people with job interviews but who hasn't been interviewed raise your hand if you've been interviewed for college undergrad medical school jobs and insert so everybody's hand goes up for this who enjoys it one hand goes up to okay most three most people really don't like being interviewed it's not comfortable it's not really a lot of fun so let's dig into this a little bit preparing for your interview or is it an inquisition for some of us it may feel that way we don't like speaking but think of every you give is a short speech every answer that's why the disciplines of speaking in public and being interviewed really have so many of the same basic fundamentals every one is a short speech we don't like speaking in public in general if you survey people and this number remains pretty consistent over time number one fear is speaking in public look what its relative to more afraid of speaking in public than dying so it's okay to be nervous it's okay to know that maybe one of the biggest challenges you have is is yourself now the old the only thing we have to fear is fear itself we we really have to figure out how to overcome that I'll come back to this but a lot of it is going to be actually turning that into that nervous energy into helping you get through the interview now we think of our answer as as critical and the words that we're saying words are very powerful what you say is very important but when it comes to verbal meaning words and what gets through to the audience in an interview situation or in a public speaking situation the words themselves only account for 7% of what gets through and convinces your audience compared to vocal the way it sounds the way you deliver the words and then look what happens to the overall visual impact so it's often the unspoken message that's really important which your questions about energy your questions about nervousness those actually come into play people are observing you and again you may hear this from other panelists but they're trying to decide do we want to live with you we want to be married to you we're living together for the next few years this interview is not are you qualified you wouldn't be in the room if you weren't qualified the whole thing comes down to will you fit in here are you a good match for us when push comes to shove do we want to be stuck with you in a dire situation and in one of those situations can we count on you this is at the very root of what they're trying to get through and get from you during these interviews so how you project yourself really will make a difference now when I came in I looked around I came in the back and I could see immediately this room is two thirds women trend we've seen developing over many years which is great but now the the roles have changed it used to be a lot easier to try to remember the woman because there were so few now you're competing with so many other women so what will make you memorable what will make you stand out and that's part of what Jana was getting through in in talking about stories what will make you memorable because when they go through and start rating everybody and start comparing it's a lot of people they're interviewing how will they keep track of you oh she's the one who he's the guy that her story really touched me those are the things that you'll want to bring out so when you think about the interview that Jana did with Aaron a few moments ago I'm going to come back to this but think about the first question she asked and the first answer that he gave you have one opportunity to make a first impression by definition it's the first impression so you've got to get that first one right I'm going to mention this now and we'll come back to it I'm gonna suggest after listening to that but you begin thinking about what is your message what makes you unique what is one thing you want them to remember you for when you leave the room so they never confuse you with someone else especially if they liked you and remember it's a two-way street you're rating them as well so an interview whether it's with the news media and I do the same thing with physicians president of the State Medical Society if he or she is going into a news media they are not just there to answer questions they're there because they represent all the physicians of Illinois their job is to get the message of is MS out to the public through the media so I'm not just there to answer questions I have a message if that doctor has not gotten that message through to the reporter he hasn't done his job you have not done your job interviewing for one of these programs if they don't remember that thing that's going to make you stick out from all the rest three three keys to effective speaking and interviewing and these are I consider them universals but before I go through that you'll see a lot of threes in my presentation today one of my biggest secrets that I love sharing so it's not really a secret anymore is the rule of threes everything in three people have been writing and speaking in threes for centuries things that come in threes or more are more easily remembered they're inherently funnier more satisfying more comfortable we remember things in threes think of Nursery Rhymes three blind mice hickory dickory dock the three musketeers the three stooges Latin I came I saw I conquered things are in three are more easily remembered it's not an accident so if I'm writing to a new client or a pitch that I want to do some work for you as a consultant I'm gonna say my background skills and experience make me perfectly suited for this job if I have to I'll try to think of what's the third thing I can even an email writing email yesterday I had four things on a list okay that's one too many what can I drop people will remember threes so rules of threes will be consistent throughout everything I talk about today the keys to effective speaking and interviewing are know your audience know your content stay structured and stay short I'm going to come back to all three of these know your audience jana talked about that you've done your homework in advance you've learned about the person that's interviewing you or the great group that's interviewing you or the institution where you're interviewing them where you're going in to apply know each of those do as much as you can I'm gonna say something I'm about nervous because when I speak like this is a performance I get performance anxiety I get sweaty I'm probably going to show that pretty soon it's okay I mean this is a performance and and you'll have to think through how you deal with if you get sweaty during interview but today with the heat and humidity I'm gonna be a little bit wet but this this is okay and admit it if this is something and a lot of you do have you know cold clammy hands think about how you're gonna deal with that and acknowledge it these are reality things because that that whole visual part how you come across that's that's part of how you're gonna be perceived by people institutions you've done your homework you know what you can about them and the person who's interviewing you as I said is always wondering are you a good fit for them so know the audience know what you can about them and tailor your remarks to them if this is a place you're really interested in you need to know why what is it about them that put them high in your priority list and be able to talk about that be able to ask about that and if they're things you really want to know you're good questions because you've thought about those in advance will show you've done your homework but something might not have been clear and and if you can do that honestly and earnestly they'll say she really she's really interested and she really asked a good question and they may be our website isn't good enough we need to be clear about it okay your audience through your questions and answers you're going to demonstrate that you're a good fit you're going to try to appeal to them by showing as much as you can that you've done your homework and what attracted you to that place in the first place okay that's the audience your content your story what's in your resume resume a or CV now the letter that Jana talked about and Joe the skier who didn't wasn't that memorable or wasn't that good a friend in the first place the same thing is going to be in your CV or resume I'll call it a resume if it's listed there you should be prepared to address it don't put anything in there that you can't speak to because you never know who has a specific experience personal connection background interest in some aspect of your resume I mean you heard in the introduction that I've been the announcer for Northwestern's marching band 37 years that's a long time and people are really curious about that and they'll ask about that but you know I've been around a long time if let's just say you were in your marching band be able to think about that experience was there something in there that ended up bringing you to that time in that moment for that interview that actually makes a good story tell us a little bit about who you are and makes you memorable but if it's not I mean I would go into every interview and before you walk in the room look through the resume again and think of specific examples if they see something in theirs tell me about this what was this all about and this really is unusual and I'll use the marching band again and one of my good friends in college went to law school in Washington DC and somehow while he was in law school he found time to be in the Washington Redskins marching band now for professional football for the NFL they are either the only or one of the only professional teams that still has a marching band it's just like college there's a bunch of people from high school through retirement who get on that Redskins uniform with the headdress so politically incorrect today they still haven't gotten rid of that and they actually march on the field and then they sit behind the the goal posts in the end zone during football games and play the the team fight song outside of Washington most people don't know they exist but in DC they're very famous and very popular so when my friend was interviewing for clerkships and internships which is the equivalent of your residency interview people would see that in his resume and you know same thing he wouldn't be there if he weren't qualified nobody cared about his legal work and things he had written and who he had worked with they don't want to know about the Washington Redskins marching band that's what made him memorable and that's what made them think is this someone I want to work with and that got him more offers than anything so you never know what in you that resume someone is going to relate to and say I like her and she really speaks to me so be able to address everything in that CV there is no substitute for anecdotes and personal parents because they're yours no one can take that away from you and nothing is more personal than something that is your so if it's your story make sure to bring those out make sure you think through every one of those things in the resume that can give some insight into who you are and what it would be like to live and work with you because that's what you're asking them to do specific examples if you summer if you tease with just a general comment now I I'm a good multitasker make sure you be you're able to explain that you really can't have multitask and give examples if you did research projects all of those are fair game and you'll list those in your CV or resume but think through in advance what was involved in that if it's been a long time might have been really good work but you did it a long time ago and I don't remember what we you can't do that you've got to be able to say yes this is what we did this was my role address everything in them and these are all fair game extracurriculars so marching band you know you name it whatever you did those may be just so full of good examples to draw on and give insight into what makes you different and unique so and and any of these ranges in your life are still valid so you know the most recent stuff good but you can go back a little bit further if it actually is valid I mean if something happens you as a kid and it's the reason you want to be a physician those are all fine it doesn't matter how long ago it was if it's valid and it gives them that insight that you want them to have be selective on the anecdotes make sure that they're appropriate think through the age the the type of person you'll be speaking to the language you're using is it really good for this audience or or maybe I should come up with something different I'm sure that the the anecdotes are appropriate and that you're able to go beyond the specifics of the question if they come up being open and receptive increases your credibility so don't get defensive if it's in the resume if it's thing that you want to talk about be able to answer the question even if it's uncomfortable being open like that increases your credibility I'm going to come back to this the bridging techniques lets you tease one thing and go to a point you want to make and that was something that came up with Jana and Erin Erin answered questions that Jana didn't ask because he came in in advance with some messages he wanted to get across you're going to bridge to those stay short and stay structured the KISS principle keep it short and simple or when I was in college we said we'd say keep it simple stupid I mean it's the same thing keep your answers short I would argue that your first answer should be one of your shortest have down in your mind your opening comments your fallback position to say who you are why you're there what you want to do and do it concisely this is important what I'm teaching people to give news media interviews because if the reporter here is the person answering the question go on and drone on and on and on they're thinking what what quote am I using or if it's for broadcast and I have to boil it down to eight seconds what's the soundbite what am I going to use from that but if you sound like you're able to listen to a question think about it process it and then give a thoughtful answer and do it concisely they're gonna think about your thought process your ability to articulate who you are and what's important to you and they'll also know that they'll have time for a good give-and-take conversation if you go on and on with every answer you're not going to be able to answer many questions but if you can be concise and give them some really good meat on the bone of the answer that you're giving they're gonna say okay this is someone I can work with we're going to have a really good productive conversation and stayed structured again think of every answer as a speech so if they ask a question be able to respond with the short answer yes no here's my answer and then give some reasons at least one to explain why you the way you did but no more than three because of the rule of threes and then wrap it up summarize come back and reinforce your opening answer so you've tied it up like a miniature speech every good speech when I'm getting training people to give public speeches this is what I focus on you have an opening your introduction you've got the main part of the speech with up to three messages but people can't remember many more than three anyway and then you wrap it up if you're trying to if the president of is MS is going out to speak to physicians and saying I I need you to talk to your state representatives and Senators to tell them to vote for this bill the call to action is in the end and you've convinced them to do that because of what you did before that this is just a concise version of the same thing so think of every answer there are going to be exceptions yes there will be cases where you can't answer everything that way but if you go in preparing for the interview thinking every answer is a short speech that's the structure that you need to try to follow anybody heard of the expression elevator speech I see heads nodding for those of you for whom this is a new idea think of getting on to an elevator and meeting someone you're having one of the receptions before the residency interviews and someone sees a nametag and says Oh Pete tell me about yourself you get on the elevator in the first floor and you're going up let's see 25 30 floors because this is going to take about a minute you need to be able to give your elevator speech to say who you are and what's memorable about you in the time it takes to get on the first floor and get off in the top floor you know just hone that message try it out on other people get feedback from others and and find out what they think find out what works talk to some of your closest friends and ask is this really me does this does this really reveal who I am you've got to really work at this if you want to do this it's not supposed to be easy but it if you put the effort into it it will pay off hone that down and then practice it same way you look at that CV or resume before every interview do that elevator speech be thinking about that whenever you can and come back to it and then learn from each interview and refine it every time you go through it your are the same thing in giving a public speech your audience is not just a sponge listening to you they are also a mirror every time I do this I do something a little bit differently because I'm looking at reactions from you I'm learning what works and what doesn't the only thing that never quite works is how long that exchange and the elevator speech takes because everybody starts talking then you become best friends all of a sudden and I'm not going to take that out but I learned from watching you and I've been doing this a long time learn from each of the interviews and use that experience and you'll get better with each one that you do interview interviewers do want to see that you're confident but also respectful and honest and that gets to the the confidence versus cockiness part of it they want to see you be confident in yourself and comfortable in your own skin but you've got to be respectful because again it comes down to are you someone that they want to work and live with so be thinking about and tailoring your response to the audience look for visual cues look for verbal cues listen to their questions that questions will often be very informative what they're seeing and hearing from you and you're triggering questions in their minds so they may come in with a set of questions and once they're talking to you say let's dig a little bit deeper into this it's only human nature and my first job was as a reporter I've got a naturally inquisitive mind if you open a door that piques my curiosity I'm gonna walk through there and find out more and these what are you but scientists and your researchers and they're going to do the same thing so if you open that door make sure it's one that you want to open because they may go through there but then see where it goes and learn from that each time how do you do this remember you are your own advocate nobody else is in the room with you advocating for you so you're the only one speaking you've got to rely on your own preparation to survive that situation preparation is knowing everything in there in the resume being able to talk about yourself doing the research in advance it's really it really comes down to that because what else do you have to prepare for except rehearsing knowing your answers knowing everything in the CV being able to talk about yourself and then you're going to use some of the techniques I'm going to talk about next to stay in control so be succinct make sure that the first answer is short and to the point it's okay to pause and stop and think about the question as soon as the question is answered you don't have to jump in immediately with your answer it's okay to stop a moment and think no matter what the speaking situation is a pause will feel to you like an eternity but to the person on the receiving end it's really never that long you want to jump in that's why wouldn't people speak they say um yeah you know those are filling space so there's no silence because we've become uncomfortable during silence but it's actually okay to pause a moment and think now don't look perplexed or scared if you can help that but think about it because that was a good question and then come up with a good answer so pausing is okay and then think of an answer that will stand out and make you memorable things that will always come back that the interviewer will write down or remember when they're talking later and evaluating with each other you and the people who they interviewed that day during the interview expect some questions asked same questions but different ways if they're trying to get something from you they're trying to better understand you and they don't think you answered the question or maybe you didn't understand the question or you were evading the question they may come back again if it's important to them if you hear the same question don't let it throw you off don't say well as a answered before or I think I answered that that could be a little off-putting just think of it okay well I'm gonna learn from this maybe I wasn't clear or maybe they're trying to get it something what might I have missed if you hear the same question it's okay if you don't know the answer don't guess it's okay to say I don't know if you try to guess at an answer you may dig a hole you don't want to step in to be honest honesty is always your best approach it's okay let yourself off the hook it's okay to say I don't know and if there's an important message that's maybe part of your elevator speech or maybe part of who you are and it's important to you that that's what makes you memorable find an opportunity to repeat that because you've said it once doesn't mean I've covered it it will reinforce one of your main messages so it's okay okay this is something I use in interviews with news media and if if you watch an interview today if you turn on the news you will see this in some interviews where the reporter asks the question and the answer is somewhere over there how well they go from here to there is how good they are at bridging some people are very good at it some are not so good but the idea is you want to get from here to there the reporter or in this case your interviewer is here you want to end up there so what is that it allows you to respond to the question but steers the question to something you really want to address not what they're trying to lead you to but you've got to be responsive if if this is a one-way street it becomes an interrogation but as I said at the beginning you want to get something out of this too you want to first learn a lot about them and decide whether or not you really want to end up there and how you're going to rate them but you also want to learn about the environment any questions that you have you've got you're selling yourself and you're evaluating them it's not just you answering their questions this is where bridging comes in this is what indeed in bridging from the questions that Jana was asking to the points that he wanted to get out and it's not disrespectful it's not sneaky it's just an effective way of communicating and answering questions and as I said keeping them from becoming a one-way interrogation whoa what happened all right we're back helps guide or direct the interviewer so if you've got points you want to make that helps them get to that and then it allows you to transition back to one of your key points so what's in the elevator speech it's not that you give the elevator speech again but if it's another way to phrase something in there and reinforce one of the points this is all bridging it's the most common tactic and that's why I spend the most time on it but let's let's get to some examples they ask you one thing and maybe your answer is yes you answer the question and in addition to that so you're starting here here's the question they ask this but in addition to that your goal you're building that bridge or you're taking them across the bridge to the point you want to make or if they're a little bit off base and they're thinking that this is a truth about you and you know let me explain and then you go to the point you want to make and leave them with the impression you want to give them I don't know the answer to that but what I can tell you I mean there are a ton of different ways you can approach it and it's got to be you don't use my words use what works for you and sounds like you to start with where they are and get to where you want to be which is one of your key messages coming into this interview that's bridging this next one is very similar we call it hooking because whether it's vaudeville decades ago get a hook around someone's neck and pull them off the stage or you're fishing you know throw out cast out the hook and then reel em in you're trying to reel them into or take them to where you want to go so if the interviewer it's very similar to bridging if you're trying to hook them to a point that you want to make if they ask about something in your CV and you say I'm very proud of that and there are other research projects in which I played a pivotal role now you're teasing them with that you're dangling them that out there you may not go into that at the moment they might respond to that by saying oh really tell me about those tell me more you might be interested in I did this and this and this and and you can let it go at that or or give a little bit more brief description but you're hooking them to the points you want to make I have other experience that might prove to be very useful here well what are those this is all hooking these are all ways to be responsive to the questions from the people interviewing you but still being true to yourself and getting across the message you want to get across about what makes you memorable who you are okay the third one is flagging flagging is saying okay here's a key point important message coming through here it helps the interviewer remember that this is one of your key points and you also signal you're about to make a key point the qualities I bring to the table are very clear you're about to make a very definitive statement this is who I am this is what I want you to remember about me my three strongest attributes are okay you three rule of threes my three strongest attributes are now you've said three they're going to be listening okay that's the first one oh that's the second one what's the third one oh very interesting there's a third one these are ways to reel them into those key points and you can these are just examples think of what works for you and sounds like you that's flagging okay when things go bad let me first the question about illegal questions are inappropriate questions I'm going to respond to that one very briefly now and then ask that you make sure the panelists address that because they're actually in a better position than I to do that if they're questions they ask about you personally that would not be legal in a job interview you don't have to answer that they're going to be curious and again if they are trying to decide if they want to be engaged to you for the next few years they're going to see how you and I might need jerk reaction and they may disagree with you the professionals who will be on the next panels may disagree with me but I'd say you know I I'm really uncomfortable dressing that and maybe there will be a time in place that I can but let me let me tell you what my values are bridge to use that opportunity to bridge try to be respectful don't be evasive but show that I do want to talk to you I do you we can work together if you like them if this is a place you want to be but I'm not gonna go there because that that question was out of bounds I you're not gonna make me answer that but in a polite way you're saying you're going there here are my values this is where I see myself this is what I want to be this is a type of physician that I aspire to being I would defer to the others but that one to me was important things go bad keep your cool and don't panic it's highly likely that something will go wrong at some time you've got to be able to let yourself off the hook and if if it's because they made a mistake or you made a mistake it's okay to correct misperceptions if they don't get you correctly make sure you set the record straight so when you leave the room there's nothing left hanging there that was unclear or that was incorrect but try to relax keep your cool and answer things respectfully and be be willing to let yourself off the hook because occasionally it will happen if they say something about you that actually shows that they didn't understand something and there's a misperception or an incorrect assumption about you correct that right away never but don't repeat it no I'm not an axe murderer or no III I didn't kill my room age you don't repeat the negative and this is important in a news interview because the reporter can take the quote and we've seen this and use that that ends up what's being the soundbite that's on radio or on TV but in this type of situation you don't repeat it you just correct it and move on so that's not hanging out there and this is very similar to the answer I gave about the inappropriate question you address it but you bridge you bridge to what you do want to say if something is negative so aren't you really saying you might be a better fit somewhere else I mean if they if this interview is started to go south and you it's felt uncomfortable maybe this is worry instead of saying it maybe you're right maybe this isn't the best place I believe I can make what's a positive response I believe I can make the greatest contributions and benefit the most in a program that does you try to find the positive spin on it even if you're not comfortable if you've decided during this interview this is not where I want to be don't leave it like that you can rate them low and that's the way you address that but end on a positive note you never know when something may come back someone there may end up working with you someday or they may know someone who knows you that didn't come out until the reception later you never want to burn bridges you never want to say anything that might come back to haunt you so make sure you spin it in a positive way I mentioned before look for visual cues if if people aren't buying what you're saying or something isn't working you'll see that we're all human we've been in social settings where someone they're bored with what you're saying maybe someone who feels a little superior and now you're kind of okay this is someone you're never going to be a friend of you get visual cues in so many different settings it's the same thing in an interview watch for that and learn from that and use that in the next interview you may determine that you know that might not be an example I want to use again if that story turns out to be too long and oh boy person listening is looking at their watch rolling their eyes whatever it is look for those visual cues listen for the verbal cues if their questions suggest that your answer wasn't clear or you think you answered it as I said earlier well maybe it wasn't clear think about how you answered questions and go to school on that learn from that and answer those questions differently the next time and get a feel for the vibe of the room if things are fun and relaxed and it's going well it's okay if it's a little awkward what is it telling you and is there anything you can do and adapt during that interview to put them at ease or to show that you're relaxed humor was one of the questions that came up this is very difficult it's difficult in an interview it's difficult in a speech and I'll give you my basics on this it's got to be appropriate and it's got to be relevant and we've all heard people tell inappropriate jokes make inappropriate references and this is the last place you want to do that so be very judicious be very careful about what you do and make sure if it's something that is humorous that it's relevant but relevant to where you are and what you're interviewing for and the people that you're with a great fallback is to talk about yourself self-deprecating humor because it's about you you're not attacking someone else no one else is the butt of a joke you never know what someone's sensitivity is because you don't know these people you've just met them for the first time but you can make jokes about yourself as I said I've been a marching band announcer for years my team is now kind of competitive they're not going to the national championship but now they're competitive when I started doing this we didn't win football games period there was a streak where we want lost 34 consecutive football games so when people would introduce me as a as a guest speaker and they'd say because it's something interesting about me a little human interest I'm here I used to be a lobbyist so he's a lobbyist for this group but he's also the marching band from the Northwest and the announcement for the Northwestern University Wildcat marching band oh they never do I would make some deprecating self-deprecating joke you know there's an old story about the the phone rings at the Ryan field ticket office and someone answers the phone Brian field what time is a football game this afternoon well what time can you get here you know something that would just suggest I'm poking fun at me not at them if you're going to use any humor it's okay to do something self jeopardy but but let's look at it this way follow the interviewers lead if they're not that funny if they're not cracking jokes you're not there to one-up them but if it is relaxed and you can roll with it and you're comfortable with it okay follow their lead if you're not sure leave it out and my fallback is leave it out if it feels natural it'll work it'll happen I would not plan on humor be yourself be true to yourself through each out each of these interviews make sure your language is simple you're not there to impress them with fancy words whoops fancy words and jargon they know that you're qualified you don't have to show it by using big words and especially taking the risk of saying something that's inappropriate you're still when it comes down to it these are still just people they're just like everyone else speak to them as you would a respected friend or colleague but don't try to impress them with big words use active voice the difference between active and passive I was given an award I earned an award I was taught years ago I learned to do this something that shows that you were active in something that you did something that something was done for you it was given to you you earned something use passive active work I mean use active action words be conversational have a conversation this is not a formal speech or not giving the Gettysburg Address you're having a conversation speak to them as if you're going to work with them because that's what you want to do and be yourself appearance be appropriate I hope I don't have to talk about how to dress for an interviewer maybe the others will later a parent should be appropriate good eye contact some of us have trouble with that I know that when someone asked me a question often my first reactions I look up a moment and think about it and and once during a job interview someone asked me a question and I was doing this and the interviewer said you look angry I never knew that I furrowed my brow and I was thinking and and it made me look angry and I got home and was having dinner with my wife I said this was what happened she said yeah you do that I had no idea so eye contact and and how you look facial expressions demeanor these are all important gestures be open be relaxed if your arms are like this you're gripping the edge of a chair you're going to look a little bit uncomfortable and suspicious and and betraying what it is you want to present to them use open relaxed body language make sure you speak clearly slow down when we're nervous we speed up slow down make sure that you're clear make sure they understand what you say finish your sentences I mean I'm exaggerating now I'm trying to make sure I articulate that I am articulating every word so you do not misunderstand anything I say I'm exaggerating but I've heard so many people speak and they start to throw aways words at the end of the sentence you might know in context what I'm saying but if I'm throwing them away then just make any difference be clear make sure that they get it and speak all the way through your answer it's okay to pause and think pauses are powerful if you're giving an answer to something and you get to the punchline and my friend Joe after he had that near fatal head injury that I don't remember anything about from air and ski trip and in the end Aaron became a brain surgeon I mean it's okay to pause a little bit for dramatic effect don't overdo it but building pauses everybody has stage fright I get it I've been performing for more than three decades I still get stage fright I still get nervous I still sweat it's okay how do you deal with it prepare do that homework be prepared in advance think positively don't go in say I'm not gonna do they're gonna bomb this was bad the last ones bad this will be worse you've got to be positive going into it okay I had this is now my second one the first one may bomb maybe or it could happen let yourself off the hook I'm ready to go think positive exercise that helps burn off nervous energy helps gives you it helps give you some energy practice practice practice practice practice with friends practice in front of a mirror videotape yourself I hate is I've been announcing for years I hate listening to my voice I hate looking at myself I don't like video of myself but until I did that I didn't know all the quirky things I do in delivery videotape yourself it's hard to do but have someone ask you questions and you answer find out are you the furrowing your brow are you looking all over you having trouble making eye contact what is your body language like if you don't actually see it you have no idea how you come across and how you look to others this is how you start working on the question about being genuine question about enthusiasm at the beginning question about confidence I think you will learn more by videotaping yourself and seeing how that comes across you will learn things about yourself you never knew no matter how old you are that is how I would deal with that what is working and what's not you will see things you need to correct just from that I really do believe that that's going to be the answer to that question or those questions practice with someone that you trust that you're comfortable doing this with it's still going to be awkward it's still gonna be a little uneasy but but do it gather and channel your nervous energy direct that into the interview you use that to give you the energy and the confidence to get through it and as I said that person you're interviewing interviewing you is not just a sponge there a mirror see how they're reacting to things breathe I think I yes breathe okay okay remember that audiences say what remember what you say first and what you say last so conclude with a positive reinforcing message maybe you conclude with part of your elevator speech maybe it's elevator speech part two or take two try to get in the last word at the end of the interview if there's something you didn't have a chance to say or if there's something that was in your elevator speech that you think you didn't get a chance to address enough save that for the end and and as you're thanking them as you're getting up to leave you might say you know if there's one thing I hope you'll remember me by it's there it is

Channel: IllinoisDoctors

Views: 72,981

Keywords: interview, residency, residency interview, doctor, resident, physician, medical school, med school, Illinois, Illinois State Medical Society, Illinois Doctors

Id: qSfX4LbzXwA

Length: 44min 51sec (2691 seconds)

Published: Mon Nov 06 2017