Acing the interview: Theory-based strategies to improve interview performance in the medical professions

Brandon J. Zaffuto, MD, MPH, Barat S. Venkataramany, MD

Introduction: Interviewing is central to application processes throughout medicine, from entry into medical school to becoming an attending physician. At every stage, interviews provide holistic assessments of skills beyond test scores. Studies worldwide suggest that non-cognitive assessments, e.g., the brief time spent with a candidate during the interview, provide better appraisal of capacities like professionalism and communication.

In the United States, one internal medicine program director recently published his algorithm for applicant ranking, which demonstrated the significant weight placed on interview performance. To our knowledge, this is the first time that such numerical value has been publicly ascribed to medical professions interviewing. Nonetheless, interviewing is a skill that is seldom taught or practiced in medicine. Though multiple widely-used resources (UWorld, Boards and Beyond, etc.) exist to assess and improve competitiveness for medical careers, no such high-value tools exist for interviewing. This article describes crucial strategies to enhance interview performance within the medical field.