5 Tips for Acing your Virtual Medical School Interview
5 Tips for Acing your Virtual Medical School Interview
- Dress Up
As tempting as it might be to throw on a blazer and rock your comfiest PJs on the bottom – don’t do it! You never know if you’ll need to stand up to grab something or turn on a light so save yourself the embarrassing moment and get fully dressed. Further, interviewing from your bedroom can make the process feel casual, so get fully dressed to get yourself in the headspace! Look good, feel good!
- Spend time figuring out the tech
Okay so you might be a Zoom expert by this point, but often programs use different platforms. Make sure you are familiar with what downloads and software are required. Make sure your sound, camera, and lighting is all good to go. Log in in advance to ensure there are no difficulties. The last thing you want is the stress of a last-minute scramble to try to log into a new system with minutes to spare.
- Look at the camera
Let’s just admit it, it’s tempting to look at yourself during the call, it’s natural. But remember, if you are looking at yourself, you won’t look like you are making eye contact. Avoid this temptation by placing a post it note or sticker near your camera to draw your eyes back to it if they start to wander.
- Remove distractions
Maybe it’s your phone, your cat, watching your neighbour shovel their driveway. Whatever it is, do your best to remove the distraction from your space when the interview is occurring. If possible, practice in the space that you will be using for your interview so you can identify any distractions in advance and remove them for the real thing!
- Celebrate
Interviewing virtually can be anticlimactic. You might miss out on the tour or the post-interview snacks but it is still a great achievement to have made it this far nonetheless so celebrate this! Post interview it is easy to dwell on every answer and over-think every response so treat yourself to some self-care and try to put it behind you and acknowledge what you just accomplished!
Bonus: Be yourself!
Whether in person or virtual this always holds true! Be yourself! There is no perfect mold for a medical student so show them your true character and all that you have to offer!
