Nicole’s thirst for knowledge inspired her to become a wiseGEEK writer, and she focuses By Moira K. McGhee, Contributor. with her four children, Nicole enjoys reading, camping, and going to the beach. 2 Pick the right one. Your work experience will certainly have shown you aspects of medical practice that you can tailor into a ‘my main weakness’ answer. This is key during an interview. (And other urgent questions). People want to see some self awareness, obviously don’t bring something absolutely terrible up, but mention a real flaw and most importantly what you’ve done to address or work with it. You may be asking yourself: How can I come up with some really convincing strengths and weaknesses? I knew I was no where near ready for my interviews and needed help. B. Doesn’t rule out a medical career. One of the most common questions asked during a residency interview is "Why do you want to join this residency program?" If it comes out wrong it could sound terrible though. A point of caution. Perhaps say that you come from a non-medical family background and a school which had no tradition of getting students to medical school. Here are a few examples of the best weaknesses to mention in an interview: 1. Tell them you’re too much of a hardworker, or a perfectionist, just too nice, or take your work too seriously. Questions about weaknesses and strengths are perhaps the most dreaded among interview questions. My interviewers were very engaged throughout the process and satisfied with my responses. primarily on topics such as homeschooling, parenting, health, science, and business. With option number 2 the bulk of your answer will be taken up with examples of how you’ve been working on your weakness. A fresher’s answer to the question “During the college years, I was heavily involved in college events and activities. Interviewers typically want to know what the candidate has learned about the residency program, what he thinks are the positives of completing his residency through the program, and why the candidate thinks he will be a good fit for the program. It might sound trite, but it’s also true. Sample Interview Questions Tell me about yourself. Sample answers You can work backwards here and try to engineer a ‘weakness’ answer that relates to courses or classes you’ve been taking or some voluntary work you’re doing. However, by establishing the appropriate context, you can give hiring managers an honest, thoughtful answer that highlights both your self-awareness and professionalism. Interviewers may also ask candidates to share details about their strengths and weaknesses, interests beyond medicine, and methods of dealing with adversity. Surely it shows you’ve had more of a challenge that the typical applicant etc. What are the Best Tips for Writing a Personal Statement for a Residency? In the event that you are asked about strengths and weaknesses at the same time, discuss your weakness first so that you can end on a positive note. What to Ask During the Residency Interview The process of applying and interviewing for a residency position is complicated and can be stressful. I’ve seen attempts at humour go pear shaped and I’ve been interviewed and had my own efforts to be funny go disastrously wrong, such that I was unable to recover the interview. Under pressure many candidates say something silly and fail to make any good follow up points. This is always a good route away from your weaknesses and onto more comfortable ground. Although there are those answers that seem appropriate for the question . The remaining 5% will say something very honest but badly thought out such that it may well raise serious doubts about their suitability for medicine. Okay, you’ve got a winning strategy ready to go, so now it’s time for some examples. Soft skills are important for almost every job. Where do you see yourself in ten years, after your residency? 1 Be honest. “Well, I am a perfectionist….” With a one-liner. Francine responds, "My strength is that I'm a hard worker. Two common nurse interview questions that are the most difficult to answer involve your strengths and weaknesses. The medical residency interview isn’t like past your past interviews that only focused on whether or not you get into the program or get the job. I focus too much on the details. Additionally, an interviewer may ask a residency candidate how he deals with adversity. – Chemistry and biology (why? “…So I would say my main weakness is really being too detail orientated at times and perhaps losing sight of the bigger picture. – I am disorganised (will fail A2 or degree or preclinical course) The answers to these questions may influence the candidate’s chances of succeeding in a residency as well as his likelihood of getting along well with other medical team members. If you can do that well you can be sure you’ll be fine in other areas of the interview too. However, in the current political climate you could play your idea well depending on how you word it. Dress should always be conservative, tasteful, and neat. Take the initiative to attend this question and tell your real answers. Tell me about your research experience. More and more candidates come out with those stock answers telling us on the panel that they’ve all been to one of the generic medical application courses that seem to be a rite of passage these days. It’s a tricky question to have fired at you in many ways. Of course this is an integral skill for any doctor and I felt it was an area I needed to work upon. Both of these approaches can work if you know what you’re doing. What are Situational Interview Questions? However, if you’re good at wording things carefully under pressure, you could say that being too much of a perfectionist is common amongst students applying for competitive areas such as medicine and has advantages but you’ve recognised that there is a downside. Secondly it can be tricky to come up with an answer that gives the interviewer what they’re looking for without sounding false or harming your chances. Being detail-oriented is typically a good thing, but if you’re someone who tends to spend too much time on the specifics of a project, it could also be considered a weakness. Furthermore you are aware that in medicine, whilst there is no room for error, one must always keep the whole picture (or patient) in mind whilst focusing on the detail. Is coming from an underprivileged background such as a poor performing school a worthy weakness to mention? When applying for a job, look at the requirements. However, there are ways of using this question to your advantage and delivering an answer that makes you stand out above the other bores the panel have had to put up with. Responsibility, attention to detail, and communications skills are a good choice for your strengths. I have heard of interviewers suggesting that you give another weakness rather than a fake one so be careful. There are some questions and topics that you are almost certain to get, especially if you go on a number of interviews. She had suffered a canine attack that had left her with severe physical as well as mental scarring. This is the oldest trick in the book and it smells like bologna from a mile away. Overall interview tips: Always be professional when interacting with residency programs Know number of interviews desired/needed Plan interview schedule accordingly Allow time for travel Plan to attend social events Think about what impression you want to convey and make sure to convey it. When addressing your weaknesses, draw upon examples relating to either skills/habits or personality traits. Employers want to know how you manage the weakness and recognizing the weakness is the first essential step to managing it properly. 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