In the era of holistic review—a process that evaluates physician residency applicants beyond metrics— program directors are placing greater emphasis on “soft skills” during interviews.
A National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) survey of more than 1,000 residency program directors who participated in the 2023–2024 Match cycle reveals consistent themes in how programs assess applicants’ interview performance.
The NRMP data does not single out any criterion as more important than another. However, the survey results indicate that residency program directors frequently value skills such as professionalism, communication, an ability to work with an interprofessional team and self-reflection as key areas in evaluating interview performance, and, ultimately, fit with a program.
John Andrews, MD, is the AMA’s vice president for graduate medical education innovations. In this role, Dr. Andrews has helped lead the AMA Reimagining Residency initiative to transform residency training to best address the workplace needs of our current and future health care system.
A former pediatrics residency program director, Dr. Andrews has interviewed thousands of potential residents over the years. He offered practical advice for how applicants can make sure they demonstrate these key qualities during interviews.
Professionalism
In reflecting on how programs evaluate professionalism during the interview process, he said that some obvious areas where applicants can stand out for the wrong reasons include rudeness to any support staff, unprofessional attire or tardiness. There are also “hidden” professionalism lapses that he wanted to call out.
“When candidates speak in an unprofessional way about others, that doesn’t reflect well on you in an interview,” Dr. Andrews said. “In other words, reflecting on interactions in your training, perhaps at your own institution or with others, that either denigrate them or are really informal. I think those kinds of things lack professionalism, and you have to be a little bit cautious about that."
Dr. Andrews also said applicants should avoid asking questions where it seems like the program “owes you something.” In that arena, he recommended shying away from questions related to salary, which is often non-negotiable. Moreover, such salary data is publicly available.
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Self-reflection
In looking for residency applicants to reflect on their past experiences, Dr. Andrews said that part of the evaluation is a de facto exercise in fact-checking what is on an applicant’s CV.
“If you were involved in a research project, or said you were on your application, be prepared to talk about it,” he said. “Don’t overstate or understate your contributions.”
Behavioral questions, often those that are phrased as “tell me about a time when ...” are another opportunity to show that you can reflect on your journey in medicine and how it may shape your future. Dr. Andrews highlighted that the answers to those questions—or any question that comes up in an interview—should be authentic to your own experiences.
"A good response to that type of question is something that's relatable and something you know about, as opposed to something you think they might want to hear,” he said. “You want to make sure you're answering the question with a level of experience and the ability to offer detail that's appropriate to the response, rather than trying to dream something up you think they might want to hear."
Interpersonal skills
Communication and the ability to work within a team are keys to success during residency. As part of the residency interview process, interviewers are looking for insights into how an applicant flexes those abilities.
Interviewers are “looking for eye contact and the ability to hold a conversation, as well as the confidence to say you don't know the answer to something—if you don't,” Dr. Andrews said. “They're also looking for you to be a good listener. Not just to go into an interview and start talking, but to actually reflect on the issues that come up from the interviewer's perspective.
One other tip: Answer questions directly and stay on topic.
“Make sure you answer the questions that you are asked,” Dr. Andrews said. “If you get asked a question and you say something that has nothing to do with the answer and use your response as a forum to promote yourself, that’s not going to be impressive.”
