Optimizing the Virtual Interview Experience for Residency and Fellowship Applicants.

Abstract

To the Editor: In 2020, residency and fellowship applicants embarked upon the first all-virtual interview season, departing from established norms of traditional interviewing. 1 We hope to provide an applicant’s lens on thoughtfully designed practices that were used during the 2020–2021 interview season and that programs may wish to adopt to optimize the virtual applicant experience. Delivering program information: Program videos, beyond providing standard program details, can be expanded to include campus tours, regional wellness activities, and testimonials from trainees and faculty. Information provided by program websites, which are often incomplete, 2 becomes even more critical in the absence of onsite interviewing. Websites may feature current trainees’ photos and academic/personal biographies to demonstrate commitment to trainees as individuals and convey important information about diversity and specialty interests. Similarly, summary statistics of alumni positions and practice types can efficiently convey information about postprogram career pathways. Last, Twitter and Instagram can be used to actively engage with applicants and highlight teaching and mentorship activities. Streamlining virtual interview logistics: Programs should be mindful of start and end times across time zones. During individual interviews, “time remaining” notifications can improve punctuality and avoid inadvertent interview cessation; additionally, minimizing link-switching can improve timing. Time between interviews can be designated as breaks or question and answer (Q&A) sessions. However, if no time limit is set, continuously rolling Q&A sessions may lead to question drought and drop-out in engagement. Creating meaningful trainee/faculty interactions: Informal “social hours” facilitate candid trainee–applicant communication; one-on-one engagement can be maximized by using breakout rooms, split randomly or by the applicant’s prespecified interest. As physical location is no longer a limiting factor, programs can offer extensive virtual informational opportunities outside the interview day itself, including teaching conferences; grand rounds; subspecialty interest meetings; and diversity, equity, and inclusion activities. We hope the above observations will be useful, providing an applicant’s lens into the variations of the virtual interview process. As the landscape of virtual interviewing evolves, programs will need to seek additional feedback to innovate and optimize the virtual interview experience of applicants. Acknowledgments: The authors thank Nosheen Reza, MD (University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine), Malhar Patel, MD (Scripps Clinic), John McPherson, MD (Vanderbilt University Medical Center), and Julie Damp, MD (Vanderbilt University Medical Center) for contributing important faculty perspectives.