Due to COVID-19, the future of medical school interviews is unknown. There’s a significant possibility that medical school interviews will become completely virtual.
Thanks 2020…
This year has been stressful enough so I’m gonna give you some GOOD NEWS. I have a 5 step guide to ensure flawless virtual medical school interviews.
Fun Fact About Me: I worked as a recruiter for a health sciences center before matriculating into medical school.
In this position, I created the best practices for virtual interviews for the medical school during the beginning of COVID-19 and coached dozens of faculty interviews and candidates on how to be successful during their virtual interviews.
That being said…I know what it takes to make a good impression during your virtual medical school interviews.
In this article, I document the tips, tricks, and advice I acquired through my time as a recruiter for a medical school and my own medical school interview experience.
Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. As a result, I may be compensated if you chose to purchase these products.
Step 1: Wear the Right Outfit
Your outfit choice becomes even more important when doing virtual interviews because you now have to worry about how it appears on camera.
What to Wear During Your Virtual Interview
Try to dress as a dress as if you’re attending in-person Interviews. I recommend that you wear at minimum a blazer and a professional-looking solid color shirt.
Make sure to also wear professional bottoms. I know we all want to wear our comfy pants but if I learned anything in my time as a recruiter… its that you never know what might happen and its best to be prepared.
If for some reason you have to get up during your interview or the camera falls showing your bottom half… you don’t want them to see your Spongebob PJ’s.
Virtual Interview Outfit Do’s:
Do wear a gray, black, or navy blazer.
Even though these are virtual medical school interviews, you are still expected to be dressed in business professional.
Do wear a solid color shirt. Generally, neutral, pastel and cool-toned shades translate best on camera.
Maroon, coral, and almost all shades of blue look great on camera.
Do wear contact lenses if possible.
This will allow you to avoid being worried about the glare on glasses from your screen.
Do wear natural makeup.
(Foundation, light blush, mascara, and a nude lip)
Do style your hair.
This could be as simple as using gel or pulling back your hair in a low ponytail.
When it comes to virtual interviews, its important to consider how your outfit translates on camera.
Virtual Interview Outfit Don’ts:
Don’t wear a patterned shirt or tie. They don’t translate well on camera.
Don’t wear bright colors that can distract from your interview.
Don’t wear chunky or dangly jewelry.
Honestly, just don’t wear jewelry.
Don’t wear white, especially if you have a white background.
It can wash you out on camera.
Don’t wear glasses that don’t have an anti-glare coating.
Your interviewer will end up looking at your computer’s reflection in your glasses instead of you.
See my article “Medical School Interviews: How to Make the Right Impression” for more detailed information on how to dress for medical school interviews.
Step 2: Create a Video Friendly Environment
First, find a private, quiet location, where you know that you won’t be interrupted during your interviews.
Interviews are stressful enough without background noise or family member walking in mid-interview.
Second, ensure you have a clean background free from distractions.
Double-check that there isn’t any clutter that could be visible during the interview. Everything that the interviewer sees will impact their impression.
A white wall clear of decorations is best ( no paintings etc.) That way your interviewer will be focused on you, not your background.
Third, check your computer angle.
You may need to elevate your computer angle and location to create the appearance that you would have during an in-person interview. Placing your laptop on a stack of books is an easy fix for this issue.
You also want your computer to be far enough to show a majority of your upper body while still being able to reach it. (You don’t want to just be a floating head).
Last, and the most important component of creating a video-friendly interview is lighting.
You want your interviewer to be able to see your facial expressions and body language as you speak.
Make sure to test your lighting before your interview day. You should have the ceiling fan off and your blinds closed. This will prevent distracting light changes during your interview.
When you test your lighting, turn on your computer camera, and ensure that there are no shadows on your face that would prevent the interview from seeing you.
An overhead light should be sufficient, however, you may want to consider getting a ring light if you have multiple interviews. This will allow you to ensure you have the best possible lighting for your interviews and beyond.
Here’s is a link to the ring light I personally own and love!
Step 3: Virtual Medical Interview Practice
Conduct multiple practice virtual interviews with friends and family.
This will allow you to practice talking to a screen, test your connection, and improve your ability to answer questions under pressure.
I would also recommend recording your practice virtual medical school interviews so that you can watch them back and learn how you improve your delivery.
If possible, familiarize yourself with the platform you’ll be using prior to the interview. This may involve actually practicing in the platform or looking up a guide posted online. (Because of COVID-19 most platforms have up to date guides on their websites).
These practice interviews also allow you to test your wifi and bandwidth in your location.
The last thing you want during your virtual medical school interviews is poor connection.
If you have any questions about any of the platforms that the schools use for your interviews, please feel free to send me a message on my contact page.
A more detailed description of how to prepare for medical school interviews can be found in my article: Medical School Interviews: How to Make the Right Impression.
Step 4: Get Organized
Have your invites/interview links organized and ready for each interview.
You don’t want to be late for your interview because you couldn’t find the link. (The best way to do this has all of the links on your calendar where you can just click and enter the meeting easily).
Be ready to join five to ten minutes prior to your interview.
This will allow time for you to prepare mentally as well as fix any issues that may arise prior to the interview start time.
Add the number for the admissions office and the school’s IT department to your phone.
If you have technical difficulties you don’t want to waste time looking for phone numbers. Call admissions so they are aware of the issue and can let your interviewer know. Then call IT to fix the issue.
Step 5: Interview Day Etiquette
Turn off or mute device notifications.
For most of us turning off our phone for an interview is a given. However, during virtual interviews, many forgot to turn off their computer notifications.
The most common distraction during virtual interviews is email notifications.
Make sure to turn off all possible notifications on your computer because not only are they distracting but there on your computer so they’re extremely loud over the camera.
If possible, mute yourself when you are not talking.
This is especially important during the panel interview with multiple interviewers. Muting yourself will decrease echo and make it easier for you and your interviewers to hear each other.
Make sure your volume is turned up upon entering the interview.
I know it sounds simple but it’s one of the most common errors I’ve seen as a recruiter. Because of how most of these platforms work, your volume affects both you hearing your interviewer and your interviewer hearing you.
For a more detailed description of how to prepare for your medical school interviews check out my article: “Medical School Interviews: How to Make the Right Impression“
Check back next Sunday for an article on AAMC VITA (Video Interview Tool for Admissions), the new supplemental virtual interview platform for this year’s cycle!
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Thank you! This is helpful information.
Happy to to hear it helped!
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