EMRA and CORD Student Advising Guide - Interview Season Logistics (2024)

Ch. 9 - Interview Season Logistics

The interview season can be both an exciting and memorable part of yourjourney through medical school. While the logistics of planning your interviewtrail can seem daunting at first, understanding some trends in the match dataand preparing in advance can ensure you make the most of it. There are somespecifics about the interview process you should understand.

How important are residency interviews?

Residency interviews play a crucial role in your match success. Each interviewis a way for the program director, faculty, and residents to get to know youpersonally. Your performance on interview day is a significant factor indetermining your placement on the program’s rank list.

In the 2018 NRMP Program Director Survey, 98% of programs considered interpersonal skills an important factor in ranking applicants, and 94%considered interactions with faculty and residents on interview day akey component.¹ Together, these were considered to be more importantelements in ranking applicants than USMLE/COMLEX scores, class ranking,volunteer/extracurricular activities, personal statements, or post-interviewcommunications, just to name a few.¹

How many interviews should I go on?

There is no universal answer to how many interviews will guarantee a match,but NRMP data can guide you. Your match depends on how you rank yourprograms and how the programs rank you. A match can only occur if bothparties are ranked by one another, and programs will only rank you if they’veinterviewed you.

The probability of matching is related to the number of contiguous ranks.²For allopathic and osteopathic senior medical students, the probability of matching is 80% at around 6–7 contiguous ranks and becomes > 95% ataround 11–12.^2,3 Therefore, the typical applicant should aim for 11–12 interviews.

Chapter 8: Understanding Your Competitiveness: Apply Smarter, notHarder guided you on assessing your competitiveness. The applicationrecommendations exist to support you in obtaining 11–12 interviews.

FIGURE 9.1. Probability of Matching to Preferred Specialty by Numberof Contiguous Ranks^2-4

Juggling the Schedule

Many interview invitations are extended in October after the Dean’s Letter isreleased; however, additional invitations occur throughout the entire interviewseason as students cancel and more dates become available. Generally,interviews are conducted in October through January, with the majority (> 60%)occurring in November and December.¹ Appropriate scheduling and planning ofyour academic schedule is a vital part of ensuring that you have the availabilityto attend your desired interviews.

FIGURE 9.2. Interview Activity1 (n=84)

During the interview-heavy months, one strategy is to dedicate an entiremonth to interviews if your school allows it. Another strategy is to purposefullyschedule rotations that are less rigorous or do not necessarily have clinicalrequirements. If you cannot arrange for such a schedule, talk to your advisorabout elective options that are more conducive for traveling to interviews.

Keep in mind that programs generally offer an optional interview dinner or socialevent; this may be held the night before, the night of, or sometimes the nightafter your interview. While these events might not be expressly mandatory,attendance is strongly recommended whenever possible. These informalgatherings are an important way to meet the residents, learn about the cultureof the program, and show your interest.

Exercise caution when scheduling multiple interviews back-to-back. In someinstances, this may be helpful or necessary in cutting down on travel costsor time away from clinical duties. Prolonged periods of travel, however, canbe exhausting and may adversely affect your performance on interviewday. Appearing tired may be misinterpreted as being disinterested and canpotentially hurt you in the ranking process.

Communication and Scheduling Etiquette

Interview offers may be extended through a scheduling system (eg, InterviewBroker or ERAS Interview Scheduler) or sent directly from the program itself.Applicants typically receive notification of interview offers via email. Syncyour email to your mobile device or even create a separate email accountspecifically for interviews to ensure you don’t miss any offers. It is also a goodidea to routinely check your junk or spam folders in case some invitations areaccidentally routed there.

Handle interview invitations promptly. Some programs may send out moreinvitations than available interview spots (this is atypical, yet something to beaware of), so your timely response is critical. When securing a spot, there mayalso be an option to choose either morning or afternoon. Once scheduled,programs such as Interview Broker will email a confirmation to you of the date/time of the interview. If you find yourself using multiple websites or applicationsto schedule interviews, it may also be advantageous to dedicate a planner orcalendar to keep track of all of your interviews.

Be professional if you need to cancel. Some cancellations are necessarybecause of travel or financial constraints, and sometimes applicants cancelinterviews after they feel they have attended enough. No matter the reason,advance notice is a must. Try to cancel far enough in advance to allowthe program time to find another applicant to take your place. Generally,cancellations should not be made less than 2 weeks from the date of theinterview, and a month or more beforehand is ideal.

Don’t harm your chances before you even arrive for the interview. Otherscheduling behaviors that reflect poorly on you include hoarding, double-booking,and no-shows. In the rush of initial interview offers, it’s tempting toaccept every offer — even if you have no real interest in a program. Resist thisurge. Remember that everything you do can be evaluated by programs, andunprofessional behavior can dramatically influence programs’ perception of you.Once you have obtained enough interview offers at programs where you havea genuine interest, it is unnecessary to hoard additional interviews. With enoughcancellation notice, those spots can be freed up for other students.

If you double-book, decide which interview you will attend and let the otherprogram know as soon as possible. While double-booking can be tempting,particularly if you are unsure which program you like best, understand thatit is highly frowned upon. In fact, scheduling services actively combat themthrough different policies. ERAS does not allow any double-booking. InterviewBroker has a double-booking policy that notifies both programs at 48 hours ifyou do not resolve the conflict. Thalamus will be adopting a similarpolicy if double-bookings begin to occur. Retaining a double-booking past 48hours may lead to programs rescinding your interview offers. After you submityour applications, while awaiting interview offers, create a pre-ranking list ofyour programs by desirability. When you achieve an excess of interviews or findyourself double-booked, use this list to choose which interviews to give up.

Finally, it is important to actually attend the interviews you schedule. No-showingis unprofessional and can hurt your chances of matching. Word can(and likely will) get back to the dean of your school and the program directorof your home institution. Remember this is very much a job interview. Yourprofessionalism is being evaluated at every stage of this process.

Managing Costs on the Interview Trail

Interviewing is expensive. The costs of travel, lodging, and the increasingnumber of programs to which applicants apply all add up to a heavy financialburden. In one study, it was estimated that the average interview seasonexpense per student is over $5,000, with 67% going to airfare and lodging.⁵Another study estimated that the total cost of pursuing an EM residency,including costs related to away rotations, is over $8,000.⁶ While some of thesecosts are unavoidable, there are a few ways to reduce your expenses on theinterview trail.

• Use credit cards with rewards programs — and learn the intricacies ofthose programs.
• Bunk with friends (or friends of friends), and check out services likeSwap & Snooze, which arranges free lodging for medical students on theinterview trail.
• When possible, stay with residents from the program where you areinterviewing. Sometimes this opportunity will be obvious in pre-interviewcommunication with the residency program coordinator; if not, there is noharm in asking.
• Plan your interviews to maximize your travel dollar; cluster interviews geographically.
• Consider driving instead of flying.

Unfortunately, the process of applying and interviewing is expensive, but it isan important investment in your career. Anticipating the cost will allow you tobudget appropriately, and careful planning can help alleviate additional stress.

Additional Logistical Tips

• Bring appropriate weather gear (eg, umbrella, long coat, etc.).
• Always have a backup! Pack a backup dress shirt/blouse, pants,pantyhose, tie, etc. When traveling to interviews, always observeMurphy’s law (what can go wrong, will go wrong). This is also helpful if youhave interviews back-to-back and do not have a chance to dry-clean yourclothes.
• Wear comfortable shoes. You may be walking a lot during interviews.
• Bring a notepad to jot down questions to ask during your individualinterviews.
• If flying, be wary of checking your bags.

The Bottom Line

• An applicant of average competitiveness should go on enough interviewsto be able to rank 11–12 programs, which gives them a > 95% chance ofmatching.
• The majority of interview invitations are sent in October, and the majority ofinterviews are conducted in November and December.
• Be considerate of your colleagues and programs during interview season. Hoarding interview invitations at programs you don’t intend to rank takesaway interview opportunities from your colleagues, and if you wait too longto cancel, it makes it difficult for the program to book someone else in yourplace.
• Prepare to spend approximately $5,000 on the residency applicationand interview process (not including any expenses related to doing awayrotations).