Conquering your Hospitalist Interview

CONQUERING YOUR INTERVIEW

CHAMP-Curriculum Series

Eric Barna MD

Professor of Medicine and Medical Education

Director of Education Division of Hospital Medicine

Director of Education Mount Sinai International

Acting Internship Clerkship Director

Associate Residency Program Director, MSH

KNOW: Preparation isn't optional—it's your interview-day superpower

DO: Prepare with purpose—study the program, know who you're speaking to, and make your virtual space work for you.

FEEL: Confident, prepared, and energized to showcase your accomplishments to programs.

What is going through your mind in the lead up to Interviews?

Preparation is Everything

Know your audience?

Master the final Pitch

Let your interest be known

30 Second elevator pitch

Conquering your Job Interview:

A Deeper Dive

Anti-anxiety measures

Master the art of “targeted” small talk

Be authentic!

Stay motivated

Mirroring the interviewer

Reassess body language

What do you do to prepare for a virtual interview?

The Virtual Interview: Zoom Room Setup

❑ Check your tech (Wi-Fi, Audio, Visual)

❑ Lighting (ring light)

❑ Background

❑ AV test run

❑ Speed test

❑ Platform familiarity (zoom/teams)

❑ Backup devices

❑ Check your surroundings (automated lights, telephones, doorbells)

Zoom Room Setup

During the Interview

Making a Strong First Impression:

❑ Interviewers associate appearance with credibility, attention to detail, and readiness for residency responsibilities.

❑ Suits or coordinated professional outfits

❑ Facial hair (if any) should be well-groomed

❑ Dress fully professional, not just waist-up

❑ Do a dress rehearsal – try on your outfit beforehand

In Person Encounter

❑ Punctuality is key

❑ Minimize cell phone use

❑ Silence smartwatches

❑ Limit drinking at social events

❑ Be yourself

❑ Remember the 360 review

The Behavioral Question

❑ Describe a time when you had to make a quick decision in a high-pressure situation.

❑ How do you handle difficult conversations with patients and their families?

❑ What would you do if a patient was not responding to treatment or had an unexpected complication?

❑ How do you handle situations where there is disagreement among the healthcare team about a patient’s diagnosis or treatment plan?

❑ What do you do if you disagree with a patient?

What kinds of questions are you planning on asking during your interview day?

❑ Schedule construct/Individual input

❑ Intensive Care Unit coverage

❑ Procedures

Thoughtful Questions

❑ CM/Social work support

❑ Projected program changes and/New services

❑ Mentorship/Promotions/Faculty Development

❑ APP support

❑ Leadership opportunities/Growth

❑ Hospitalist team dynamic/Social events

Preparing with Artificial Intelligence

❑ Mock Interviews with AI Chatbots

❑ Speech analysis/feedback: Yoodli, Microsoft Speaker Coach

❑ Refining responses: Grammarly, Jasper (language, tone, impact)

❑ Automated behavioral analysis Vmock (analyze body language, eye contact and facial expression)

Sample Prompt: "I am preparing for an interview for a position in Hospital Medicine. Please take me through a series of ten tailored interview questions relevant to this field. After each response, provide a detailed analysis, including feedback on the content, delivery, impact, and overall strength of my answer. Additionally, suggest specific areas for improvement and examples of how I might enhance my responses for maximum effectiveness.“

❑ Record and Review: Record any mock interview and have AI analyze to provide constructive feedback.

Great for Chat GPT 4

“Ability to answer a behavioral question or two. Love it even more if they take a moment to think about an answer, feels very poised and mature”

“Some evidence that they have read up on our program”

“The sense that they really want to be at our program”

“Enthusiasm.. especially for patient care”

“Commitment and enthusiasm for patient care”

“Knowledge of our institution that draws a candidate to our group”

“Ability to express passion for Internal Medicine”

The

Don'ts The Do’s

“Unable to keep the conversation going.. If the interview is 30 minutes and it feels like I am pulling teeth to get there it’s a big red flag..”

“Negative comments about prior experiences/workload“

“Poor body language, lack of eye contact limited engagement, checking phone or email, looking away when I am speaking”

“When it is clear that the applicant has not done a full in-depth review of our program prior to the interview”

The Experts Corner

“Applicants that have generic questions that are not tied to the specifics of our program”

What Residency Programs Evaluate During Your Interview

Clear and targeted communication

Speaking to key accomplishments on your CV

Behavioral question responses

Motivation for the specialty

Passion for patient care

Interest in the program/region

Self awareness and reflection (strengths/weaknesses)

Post Interview Checklist

❑ Reflect

❑ Take your time (no 5-minute messages)

❑ Say thank you

❑ Individualized communications

❑ Go the extra mile- thank your coordinator

❑ Be patient

❑ Mark your calendar to follow up with programs

Letter… CONTENT

Remind: Why are you the best candidate?

Sell: What is your value add?

Fill in the Blanks: Did you forget to mention something?

EXECUTION

Delivery: One message for each interviewer.

Subject: Create a strong subject line that includes Thank you, job title and your name.

Edit and Proofread: Must be 100% error free.

Indicate Enthusiasm: What excited you about the job, organization and the people you met?

Timing: Usually within 24 hours.

SAMPLE

Subject: Thank you – [Job Name] – [Your Name]

Dear [Interviewer Name],

Thank you for meeting with me today. It was a pleasure to learn more about your team and the position of [job title]. I’m very excited about the prospect of joining [organization name] and helping [main job responsibility] with your team.

As we discussed, my experience in [list your skills and/or achievements] make me a perfect fit. I also have the [skills omitted from interview] skills which would be an asset for [additional responsibilities of the job].

In researching [problem discussed in the interview], I found that [strategies] have been useful. I would enjoy speaking with you in more detail about this.

I look forward to hearing from you about the next steps in the hiring process. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can provide additional information.

Best regards, [Your Name]

[Your Contact Info]

Purpose: Ensure that all parties are on the same page.

Content: There is great variability in the degree of detail.

Letter of Intent

Legal Review: Usually only when letters of intent go into greater detail that you are not comfortable with.

Signing: While there is no legal barrier to signing multiple LOI’s this is a letter of good faith so would discourage this.

Closing the Deal

❑ Deliverables (LOR, References) should be ready to go

❑ Ask about salary/benefits if not already disclosed

❑ PTO/CME

❑ Flexibility for negotiation may be program dependent

❑ Attorney review of contracts is feasible depending on the program

❑ Pay special attention to “tail coverage” and “non-compete clauses”

❑ Clear and timely communication with programs is key

KNOW: Preparation isn't optional—it's your interview-day superpower

DO: Prepare with purpose—study the program, know who you're speaking to, and make your virtual space work for you.

FEEL: Confident, prepared, and energized to showcase your accomplishments to programs.

"It always seems impossible until it’s done."

— Nelson