Hey everybody this is Myers Hurt with another edition of “Countdown to Match Day,” the official podcast of the Match Gurus, and the only podcast aimed at helping applicants shine on interview day. Remember to follow us on twitter @theMatchGurus and send any questions you want answered on the show. If you like the content please take some time to leave a review on iTunes, or review the book on Amazon.
In true countdown style, this season we’ll release one podcast each week for the 40 weeks leading up to Match Day. This is season 1 episode 9 - now 32 weeks to go until #MatchDay2017. Let’s get started:
What to expect - usually the resident dinner is a collection of applicants and residents, set up as an informal environment to get some questions answered from the resident point of view. There is no set question time / eating time, it just flows naturally.
Who will be there: residents and their significant others - specifically to answer the most amount of questions for the most amount of people. Consider the scheduling from the other side. Residents already feel overworked and underpaid - even with free food as an incentive - it says a lot to volunteer time to go out after a 12-16 hr day only to talk about how much you love that 12 or 16 hour day. Consider the timeline as well - as chief I could always get people fighting over the first few free steaks, then late in the season it could be pulling teeth.
Who to bring: spouses are ok, children, parents, friends - even girlfriends/boyfriends are not. No need to bring anything to take notes, anything to try and impress people - just an opportunity to be yourself.
What to wear: not a suit, not jeans and a t-shirt - something in between - a business lunch or business dinner. Collared shirt with or without blazer, good rule of thumb is it is always easier to dress down instead of dressing up.
What to order: If you have any preferences as far as vegetarianism, vegan, kosher, food allergies, etc - feel free to mention to the program coordinator - feel free to communicate without being judged.
Alcohol - borderline issue - never be the first to order alcohol, tea, water, soda are safe bets - if the most senior person at the table orders a beer or some wine, feel like the ice is broken, and go for it. Always ok to abstain without fear of being judged, just don’t order bottle service, not Jersey Shore. Remember that you are always being interviewed. I understand both arguments - in a stressful environment, one glass of wine takes the edge off, however, if alcohol makes you anything less than your best self, best to abstain.
Nothing new - allergies, don’t like the taste. Nothing sloppy or saucy - think first date - want to enjoy a civilized meal in a nice setting, no need to wear most of your dinner, or embarrass yourself.
What questions to ask: “front line” questions - parking, housing, child care, - things that are important to you. As well as how they feel - do they get along with faculty, do they get along with each other, do they feel like they are learning, good balance of learning and autonomy to learn by doing
Pearls: remember the resident’s names - it always comes up the next day - who did you go out with? Multiple people ask, and simply by remembering the names of your future colleagues shows an incredible amount of interest. Forgetting people or forgetting what you talked about is a red flag.
You are being watched - how you interact with the waitstaff, hostess, etc all reflects on how you will work in a team. In the hospital, you have nurses, students, PT, OT, maintenance, dietary, mid levels, attendings, etc - I’m Texan, so yes ma’am, no ma’am and holding doors open for people is second nature, but anyone rude to the waiter or waitress is absolutely going to hear about it. Would always be suspect of a candidate who was rude.
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Thank you to everyone for listening, remember to send you questions to us through our website at www.thematchgurus.com, twitter @theMatchGurus, or snapchat. Our book is now available on Amazon - please leave a review there as well. Take care.