As I am in the midst of writing many essays for my residency applications, I am also thinking ahead to the inevitable interview stage. I started to reflect on my experiences, the questions I was asked, and really the most important topic – what value do interviews contribute, why should we use them, and therefore, how should we use them?

Actions speak louder than words

Before I dive further into interviews, I want to point out why I think someone’s resume should be the most important part of the application process for anything. Really, it comes down to one simple reason:

Past behaviour is most predictive of future behaviour.

In other words, actions speak louder than words. It’s easy in an interview to say “I’m a great communicator, I work hard, I get along well with people, you will love me.” Words are cheap – anyone can say that and everyone will say that. But not everyone has proof that it’s true.

What you have accomplished previously is your proof. If you’ve done great things and people have said great things about you, then I will believe you. Otherwise, I’m just guessing whether or not what you say is true – and why would I want to bank on a guess?

While this might seem like common sense to you, I’d challenge you to reflect on the way we select and hire people, particularly in how we value and conduct interviews, and see if we’re really applying these concepts appropriately. In fact, this concept is already starting to evolve in various industries.

For instance, a postsecondary education isn’t carrying the same weight it used to, especially as having a postsecondary degree is slowly becoming the norm. A lot of technology startups are starting to realize that in many cases, experience is more important than a university education; often, when selecting between two applicants, they will go with the applicant who actually spent their time coding and building software than someone who graduated with a computer science degree form a better institution. I mean, who would you rather hire – someone who has proven himself in exactly the job you are hiring for, or someone who hasn’t?

So if you’re looking to examine qualities like leadership, initiative, teamwork and work ethic, I believe resume (and references) should matter the most.

So what are interviews good for?

Interviews are a chance for people to get to know you for 20-60 minutes. They learn about your communication skills (do you speak clearly and coherently?), personality (are they friendly and easy to get along with?) and intelligence (by the way you answer questions).

That being said, this varies a bit depending on what the interview is for.

For example, in a scholarship interview, I would be looking for someone who is genuinely passionate about their work and accomplishments, and has a vision for what they want to pursue in the future. I don’t care whether my personality really fits with theirs because I won’t actually be working with them.

In a residency program interview, I would be looking for someone I actually get along with, because I am going to have to be their teachers and eventually colleague someday. If they are arrogant, rude and I can’t stand them, I don’t care how brilliant they are – I don’t want them in my program. I want someone friendly, personable and easy to get along with.

In short, no two interviews are alike, and you should tailor how you present yourself depending on what the interview is for.

Limitations of interviews

Interviews are still just a part of the screening process. The only way to see if someone will succeed in your working environment is a trial period, or an “audition” per se.

I think this is why some residency programs may prefer students who visited them and did a rotation with them – most people are going to be nice and personable in an interview (so you weed out the outliers, sure), but if I were on a residency committee, I would really want to see how you operate in the environment I am picking you for – are you competent at the basics of this specialty? Do you take care of your patients well? Do you get along with the team?

You can’t judge these things at all from an interview, because if you tried to, everyone would tell you they are a rockstar at patient care. Unfortunately, it’s not practical for students to audition at every school they want to apply to – that’s why reference letters are so important.

How do you feel your previous interviews were being used? What were the most valuable questions and what were the least?