‘Just be yourself!’ It is probably the most cliché advice you could give somebody, however, it is advice that I have been given and that I have given to others on several occasions. Of course being cliché doesn’t make it any less true.
And so I have spent the last week ‘being myself,’ over and over again! The one thing that people don’t tell you is how exhausting that can actually be!
In reality, we all have different versions of ourselves. Although all versions are the same at their core, ‘happy me’ is not exactly the same as ‘tired me’ or as ‘frustrated me’ etc. However, the only ‘me’ that I want to show the interviewers is the version of me that is both enthused and full of energy. And of course, after 4 interviews, a series of flights, hotels and one road trip, getting that side of me to make an appearance demands a little effort.
Each one of these interviews tends to last about half a day. The day typically consists of a tour of the hospital, a luncheon with the residents, a presentation about the program and 2 to 3 interviews with the staff, residents and sometimes, the program director. The interviews themselves are actually quite different. They are all curious about why I am interested in pediatrics and how I fit into their program however outside of that, they all have their own style of obtaining information, and are interested in different parts of my work, personality and life. As such, I learn as much about them from the questions they ask as they learn about me from my answers to those same questions. In addition to the formal half-day, the residents usually host a social event for us the night before or after the interview, which is designed to be a casual and informal evening to relax and ask questions.
Overall, the experience has been reasonably enjoyable. I have explored new cities, met a lot of new people, and seen the way in which pediatrics is approached in a few very different hospitals. Yes, I am exhausted; yes, talking about myself is getting redundant; yes, ‘exhausted me’ would love to be allowed to be himself for a while; No, I would not have done it any other way!