Table 2 Applicants’ Reasons for Preferring or Not Preferring Different Virtual Interview Formats

1. Panel Interviews

Advantages

Build connections with multiple interviewers

Opportunity to engage with multiple different people creates more opportunities to connect and showcase myself

Opportunities to get to know interviewers

Seemed the most interactive, got to know a few of the individuals from the school. Everything in general felt more personal

Ability to showcase self

Felt it gave me the greatest chance to showcase my interpersonal skills by interacting with multiple interviewers in real-time

Disadvantages

Felt uncoordinated

Panel interviews often felt uncoordinated and rushed

2. Traditional 1-on-1 Interviews

Advantages

Ability to build rapport

It allowed me a bit more time with the interviewer to establish rapport in programs where I could not do any electives in due to [the] COVID-19 [pandemic] and therefore could not get personally acquainted with

More conversational

One-on-one interview provided more opportunity for conversation, especially compared to a panel interview where the interview platform (e.g. Zoom) often focuses on one person talking in a group and so makes it harder to have a natural conversation with more than one person

Ability to showcase self

In traditional interviews I felt I got to showcase more of myself and my personality as well as learn more about the programs

Disadvantages

Narrow evaluation

One on one is too small, narrowed view

3. Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)

Advantages

Multiple fair first impressions

Ability to have "multiple chances" at a fair first impression—even if you did poorly on one MMI station, you have others to make up for it

Interactions with multiple interviewers

Multiple opportunities to interact with program members, less impact if there was a mistake or tech issue

Disadvantages

Brief interactions

In a time where we couldn't attend for visiting electives or have real face-time, I think the panel or one-on-one style interviews are very very very important to have your best shot at having your interviewers really get to know you. MMI would make an already distant process feel completely anonymous

Difficult to execute virtually

MMI (with being pulled back and forth in breakout rooms), I could tolerate but did not prefer as it was a very jarring experience

4. Asynchronous Interviews

Disadvantages—No applicants described advantages of Asynchronous Interviews

Inability to showcase self and build connection

Recorded responses were far and away the least pleasant experience. I felt stunted, and as though I had no opportunity to engage with people and showcase my ability to connect

Inability to get to know interviewers and program

Pre-recorded responses feel awful to do and don’t provide any feedback or chance to ask questions

Negatively impact rank decision

One school did only asynchronous and it felt like they didn't care to meet me at all. That's the only program that's rank position was influenced by how they did interviews. It was just so cold and distant