Acing Your Virtual Interview: A Guide for Dual-Qualification Medical and Dental Aspirants
Author: Ali El Rhalibi
Applying for a second degree in medicine or dentistry is a high-stakes opportunity and can be pivotal in one’s professional arc. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual interviews have become the norm and show no sign of disappearing. Though you’ll likely be conducting these interviews from the comfort of your home, excelling in the virtual format requires extra technical preparation, polished communication, and some awareness of social psychology. Thanks to past successful candidates and faculty members involved with the interview process, here is a selection of actionable key tips to ensure you present yourself as a standout candidate.
1. Perfect Your Virtual Setup
A strong first impression starts with a professional virtual presence.
Invest in the Right Equipment: A high-quality external webcam and a reliable laptop or PC with good video/audio capabilities can significantly enhance your appearance and sound quality. If possible, call a friend/family member using your tech set-up and see how you both sound and appear from their device.
Lighting Matters: Use a well-lit room (favouring front-facing natural light, or considering a ring light to avoid shadows on your face). Glare from glasses? Adjust your lighting or use contacts.
Camera Positioning: Keep the camera at eye level (use books or a stand if necessary) and 40-50cm away from your face. Centre yourself on the screen for an optimal frame.
Check Your Internet Speed: Aim for at least 10 Mbps to ensure smooth communication without lags. Google “speed test” to run a quick, free-to-use internet speed test. If there will be others using your Wi-Fi, ask ahead of time if they can refrain from streaming or using any other bandwidth-occupying activity. If your Wi-Fi is slow or unreliable, consider other options such as mobile phone tethering or seeking out a private venue to conduct your interview (e.g. vacant office at your hospital/dental practice).
Practice Beforehand: Record a test video on your device to evaluate video quality, sound, and your on-screen mannerisms.
2. Create the Ideal Environment
Minimize distractions to maintain focus throughout the interview.
Choose a Quiet Space: Notify individuals that you live with well in advance and remind them the night before and morning of your interview. Consider a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your front door to ensure zero interruptions. Turn off notifications on all devices.
Comfort and Posture: Use a chair with back support and sit upright to convey confidence and engagement.
Professional Aesthetics: Dress professionally from head to toe to avoid potential mishaps. Select clothing that contrasts well with your background, which should be neutral and uncluttered. Avoid my friend’s mishap of revealing that he was wearing a suit on his upper body and shorts on his lower body when asked to do a webcam sweep of his room before the interview started – it didn’t disqualify him, but he definitely felt caught with his pants down and started the interview more anxious than necessary.
3. Enhance Virtual Communication
Engaging with your interviewers effectively requires attention to subtle cues.
Maintain Eye Contact: Look into the camera—not the screen—to mimic real-life engagement. Place a minimized video feed below the camera for easy alignment. This is definitely worth practising as it may not come naturally and is a good behaviour to monitor in any test videos you record.
Control Your Mannerisms: Avoid touching your face, fidgeting, or repeatedly adjusting glasses or hair. Keep your hands below the camera frame to reduce distractions. If you know you are a fidgeter, have something ready to occupy your hands with off-screen (fidget spinners are due to make a comeback anyway).
Clear and Concise Speech: Practice delivering responses with clarity and focus. When faced with unforeseen questions, take a moment to think before rushing into an answer and fall back on the common frameworks to organise your thoughts – CAMP (Clinical, Academic, Management, Personal), STAR(R) (Situation, Task, Action, Result, Reflect), SPIES (Seek Information, Patient Safety, Initiative, Escalate, Support).
4. Apply Psychology to Influence Perception
Understanding how interviewers think can help you manage impressions and leave a lasting impact.
First Impressions Count: The “primacy effect” means interviewers will assess you within the first minute. Dress sharply, begin confidently, and make a strong initial impact. Having a slick and robust answer prepared for common questions such as “Tell us about yourself/your CV...” or “Why choose X course/university?” can help gather momentum at the start of your interview.
Be Memorable: Use unique examples, make light of situations or even crack jokes where appropriate if that comes naturally to you – play to your individual strengths in a way that helps you stick vividly in the minds of the interviewers for good reason. The “recency effect” describes that people will remember information that was presented to them more recently with greater effect, so be sure to conclude your answers with a strong point or concise summary instead of tailing off into a mumble of uncertainty.
Demonstrate Empathy: Examiners look for future colleagues with a holistic approach to patient care. Throwing in statements such as, “I would also ensure the family is kept informed and involved in decision-making” is a low-effort but high-impact way of showing this wider consideration.
Feeling Nervous? Ground Yourself: Using grounding techniques, such as curling your toes into the floor or box breathing (4 seconds in, 4 seconds hold, 4 seconds out, 4 seconds hold), to stay composed and present can be beneficial prior to the interview starting or between MMI stations instead of ruminating on the fact that you just mixed up “perineum” and “peritoneum” on the previous station.
5. Communicate with Precision and Depth
Virtual interviews limit nonverbal cues, but you can optimise communication using these theories:
Media Richness: Incorporate as many nonverbal signals as possible (e.g., expressions, tone) to avoid misunderstandings.
Media Naturalness: Make virtual communication feel engaging by optimising for the virtual set-up tips (i.e. improving lighting, maintaining a pleasant tone, and keeping your setup natural).
Signalling Theory: Deliver clear, unambiguous responses, ensuring your signals are well-received by the interviewer. Miscommunication often arises from incomplete or ambiguous cues. If you mishear a question, always ask for clarification instead of hoping you have understood the point of the question.
6. Final Tips for Success
Prepare for Common Questions: Reflect on why you’re pursuing a dual degree and how it aligns with your career goals.
Engage Proactively: Respond thoughtfully and adapt to the interviewer’s tone. Having questions prepared for the end of the interview will prevent you from feeling caught off-guard.
Confidence is Key: Begin with a firm introduction and maintain self-assurance throughout the interview.
By combining technical preparation, environmental control, and strategic communication, you can confidently navigate the challenges of virtual interviews and demonstrate why you’re an exceptional candidate for a dual-degree program. If you’re reading this article, chances are you have already been through and smashed two professional interviews, so this is just another day at the office. Be yourself and have fun with it!
