In the last post, we looked at 'weaknesses' that you can and should safely disclose when asked at the interview. But how far can you push this? At what time, does a weakness become a reason to turn off the interviewer so that you lose your chances of making it into the coveted rank order list. Here are some 'weaknesses' that in my opinion should NOT be said (at the least in the words below):
1. "At times, I feel I am not confident of my English language."
Now that's just not true. You may feel that English is your second language esp if you are an IMG. If you have mastered the USMLE Steps including the CS, wrote your personal statement and are invited for an interview, English IS your first language and you have an EXCELLENT command of the English language. There is no room for modesty here. You may talk about your accent and that an accent reduction program would be helpful, but again there should be absolutely no questions in your mind about your knowledge of the English language.
2. "I don't sleep at night because I keep thinking about patients."
The first response in the mind of the interviewer is 'this person needs help'. No one wants an insomniac in their hospital as this leads only to burnout. You need to demonstrate that you have some degree of work life balance and the above stated 'weakness' shows that you have none.
3. "I am very anxious."
Again, no one likes to be around a nervous Nellie (a timid person who is easily upset and is hesitant to act). Even though you may add as to how you have overcome your anxiety, claiming that you are anxious borders on having a personal diagnosis of 'generalized anxiety disorder'. Medicine has many stressful moments and the last thing an interviewer wants to deal with is someone paralysed with anxiety.
4. "I am a procrastinator."
Oh boy! You do like to get yourself in hot water. It does not matter whatever changes you have made in life, but procrastinating in training and clinical practice is just bound to cause failure and trouble for yourself and your team members. Don’t say this.
5. "I feel that I am weak in my writing skills."
Well, then how did you write your personal statement? You can't say this as a weakness. Writing (and documentation) is a very essential communication skill of a resident. You may temper this statement by saying 'I feel that I need to make my writing more impactful when I am writing a research paper. I have improved by reading more research papers in NEJM. I hope I can work with you in residency to get 1-on-1 guidance to write concisely and accurately.'
6. "Lack of confidence is a weakness of mine"
OK, how did you make it so far into the residency interview if you have no confidence? Lack of confidence or experience is just not a weakness. You may say 'I am shy' or 'introvert' (see my earlier post), but still in those situations you are very confident about your medical knowledge and clinical skills. So pls pls, never say that you lack confidence.
7. "I have trouble working with others in the team", "People take advantage of me", "I cant get things done" or "I can't stand another person's incompetence" are simply NOT to be said.
Medical practice is a team effort. You absolutely need to be a team player. You can't boss around or be arrogant. This sort of behavior is just not tolerated in the current times and certainly your interviewer will not tolerate it.
8. "I have trouble asking for help."
Again, not asking for help either in your personal or professional lives is going to just leave you more frustrated, upset and burned out than ever. Now, 'trouble asking for help' is just a tad different from 'difficulty delegating work' (see my last post). I feel that in 'difficulty delegating work' that was discussed in my earlier post, you have decided to ask for help, but just don't know how to request for help. Saying "I have trouble asking for help" means that you are just going to stand there paralyzed in misery.
Always remember: Unlike some cultures, asking for help is NEVER to be considered a sign of weakness in an US residency program. Better safe than sorry.
Photo credit for image in this post: https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/58af0870290000fe16f284d1.png?ops=scalefit_630_noupscale
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