by Sara Maria Jensen, M.D.; Ming-Li Wang, M.D.; Peter Muscarella II, M.D. | February 28, 2024 Article Citation: Palenzuela D, McKinley SK. Successful virtual interviews for surgery residents. Surgery 2023; 174(2):389-391. DOI: 10.1016/j.surg.2023.04.052 What is this article about? This article addresses the challenges posed to surgical residency and fellowship candidates introduced by a shift from in-person to virtually formatted interviews due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. To honor social distancing and institutional travel bans, the choice was made to discontinue traditional in-person interviews. Although these guidelines have been relaxed since 2020, web-based interviews have largely remained. Unexpectedly, programs have recognized several benefits such as reduced cost to the candidates, extended recruitment reach, and less time away from clinical responsibilities for all involved. However, this change resulted in a new interviewing landscape as well as technical challenges. Applicants are now charged to become up-to-the-minute with interview etiquette and virtual mores. In brief, this article aims to guide applicants for each step of the interview process (pre-interview, during the interview, and post-interview) so that they present a solid virtual performance. Why should you read the article? Applicants should become well acquainted with new web-based expectations in addition to standard face-to-face etiquette. Further, in solidifying a robust virtual performance, many candidates afford themselves an opportunity to “second look” in-person experiences. These in-person visits allow for additional insight into residency life, hospital environment, surrounding areas, and the overall “fit” of the program. Many of these components are difficult to assess in web-based interviews and are heavily weighted when evaluating and discriminating between programs. How can you use this article? Potential surgical residents and fellow applicants (as well as residency applicants from other specialities as many of the principles are generalizable) may use this article as a succinct guideline to prepare for virtual interviews and familiarize themselves with insight from interviewers and newly recommended “best practices.” Although not exhaustive, the recommendations may prove to be valuable when navigating the virtual interview process. Review Author: Sara Maria Jensen, M.D.; PGY-2, Department of Family Medicine, Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, Niagara Falls, NY. Ming-Li Wang, M.D. and Peter Muscarella II, M.D. co-authored this review. Organization: Association for Surgical EducationVirtual Interviews Are Here to Stay: An Approach to Successful Virtual Interviews for Surgical Residency Candidates