Which statement sounds more like you: 'I hate to lose' or 'I love to win'? Give an example of a time you proved this.
Your interview team wants to know more about your love of winning and the impact loss has on you. During fellowship training, there's a good chance you will experience the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows, and they want to ensure that you can handle both with ease.
"I would say that I love to win. During my residency training, we experienced wins when we saved a patient or helped to bring a great outcome, and these wins were always celebrated by a large team. I love when we can all celebrate a win together, and I look forward to leading wins like these in your fellowship program. With that said, I also hate to lose. Whenever I feel like I underperform, I use it as a lesson. My biggest wins have come in teams when I was playing sports in high school and college. A true team effort makes me very happy to be a part of the team."
Choose which of the two statements sound most like you, and be prepared to give the interviewer an explanation. For instance, if you hate to lose, express to the interviewer that the pain of losing has a more significant impact on you than the love of winning. You could follow up your response by talking about when you failed at something and describing how it felt, your actions to recover from the loss, and what you learned from the situation. The goal of your response is to express the fact that you have a healthy competitive side and to show the interviewer that you have the drive to win.
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
I would say that I love to win represent me more, I can really appreciate when we can enjoy a win but on the other hand, I know this job and the loss is almost always a possible outcome so it's important to deal with it. Losing can be still a minor loss if every time you have the chance to understand something from it.
Jaymie's Feedback
Your answer is decisive and demonstrates your desire to learn from undesirable outcomes.
Anonymous Answer
'I hate to lose' describes me. My upbringing and life experiences have taught me the importance of resilience. Whenever I feel like I’ve had a tough surgical case, I debrief about the challenges of the case and use that information for next time. At the same time, winning is a great feeling especially when it comes as part of a team effort. Positive patient outcomes or major saves that came up on my head and neck teams have had a memorable impact on my time in residency.
Jaymie's Feedback
This is an excellent response. Organizations value those who are determined, committed, and resilient, and your response reflects those qualities and characteristics.
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