Medical professionals are more competitive obviously when it comes to job applications at the most reliable hospitals in town. Preparing for a job interview is an important part of the job search process. In this article, there are 9 tips to help you feel prepared and succeed in your job search.
BEFORE THE INTERVIEW
1/ Research The Workplace
First, you should collect reliable information on the website and recruitment events: location, professional opportunities, practice setting, work culture, and other relevant factors.
Researching helps you answer questions about the workplace you're interviewing with. For example, if you are a medical student with limited experience outside of academics. At least you show the advance preparation you made for this job by matching your qualifications and career goals related to this practice environment.
2/ Prepare For Questions & Answers
Work experience:
- Tell us about yourself.
- Tell us about your work/research experience.
- What are some of your strengths/weaknesses?
- What was the last professional conference you attended? What did you get from the experience?
- How do you define excellence in patient care?
- How would you perform a cardiovascular exam?
- If a child complained about a pain in their leg, how would you assess them?
- If asked to assess an infant who appears to be ill, what symptoms would you look for first?
- What's your process for deciding to prescribe an antibiotic? What do you do to choose the best one?
University-specific:
- Describe a demanding situation during medical school and also how you managed it.
- A mistake that you made at medical school and how you handled it.
- Do you have any additional certificates or experience working in a specialty?
Medical Ethics/Empathy:
- What motivates you?
- Do you see any problems managing a personal and professional life?
- What steps would you take to reassure a patient experiencing anxiety before a procedure?
- If you couldn't provide a definitive diagnosis for a patient, what would your next steps be?
- Describe a time when you had to resolve a conflict with the guardian of a patient. How did you respond?
Problem-solving:
- What was the most interesting case you have been involved in?
- Give us an example of a time when you had to diagnose a patient who couldn't communicate their symptoms to you. What did you do?
- Explain how you would deal with a colleague who is not doing his/her share of work.
- Tell us about a difficult time where you managed to work efficiently under pressure.
Using the STAR method to answer interview questions can help you structure your answers:
- Situation: briefly providing some context regarding the situation.
- Task: describe your responsibility within the situation, this may be a challenge or conflict you had to face or a goal you wanted to achieve.
- Action: explain the actions you took to overcome the challenge or reach your objective. Emphasize the skills you applied to meet your goals and be descriptive by providing specific details of what you did to resolve the scenario.
- Result: describe the results of your actions. Explain the specific ways your actions improved the situation, and use quantifiable figures like percentages to show how much your actions bettered the situation when possible.
3/ Schedule The Interview
You also need to make sure your interview dates don’t clash with other events so know the schedule in advance and plan accordingly. Set your calendar to automatically remind you before the interview one or two days earlier so you don’t miss out on the interview dates.
DURING THE INTERVIEW
4/ Be Prompt
You should arrive early, listen to music or practice simple breathing exercises to calm your mind and boost your focus. Review your resume and the job description to identify your top skills that relate to the position you're interviewing for. Read over your notes, questions and answers you'll present to the interviewer. Use your notes to formulate your questions and responses to the interviewer. This approach helps you showcase your experience and can increase your chances of getting hired.
5/ Be Professional
"You wear the clothes, the clothes don’t wear you" - Your outfit should be memorable, not over the top. You can wear a bold-color shirt or tie to exhibit your personality, but you need to make sure it matches the rest of your outfit and is still professional.
Professionalism also applies to your online social media profile. Many applicants will make their social media accounts private or change their name to avoid being found through a Google search. Be aware that at any point in time, your friends or followers could have a screenshot of a post and share it with the interviewer. You should take time to review anything you post online. Taking advantage of your professional social profile on SEADOC Medical Network and including the link in your resume, the interviewer will not need to Google your name and look at all of your online profiles and content. Send invitations to fellow students, instructors, and other professionals you know to ask for their reviews and strengthen your professional social profile on SEADOC Medical Network.
6/ Be Engaged
Give the interviewer your attention by sitting up straight and making eye contact. These signals show that you're engaged with the interviewer and you are intrigued by the information they are providing to you. Take deep breaths to remain calm and focused on the interviewer when answering their questions.
Speak with the interviewer briefly about their hobbies and interests outside of the workplace. This discussion shows that you are trying to build an authentic connection with them.
At the end of the interview, the interviewer should ask if you have any questions. Unless you want to seem uninterested and unprepared, have a couple of queries at the ready. Here are some questions to ask an interviewer:
- Is this a new position?
- What skills does a candidate need to perform well in this role?
- Name a few challenges that a candidate may face in this position?
- What training opportunities do you offer to employees?
- How does the company evaluate the performance of employees?
- What is a typical career path for someone working in this position?
AFTER THE INTERVIEW
7/ Thank-You Email
8/ Follow-Up Email: Accept Job Offer
9/ Follow-Up Email: Ask For Feedback After Rejection
