It’s been a while since my last post, but in the last five months I got engaged, published a book, and started a new job! Not to mention wedding planning, house shopping, and cultivating new and existing relationships. What a time to be alive.
In this article, I share my top three tips in preparing for interviews. Why this topic, and why now? As I mentioned, I recently changed jobs. Not only did I change jobs, I pivoted fields entering a new area in which I had relevant but not direct experience. In that process, I completed three interviews which resulted in three job offers. As an attractive candidate, even without the exact experience listed on job listings, I was able to negotiate my salary by an additional amount, approaching the budged salary for the position level above mine.
A second reason why interviewing is on my brain is that my sister is interviewing for medical residency programs! While in my PhD program, I did some volunteer consulting in helping people prepare for job/academic interviews. I offered to lend my experience and time to help her prepare. It is incredibly rewarding to hear subsequent answers of the same question transform from something monotone and dull to something that’s exciting and attention-grasping. You can even see the difference in someone’s face, when they’re excited about what they’re sharing!
Without further ado, the interview advice.
Share your experiences in first person, active voice.
Not only does active voice keep the interviewer’s attention, it leads you to convey more excitement and enthusiasm. Instead of saying, “The team was composed of x individuals involving an attending physician and medical students of all years. The clinic also had an interpreter.” Try saying, “I led (or worked on) a team of x individuals that included an attending physician and medical students of all years. We worked closely with an interpreter in every step of the process.”
Much of navigating relationships and working with others lead us to be us-centered rather than I-centered. The interview is a time you should be I-focused! Remember, the interviewer is interviewing you, not your colleagues, your mentor, or others you may have worked with. Do be honest and don’t claim credit for work that others did. Outline your role and responsibilities, and share your own experiences. The interviewer wants to hear about what you did, how you responded to situations, and/or how the experience impacted you.
Answer the question that was asked.
Sounds simple, right? Not always. Be sure to stay on topic and answer the question that was asked instead of an adjacent question that you feel more comfortable answering. I’ve seen this happen in academic settings as well as in industry, and my sister has witnessed this while on the admissions committee for medical school. Stay on topic!
In academic contexts, such as a postdoc interview or fielding questions after a talk, it might be appropriate to restate the question, for example, “If I understand correctly, you’re asking whether [paraphrased question].” In an interview, you could be more direct, for example, “Yes, I’d be happy to tell you about [the topic in question].”
Restating the requested topic can ensure:
- that any listening audience members understand the question,
- that the asker knows that you understand the question, and
- most importantly, that you have the correct mental framework to begin your answer.
Stick to the relevant details.
It can be easy to ramble on a topic, especially when the question is as open-ended as “Tell me about x.” Ideally, you should have a sense of what questions will be asked, such as on your prior work experience, volunteer experience, or leadership experience. Remember, anything and everything on your application—your resume/CV or a personal statement—is fair game.
For questions that are likely to be asked, such as “Why are you considering us?”, think about the main points you want to cover. Practice your response aloud. Oftentimes you know what you want to cover in your answer, but when you say it aloud it sounds clunky or disorganized. Don’t let the interview itself be the first time you answer those low-hanging fruit questions!
For situational questions like “Tell me about a time when…”, use the acronym STAR to describe the Situation, Task, Action, and Result. Read more about STAR here. You don’t have to stick to STAR rigorously, but this framework will help you keep to the key details rather than get lost in the weeds.
I hope these tips help you prepare for upcoming interviews! Remember that it’s just a conversation, and be yourself. Stay tuned for a future post on interviewing for positions involving a career switch!