INTERVIEWTECHNIQUE

YOURMENTALITY
Theinterview isa chance to sell yourself, not tobemodest. However, remember thatthereisa distinction
betweensellingyourselfandbeingarrogant.Beingarrogantmeansthatyouthinkyouknoweverything,orthink
youarebetterthanothers.Itisentirelypossibletosellyourselfwithoutbeingarrogant.
Itisvitalthatyoupresentyourselfasenergetic,passionateandenthusiastic.Ifyouarenaturallylikethis,you
arelucky.Forothers,itisimportanttoconsciouslytry.Keepinmindthatitisrelativelyeasytobeenergeticat
thestart(whenyouareaskedtheeasierquestions,andareatyourmostalert),buttoooftenintervieweeslose
thisenergybytheend.Theymaybecomestressed,mentallyfatiguedorsimplyforgettosmile.
Your overallaimshouldbetoconvincetheinterviewersthatiftheydontacceptyou,theywillmissoutonan
excellent student and future health professional that had the potential to contribute much to their faculty,
university andsociety. Remember thatitcoststaxpayersandtheuniversity alot of money toputa student
throughmedicalschoolshowtheinterviewersthatyouaremorethanworthit.
Lastly,trytoenjoyyourself!

OBVIOUSTHINGSTHATMUSTBESAID
Assoonasyouwalkintotheinterviewroom,thepanelwillformalastingimpressionofyou.Whetheryoulikeit
or not, they will makepositive or negativejudgementsaboutyoubasedonyour presentation. Researchhas
shownthatwellover50%ofthescorehasbeendeterminedbytheinterviewersinthefirstfewminutesofthe
interview.
Theinitialimpressionyoumakeinthemindsoftheinterviewersistherefore vital toyour success. Itisalso
somethingthat youcancontrolto alargeextent. Makesureyoulook respectable, so itiseasy for them to
imagineyouasafuturestudentandhealthpractitioner.
Muchofthefollowingmightseemselfevident,butitisveryeasytoforgetordownplaytheimportanceofbasic
thingsthat go towardsbuildinga good first impression. It isvery, very difficult to bounce back from a bad
impression,butagoodfirstimpressioncansignificantlyhelpintheinterview.
Remember,youdonotgetasecondchancetomakeagoodfirstimpression.

DressCode
Someuniversitiesstatethatyouwillnotbejudgedonwhatyouwear.'Whileitistruethatwhatyouwearisvery
unlikely to be part of the selection criteria, the interviewers may make subjective (but nevertheless very
important)judgementsaboutyourcharacterbasedonwhatyouarewearing.
What youwear candependontheuniversity. Oftenthey will specify a dresscode. If they do not, ringthe
admissionsofficer andask. Ifthey still dont tell you, a useful guide isto match what the interviewers are
wearing,ortodresslikeafuturemedicalstudentwould.Thiswillgenerallybe:

Men:longtrousers,abusinessshirt,darksocksandpolishedleathershoes(nosportsshoes).Atieis
generallyadvisable,butajacketisusuallynotnecessary.

Women: women have greater flexibility in terms of dress than men. Stay away from any sort of
provocativeorrevealingclothinganythingtooshort,tootightortoolowcutisnotappropriate.Askirt
ortrousersandashirtarethebestoptions.

Keep in mind that you may soon be entering a quite conservative and hierarchical profession. Doctors and

dentistsarenotknownforuniqueandexperimentalfashion.Youwillsoonbeaprofessional,soyoumustactlike
one.Youalsoneedtoshowrespectforthesystem,theinterviewers,theuniversityandtheseriousnessofthe
occasion.Thisdoesnotmeanthatyourclothesshouldbe'dull'or'boring',justrememberthatyoudonotneedto
winafashioncompetition.
Youshouldavoidbringingabagoranyotherpossessionsintotheinterviewroom.Ifyoumustbringsomething,
tryafolderinstead.Eitherway,anyobjectsyoubringintotheinterviewroomshouldbeplacedontheflooras
soonasyousitdown. Thereisnoneedtotakeawaterbottleallinterviewswillhavewateravailableforyou.
Ifyouaregoingtowearjewellery,restrictittoplainearringsandawatch.Itisnotagoodideatoshowanysort
ofreligious,schoolorotheraffiliations(eg.badges)becauseyoudonotknowthepreferencesoftheinterviewers.

Grooming
Thefollowingpointsmayseemobvious,butmustbekeptinmind.
Makesureyoulook presentable.Menshouldmakesuretheyarecleanshavenorthattheirfacialhairistidy.
Womenshouldkeepanymakeuptoaminimum.
Makesureyourfingernailsarecleanandcut,astheinterviewerswillnoticeyourhandsduringtheinterview.
Inastressfulsituationliketheinterview, deodorantisamust(butmakesureanycologneor perfumeisnot
overpowering).Itisalsoagoodideatohaveamintbeforehand.

BehaviourandDemeanour
Yourbehaviouranddemeanourcangiveasstronganimpressionaswhatyouhavetosay.
Whenyouentertheinterviewroom,youwillusuallybeintroducedtothemembersofthepanelbyfirstand/or
secondname,andsometimeswithsomedescriptionoftheirbackground(eg. facultymember,GP,memberof
thecommunity).IftheyintroducethemselvesasJohnorJohnSmith,callthemby theirfirstnames.Ifthey
introducethemselvesasMrSmith,usethis.Theymayormaynotbewearingnametags.Iftheyarenot,pay
specialattentiontotheirnamesandtrytorememberthem.However,ifyouforgetanameduringtheinterview,
donttakeaguessusingthewrongnameismuchworsethannotusingitatall!
Iftheyofferahand,shakeit,greetthembyname,smileandestablishgoodeyecontact.Agoodhandshakecan
conveyconfidenceandfriendliness.Makesureyourgripisnottoofirm,butdontdoadeadfisheither.Before
you walk into the interview room, make sure your hands are not sweaty or too cold, as this may convey
nervousness.
Waittobeaskedtobeseated.
Notethatbehavingappropriatelydoesnotmeanyoucantbeassertiveaboutyourneeds.Ifthesunisinyour
eyes, movethechair. Ifyour mouthgetsdry, ask for aglassofwater. Ifthechair seemstoofar from the
interviewers,moveitcloser.
Avoidbehaviourssuchastouchingyourmouthoften,bitingyourlip,fidgetingorswingingyourlegs.Notonlydo
thesesuggestnervousness, theymay irritatetheinterviewersanddistractthem from your answers. Youmay
haveahabitthatyouarenotawareofanddoingamockinterviewwillhelpidentifythis.
Attheconclusionoftheinterview,remembertothanktheinterviewers,andusetheirnamesifyoucan.

BODYLANGUAGE
OpenBodyLanguage
Themostimportantthingtorememberaboutbodylanguageistokeepitopen.Thismeansnotcrossingyour
armsoryourlegsorclaspingyourhands.Thebestguideistoimagineaninvisiblelinerunningfromthetopof
yourheadtoyourfeet.Trytoensurethatanyhandgesturesyoumakeandthepositionofyourlegsnevercross
thisimaginaryline.
Openbodylanguageconveyshonesty,friendlinessandopenness.Itimmediatelycreatesagoodimpression.

Hands
Intervieweesoftenworryaboutwhattheyshoulddowiththeirhands.

Theclassicinterviewpositionistoallowthetipsofthefingersofyourhandstotouch,formingapyramidlike
shape.Itisalmostlikeyouareinprayer,butyourfingersandpalmsaremorespreadout.Somepeoplefindthis
abitartificial,butitisuptoyouwhatyouarecomfortablewith.
Manypeopleplacetheirhandsontheirlap,onehandoneachthigh.Thisisagoodpositionsinceitfreesupyour
handsforhandgestures.

Gestures
Handgesturesconveyexpressivityandliveliness.Makesureyouuseopengestures.Watchoutforgesturesthat
areoverusedorhavebecomeahabit,asthesecanbeannoyingordistractingforinterviewers.

Posture
Your legsshouldbeuncrossedandslightlyapart,withyour feetflatonthefloor.Leaningforwardslightlyisa
goodtechniquebecauseitconveysinterestandfocussedattention.Sitstraight,dontslouch.
Makesureyousitsoyoucanseeallinterviewersequally. Dontshiftinyour seatsoyoufaceaway fromor
excludeanyinterviewers.

Facialexpressions
Itisimportanttobeexpressiveintheinterview.Makesureyoushowemotionandenthusiasmandavoidstone
face.
Itisimportanttosmilethroughouttheinterview.Smilingconveysfriendliness,livelinessandconfidence.Smiling
comesnaturally to some people, but othersneedpractice. Some people havesuggested techniquessuchas
imaginingtheinterviewersintheirunderwearorimaginingsomethingontheirheadstoremindyourselftosmile.
Youmay findthesehelpful,oryoumayfinditusefultopracticesmilinginmockinterviews. Havingtheright
mentalitywillhelpasmilecomenaturally.
Youmaynotbeawareofhowyoucomeacrossinaninterview.Doingamockinterviewinfrontofamirrormay
helpyoumonitoryourfacialexpressions.

Eyecontact
Eyecontactisveryimportant.Alwayslookattheinterviewers,notanywhereelse.Avoidlookingatthetable,
especiallyatthepapersinfrontofthepanellists,asyoumayunintentionallyconveydeviousnessornervousness.
Dontlooktoomuchatthewallsorceilingyourfocusshouldbeonthepanellists.

Youshouldlookatthepersonwhoaskedyouthequestionthemost(andinitially),anddividetherestofthetime
betweentheotherpanellists.Forexample,inatwopersonpanelsuchasUNSW,youshouldmaintaineyecontact
withthepersonwhoaskedthequestion60%ofthetime,and40%fortheotherperson.

VERBALTECHNIQUES
Voice
Yourvoiceshouldconveyyourconfidence,calmnessandfriendlycharacter.
Makesureyouspeakattheappropriatevolume.Ifyouspeaktoosoftly,notonlywilltheinterviewersstruggle
tohearyouandmisswhatyousay,itwillsuggestthatyouareatimidpersonthatlacksconfidence.Youmay
alsoirritatetheinterviewerswhowillhavetostraintohearyou. Ifyouspeak too loudly,youmaymakethe
paneluncomfortableandwillconveytheimpressionthatyouarecontrollingordominating.Tohelpyouidentify
anappropriatevolume,conductamockinterviewandseekfeedback.
Thepaceofyourspeechisalsoimportant.Youngpeopletendtospeaktoofast,andthiscanbecompoundedby
nervousnessoranxiety.Itmaybedifficultforolderpeopletofollowwhatyouaresaying.Speakingslowlyhas
twokey advantages. Firstly,itallowsyoutothink throughyour answersmoreeffectively, sowhatyousay is
clearerandmoreconsidered.Secondly,itallowstheinterviewerstofullydigestwhatyouaresayingandgainthe
mostmeaningfromit.
Makesureyourtoneofvoiceisconfident,friendlyandpleasant(avoidharshsounds).Beexcitedandenthusiastic
aboutwhatyouaresaying,andexudepassionandconviction.Youcanaidthisbyreallybelievingwhatyouare
saying.Yes,youshouldbeprofessional,butthisdoesnotmeanyouhavetospeakinamonotoneorbestone
faced.Letyourpersonalityshinethrough.

Speakingclearly
Trynottostutterspeakingslowlywillhelpwiththis.Also,avoidumander,asthesedisplaypoorlythought
outanswers.Insteadofusingthesefillers,pause,considerwhatyouaregoingtosay,andthenproceed.
Clarityofspeechisalsoimportant.Dontsayyeah,sayyes.Finishyourwordsandsentencesandenunciate
yourwordscarefullyyoushouldnthavetocorrectmispronouncedwords.Speakingclearlywillconveyagood
impressionandaidunderstanding.

Language
Avoidteenagetalkwordssuchascoolandlike,andnever,everswear.Remember,youwanttoconveythe
impressionthatyouaremature,andthatinafewyearswhenyouarepracticingyouwillhaveahighlevelof
professionalism.

LISTEN!!!
Thisisperhapsthemostimportantthingyoushoulddointheinterview.Ifyouwanttobeahealthprofessional,
listeningskillsareofutmostimportance.Theinterviewisaperfectopportunitytodisplayyourlisteningskills,and
someuniversitiesdeveloplisteningexercisesininterviewstospecificallytestthisskill.
Whenyouarenottalking,yourconcentrationshouldbe100%onwhatisbeingsaid.Youshouldnotthinkabout
whatyoumightbeaskedinthefutureoryoushouldnotgoovertheeffectivenessorineffectivenessofthelast
answer yougave.Youshouldbeinthemoment, focussingonwhatisbeingsaid. Asking for aquestiontobe
repeatedbecauseyoudidnthearorunderstanditconveysapoorimpression.
SomeinterviewpanelsmayincludepeoplefromnonEnglishspeakingbackgroundswhohaveaccents.Thisposes
afurtherchallengeforyoutolisteneffectively.

It is also important to answer the question being asked, not what you think may be asked. If you have
overrehearsedananswertoaparticular question,orbeenaskedasimilarquestioninanother interview,you
mayinterpretaquestionasbeingthesameasthese,evenifitisnot.Theinterviewersmaybeonthewatchfor
this.Itisthereforevitaltofullyunderstandwhatisbeingasked,andifitisnotthesameasanythingyouhave
comeacross,togivearelevantanswer.

THINKABOUTYOURANSWER
Manypeopledonttaketimetodigestthequestion,andjumpintosaythefirstthingthatcomestotheirhead.
Someevenbeginansweringbeforetheinterviewerhasfinishedtheirquestion.Thisisoftenduetonervousness,
butcanalsomakeitappearasthoughyouhaveoverrehearsedaquestion.
Pauseforatleastthreesecondsbeforebeginningyouranswer.Thisisespeciallytruefordifficultquestionswhere
youwillhavetoreflectmore.Youmay havetotrainyourselftodothis. Makesureyouconsiderthequestion
carefully,perhapsrepeatitinyourheadorbreakitupintoparts.Rememberthatafewsecondsmayseemlike
aneternitytoyou,butitwillseemnaturaltothepanellists.
Donotrespondinadisorganisedorramblingmanner.Thinkaboutwhatyouaregoingtosay,organiseit,then
stateit.Afewmeasuredwordshaveamuchgreatereffectthanamultitudeofrandomones.

CONTENTOFYOURANSWER
Quality
Youranswersshoulddemonstrateacompetentmindandanattractivepersonality.Followingaresomepointers
tokeepinmind.

Saythingsthataremeaningfulanddemonstratedeepandperceptivethinking.Superficialanswersare
easilyspottedandwillboretheinterviewer.

Exploretheconceptsofthequestionindetailandexpandonthemdontjuststatethem.
Use anecdotes. Anecdotes are invaluable in holding the interviewers attention, making you more
memorable and adding authenticity to your statements. Anyone can say that they have leadership
abilitiesorcancopewellunderstress,butthosewhostateaspecificsituationwheretheydemonstrated
thesequalitieswillbewayaheadoftheothers.Keepinmindthatinsomequestionsyouwillberequired
togiveexamplessothinkaboutthesebeforetheinterview.

Becreativeandoriginal.Dontgivestockstandardanswers,justbecauseyouthinkthepanellistswant
tohearthem.Bedifferent!

Trytokeeprelevantandfocussedonthequestion.Repeatitinyourmindsoyourememberit.Itiseasy
togetsidetrackedandforgetwhatthequestionwasabout.

Speak positively aboutexperiences. Ifyouaretalkingaboutabadexperienceor iftheinterviewers

challengewhatyousay,dontviewitasanattackonyouanddontprovideexcuses.Instead,talkabout
whatwaspositivethatcameoutoftheexperience(eg.whatyoulearned,thefriendshipsyoumade).

Goastepfurther inyour responses. Ifyouareaskedto giveanexample ofasituation, dontjust

describeit.Talkaboutwhatyoulearnt,whyitwassignificant,howitillustratesthetopicunderdiscussion
etc.

Asageneralrule,keepanyexamplesrecent(year9/10onwards).Ifyouhavetolookbacktograde6
tofindanexampleofgroupwork,forexample,youarenotdemonstratingyourskillseffectively. Also,
avoidacademicexamples.You(andallothercandidates)areattheinterviewbecauseyouareintelligent

youdo not need to prove this. Interviewers want to know about the other aspects ofyour life and
personality.

Avoidtalkingaboutreligionandpolitics,astheseareissuesthatareoftendivisive.(Notehoweverthat
someuniversitieswillspecificallyaskaboutsuchtopics,especiallyJCU).

Quantity
Howmuchyousay isalsoimportant.Youshouldneveransweraquestionwithyesor no.Ingeneral,most
studentsspeaktoolittle,anddonotincludeenoughexamplesanddetailintheirresponses.

Equally,donotrepeatyourselfortalktoomuch,oryoumayboretheinterviewers.Tojudgeifyouaretalking
toomuch,youcanpayattentiontothebodylanguageoftheinterviewers.Iftheyseemboredordistracted,you
probablyneedtochangetackorstoptalking.Onewordofwarning:someinterviewer(s)maybeputtingonan
acttothrowyouoffguard.Theymayactboredtoseehowyourespond.Also,youprobablydontwanttogetto
this stage in the first place. Instead, every now and then, allow a natural pause in your answer. If the
interviewerstrytojumpintoaskyouanotherquestion,thenyouknowitstimetomoveon.
Itisalsoagoodideatoanswerthequestioninadirectandfrankmannertobeginwith, thenelaborate.Asan
interviewer,thereisnothingworsethanhavingtosearchthroughrambletofindtheansweryourelookingfor.

Consistency
Insomeinterviews,youmayfindthatyouareaskedquestionsthatcoverthesameorsimilarground.Thismay
occurbecausetheinterviewerforgottheyhadalreadyaskedyouthequestion,arejustreadingoffascript,orare
lookingforpossibleinconsistenciesinyourresponses.Theymaybelookingforevidenceoftweakingthetruthor
havingweakviewsthatareeasilyswayedorchanged.