SUCCESSFUL INTERVIEWING

GOAL OF AN INTERVIEW
As you enter into this process it is important to remember that the goal of any interview is simple, to confirm you have the
skills and experience the position requires and obtain an offer.

PREPARING FOR AN INTERVIEW

Thoroughly review the job description, be prepared to confirm you are qualified for the position.
It is critical that you familiarize yourself with the job description prior to the interview so you know exactly what experience
they are seeking. Pay close attention to the Tasks or Responsibilities section of the job description. You should prepare
notes detailing exactly how much experience you have with each task in order to ensure a confident response to any
questions that may be asked in regards to your experience. This is your opportunity to ensure you articulate your clinical
background, don’t be afraid to go into detail.

Know who you are interviewing with and do research on the company and its clinical pipeline.
Obtain a copy of your interview itinerary prior to the interview so you have an idea of who you will be meeting. Take the
time to research the company’s website and in particular their clinical pipeline, that information may be discussed during
the call.

Refrain from asking questions that may reflect negatively on you – be conservative.
When interviewing for a position you should be focused on impressing upon your interviewer that you are a professional,
qualified and capable candidate for their opening. Contrary to popular belief, it is not the time to ask a lot of questions,
particularly questions that may be viewed negatively. In an interview you should be focused on confirming you have the
skills and experience for the job. Always refrain from asking questions involving: work hours, travel, salary and benefits,
flex hours, working remotely or anything else that may be taken the wrong way. These types of questions can be
interpreted negatively and could jeopardize an offer. Once you have obtained an offer from the company you are then free
to ask any question you would like prior to making a final decision.

Dress professionally & look prepared.

First impressions are everything. Always dress professionally for an interview, even in a casual environment you should
wear a suit. Bring a professional binder to the interview so you have a place to take notes. Have a copy of your formatted
resume on hand.

Always stay positive in an interview.

It is never a good idea to speak negatively about anyone or anything in an interview, it will just reflect poorly on you. Even
if you are very unhappy in your current role; do your best to focus on the positive – focus on what you have learned in the
role or how you have grown in the position.

From a poll of 1400 US hiring managers, these were the most common reasons why a candidates were
not chosen outside of being under qualified for the job:

50% - Displays of arrogance or being overly confident

13% - Not directly answering questions and rambling
13% - Being unprepared to discuss achievements and give on the job examples (behavioral questioning)
10% - Asking inappropriate questions
9% - Lack of knowledge about company
5% - Other
*All of these interview obstacles can be overcome by proper preparation & some practice.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Below are lists of both difficult interview questions and behavioral questions you will likely encounter in your interview
process, read through the questions and rehearse your responses. This exercise will help put you in the mindset of an
interview and will ensure you provide better answers to potential questions.

Difficult interview questions

 What do you know about our company? Review website, company mission statement & clinical pipeline.
 Why do you want to work with us? Do research on the company and find common passions.
 Tell me about yourself? Keep it to 1 minute, cover: education, work history and recent career experience.
 Tell me about your recent work experience? Be detailed; emphasize the tasks that relate to the opening.
 Why would you consider leaving your current opportunity? Stay positive, emphasize experience gained.
 Why are there gaps in your employment history? Prepare a good reason for why you have left each job.
 What strengths and weaknesses would you bring to this position? Emphasize strengths related to the job
opening / address weaknesses you have had in the past that you have learned to overcome.
 What is your understanding of this position and what skills do you bring to the position? Review the job
description in depth; match your skills/strengths to the job requirements.
 What type of management style do you prefer (hands-on, frequent supervision, minimal supervision, etc.) and
why? Focus on your flexibility; you have worked well under many different environments – give examples.
 Why should I hire you? Formulate your answer in terms of your ability, your experience and your energy.

Behavior Questioning
More employers are using behavioral interviewing in the hiring process. This type of interview is based on the idea that
the best way to predict your future performance is to examine your past and present performance in a similar situation. It
focuses on experiences, behaviors, knowledge, skills and abilities that are job related. The proven method for preparing
for behavioral interviews is to use the STAR Technique, as outlined on the next page.

STAR Technique This

technique enables to apply real life examples to your responses. Many of our employers claim that job seekers often give
vague and indefinite responses to questions. For example, if you claim that you have strong leadership skills, demonstrate
them by citing some actual 'stories” from your experiences.

Describe the situation that you were in or the task that you needed to accomplish.
Situation or  You must describe a specific event or situation, not a generalized description of
what you have done in the past. Be sure to give enough detail for the interviewer to
understand. This situation can be from a previous job, from a volunteer experience,
Task or any relevant event.
 Describe the action you took and be sure to keep the focus on you. Even if you are
Action you took discussing a group project or effort, describe what you did -- not the efforts of the
team. Don't tell what you might do, tell what you did.

What happened? How did the event end? What did you accomplish? What did you
Results you achieved learn?

Behavioral Questions – Rehearse your responses below utilizing the STAR Technique:

 What was your biggest accomplishment in life or at your last job?

 Describe a time when you had to sacrifice quality for a deadline, or vice versa. How did you react to this?
 Describe a tough problem that you have dealt with, tell me how you approached it and the outcome?
 Tell me about a time when your manager was unavailable and you had to solve an immediate problem. What did
you do and what was the outcome?
 Tell me about a project you have been responsible for and how you organized the necessary paperwork, tasks,
goals, etc?
 Have you ever intervened on behalf of an employee who was not being treated fairly? Tell me about it.
 Describe for me two improvements you have made in your job in the past six months ?
 When you delegate assignments to others, how do you keep track of their progress?
 Tell me about a decision you made that your supervisor disagreed with. How did you handle it?
 What do you feel would be the most common errors made in a position such as this?
 Tell me about a time when you were late or absent to work. How did you communicate that to your supervisor?
 How do you deal with difficult or demanding managers/co-workers/customers? Describe a situation?
 Describe a situation when you had to take directions from several people at the same time?
 Tell me about a time when a supervisor asked you to complete a task that you thought was not necessary, or
could have been done another way. What steps did you take to achieve the task?

SAFE QUESTIONS TO ASK A POTENTIAL EMPLOYER

As is mentioned in the preparation section of this document, contrary to popular belief, an interview is not the time to ask a
lot of questions. Particularly questions that could be viewed as negative by a potential employer, questions involving: work
hours, travel, salary, and benefits, flex hours, working remotely or anything else that may be taken the wrong way.
However, if you ask the appropriate questions in the interview they can also help you to attain your goal. Any question you
ask in an interview should be geared towards identify what the potential employer is looking for in the person they want to
hire. Once you have identified the specific criteria your interviewer is seeking you can then reiterate that you have those
specific skills, experience and personality traits they are seeking.

 What skills or experience do you feel are critical to have in order for someone to be successful in this position?
 Describe the typical responsibilities of this position?
 What attracted you to this organization?
 What do you feel are the most challenging aspects of this position?
 How would you describe the environment and culture of your department?
 Do you have any other questions for me?
 Is there anything else you would like to know about my experience?