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Hi! The same thing with me. I think that's the way the doodle works.
2014 PHAP application
- Thread starter act123
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Hi! The same thing with me. I think that's the way the doodle works.
I had my interview yesterday. I thought it went pretty well. I was able to completely nail a couple questions and answered the others fairly well.... considering the impromptu nature of the questions. Could have done better on a couple of questions though. 🤔 But hey, one can always do better in hindsight. I also know I could have done tons worse! 😉 So over all, I am pleased with how the interview went.
It seems that the CDC is conducting the interviews differently than in the past when you compare to last year's forum and the advise given on this year's forum... (but could have been my interviewer, too). I must say: It was not like any other interview I have ever had. Reminded me more of an oral exam that I had taken in the past... than an interview, but I can totally see why the CDC is doing the interview the way they are ... considering the type of fellowship we are applying for. Was quite glad that I prepared myself for the interview.But that is just my impression. Someone else might see it entirely different. Good luck to all!
I had my interview yesterday and I totally agree with your thoughts. In reading the forum from last year I not only expected more questions but also a variety in questions. It reminded me more of an oral exam as well. But I felt pretty good about it afterwards. And you are right one can always do better in hindsight lol. I was told they would be making selections by mid July so I will try not to think about it until then!
Does anyone know what the chances of being selected are once made into the interview process? I have to decide on a job opportunity in the next couple of days, but am really really excited about the PHAP program...I am unsure of whether turning it down and taking the risk of not getting PHAP is a stupid idea!
What a spot to be in!!! There are folks on this 2014 Forum that were interviewed last year and did not get selected, so they are trying again this year. Last year, CDC supposedly interviewed 500 applicants for 130 fellowship positions. If CDC interviewed 500 applicants this year for 166 fellowship positions, then we each have approximately a 1 in 3 chance of being offered a fellowship position.
That said, your odds are increased by: 1) a higher score; 2) the more applicable your previous experiences are to the CDC PHAP program needs; 3) your indicated flexibility towards location placement; 4) how strongly you showed a desire for a career in public health; 4) your ability to express yourself both in writing and orally; and 5) how well you answered your questions in the interview through creativity, critical thinking, and from a foundation based in knowledge and experience. From previous forum posts, the outcome of the interview is a large indicator of whether or not you will be offered a fellowship position. With all this in mind, only YOU can evaluate your probable level of risk up and beyond the 1 in 3 ratio. You will also need to consider the job offer and how well it satisfies what you are looking for. I turned down another type of offer since I was moving forward in the application process in the PHAP and because the other offer wasn't directly in the field of public health. Hope this helps you make this difficult decision.
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For people who already had the interview did they say whether there will be a second round of interviews or if they are only doing one round over the phone? Also did they mention when/how you will be notified if you got selected? I am going to be out of the country for most of July and I don't want to be offered a position and not know about it! Thanks!
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Another question for those who have interviewed...was there an opportunity to ask questions in the end or was it much more focused on the interview questions given the 30 minute time slots for each interview.
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I saw never pass up an opportunity! Everything happens for the best and you will be pretty dissapointed if you turn down a job offer and don't get into the PHAP. Besides, although it would be difficult, you could always decline the job once/if you do get accepted by PHAP. It's a great problem to have- good luck!
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I hadn't heard back either way, and after reading the posts I was curious so I emailed the CDC regarding my status. Their response was: "You were referred to the selecting officials the certs expire on July 1st. The selecting officials has until then to make their selections." Bad grammar aside, I'm not exactly sure what this means except that maybe some of us still have a chance? Either way I really believe that we are all capable, talented people and something GREAT will come along for us! Even if not the PHAP. Good luck to all!
I had my interview last Friday. In answer to your first question, yes, this is the final round. The next step is being contacted by the CDC in mid-July (my interviewer estimated Week 2, but who knows). He didn't say if it was to by email or phone though, but you can ask during your interview.
In response to PinkLemonade's question, yes, there was time for questions. The interview takes a while because they write down your responses, but I found this to be helpful as it made it more relaxed and gave me a chance to clarify my responses. There wasn't as much time for questions at the end, but I still had time to ask three brief ones, so you should be fine.
I was pretty nervous going in, but I found the interview to be really fun! Based off of the forum from last year, it seems like they chose to spend more time on fewer questions this year. As last year's group advised, know yourself and your experiences and you'll do great. Good luck to all!
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Hi all. For those who have been interviewed are the questions geared more towards understanding who we are and our experience (why we'd be a good suit for the program) or more so towards analyzing if we can think quickly on our feet (like typical interviews)? I ask because after reviewing the forum from last year I know there were behavioral questions asked. Sorry if this is asking too much. If any of you feel as though this is an unfair question please don't feel it necessary to respond. 🙂
Just had my interview! I did alright, but definitely could have done better...I don't think I'll be expecting an offer at this point. To answer your question on what the interviews are, its 3 behavioral-ish ones and 1 situational. It does require you to think on your feet. But like people said before, know yourself and your experiences, and you should do alright. Good luck!
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I just finished mine as well and agree. They've reviewed the resumes and writing samples and now want to know who you are in action and if you have enough prior experience to really demonstrate how you've reacted rather than how you think you'll react. I feel somewhat confident in my answers, but it's going to be a long wait - I'm just going to focus on the fact no question blind sided me and try to be satisfied with that.
Just go into it with a positive mindset and keep your head up - there's a lot still up in the air not only with interviews but with people choosing not to continue with the program if they have other opportunities or they can't agree to all circumstances of the assignments. They understand people get nervous and that talking to people over the phone is not the same as an in person interview. I think we've all also got an advantage if we're finding message boards and trying to do as much research as possible to be as prepared as possible.
My interviewer said all interviews were due by end of this week. Then they will determine acceptance until July sometime. We will be contacted by CDC HR in July if we receive a position.
All the advice given is true. Know your experience, and yourself. I felt very comfortable in my interview. I believe I answered every question really well so I hope I am the kind of person they are looking for!
All the advice given is true. Know your experience, and yourself. I felt very comfortable in my interview. I believe I answered every question really well so I hope I am the kind of person they are looking for!
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Thanks for the helpful tips
For those of you that already had your interview, was the interviewer waiting on the line when you called in or did they join in after you were on the line? Do you think it's better to call in 5, 10, or 15 mins before the scheduled time? Will there be an indication that you called the right number?
For those of you that already had your interview, was the interviewer waiting on the line when you called in or did they join in after you were on the line? Do you think it's better to call in 5, 10, or 15 mins before the scheduled time? Will there be an indication that you called the right number?
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Hey y'all, already had my interview but am still a bit confused about something. They try to take location preferences into account when determining assignments- will we be able to state our preferences at a later time or is that based on the really broad location preferences given earlier in the application process? I'd love some clarification if anyone has an idea.
Thank a lot and wishing you all the best!
Thank a lot and wishing you all the best!
I would call in a few minutes before the interview. You will enter the code and sit on the line until the interviewer enters the conference. I don't think they can see when you called or how long you have been sitting on the line.
I don't believe there is a future time to submit location preference besides earlier in the process. They made sure to emphasized you could be placed anywhere even with your preferences.
I don't believe there is a future time to submit location preference besides earlier in the process. They made sure to emphasized you could be placed anywhere even with your preferences.
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Yay for this process moving along! I should have asked this last week but did you (or anyone) receive a confirmation email after picking your interview time in the doodle poll? I want to make sure that my interview time was actually submitted.
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Ha! Wish I had seen this post before I wrote mine. The same thing happened to me. I now feel more confident that must be how the site works. Good luck!
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Thank you do much for your advice everyone! 🙂 best of luck to everyone in the forum!
Ugh, I don't think my interview went great...I was expecting similar questions to last year and a few of them really threw me off. I'm still hopeful though, because I got a bit of information about numbers!
They are hoping to fill 167 spots, and each of the 14 interviewers contacted about 20 people...that's pretty good odds! And they are hoping to make unofficial, informal offers by mid-July so people can have enough time to move for October 6. Good luck everyone!
They are hoping to fill 167 spots, and each of the 14 interviewers contacted about 20 people...that's pretty good odds! And they are hoping to make unofficial, informal offers by mid-July so people can have enough time to move for October 6. Good luck everyone!
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Just finished mine too. I feel the same way. That scenerio question completely threw me off. Good luck!
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I wasn't sure if I answered the questions the way they wanted either...Was it public health concepts, content or critical thinking strategies that they were looking for? Did I say enough? Or way too much? Did I choose the best answers for my response? We are all probably asking ourselves the same things. One thing I know for sure is -what is done is done. I am at peace with that.
I definitely agree with the above posters! I prepared myself for answering questions of why I was excited for the program and why I'd be a good fit for it, and was a little thrown off by the different types of questions. But 280 interviews for 167 spots?! Does that count the people who declined an interview because they had already made other plans (making us have better chances), or is 280 the total number of people they actually interviewed? Those do seem like good odds but I really don't want to get my hopes up...
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Since I practiced answering behavioral questions for the interview, I was able to come up my answers pretty quickly. The interview didn't actually take that long, it was the questions I asked my interviewer that made it go the full length. Since they're professionals in the field I took the opportunity to ask for advice and opinions on things.
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I was contacted for an interview last week, registered via Doodle and then last minute withdrew my application. I've been regretting the decision ever since... it was fear of the interview, but I've also been debating if taking the time off from pursuing an MPH/MS is worth it. Definitely feel I made the wrong choice after reviewing previous PHAP applicants and seeing that they are able to obtain jobs as epidemiologists and health department employees at the end of the 2 years without a masters. My advice is if you have the opportunity, do the interview and don't back down.. and that goes for any possible job offer/ internship. It's good experience.
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@LauTay Hey I was wondering if there way any particular reason you chose to apply to the program again after getting an MPH? I'm really torn between doing the fellowship and pursuing an MPH. I know its for recent undergrad/masters graduates so I could just apply again after getting an MPH. Thoughts? Your experience?
Hey @HPM, when I applied the first time I was very interested in the program but the application process took so long that when I was accepted into grad school I didn't want to take the chance of turning down my acceptance and getting the fellowship. They called me for an interview after the deposit deadline for grad school. Originally the woman who contacted me from PHAP Told me I wouldn't be eligible after I graduated but when the application came out this year I saw I was...which was weird so I decided to apply again. I figured i should at least be an even more competitive applicant now with the experiences and skills I gained over the past two years. So overall it was just more so that grad school presented itself before PHAP did and I wasn't willing to take the risk to wait it out.
Did you ask your interviewer how many people were being interviewed? 280? WOW!
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Okay. Thanks for the info. I'm happy you were able to apply again this year. I was wondering if job prospects weren't too good even with an MPH, but I guess it can't hurt to learn and work with the CDC 😉 Best of luck!
@HPM Yeah I've been applying to other things and am waiting to hear back from other job opportunities as well. I like that this program includes a training and mentoring aspect that may not be involved in a regular full time job. But in applying for jobs now I have found that going straight to grad school has at times been a disadvantage because I have the MPH but don't have full time experience outside of internships. So it can be annoying at times which is why fellowships like PHAP are great. Good luck to you as well!
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I completely agree with you and I am experiencing the exact thing currently. Having a Bachelors and MPH degree without any professional experience to back it up can be frustrating. My colleagues at work tell me that I might not see the reward at the moment but it'll pay off in the long run. I hope that's true. My consolation is that my MPH degree was paid for through a scholarship I was awarded. For that i’m grateful.
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Hello All,
I am wondering if anyone know what information will be included should one get an "unofficial offer" in early- mid July? When I had my final interview I asked if the geographical area would be disclosed and my interviewer said that it would be. However, I did not think to ask if the unofficial offer would include details such as: 1. The specific host-site (i.e. health department) 2. the program areas that one would be in for the 2 years 3. contact information for one's host-site (to be able to further identify the specific projects that one would be working on during the fellowship term). If anyone knows if this information will be included, please let me know. Best of luck to all! Thanks!
I am wondering if anyone know what information will be included should one get an "unofficial offer" in early- mid July? When I had my final interview I asked if the geographical area would be disclosed and my interviewer said that it would be. However, I did not think to ask if the unofficial offer would include details such as: 1. The specific host-site (i.e. health department) 2. the program areas that one would be in for the 2 years 3. contact information for one's host-site (to be able to further identify the specific projects that one would be working on during the fellowship term). If anyone knows if this information will be included, please let me know. Best of luck to all! Thanks!
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Hello everyone,
If the timeline from last year's process is about the same as our's, it seems like we start to hear back beginning next week!! Did anyone ask and get a direct answer as to how many applicants actually interviewed? When I asked my interviewer, she didn't give me any numbers... just impressed upon me that it's quite a feat to make it to this phase of the process when it started with over 2,500 applicants. I've seen the 280 number floating around as an estimate, and my interviewer only ended up with 15 sign-ups out of 36 times available, so it seems like we all have a reasonable shot if they interviewed this few people. Fingers crossed, though, of course!
If the timeline from last year's process is about the same as our's, it seems like we start to hear back beginning next week!! Did anyone ask and get a direct answer as to how many applicants actually interviewed? When I asked my interviewer, she didn't give me any numbers... just impressed upon me that it's quite a feat to make it to this phase of the process when it started with over 2,500 applicants. I've seen the 280 number floating around as an estimate, and my interviewer only ended up with 15 sign-ups out of 36 times available, so it seems like we all have a reasonable shot if they interviewed this few people. Fingers crossed, though, of course!
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I got offered a PHAP position. Will be working at Arcadia Florida. I'll get the official email with the offer from HR next week. I'm so excited. Good luck everyone and please keep your phones close. ... I really wasn't expecting the call this early.
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Congrats!! 🙂 I'm very happy for you!
Quick question. Around what time did you receive a call?
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Congrats! Was Florida one of your "like" places. -Was it your interviewer who called? - Did you recognize number?
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Thank you. Around 1pm central time.
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Thanks. No, Florida wasn't one of my choices. No, it wasn't my interviewer that called. It was a 404 area code and I knew not to miss that call. 🙂
Congratulations, that's very exciting!! Has anyone else received an offer yet? I'm assuming the bulk of the phone calls will be made next week due to the long weekend. That makes me really nervous...but good luck everyone!
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I received a call! I missed the it and my phone didn't allow my HR rep to leave a voicemail (for some strange reason) so she emailed me. I called back and accepted. I'll be places in Illinois.
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what time were you notified today?
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3:30 eastern time
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Congratulations! You must be so excited! I know that you have already been asked several questions and I suspect they will keep coming, so I thought I would add one. Upon being notified, do you have to give an answer immediately as whether you are accepting the position or not? In most cases it would be a "no brainer" but if they wanted to send be somewhere that I was unfamiliar with, I would want time to do some research. Could you tell us a little more about the notification process -the phone call or email for the ones that got an email. Being a holiday weekend, I know that I'll be antsy until I hear something. Thanks.
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No worries.
The person who called isn't the interviewer. Her title according to the email signature she sent to fill necessary paper work is a "PHAP training lead". First she congratulated me before she offered me the position, she waited for me to accept the terms of a 2 year commitment before she proceeded to discuss the location.
She confirmed my email and told me to expect an email with the official job offer from HR which she said I should get by next week. She already emailed some forms to fill out for a background check. My guess is that my official letter will come after the background check is complete. She warned me not to make any housing arrangements before I receive my official offer letter.
Hope that answers your questions.
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Offered a position in Wilkesboro, NC. From New York, just graduated from undergrad in the Pacific Northwest. Appalachia's gonna be a definite change of pace but I'm super excited!! Long shot, but anyone know anything about the area?
Got the call at around 6:30PM EST
Got the call at around 6:30PM EST
