So does anyone have any recommendation on how to prepare for the interview 😀
The best piece of advice I can give you is not to rehearse, but, with that said, if you don't believe in the words you're saying, you're probably not all that convincing. Be confident in your responses, and don't bs them, tell them what your thoughts are on the topic honestly. The questions are made to be objective, so there are no right or wrong answers. None of my questions at my western interview were from the SDN interview feedback, except for the brief "Why western?"
I would also brush up on hot topics in pharmacy. You can find articles on debates. There are plenty, and more often than not (for me at least), these types of topics came up in my interviews (especially the controversial ones).
I don't know about the "um," and filler words, because in one of my interviews, the interviewer told me I was a breath of fresh air because I actually coherently pieced together answers without "like," "um," "well," "you know." Some people REALLY hate it when people add filler words because they think it sounds uneducated (not my personal opinion, but many people have told me this, so I've always taken these out of the equation during interviews just in case).
I think if you really need more time on an answer, or are unsure of what to say, the safest bet it just to pause and look like you're thinking. Another thing people are scared of is to admit they don't know the answer to the question. I was grilled in an interview about biochemical pathways for diabetic drugs, how gluconeogenesis worked, etc. And I was just up and honest and told them I wasn't going to bs my way through the answer, and answered it the best I could.
Another thing I would notice is your body language when you speak with people. When you're nervous, do you have any nervous habits like rubbing your hands, touching your hair, twiddling your fingers? If you have any of these, you should note that and when you see yourself doing it in the interview, just place your hands underneath the table.
Just have a conversation with them, be yourself, have key points for those questions most likely to be asked, and just be in the moment and appreciate it. You made it there for a reason, be proud of yourself, and try to set the nervousness aside.
Oh yeah, and eat breakfast
🙂 Haha.
