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The all mighty Interview
- Thread starter rajipD
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practice in the mirror
ask a friend/family member to set up a mock interview
don't make your answers seem rehearsed, but know the topics that you will discuss. (study your resume/read and reread what you wrote for your app essays)
i actually read a few interview technique books. there's one specifically for the medical school interview (relevant to us with pharmacy school) that I found pretty helpful before my interviews.
ask a friend/family member to set up a mock interview
don't make your answers seem rehearsed, but know the topics that you will discuss. (study your resume/read and reread what you wrote for your app essays)
i actually read a few interview technique books. there's one specifically for the medical school interview (relevant to us with pharmacy school) that I found pretty helpful before my interviews.
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Don't let ANY of the gimme questions surprise you.
Talking to others on here, you get a good idea of the general questions to expect. Why pharmacy, what kind of pharmacy, what about this "C" you got in golf, etc.
Good luck and keep us posted!
Talking to others on here, you get a good idea of the general questions to expect. Why pharmacy, what kind of pharmacy, what about this "C" you got in golf, etc.
Good luck and keep us posted!
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My biggest concern is answering questions honestly as I view them and find out that the person interviewing me has a totally different view point. How do you answer biased questions without sounding "fake" or "rehearsed" for example my answer to Why pharmacy is very similar to probably half of the applicants that have applied... what can I do to not sound so typical? Does that make sense?
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I understand your wanting to sound different, but the best you can do, I think, is be eloquent, calm, and confident. Everyone applying for a seat wants to be a pharmacist.
If you seem to be genuine in your desire to want to help people, provide immunizations in a community, etc, then you'll stand out from the zombie that says "I want to help people because that is good."
If you seem to be genuine in your desire to want to help people, provide immunizations in a community, etc, then you'll stand out from the zombie that says "I want to help people because that is good."
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What about questions that pertain to Healthcare reform, Obama's Universal Health Care plan, or ethical questions? We all have our opinions but what is truly the right answer? I have my views but I'm pretty sure they do not coincide with what others may be thinking.
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...opinion questions are just that, opinions. There is no "right" answer...
Answer honestly with evidence to support your opinion.
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Yes, but couldn't that harm you? For example, say we discussed the topic of the abortion pill and if ethically you were opposed to giving it out and if someone said yes, they were and gave their reasoning is that an invaild answer?
no. answer honestly and you'll do fine. While the school does want to get to know you during your interview, it is also a way for the school to make sure you can communicate effectively. So as long as you could give a reasonable argument to a question and be able to support it, it will show that you have good reasoning and communication skills. That's more of what they're looking for in an opinion question rather than your actual opinion.
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I've only interviewed twice before, and I was a little scared of those "ethical" or "subjective" questions myself, but they never came up. I'm not saying that some schools won't do that, but I wouldn't completely freak out over it. No use in adding more stress! I interviewed at a Christian school (my family is Catholic so it wasn't a big deal), but I was wondering if they would ask any ethical questions like that. They didn't, and it turned out to be one of the most relaxed and enjoyable interviews I ever had.
I'm honest (sometimes to a fault), so if an adcom ever asked me if I had a problem dispensing an abortion pill I would tell them NO, even if I knew they were against it. My position is that, no matter what I believe personally, if my employer hires me to do a job then I'm going to do it whether or not I like the product or not. I HATE cigarettes, but if I was a cashier at a store and someone of legal age with proper ID wanted to buy some, I would have to sell them. BUT that's one of the reasons I want to be involved in health care, so that I can help people QUIT smoking, not start.
But I digress... mostly I think the generic questions are right on target. They asked me Why Pharmacy? Why our school? Why did you get a C in this class? Why do you think you can handle a pharmacy student's course load? Stuff like that. Don't get flustered even if they seem intimidating... they just want to see if you can handle yourself, that's all.
As far as 'standing out' or sounding unique... I think everyone worries about that, so I agree with everyone else that you should just be honest. If you try too hard to think about a "good" answer then it will usually come out not so good. Just have a basic idea of what you want to say. Look over each school's website and learn as much as you can so you can really give a genuine answer when they ask you Why our school? Even if it's not your first choice, you obviously are considering going there or you wouldn't have applied, so find out what attracts you to that school. Is it their research opportunities? Mission statement? Values? Just know something specific that you really like. Don't say... well I've always wanted to live in Florida/California because I want to go to the beach on the weekend. lol Joking!
I'm honest (sometimes to a fault), so if an adcom ever asked me if I had a problem dispensing an abortion pill I would tell them NO, even if I knew they were against it. My position is that, no matter what I believe personally, if my employer hires me to do a job then I'm going to do it whether or not I like the product or not. I HATE cigarettes, but if I was a cashier at a store and someone of legal age with proper ID wanted to buy some, I would have to sell them. BUT that's one of the reasons I want to be involved in health care, so that I can help people QUIT smoking, not start.
But I digress... mostly I think the generic questions are right on target. They asked me Why Pharmacy? Why our school? Why did you get a C in this class? Why do you think you can handle a pharmacy student's course load? Stuff like that. Don't get flustered even if they seem intimidating... they just want to see if you can handle yourself, that's all.
As far as 'standing out' or sounding unique... I think everyone worries about that, so I agree with everyone else that you should just be honest. If you try too hard to think about a "good" answer then it will usually come out not so good. Just have a basic idea of what you want to say. Look over each school's website and learn as much as you can so you can really give a genuine answer when they ask you Why our school? Even if it's not your first choice, you obviously are considering going there or you wouldn't have applied, so find out what attracts you to that school. Is it their research opportunities? Mission statement? Values? Just know something specific that you really like. Don't say... well I've always wanted to live in Florida/California because I want to go to the beach on the weekend. lol Joking!
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