How it Went

I got the volunteer position, but that doesn't end there. I want to talk about the experience and perhaps give a little insight to those who are interviewing for positions in the future.

So I showed up about 10 minutes early, having have spent an hour and a half in the medical library reading a book on empathy in medicine that grabbed my attention from the first word. Anyways, I rang the bell and waited expectantly for a short while before before being led back by the volunteer coordinator to her office. On her desk was a folder and some papers. I was offered something to drink and the interview began.

At first I was incredibly nervous and excited and this would have impeded any chance I would have of communicating anything about myself to her. However, as time went on, the interview felt more like a conversation, and we talked about many aspects of the healthcare field. I eventually told her my philosophy of medicine, and she totally agreed with it and said that it was something very wise and intelligent. Eventually, she commented that I would do well in my field, and taking the complement, I gratefully thanked her. This interview showed that I went above and beyond, because I had only visited a few times beforehand (enough to find the library and begin reading a book that drew my interest), but it showed that I had above average knowledge about the place and healthcare in general. This greatly impressed my interviewer.

I want to devote the last half of this to giving a few tips on interviewing for those who desire to get into the medical field (can be applied to other fields as well) after they have the education.

1) Remain calm. There are a million thoughts going through your mind right before the interview, but being overly nervous will only make you forget what you want to say as soon as you enter the room to be interviewed. While being somewhat nervous is a good thing, not having control over your nerves can show and turn employers or other interviewers off to you. Walk into the room confident, and walk out of the room even more so.

2) Be genuine. There is nothing more irritating to employers than someone who is faking just to get the position. It is obvious when someone is saying something that means nothing to them, yet they are passing it off as a "truth" that they "believe" in. Not only is it saying that you are not comfortable with yourself, it is also giving the employer the impression that you are not an honest person, and what employer wants to knowing hire a dishonest person? Not only that, but by lying and playing things off, you are only setting yourself up for failure. You want a job that you can do well in that plays to your strengths and interests. Playing things off will only make it possible for you to get the job, but you may end up hating the job later on. Being genuine can help you and the employer decide if you would be a nice fit for the position. If you aren't, then move on. There are many jobs in the healthcare field, so there will most likely be one that you will enjoy and is a right fit for you, you just have to spend time looking for it.

3) Try to make it more of a conversation. This can sometimes be hard if the person isn't much of a talker, but other times, it may be relatively easy. In a conversation, it is easier to be open with what you believe, therefore the employer will get a glimpse into more of the true person, rather than the one being played off. However, one still needs to reserve a fair amount of professionalism. This is not a conversation about who did what, so gossip has no place in this kind of conversation. However, your insight into the position you are looking into may help, as it may show that you have a knowledge of the role you will play in your job, which may impress your interviewer. Also, a little research is needing to be done. Show that you are committed to the place you want to work at by looking up information about it and perhaps even visiting it a few times. Make sure that you have your facts straight before going in, though, as nothing is more embarrassing than walking into an interview with facts that are not precise and being corrected by your interviewer. Having questions about the position and its benefits will also help, but don't make it sound like money is all that you are after. After all, the patient/customer is first and making them happy and treating them right is the #1 priority (I would say treating them right is above making them happy because sometimes what is right and will be beneficial to the patient will not always make them happy, and what will make them happy is not beneficial-sometimes in medicine you will have to sacrifice popularity in order for the patient to benefit the most from your care).

4) Silence is golden. As humans, we hate silence, especially in this world where we are constantly being bombarded with noise. However, constant noise is not always good, as silence can help to bring peace to the heart and mind. The same can be said in interviews. It is fine to not talk for a minute or two to gather your thoughts. In fact, it is recommended, as it makes you look more intelligent because you are not bumbling, making obscene noises while searching for the words you want to say. So allow some silence, but don't allow it to become a long, drawn-out silence, as that is only awkward.

5) Talking too fast or saying too much or using complex vocabulary is a turn off. You may be talking to people in your field, you may not be. You don't always know the experience or the credentials of who you will be interviewed by, so this is not a good time to talk about current concepts in medicine, because the people interviewing you may have little to no insight into this topic. While it is good to show a bit of what you know, make sure that you don't ramble on and on and make sure that you can link it to how knowing it makes you better suited for the job at hand. Also, make sure you pace your speech, because it is hard to follow a chipmunk-on-coffee talker. If they don't understand what you are saying, they will most likely not hire you as a result.

6) Rehearse what you want to say beforehand. This is important so that you have a gist of what you want to say. While we don't know what questions will be asked by our interviewer, it might be beneficial to have a few of the answers to some common interview questions at hand. However, what proves most useful is knowing how my skills and knowledge that you bring will benefit the company. This requires no rote memorization and doesn't gamble on chance like practicing answers to typical interview questions does. Overall, what do I know and how can I apply it to the job?

7) Talk from the heart, don't cater to what they want to hear. When you talk from what you believe (without allowing yourself to be tinged with anger or resentment), it is easier to remember when you come in for the interview. This goes back to being genuine as well. Don't just tell them what you think they want to hear, as the same probably has been done by nearly everyone applying for the same position. Tell them something unique about you and how your unique self can contribute greatly to the company. This will go much further than fabricated answers based off what you believe they want to hear.

8) Know what is appropriate and when it's appropriate. This can be a killer in an interview. You don't talk about health advances during an interview for a job at Target, just like you don't talk about the products at Target when interviewing for your Nursing job. Keep the information you present relevant to the position and to the company. Don't go into long rants about your personal problems, as this communicates that you have problems with people and would have problems working there or that you are a negative person and will bring down your coworkers. Defamatory, insulting language and swear words have no place in an interview, as using these show that you do not respect other people and possibly authority as well. Who wants to hire someone who will not submit to the leadership of another and who will fight and insult and use dirty language whenever possible? Using this language will kill any possibility of getting the job, as it shows that you do not have the professionalism required to do the job.

9) Dress for success. While people can get away with wearing jeans if they have the right words to say, dressing for your interview will help you significantly in getting the job. Dressing in a painter's shirt and jeans was only individualistic before Will Smith did the same on "The Pursuit of Happyness", now it is viewed as being unprofessional and is frowned upon. For upper end (doctor, psychologist, professor, etc) and executive jobs, a suit for either sex may be required, but for lower end jobs (nurse, fast food worker, secretary, etc), one can get away with a nice shirt and nice pants that aren't jeans. Make sure that you are well-groomed, have showered, and choose to wear clothes that are clean. Nothing turns more employers off (and turns their stomachs) than someone who smells like they have just walked out of a sewer and looks like they are clean off the street, begging for money. If you do wear aftershave or perfume, make sure that it isn't something overwhelmingly strong. As for makeup, choose something that is more natural, and not something that looks like you are ready to go out on the town tonight, looking for the next single to hook up with. Don't overdue makeup, jewelry, or the good-smelling sweets, as it can hurt your chances at getting the job.

10) Reward yourself after for a job well-done. When done with the interview, go reward yourself afterward for a job well-done, even if you don't get the job. Give yourself a positive self-talk, not one where you beat yourself down. This will help boost your confidence for other interviews in the future. Also by rewarding yourself and not punishing yourself, you are actually training yourself to do better on interviews. So, go ahead, plunge into that ice cream. After all, you deserve it!