How To Be Interviewed for a Job
Adapted from: Hasegawa
GR. How to be interviewed for a job. Am J Hosp
Pharm. 1991; 48:1180-3.
One of the most trying aspects of job hunting is
interviewing, a process in which an applicant in
unfamiliar surroundings must provide and assimilate
a great deal of information while being judged by
strangers. Although the interview frequently determines
whether a position is offered or accepted, it often
receives too little attention from the applicant.
This discussion offers a few practical suggestions
in these areas:
Where Should You Interview?
If you are not compelled to seek new employment,
you will probably interview only when a promising
prospect appears. If you must look for a new job,
however, your investigation into various positions
should be thorough enough to limit your possibilities
to a reasonably small number.
Pharmacy students and residents, particularly those
who are willing to relocate and whose interests are
rather vague, may start with particularly long lists.
The applicant who claims to be truly interested in
20 jobs hasn’t eliminated inappropriate selections,
probably has a poor idea of what he or she really
wants, and is likely to waste time and money in the
application and interview process.
You will, of course, accept an invitation to interview
for any of your top job choices. It is also a good
idea to accept invitations for positions you’re
not too sure about. The employer, for one, already
thinks that your qualifications may satisfy the job
requirements, and you may discover that the job is
actually quite appealing. Even if the interview makes
it clear that you and the job are mismatched, you
will have made a contact and possibly left a favorable
impression. The employer may even have or know of
a more satisfactory opening.
Unseasoned applicants sometimes seek interviews
for jobs in which they have no real interest. The
applicant’s purpose is simple; to rehearse
interviewing skills and try out a formal presentation
(if one is required) in a realistic but no-risk setting.
This strategy is selfish and short-sighted. Interviewers
can usually detect indifference and will not appreciate
your wasting their time. Even if you manage to appear
sincere, your eventual job selection may suggest
to the victimized interviewer that you were playing
a game all along. Pharmacy administrators have long
memories and many acquaintances. Assume that your
previous conduct, good or bad, will be known to the
next interviewer you want to impress. Remember, too,
that a reputation may follow you for years.
On-site versus Telephone Interviews
Do not substitute a telephone interview for an on-site
visit. A telephone conversation, although relatively
inexpensive, cannot compare with a personal visit
in creating important impressions of the work setting
and of your prospective coworkers. Some interviewing
over the telephone may be unavoidable if you need
to speak with someone who was not present for your
visit. Don’t hesitate to telephone the employer
if you need to clarify issues either before or after
the on-site interview.
Scheduling Interviews
Allow ample time in your work, social, and travel
calendars for each interview. Squeezing an interview
between other commitments will make you anxious to
begin and end your visit promptly, and employers
resent having the applicant try to control the session’s
pace. Because interviews often take longer than their
allotted time, be as accommodating as possible.
Being constantly alert, outwardly cheerful, and
self-conscious will tire you quickly, whether your
interview takes one hour or one day. Thus, squeezing
four full-day interviews into as many days can be
grueling, especially if extensive travel is involved.
The latter (and often most important) interviews
in your series may proceed poorly because of your
fatigue, and your overtaxed mind will soon be unable
to distinguish one interview from another. A single
interview can have a dramatic effect on your career.
Consider carefully the time you devote to each one.
Preinterview Preparation
Your goals in an interview should be to present
yourself in the best light and to learn enough about
the job to make an informed decision if the position
is offered. Thorough preinterview research---finding
out about the position, the institution, and the
individual interviewers---will help. Request the
interview itinerary beforehand. Contact colleagues
who are familiar with the institution or with the
people who will be interviewing you. If you know
that someone at the prospective job site has published
a paper recently, read it.
By turning your findings into insightful questions
and comments, you should appear to be either well
prepared or very perceptive. Your research may also
reveal important aspects of the job, some of which
may be unappealing, that you should investigate during
the interview.
Ask the employer to schedule you to speak privately
with someone who has a position similar to the one
you are exploring. This will ensure that the appropriate
person will be available during your visit and that
the job will be described from at least two viewpoints.
Presenting Yourself
Dress conservatively. Your unconventional or trendy
outfit may be perfect for a night on the town, but
an interviewer may view such attire as a sign of
eccentricity or extravagance. Scents or make-up,
if too heavily applied, are more likely to distract
than allure the potential employer, and neither effect
is desirable. Comfortable shoes will help you endure
the inevitable tour of the facilities.
Someone may meet you at the airport to take you
to lunch or dinner. Although the occasion may be
fairly relaxed and intended to contrast with the
relatively intense atmosphere of the formal interview,
you are still being observed. The usual advice to
applicants, “be yourself,” applies only
partially. Don’t greedily order the most expensive
entrée, tell tasteless jokes, overimbibe,
smoke, or do anything else that might put off your
hosts. You will have ample time to reveal your less
admirable traits after you are hired.
Be on time or early for your interview. Punctuality
will suggest that you are considerate and organized.
Tardiness will imply the opposite and get you off
to a poor start. Ask the employer for a street map
and explicit directions, and allow for traffic delays
and wrong turns. If your interview is an appreciable
distance from your home, you may want to arrive the
day before to scout the location. Arriving early
will also give you a chance to collect your thoughts
before the interview
Speak honestly but thoughtfully. Don’t brag
about your current work place as the mecca of modern
pharmacy practice; the interviewer may conclude that
you are narrow-minded or wonder why you want to (or
have to) leave. If you badmouth your boss or coworkers,
you may be labeled as a malcontent. Interviewers
may appreciate an occasional compliment but are likely
to consider flattery insincere. Be forthright about
your limitations, but don’t belittle yourself.
Occasionally an employer will test your poise by
asking an irritating question, by subjecting you
to a group “interrogation,” or even by
being strangely silent. Keep cool, respond directly
and tactfully, and resist the urge to fill silences
with chatter. Always remain courteous; a moment of
exasperation or rudeness can have long-lasting consequences.
One of your interviewers may be a personnel representative.
This person may not appreciate your professional
qualifications but can nonetheless influence the
hiring decision through his or her assessment of
your personality. Ask the personnel representative
about job benefits and general institution policies;
these are the topics about which pharmacy interviewers
can be surprisingly ignorant.
Recording Your Thoughts
Don’t assume that you can memorize everything
you want to ask or that you can remember all you
learn from an interview. Carry a notepad in your
purse or pocket. You shouldn’t take notes constantly
during the interview, but jotting down important
information can be vital and is unlikely to offend
the interviewer. Use restroom breaks or other pauses
during the interviewer to record your thoughts and
to remind yourself of points you want to address.
At the very least, write down your impressions when
you get back to your home or hotel.
The Immediate Job Offer
If the employer offers you the job at the end of
the interview, try not to make a decision immediately.
You will be flattered and possibly enthusiastic,
but you probably will not have had a chance to pull
your thoughts together. A reasonable employer will
give you a few days to mull things over.
Following Up
After each interview, promptly write the principal
interviewer (even if the interview did not go well)
to express your appreciation for his or her time.
This follow-up letter will give you a chance to restate
your qualifications and interest, and employers will
remember your courtesy and thoroughness.
Return
to Interview Center |
