Career Planning
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Preparing for Your Interview
The Don'ts of of Interviewing
You now know what to DO while interviewing, so it’s time to review all the things you should NOT do during your interview.
One of them, for sure, is to not put your feet up on any desks … unless you are only there for a free trip and have no interest in actually working for the practice.
You now know what to DO while interviewing, so it’s time to review all the things you should NOT do during your interview.
One of them, for sure, is to not put your feet up on any desks … unless you are only there for a free trip and have no interest in actually working for the practice.
Let Your Nerves Take Over
Interviews can be intimidating as you are attempt to put your best self forward. Yes, the selection process can be rigorous. But you are prepared, and can remain calm and collected. Your confidence should make you seem relaxed but not disengaged.
An overly anxious or nervous candidate will likely call into question their ability to handle stressful situations or respond to urgent needs. If this sounds like you, be sure to avoid any caffeine and engage in some breathing exercises to relieve your anxiety.
You are aiming for that balance of calm, focused attentiveness while demonstrating that you are engaged and enthusiastic with the interview process and for the position. Remember, the program has likely already done significant vetting of you prior to offering you the interview. You’ve made it this far, which means they’ve already recognized your talent!
Digress or Talk Too Much
Make sure you answer questions succinctly without unnecessary elaboration or long diatribes. You should have prepared and practiced your responses and now is the time to give concise, direct answers. Be efficient. It helps both you and the practice.
If you are challenged with verbosity, be sure to be uncharacteristically mindful of how much you are talking. Consciously pause to allow the interviewer a chance to engage in dialogue or continue the Q&A.
Failing to give your interviewer a chance to interview you will not bode well for your candidacy.
Disparage Others
Never make disparaging comments about colleagues, attendings, past programs, nurses, or anyone. It is just not good behavior in an interview and can leave a negative impression on your prospective partners.
Neonatology is ultimately a very small network of peers and colleagues. It’s likely that the person you speak disparagingly about has a connection to someone you are interviewing with.
Even if it is your interviewer who makes the negative comment, don’t bite. It’s unprofessional, so just don’t do it.
Interrupt Others
This is disrespectful and can be a real pet peeve for some people. Make sure you are not interrupting the interviewer and are giving them the opportunity to complete their question or comment before you respond.
Hopefully your interviewer isn’t the one with a verbosity challenge. If you find yourself struggling to break into the discussion, try to use visual cues such as raising your pen, a hand, or sitting up abruptly to create a polite pause.
If you still do not feel you are going to be given adequate time, inform the interviewer that you have several key items on your list that you want to be sure to cover, and request for a follow up session to be scheduled.
While you do not want to seem impolite or rude, you also need to get your qualifications on the table and into the discussion, and you certainly need to ensure that your own questions are given an adequate amount of time for responses.
Forget to Establish Next Steps
As the interview concludes, be sure to discuss what is expected in terms of next steps and follow up. Identify who will contact whom and what follow up will be expected by when.
It is always good to have a timeline outlined and agreed upon. If you don’t, you will leave the onsite visit and not know what to expect or how to reengage.
If there are any specific items to be completed by you or your interviewer, be sure to enumerate them and specifically designate next steps, dates, and follow up tasks.
Follow up items can include reference checks, a phone call after an internal debrief, your follow up after you review and debrief with your notes, a boiler plate contract or letter of intent to be sent, or any number of items.
You don’t want any uncertainty about next steps as you await their decision and ponder your own.
