Killer Interview Tips.com

Posts Tagged ‘Medical’

Are you going to appear for a medical interview? If yes, then you need to follow a few important tips. Getting your chance in an interview is a great opportunity to prove yourself and it will lead you to a promising and successful career. Medical school interview is a part of the selection procedure. Your application form is not enough to show your credentials, your performance with the interview board is of prime importance. Preparation will fetch you success at the interview session but if you want to get a chance at your favorite medical school then you need to work very hard prior to the interview.Your medical Interview will not only prove what you are but also will give you a chance to shine. Many candidates do not know that interview is a period to shine and sell your skills so they fail to do so. Its not that you are going to prepare few particular questions to face the interviewers but you need to be positive, enthusiastic and with the right attitude while you are answering the board. You are going to face many medical interview questions like first they will ask you that why are you opting for this particular medical school then about your experience that you are looking forward at medical school. Before choosing a medical school it is always wise to make a little research about it.Medical school interviews can be a standard panel interview, blinded interview, which is not so common then partially blinded interview and open interview. Today there is a chance. Before facing the interview you can take up a medical interview course. This type of course provides valuable help to the interviewees. Many medical schools or institutions avail such courses in order to guide you to get success in the interview session. To get selected at medical interview its knowledgeable to opt for a course at any good medical school interview course. The previous day of the interview is really a vital one. If you stay away from the venue of the interview then you need to come and stay somewhere close so that you can reach early on the interview day. You have to be in a relax posture while answering anything. You can take time before answering but not more than two minutes. There will be various medical interview questions and all will clearly prove your brightness and willingness in this field.Medical school interview is not a tough one to succeed but you have to give emphasis on few points like your attire.It must be appropriate, you have to have confidence but not over confidence. A balance between humility and confidence has to be maintained. While facing the medical interview you have to be confident enough to answer all the questions. All that require is a positive body language. You have to be responsive, eager to answer, a good attitude, a listener and attentive. Your answers must be concise, up to what is required, full of confidence and honest. You have to be positive at every step of you medical interview.

Medical interviews (ST interviews, consultant interviews and GP interviews) can be daunting if you are unprepared. Here are a series of medical interview tips that you can apply to ensure that your answers stand out.

1 – Keep your answers between 1½ and 2 minutes

No one can listen to a speaker for more than 2 minutes unless that speaker is absolutely fascinating or has some visual aids to help retain concentration. There is therefore no point in giving answers that are much longer otherwise you run the risk or boring the interviewers.

2 – Avoid long introductions. Answer the question directly

In my experience of interviewing and coaching candidates for interviews, I have always been struck by how few people actually answer the question directly. At an interview, it is crucial that you get to the point quickly, that you address the core of the question and that you avoid lengthy introductions that serve no purpose other than allowing you to buy time.

3 – Structure your answers in 3 or 4 points

One of the problems that plague interviewees is lack of structure in their answers. This makes it difficult for the interviewers to identify the different ideas that are being presented.

The human brain finds it difficult to remember more than 3 or 4 ideas at a time, so there is no point giving your interviewers 10 different ideas in the same answer. It will only confuse them. Stick to 3 or 4 points maximum. If you feel that you need to use more points to say what you want to say then your answer needs to be structured differently.

4 – Illustrate each point with examples from your experience

Making broad statements not only makes you sound vague, and at worst arrogant, it also makes it difficult for interviewers to differentiate you from other candidates. It is therefore crucial that you back up all the claims you make with examples drawn from your personal experience so that that there is no doubt in anyone’s mind about your abilities.

5 – Signpost each point clearly – Make your points clear

Once you have a structure in mind, make sure that it clearly shows in your answer and that the message that you are trying to convey is clearly announced clearly within each section that makes up your answer.

6 – Use power words

Selling yourself is not just about stating your message clearly and describing your experience. It is also about sounding confident, mature and, generally speaking, in control. Most people tend to understate their experience. In order to appear more confident, you will need to adopt a vocabulary which may be slightly different to that which you are accustomed to on a day-to-day basis, and which will sell yourself in an active and enthusiastic manner.

For example, Consider this sentence: “After a few attempts, I was able to reach a compromise with my colleagues” . On the surface, it sounds like a good thing to say. However, “After a few attempts” and “I was able to” sound weak. They make is sound as if the candidate didn’t try that hard or is not particularly proud of his/her achievement. The sentence could have a much stronger impact if it were reworded as follows: “Following several discussions where I encouraged my colleagues to review their position, I was successful in helping the team reach a compromise”. In this revised sentence, the words “encouraged” and “successful” present a much more proactive candidate and make a big difference in the manner in which the answer is being received by the listener.

7 – Talk about yourself rather than everyone else

Candidates who feel uncomfortable at interviews usually compensate by talking about everything else but themselves. They talk repeatedly about “we”, “the team” and, although it does present a good team playing attitude, it fails to tick the boxes when it comes to personal skills and competencies.

In your interview, it is perfectly fine to introduce some collective actions and say sentences such as “As a team, we were charged with conducting an audit on waiting time in A&E”, but only as an introduction to the rest of the answer, which should remain focussed on you and no one else.

8 – Bring objectivity into your answers

If you feel awkward talking about yourself or you don’t want to appear to be boasting, one good way to counter this problem is to bring objectivity into your answers. This can be achieved firstly by bringing examples from your experience into your answers but also by discussing the feedback that you have received, either informally or through 360-degree appraisal forms.

9- Avoid vague statements

Keep to statements that provide real information. Avoid vague statements such as “I went into paediatrics because I like it” unless you can back up your statement. What really matters is why you find it interesting or why you like it.

10 – Don’t bore them with spurious detail

Avoid going into too much detail when giving examples unless they have asked you to describe a specific example in the question. If you provide too much intricate detail, you will make your answer very long and you will create confusion by concentrating on one issue whilst the question may be much broader.

11 – Stay positive

Whether I coach people who are applying for ST, Consultant, Clinical / Medical Director posts or even higher up, many candidates incriminate themselves by delivering answers with a negative undertone right from the start. I have lost count of the number of people who start their answers to the question “What is your research experience?” by saying “Well, I haven’t done much research”; or those who describe their communication skills as “above average” i.e. nothing special. To make an impact, you must sell what you have rather than what you don’t have. If you don’t show that you believe in yourself then no one will.

Medical interviews (ST interviews, consultant interviews and GP interviews) can be daunting if you are unprepared. Here are a series of medical interview tips that you can apply to ensure that your answers stand out.

 

1 – Keep your answers between 1½ and 2 minutes

 

No one can listen to a speaker for more than 2 minutes unless that speaker is absolutely fascinating or has some visual aids to help retain concentration. There is therefore no point in giving answers that are much longer otherwise you run the risk or boring the interviewers.

 

2 – Avoid long introductions. Answer the question directly

 

In my experience of interviewing and coaching candidates for interviews, I have always been struck by how few people actually answer the question directly. At an interview, it is crucial that you get to the point quickly, that you address the core of the question and that you avoid lengthy introductions that serve no purpose other than allowing you to buy time.

 

3 – Structure your answers in 3 or 4 points

 

One of the problems that plague interviewees is lack of structure in their answers. This makes it difficult for the interviewers to identify the different ideas that are being presented.

 

The human brain finds it difficult to remember more than 3 or 4 ideas at a time, so there is no point giving your interviewers 10 different ideas in the same answer. It will only confuse them. Stick to 3 or 4 points maximum. If you feel that you need to use more points to say what you want to say then your answer needs to be structured differently.

 

4 – Illustrate each point with examples from your experience

 

Making broad statements not only makes you sound vague, and at worst arrogant, it also makes it difficult for interviewers to differentiate you from other candidates. It is therefore crucial that you back up all the claims you make with examples drawn from your personal experience so that that there is no doubt in anyone’s mind about your abilities.

 

5 – Signpost each point clearly – Make your points clear

 

Once you have a structure in mind, make sure that it clearly shows in your answer and that the message that you are trying to convey is clearly announced clearly within each section that makes up your answer.

 

6 – Use power words

 

Selling yourself is not just about stating your message clearly and describing your experience. It is also about sounding confident, mature and, generally speaking, in control. Most people tend to understate their experience. In order to appear more confident, you will need to adopt a vocabulary which may be slightly different to that which you are accustomed to on a day-to-day basis, and which will sell yourself in an active and enthusiastic manner.

 

For example, Consider this sentence: “After a few attempts, I was able to reach a compromise with my colleagues” . On the surface, it sounds like a good thing to say. However, “After a few attempts” and “I was able to” sound weak. They make is sound as if the candidate didn’t try that hard or is not particularly proud of his/her achievement. The sentence could have a much stronger impact if it were reworded as follows: “Following several discussions where I encouraged my colleagues to review their position, I was successful in helping the team reach a compromise”. In this revised sentence, the words “encouraged” and “successful” present a much more proactive candidate and make a big difference in the manner in which the answer is being received by the listener.

 

7 – Talk about yourself rather than everyone else

 

Candidates who feel uncomfortable at interviews usually compensate by talking about everything else but themselves. They talk repeatedly about “we”, “the team” and, although it does present a good team playing attitude, it fails to tick the boxes when it comes to personal skills and competencies.

 

In your interview, it is perfectly fine to introduce some collective actions and say sentences such as “As a team, we were charged with conducting an audit on waiting time in A&E”, but only as an introduction to the rest of the answer, which should remain focussed on you and no one else.

 

8 – Bring objectivity into your answers

 

If you feel awkward talking about yourself or you don’t want to appear to be boasting, one good way to counter this problem is to bring objectivity into your answers. This can be achieved firstly by bringing examples from your experience into your answers but also by discussing the feedback that you have received, either informally or through 360-degree appraisal forms.

 

9- Avoid vague statements

 

Keep to statements that provide real information. Avoid vague statements such as “I went into paediatrics because I like it” unless you can back up your statement. What really matters is why you find it interesting or why you like it.

 

10 – Don’t bore them with spurious detail

 

Avoid going into too much detail when giving examples unless they have asked you to describe a specific example in the question. If you provide too much intricate detail, you will make your answer very long and you will create confusion by concentrating on one issue whilst the question may be much broader.

 

11 – Stay positive

 

Whether I coach people who are applying for ST, Consultant, Clinical / Medical Director posts or even higher up, many candidates incriminate themselves by delivering answers with a negative undertone right from the start. I have lost count of the number of people who start their answers to the question “What is your research experience?” by saying “Well, I haven’t done much research”; or those who describe their communication skills as “above average” i.e. nothing special. To make an impact, you must sell what you have rather than what you don’t have. If you don’t show that you believe in yourself then no one will.

Product Description
Medical school multiple mini interview preparation with questions to practice for the MMI. Feel confident and prepared for the MMI. Includes a full length practice MMI interview complete with prompting questions and discussion to simulate the actual MMI experience. Learn to approach MMI questions and what the interviewers are looking for in the MMI. Read stories and experiences from medical students. One of the best books to prepare for the MMI…. More >>

Medical School Multiple Mini Interview: Secrets for Success

Product Description
This book contains three complete practice medical school multiple mini interviews. The interviews mimic the actual MMI’s in the type of questions, style, structure, and presentation of the interview questions. The practice MMI’s mirror the actual MMI’s such that you will have the equivalent of three MMI’s before your real interview. The interviews are complete with prompting questions. Discussions and points to note are available for every question. This book will … More >>

Medical School Multiple Mini Interview: Full Length Practice Interviews

Product Description
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY. Presents the three core functions of the medical interview: gathering data, developing rapport, and educating and motivating the patient. Contains more case examples and actual interview questions, 12 new chapters, and a new unit on how to manage common communication challenges. For medical students. Previous edition: c1991. Softcover. … More >>

The Medical Interview: The Three-Function Approach

• ISBN13: 9781405167291
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Product Description
Doctors are likely to undergo several interviews of different types during their career, and this new title in the popular ‘How to’ series aims to guide the medical professional through the steps necessary to thoroughly prepare for this competitive process.

Contents include:

Discussion of the different types of medical interview
How to prepare for interview
How to optimise your performance
Information about common questions and how best to… More >>

How to Succeed at the Medical Interview

Product Description
The #1 factor for admission into medical school is the interview evaluation. “Current practices in admission interviews at U.S. medical schools.” Academic Medicine 1991;66:408-12 This completely unique book will reveal the secrets of the admissions committee, what they are looking for and how to convince them that you will be the best medical student they have ever accepted. This information will benefit anyone facing a medical school interview, especially if you… More >>

The Medical School Interview: Secrets and a System for Success