Interview Tips for Pre-Health Students

First, thank the interviewer for the opportunity to speak about yourself and then keep your response focused and short. You can speak for about a minute and no more than two minutes:

• Open with where you grew up and where your parents came from. Talk about the type of community in which you were raised and how that influenced who you are and what you are passionate about.
• Talk about your values and passions and how you developed them
• Speak about your academic interests and ultimate career goals

• Be able to speak about your activities and experiences and discuss what you have learned from them
• Know your schedule and be certain that you can commit to the responsibilities of the position

• Tell me about a challenge or setback you experienced and how you overcame it?
• Tell me your best character trait, and a trait you hope to improve upon?
• Tell me about a time that you had to handle multiple priorities. How do you manage your time efficiently?
• Tell me about a time that you made a mistake. How did you handle it?
• Tell me about a book that you read for pleasure.
• Tell me how you work in a team setting. What would you do if one of the team members was not performing in accordance with professional expectations?
• Tell me about a time that you had to stand up to a person in authority. How did you handle the situation?

Being on time shows that you have strong time management skills and that you respect the schedule and time constraints of the interviewer.

Ask if there is anything you should bring with you in terms of identification or if there are special directions for locating the interview site.

Always leave yourself additional time for transportation to account for possible delays. If you arrive early, you will have a few minutes to check in and collect yourself before the interview.

In the event of unforeseen circumstances, such as accidents, so that you can contact the staff and let them know of the emergency and the extent of your delay.

Check your Internet connection in advance and make sure that there are no other computer or power issues. Check the virtual platform that you will be using (eg. Skype, Zoom, Webex, Blackboard, etc.) and ensure that you have downloaded the software and know how to use it in advance.

See more Virtual Interview Tips below.

• Dress conservatively
• Make certain that your outfit is clean and pressed
• Try on your outfit in advance to ensure that it still fits
• No bold prints or colors. No gaudy jewelry
• No jeans or sneakers

• Avoid giant headphones
• Wear your full interview outfit just in case your interviewer asks you to stand up
• See more Virtual Interview Tips below

• Bring friends or family with you to the interview location---if someone accompanies you, they should wait in another location.
• Bring food with you and eat while waiting to be called---a bottle of water is fine.
• Chew gum

• Become aware of the sound of your voice
• Show enthusiasm in your voice
• Make eye contact
• Smile from time to time

• Mumble, whisper, or speak too quickly or loudly
• Be too serious or stiff

• Maintain good posture
• Be aware of your nervous habits like playing with your hair or beard, or cracking your knuckles, and take steps to manage these actions
• Focus your eyes on the interviewer instead of darting around the room or looking down
• Look engaged by nodding when the interviewer is speaking

• Choosing a suitable background for the interview
  • A blank wall
  • A bookshelf
  • An appropriate virtual background
• Checking your Internet connection
• Making sure your laptop is fully charged
• Making sure that you have downloaded the software that will be used for the interview (eg. Zoom, Skype, Webex)
• Setting up your laptop so that it appears as if you are sitting across the desk from the interviewer; you do not want to look down at the interviewer
• Checking your posture and make sure that you are not moving around in your chair
• Elevating your energy level to show your enthusiasm, which tends to be lessened in a virtual setting

In addition to thanking the interviewer and everyone who assisted you in the office/lab in person on the day of the interview, this email is critical.

Instead, you can ask the person at the front desk or their assistant, or you can look at the website for their contact information.

• Be sent via email preferably in the evening following the interview or the next morning at the latest.
• Be short and concise.
• Thank the interviewer for taking the time to speak to you
• Reiterate your interest in the position
• Mention any particular part of the conversation that you found interesting to can personalize your note

Unless the interviewer informs you when they expect to make a decision and you do not hear back by that date, do not send multiple emails to follow up.

Due to busy schedules and the need to interview other applicants, you may not hear back regarding the position for several weeks.

You should contact the office/lab and inquire if the position has been filled.

Please remember to thank the people who helped you along the way through application review, interview prep, etc.

This will still be a learning experience that you can use to your advantage when applying for the next position.

• MMI stands for Multiple Mini Interview and consists of a series of short interview stations that are independent of one another.
• Together, the 6-10 stations test your capabilities in the following areas: Teamwork, Communication, Self-Awareness, Maturity, Empathy, and Critical Thinking

• Know the 4 Pillars of Medical Ethics:
  1. Beneficence - In essence, means “doing good.” Having the patients best interests in mind.
  2. Nonmaleficence - In essence, means “to do no harm.” The benefits of treatment outweigh the risks.
  3. Patient Self-Autonomy - The patient has the freedom to choose regarding treatment, provided they are competent and can provide informed consent
  4. Justice - Ensuring fairness and equality of care for all 
• You need to understand the pillars of medical ethics and how they apply to ethical scenarios.

• One of the best ways to develop your understanding of medical ethics is to practice analyzing situations using ethical frameworks and ideologies. You can do this with a Pre-Health Advisor, and on your own using the resources below. Try to compare the outcomes given by different frameworks and consider the implications of this using an “if this, then this” framework.
• Make sure you stay up-to-date with the latest health news – and see how these ethical frameworks apply to what’s currently in the news.

• Interview Generator (savvypremed.com)
• https://www.shemmassianconsulting.com/blog/mmi-interview
• How to Ace Medical School Interviews (Questions Included) — Shemmassian Academic Consulting (shemmassianconsulting.com)

• Ask friends, colleagues, doctors, research supervisors, professors, or anyone else you trust to help you do a mock interview.
• Try to simulate the real thing as well as you can.
• Try to do at least 2 or 3 mock interviews before you go into your first interview.

• You should be well aware of your personality, tendencies, accomplishments and experiences.
• Strangely enough, sometimes talking about yourself can be the hardest part about the interview.

Make sure to Research:

• Each school’s interview format
• Tendencies

• Generally there are three different interview formats with school specific variations.
• You should know what type of interview you are walking into. Also learn more about each school so that you can tailor your answers to be more appropriate for each school. The best way to learn more about a school is read the website and to talk to actual medical students who attend that school. Other ways would be to go on the Student Doctor Network.

• Interviewers will always ask if you have questions for them. Please do not say that you have no questions. Interviewers may take that as a lack of interest, creativity, or attentiveness. Have a list of different questions you can ask your interviewers. Try to avoid being too specific because your interviewer may not know the answer to your question.
  • Here are some good questions for you to ask:
    1. What is your favorite aspect of this medical school program?
    2. How did you become affiliated with this medical school and what do you value about the program?
    3. What is your best advice for a first year medical school student?
    4. What is your favorite or least favorite thing about being a doctor? (if your interviewer is a doctor)
  • Read through your entire primary and secondary application prior to the interview
    • You must know every detail of your application  before you attend your interview. Read over what you said and review why you said it for both your primary and secondary application. Your interview is the final part of your application story. As a result, if you cannot recall the previous parts of your story, your interview may appear disconnected from the rest of your application. For example, if you give a reason why you want to be a doctor in your personal statement but give a completely different reason on your interview, this may be a red flag.
  • Take care of logistics
    • You should be in your best mental and physical condition during your interview. This means you should get enough rest before the interview, schedule travel that gives you sufficient time to mentally and physically prepare, and eat properly.