If you’ve just landed an interview for a dream assignment that’s perfect for your healthcare career, congratulations! You have just completed one of the hardest steps of the job process – getting noticed by a potential employer. Now it is time to polish up your interview skills to ensure that you can get the job you have always wanted. Interviewing for a position is a stressful situation, but don’t worry, you’re not the only one sweating every detail – tons of people experience anxiety before, during and after an interview.
Here are five tips for acing an assignment interview:
1. Plan ahead. Think of a variety of questions that a potential employer may ask you and prepare natural responses. By creating an easy-to-remember list of potential answers to common questions, you will feel more comfortable responding and will be less prone to ramble.
2. Sit up straight. As a travel medical professional, your assignment interview is most likely to occur over the phone. Consequently, you are not going to have to get ready for the interview as you would in an in-person situation. However, sitting up straight helps you remember to remain professional on the phone and not accidentally lapse into a tone of voice you may use when talking to friends or family members.
3. Talk clearly. A friendly, professional tone should be used throughout an interview. Smiling helps convey a friendly personality, even when you cannot be seen by the interviewer, because it impacts your tone.
4. Focus on your strengths. The key message you are supposed to be delivering to an interviewer is how well you will fit in and benefit the organization you are applying to. Therefore, make sure to talk about how you have positively impacted past employers with your skills and personality. Bring up a situation that you played an important role in developing a solution for to show a potential employer your strengths.
5. Use polite language. Saying please, thank you and you’re welcome are staples of a strong interview. Show your appreciation for the professional opportunity as well as how courteous you are with polite language.