INTERVEWING TIPS
Before
- Make a mental list of your successes or
what makes you unique
- Research as heavily and extensively as
you can
o Pay attention to what they highlight
on their website
o You want them to think “oh, she/he
did her/his homework.”
o If possible, google the person who’s
interviewing you
- Review potential interview questions
- Generate a list of questions you want to
ask the employer
o Could be based on your research
o They WILL ask if you have
questions, so come back with a
sharp, insightful, good question that
will impress them
- Communicate with references you’ll be
using within coming weeks
o Ask how they want to be contacted
o Make sure you check in near to the
time you interview
- Find out the time, place, and person
who’s interviewing
o Rehearse! Make sure you know how
long it takes you to get there
o DO NOT BE LATE – get there10-15
minutes early, check hair and teeth
- Have a portfolio – you look polished and
professional
o Bring extra copies of resume
o Work products they’ve requested
- Have a bag that makes you a
professional, not a student
During
- Sell yourself
o You are there to tell them how awesome you are!
- Know your audience
o If you couldn’t google, ask a bunch of questions right away
to find our who that person is
 “What’s your specialty,” “What’s your clinical area”
 Are you talking to a speechie? OT, PT, HR?
o Watch your jargon and detail – can’t go over their head –
they’ll assume you’re going to do that with a client or family
- Be enthusiastic, but sincere – be peppy, energetic
- Listen carefully to interview questions – don’t answer the wrong
question
o Ask for clarification if your unsure
- Try to match your interviewers style – they will like
communicating with you more.
- If they ask if you know something or someone based on your
resume, answer POSITIVELY no matter what
- Ask if you can take notes
- Be sure to greet person by name (formal, unless they’ve already
introduced by first name), make eye contact, and shake hands
- Be sure interviewer sits before you do
- Do not chew gum
- Sit comfortably, but formally
- If you don’t know the answer to a question, tell them you don’t
know, but you know where to find the answer
o “An educated person is not a person who knows everything,
but a person who knows where to find everything”
- It’s ok to pause before you respond – give yourself time to think
about how to word it
- As the interview comes to an end – look everyone in the eye,
thank them for something, shake hands, get business card
- Find a way to end on a positive note – “really impressed with
your facilities and would love the opportunity to work with your
team”
- It’s ok at ask, “What’s your time frame for making your
decision?”
After
- IMMEDIATELY,
when back in your car,
think about how it
went, critically reflect
– try to correct for next
time
- Go home and write a
thank you note –
simple and plain
o Put it in the mail
no later than the
next day – really
important
- Follow-up call – you
can only call once, so
pace yourself (double
time frame the
suggested then add a
couple days)
o Some places aren’t
good about calling
to say you didn’t
get the job
INTERVEWING TIPS, Cont.
Miscellaneous Points
- Consider the Employer Perspective
o Looking for someone who will fit in the team
o Want to know they can afford you
- You are an investment, so the interview is designed to make sure they can,
and will want to, keep you
Legal and Illegal questions
- Before offered a job:
o Legal: pertain to things related to ability to actually do job
 Hold state licensure? Ever worked with 3 year olds?
 If required to drive: do you hold a driver’s license
 Willing or able to work overtime/weekends
o Illegal: age or date of birth, graduation year, etc, religion, marital status,
sexual orientation, national origin, spouse’s name and/or employment,
worker’s comp, physical impairments or disabilities, time lost due to
illness or family commitments, health history
- After offered a job:
o Now legal: drug test, copy of birth certificate or passport, copy of SSC
 Need to verify/prove you are hirable person
- How to answer?
o Professor said that was an illegal question…
o Humor – i.e. husband count as kid?
Example questions
-
Assume you’ll get clinical questions about working
with the population you’re interviewing for
Give me an example of a conflict you have had in a
work situation and how you resolved it
What would your friends say about you?
How would people you’ve worked with describe
you?
What do people like most/least about you?
If you had a budget of ____ to spend on clinical
materials, how would you spend it?
Thinking about your role in this facility, what areas
would you need to strengthen the most?
Given a child in this condition, what would your
differential diagnosis be and how would you
evaluate them?