needmorecoffee Posted September 9, 2017 Share Posted September 9, 2017 I have 3 interviews over the next two weeks, my first one on Wednesday at my top choice school. I've read Mr. Rodican's book, I know my reasons for wanting to be a PA and for seeking admission to the respective schools, I've researched the faculty, and I've reflected upon my experiences in healthcare and academia. My suit is cleaned and ready, travel plans are made....what am I missing? Does anyone have any last minute advice, maybe something you wish someone had told you before interviewing? This forum has been invaluable to me over the past 4 years. I'm excited and humbled by the opportunity to interview and hope to be joining the ranks as a PA-S soon! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beattie228 Posted September 9, 2017 Share Posted September 9, 2017 Congratulations on the interviews. Sounds like you have all of your ducks in order. Tips that come to mind include: Looking up some pressing issues in the PA world. It's helpful for you to have an idea of what the future of the profession has in store. PAs For Tomorrow (http://www.pasfortomorrow.org/) is a good launching point for that. Topics to read up on might include things like independent practice, changes to the ACA and continuing to reduce restrictions to practice in most states Be able to answer the big ones: Why PA, why not MD or NP What would you do if you don't get in this cycle? Day of tips include: pop a mint just before heading in, don't fidget, leave yourself plenty of time to get to the interview site and have a good question or two prepared to ask (just make sure it's not answered on the website!) Otherwise, deep breath and enjoy the experience. The interview is not only to see if you'd be a good fit, but to also gauge whether the school is a good fit for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyNichiavelli Posted September 9, 2017 Share Posted September 9, 2017 Yes. Be yourself. I prepped for 2 months for my first interview (despite everyone advising me to be myself) and bored the interviewer to tears with my responses. Ultimately got rejected. My next 2 interviews, I walked in and stayed confident and true to myself and I got accepted into both. Congrats and good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HanSolo Posted September 9, 2017 Share Posted September 9, 2017 I'd recommend going on a big run/swim/hike/cycle or whatever the day before your interview. Burn off some of that anxiety and take your mind off it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGoLong Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 Be a breath of fresh air. Your interviewers will be talking with lots of people over the course of Wednesday. Your interview is not a comprehensive exam. Sure, you'll be asked questions to answer, but it would be nice if you would show a little of yourself in those answers, and not just the words the interviewer has heard over and over all day. Be someone the interviewer would like to have in his or her class. Driven, dedicated, and resilient to be sure, but also human, humble, and maybe with a little bit of humor. An interesting person. Be relaxed enough for that to come out. And good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliforniaKid Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 Don't compare yourself to your fellow applicants. At this point you've been offered 3 interviews, so you can be confident that you're qualified and deserve to be there. But be humble. Genuine people are a breath of fresh air for interviewers and makes you more memorable. Also, based on your user name, try not to over due the caffeine the morning of. Alertness is great, jittery, not so much. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAAdmission Posted September 12, 2017 Share Posted September 12, 2017 Every admissions committee on earth has read Rodican. Be yourself - no canned answers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MT2PA Posted September 12, 2017 Share Posted September 12, 2017 Remember that the interview is just as much about you interviewing the school as it is about them evaluating you. You'll spend the whole day worrying about impressing them that you won't realize until later that that may have been your only chance to learn about them. If you get a chance to talk to current students alone, ask them EVERYTHING. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paproof Posted September 13, 2017 Share Posted September 13, 2017 Just like everyone else has said: just be yourself. It's totally normal to be nervous. Remember: you wouldn't be there if they didn't want you there. Getting an interview in the first place is a huge accomplishment and proves that you are a great applicant, now you just need to show them how great you are! Best of luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emily1016 Posted October 27, 2017 Share Posted October 27, 2017 On 9/9/2017 at 11:47 AM, LadyNichiavelli said: Yes. Be yourself. I prepped for 2 months for my first interview (despite everyone advising me to be myself) and bored the interviewer to tears with my responses. Ultimately got rejected. My next 2 interviews, I walked in and stayed confident and true to myself and I got accepted into both. Congrats and good luck! Can you describe some of the changes you made after your first interview at the school you got rejected from? I interviewed at 2 schools this cycle, but got a rejection from both. I thought I prepared well but obviously I was missing something, so I would love some advice from you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyNichiavelli Posted October 27, 2017 Share Posted October 27, 2017 6 hours ago, emily1016 said: Can you describe some of the changes you made after your first interview at the school you got rejected from? I interviewed at 2 schools this cycle, but got a rejection from both. I thought I prepared well but obviously I was missing something, so I would love some advice from you! Of course! Basically, I stopped patronizing the interviewers by telling them what I thought they wanted to hear. After questions, I would pause to really think of my answers and respond straight from the heart, instead of jumping straight into a prepared answer. There were some questions that I automatically knew the answer to and I would jump into my answer with conviction and confidence, and I think that scored points with them as well. Basically, I reacted to every question as naturally as I could by not preparing my answers to death beforehand. My first interview, I was very subdued and "overly-professional," which very obviously bored my interviewers. I made sure to really be myself for my next two. My advice is to re-read your CASPA app and "re-learn" about who you truly are and why you're doing this, as well as read up as much as you can about the school. The questions for the school and a strong, general idea of why you want to be a PA are the only things I'd advise you to lightly prepare for. Good luck!! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emily1016 Posted October 27, 2017 Share Posted October 27, 2017 10 minutes ago, LadyNichiavelli said: Of course! Basically, I stopped patronizing the interviewers by telling them what I thought they wanted to hear. After questions, I would pause to really think of my answers and respond straight from the heart, instead of jumping straight into a prepared answer. There were some questions that I automatically knew the answer to and I would jump into my answer with conviction and confidence, and I think that scored points with them as well. Basically, I reacted to every question as naturally as I could by not preparing my answers to death beforehand. My first interview, I was very subdued and "overly-professional," which very obviously bored my interviewers. I made sure to really be myself for my next two. My advice is to re-read your CASPA app and "re-learn" about who you truly are and why you're doing this, as well as read up as much as you can about the school. The questions for the school and a strong, general idea of why you want to be a PA are the only things I'd advise you to lightly prepare for. Good luck!! :) That was very helpful, thanks so much for your answer! I definitely did over-prepare for my interviews and I'm sure that I was not as natural as I should have been, but I am a very type A perfectionist so I thought that preparing every word for every answer would be the way to go... I guess not =/ I was just afraid that I wouldn't know how to answer certain questions if I didn't rehearse a bunch of times you know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyNichiavelli Posted October 27, 2017 Share Posted October 27, 2017 On 10/27/2017 at 9:28 AM, emily1016 said: That was very helpful, thanks so much for your answer! I definitely did over-prepare for my interviews and I'm sure that I was not as natural as I should have been, but I am a very type A perfectionist so I thought that preparing every word for every answer would be the way to go... I guess not =/ I was just afraid that I wouldn't know how to answer certain questions if I didn't rehearse a bunch of times you know? I'm also a Type A personality who has done competitive prepared speaking all my life. I definitely know your struggle. :/ To be honest, I figured since I knew that I had a second interview with a school I felt more strongly about, I might as well "practice," per se, being overprepared for the first interview and see how it works out. Luckily, it didn't. Lol If you have multiple (or at least one more) interview(s) coming up, I'd recommend just being yourself. There'd be nothing to lose at that point because the past methods haven't been working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emily1016 Posted October 27, 2017 Share Posted October 27, 2017 43 minutes ago, LadyNichiavelli said: I'm also a Type A personality who has done competitive prepared speaking all my life. I definitely know your struggle. :/ To be honest, I figured since I knew that I had a second interview with a school I felt more strongly about, I might as well "practice," pre se, being overprepared for the first interview and see how it works out. Luckily, it didn't. Lol If you have multiple (or at least one more) interview(s) coming up, I'd recommend just being yourself. There'd be nothing to lose at that point because the past methods haven't been working. I do not have any more scheduled for this cycle unfortunately, but I'm working on improving everything for next year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pranit0503 Posted July 9, 2018 Share Posted July 9, 2018 How to prepare for a job interview 1. Conduct basic interview research 2. Learn about the company online 3. Think of some stories 4. Pick your outfit, and go to bed early 5. Cover your bases Read More Here: How to get prepare before an interview Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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