Need interview prep advice!!!

[kko0403]

Hi everyone!

I had my first PA interview in the beginning of Aug. and was unfortunately rejected. I learned a lot and fortunately the program was not my top choice and it was an area that I did not really want to be in. I have 4 more PA interviews on Sept. 24th, Sept. 28th, Sept. 30th, and Oct. 2nd. I have to fly out to the interviews on Sept. 24th and Oct. 2nd and the other 2 are within driving distance.

I'm super nervous about having such a busy interview schedule... has anyone else gone through something similar? Also, how did you prepare for your interviews? Has anyone tried the PA platform mock interview (it's a bit expensive, I think it's about $120, but I've heard it may be helpful). Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

Some things I learned from my first interview: to buy a darker suit... it was in Aug so I thought it would be fine to wear a light tan/khaki colored pant suit and everyone else was in navy blue or black!!! I will definitely be buying a darker suit. Also, I need to be more concise/talk more softly/talk more slowly and not ramble... I was super nervous and the 1 to 1 interview only lasted for 10 minutes so I thought that I needed to talk really fast and cram as much in as possible which was a total mistake and SO unnecessary!!! I hope that sharing this was helpful to some people. 

Please offer any advice! I want to do as well as I possibly can in my next 4 interviews. 

[Hygiene2020]

You are extremely fortunate to have so many interviews. I’m waiting for my first one. May I ask what schools you applied to?

[PACrankset]

I don’t think the suit had anything to do with it. In terms of prepping the paid platforms are likely not worth the money. I arranged two or three mock interviews with people I know. They were Physicians, PAs, even a pastor. The point is a lot of the time it is just as much about the delivery of your answer as it is about the content. There is a list online of the most common questions, this can be a good source for your practice interviews. Also read through the questions and really think about how you respond to the question, do just say what you think they want to here. Most interviewers can spot a ingenuine respinse a mile away.

[panglossian]

I have attended three interviews so far this cycle (which lead to an acceptance and two waitlists). To prepare, I found PA school interview practice questions online and practiced my responses out loud. I knew my strengths and weaknesses, and the characteristics that make me a great candidate. Most of one-on-one interviews are 10-30mins, which is not much time to sell yourself. When you are preparing choose two to three facts/stories about yourself that you want to mention and use those anecdotes to enhance your responses. I agree that talking in a concise, direct manner will be more effective.

I also worked in undergraduate admissions interviewing prospective students and I believe the best interviews are a conversation. As an interviewer, I wanted to get a sense of each student and how they would fit into the already existing community. Try to stay calm and positive!

There is some really great advice here as well: https://www.physicianassistantforum.com/topic/47982-i-got-the-interview/?tab=comments#comment-403016

 

 

[lccalbert]

Dont make the interview such a high stress environment. Luckily im a people person and generally do well in interviews, my issue was how looked on paper. You have already qualified through your numbers and hard work. Now let your personality shine. There only so much prep you can do because. Its about the interactions you have with people there. Little things like eye contact, a soft smile, a firm dry hand shake, and mostly about how and what you answer to thier questions. Be natural and consice throw in a mild joke if it feels right. Read your audience, if its a serious interviewer, be serious. If they want you to relax and have fun, do that.  

These things mightnot come naturally to some especially when you are younger, so its the nerves thats getting to you. I would go on a early morning jog or workout to relax you a bit before showering and getting ready to go. Good luck, youve done a great job getting to where you are. 

[DanaK]

Hey everyone! I have my first interview coming up ion August 30th. I am a little nervous about questions that could catch me off guard. I have been studying the schools program. I graduated from there so I am pretty familiar with the campus. I am just worried about being one of the younger candidates and I have started a new full-time DPC/ PCE job one week after I submitted my application in June so it is not on my CASPA. It also has drastically increased my number of DPC/ PCE hours. Should I bring a print out of my role or a new resume? 

[BrittanyJ95]

Purchase how to ace the PA interview

[Bubbles]

On 9/8/2018 at 1:23 PM, DanaK said:

Hey everyone! I have my first interview coming up ion August 30th. I am a little nervous about questions that could catch me off guard. I have been studying the schools program. I graduated from there so I am pretty familiar with the campus. I am just worried about being one of the younger candidates and I have started a new full-time DPC/ PCE job one week after I submitted my application in June so it is not on my CASPA. It also has drastically increased my number of DPC/ PCE hours. Should I bring a print out of my role or a new resume? 

You can add new work experiences after you submit CASPA. I brought copies of my resume just in case it was requested, but it was not requested at any of the interviews, so I didn’t hand any copies out. 

[LER21]

See if your undergraduate university has a career center that offers mock interviews! I have a mock interview scheduled with mine tomorrow, with my first interview the 20th. Also see if they have someone available who knows the types of questions that will be asked in a PA interview setting, for example my college let me choose which school the field is in (health sciences) and what type of interview (graduate school interview) and provided a section to say it was for a PA school interview specifically. You can even try recording yourself while answering the questions (puts on the pressure like in an actual interview) so you can see if there are any ticks that could have hindered your performance (like saying "um" or touching your hair/adjusting collar). Good luck!

[emilymuff]

On 9/7/2018 at 8:11 AM, PACrankset said:

I don’t think the suit had anything to do with it. In terms of prepping the paid platforms are likely not worth the money. I arranged two or three mock interviews with people I know. They were Physicians, PAs, even a pastor. The point is a lot of the time it is just as much about the delivery of your answer as it is about the content. There is a list online of the most common questions, this can be a good source for your practice interviews. Also read through the questions and really think about how you respond to the question, do just say what you think they want to here. Most interviewers can spot a ingenuine respinse a mile away.

I agree that the suit had little, if anything, to do with you not being excepted. As long as it was professional, it probably was a good thing that you didn’t look like everyone else there.

[nichole96]

I did 7 interviews with a similar schedule (July 13, 18, 23, 27, Aug 2, 9). 5 acceptances. It's grueling. I prepared by acting as if I was going to each school - for the days before my first interview, I put the others completely out of my mind and got to know every nook and cranny of the program. Tore through the program website, noted any interesting curriculum points, reviewed my school-specific supplemental responses, reviewed their interview style, looked at the forum, etc. After that interview, I wrote down every impression and everything that did/didn't impress me in case I had to choose between multiple programs. That really helped when they started blending together in my brain! Then, I immediately started on the next one.

Practically, take time off work if you need to recover (especially after flights). I worked a 12, got 2 hours of sleep, and drove out to an 8 am interview...don't suffer like I did haha. Pay attention to sleeping/eating/drinking properly so you don't get sick. Take common cold/flu meds in your overnight bag just in case. Press your suit the night before so it's one less thing to do in the morning. Make sure you have a functioning car charger if you're using a GPS (mine stopped working halfway between Philly and Boston...not fun). Answer a few interview questions the morning of the interview - nothing crazy, just remind yourself why you want to be a PA.

I also practiced by finding some common questions (easy google search) and answering them out loud in my car on the way to work. I didn't memorize or rehearse, just thought of interesting stories I'd like to tell and how I could apply them in my answers. An interview is just a conversation. Don't be afraid to pause and think about a question. Love the advice earlier to read the interviewer - some have been incredibly solemn and others just wanted to know my top three fav TV shows. It's just like talking to patients (or anyone, really) - some are freaking out, some are irritated, some are chilling, and you adjust your demeanor to fit the situation. Remember you're interviewing them just as much - having genuine, sincere questions is always a good thing!

Don't stress about your suit unless you'll continue to feel less confident. If buying a new suit will reduce the comparison stress during the interview, I'd get a new one.

Last thing, my only post-interview rejection was from a school that gave me a 10-min 1:1 interview, with over half that time reserved for my questions. I genuinely don't think she could have picked me out of a lineup afterwards. Point is, don't sweat the rejection...each program has different interview vibes and it's great that the program wasn't your top choice!