Are you ready to interview?

Pharmacy residency interviews usually begin in late January and continue through the month of February.  If you've made the first cut based on your goals, achievements and the support of your mentors, congratulations!  Now the fun begins.  Here is a list of questions to help you determine if you are ready for the interview process.

1. Do you have your "elevator speech" prepared in response to the request to "tell me a little about yourself"?
2. Do you have your list of good scenarios prepared for a behavioral interviewing approach?  Can you come up with a story to describe a time when you: were shot down, made a successful intervention, were challenged by a patient, disagreed with a supervisor, had a conflict with a teammate...?
3. Do you feel confident that you won't appear stupid if you don't know the answer to a clinical question when you aren't sure of the correct answer?
4. Can you describe your weaknesses without using personality flaws?  For example, telling the interview team that you are always late is a problem.
5. Has anyone checked your mannerisms lately in high-pressure scenarios to make sure you don't do anything which is distracting or confusing (ex. use of "um," playing with hair, picking at clothing, grimmacing, laughing/smiling at the wrong time, etc.)?
6. Have you practiced your handshake with someone who will be completely honest with you about whether you've given a good handshake?
7. Have you prepared your list of questions for the programs and do you feel confident that the types of questions you will ask will reflect upon you favorably (ex. avoid "why did the program let a resident go last year?")?
8. Can you clearly describe your own preferences for a program in terms of the amount of flexibility, degree of autonomy, quantity/frequency of feedback, and exposure to certain activities like teaching and management projects?

The good news is that there is still plenty of time to make improvements to all of these items!  The bad news is that some work will be required on your part.  Don't forget about the opportunity to participate in the Mock Interview Workshop at the University of Utah on January 16th.  The preceptors/faculty know to look for the items on this list and can give you honest feedback without holding anything against you.  You only have until Friday the 11th to indicate that you want to participate.  Check your email inbox for the Surveymonkey invitation which was sent last Friday; you must fill it out to attend.