Blog

Do you have a medical specialty interview - read this before you prepare for your next interview

Do you prepare for a medical specialty interview in the same way as you would prepare for an exam? Do you think about the questions from the perspective of problem based learning ? Do you write out your answers to expected questions and try to memorise them and then practice with colleagues or friends to get them word perfect? If this is how you plan to prepare for that really important medical specialty interview then STOP NOW. An interview is not an exam - it is a focussed discussion. What the interview panel needs to know is, what information you take into account when making a decision about how you manage a particular situation? Your first step to preparing for the medical specialty interview is knowing your learning style. Ask yourself the following questions and make a note of your answers: Do I always need to see (visual) the information to learn and remember?  Do I always need to hear (aural) the information to learn and remember? Do I always need to do the practical work (kinaesthetic)  to learn and remember? In fact most people learn using all three of the learning styles with a slight preference for one or two.  However, some people have a strong preference for a particular learning style.  If your learning style is strongly visual and/or kinaesthetic then, the interview process makes it more difficult for you to clearly demonstrate your suitability for the job. In my 10 years experience, training doctors for specialty interviews I have found that  doctors have a preference for visual/ kinaesthetic  learning and the greater the preference the more difficult the interview process becomes. To succeed  at  interview you need to adapt your preparation approach to suit your learning style. Five Tips to help you prepare:

• Start with if you were on the interview panel what would you want the candidate to say and demonstrate for you to say YES they are the one?
• Approach your preparation for the interview by assessing your skills, knowledge and personal attributes against the selection criteria for the specialty. Remember to note your areas of advantage.
• Then looking at both previous questions and topics covered create a list of all the topics asked at interview.
• Using each topic put in the points that need to be covered against each of them and some examples.
• Now you are ready to start practicing the interview questions.

For information on your specific needs please email Deborah Barit  at info@impressiveinterviews.com.au  or ring on (02) 9331 1853, (M) 0412 007 682 , to make an appointment.