Pennsylvania Society of Physician Assistants

Menu
Close
  • Why PSPA
    • Overview
    • For Practicing PAs
    • For Students
    • For Employers
  • Membership
    • Reasons to Join PSPA
    • Join PSPA
    • Membership Levels
    • Benefits of Membership
      • Insurance Benefits
    • Member Directory
    • Renew Membership
    • Keystone Cash
    • Gift Memberships
  • Career Center
    • Overview
    • Job Seekers
      • Find a Job
      • Interviewing Tips
      • Pre-Employment Checklist
      • Anatomy of a Contract
      • New Graduate Info Sheet
      • Obtaining State License
      • Employment Exit Checklist
    • Employers/Recruiters
      • Employer Career Center
      • How to Find a PA
      • Benefits of Hiring a PA
      • Reimbursement for Services
      • Advertising and Fees
    • Resources
      • Salary and Demographics
      • Physician PA Team
      • Summary of PA Regulations
      • Amending Hospital Bylaws
      • Research Grant
  • Student Affairs
    • Overview
    • Potential Students
    • Active Students
    • Graduating Students
    • Pennsylvania PA Programs
    • Challenge Bowl
      • General Info/Rules
      • Challenge Bowl FAQs
    • Student Leader Philanthropic Endowment
    • Student Awards/Scholarships
      • Nathaniel Alston Student Achievement Scholarship Award
      • Thomas J. Lemley Award for Health Disparities Competition
    • Links
  • Advocacy
    • Overview
    • Governmental Affairs
      • Action Center
      • State Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine
      • Online Written Agreement Information
      • Regulatory Activity
      • Legislative Activity
      • Political Action Committee
      • About PSPA PAC
      • Tools
      • SBM Regulations**
      • SBOM Regulations**
      • Archives
    • Workplace
      • Leadership
      • PSPA Annual Awards
        • How it Works
        • Fellow Awards
        • PSPA Award Winners
    • Community
      • Health Disparities
      • Annual Charity
      • 10 Ways to Make a Difference
    • Committees
      • Committee Information
      • Committee Annual Reports
      • AAPA House Delegates
      • Awards Committee
      • Conference Planning Committee
      • Election Committee
      • Finance Committee
      • Governmental Affairs Committee
      • Health Disparities Committee
      • Historian
      • Leadership & Mentoring Committee
      • Membership Committee
      • Newsletter Committee
      • PSPA Liaison
      • Public Relations & Education Committee
      • Regional Affairs Committee
      • Reimbursement Committee
      • Social Media
      • Standing Rules & Policy Committee
      • Student & Faculty Affairs Committee
      • Technology Committee
      • Website Committee
    • Public Relations
      • Spread the Word
      • Addressing Specific Audiences
      • Concepts to Convey
      • Publications & Products
      • Resources
  • Events & CME
    • Calendar
    • Annual Conference
      • 2023 CME Conference Rates & Registration
      • General Information
      • Schedule
      • Thank you to our 2022 speakers!
      • Hotel Information
      • CME Workshops
      • Professional Sessions
      • Current Exhibitors
      • Special Events
      • Conference Faculty
      • Committee Interest Form
      • Exhibitor and Sponsor Information
      • Speaker Application
      • Future Conference Locations
      • Posting of Conference Lectures
    • CME Miniseries
    • CME Announcements
    • Deadlines
    • Regional Affairs
      • Map of Regions
      • Get Involved
      • Regional Representatives
      • Meeting Information
    • Courses
  • Resources
    • Professional Organizations / Liaisons
    • AAPA Links
    • Helpful Links
    • Reimbursement
      • Reimbursement
      • Medicaid
      • Workers Compensation
      • Private Payers
    • Form Library
    • Prescription Drug Card
    • Surveys
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Purpose
    • Officer Directory
    • Officer’s Responsibilities
      • President
      • President Elect
      • Immediate Past President
      • Treasurer
      • Secretary
      • Directors at Large
      • Student Directors at Large
  • News
    • Blog
    • Newsletters
    • PSPA News Brief
  • Contact
Member Login Join or Renew

Pennsylvania Society of Physician Assistants

Member Login Join or Renew
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Purpose
    • Officer Directory
    • Officer’s Responsibilities
      • President
      • President Elect
      • Immediate Past President
      • Treasurer
      • Secretary
      • Directors at Large
      • Student Directors at Large
  • News
    • Blog
    • Newsletters
    • PSPA News Brief
  • Contact
  • Why PSPA
    • Overview
    • For Practicing PAs
    • For Students
    • For Employers
  • Membership
    • Reasons to Join PSPA
    • Join PSPA
    • Membership Levels
    • Benefits of Membership
      • Insurance Benefits
    • Member Directory
    • Renew Membership
    • Keystone Cash
    • Gift Memberships
  • Career Center
    • Overview
    • Job Seekers
      • Find a Job
      • Interviewing Tips
      • Pre-Employment Checklist
      • Anatomy of a Contract
      • New Graduate Info Sheet
      • Obtaining State License
      • Employment Exit Checklist
    • Employers/Recruiters
      • Employer Career Center
      • How to Find a PA
      • Benefits of Hiring a PA
      • Reimbursement for Services
      • Advertising and Fees
    • Resources
      • Salary and Demographics
      • Physician PA Team
      • Summary of PA Regulations
      • Amending Hospital Bylaws
      • Research Grant
  • Student Affairs
    • Overview
    • Potential Students
    • Active Students
    • Graduating Students
    • Pennsylvania PA Programs
    • Challenge Bowl
      • General Info/Rules
      • Challenge Bowl FAQs
    • Student Leader Philanthropic Endowment
    • Student Awards/Scholarships
      • Nathaniel Alston Student Achievement Scholarship Award
      • Thomas J. Lemley Award for Health Disparities Competition
    • Links
  • Advocacy
    • Overview
    • Governmental Affairs
      • Action Center
      • State Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine
      • Online Written Agreement Information
      • Regulatory Activity
      • Legislative Activity
      • Political Action Committee
      • About PSPA PAC
      • Tools
      • SBM Regulations**
      • SBOM Regulations**
      • Archives
    • Workplace
      • Leadership
      • PSPA Annual Awards
        • How it Works
        • Fellow Awards
        • PSPA Award Winners
    • Community
      • Health Disparities
      • Annual Charity
      • 10 Ways to Make a Difference
    • Committees
      • Committee Information
      • Committee Annual Reports
      • AAPA House Delegates
      • Awards Committee
      • Conference Planning Committee
      • Election Committee
      • Finance Committee
      • Governmental Affairs Committee
      • Health Disparities Committee
      • Historian
      • Leadership & Mentoring Committee
      • Membership Committee
      • Newsletter Committee
      • PSPA Liaison
      • Public Relations & Education Committee
      • Regional Affairs Committee
      • Reimbursement Committee
      • Social Media
      • Standing Rules & Policy Committee
      • Student & Faculty Affairs Committee
      • Technology Committee
      • Website Committee
    • Public Relations
      • Spread the Word
      • Addressing Specific Audiences
      • Concepts to Convey
      • Publications & Products
      • Resources
  • Events & CME
    • Calendar
    • Annual Conference
      • 2023 CME Conference Rates & Registration
      • General Information
      • Schedule
      • Thank you to our 2022 speakers!
      • Hotel Information
      • CME Workshops
      • Professional Sessions
      • Current Exhibitors
      • Special Events
      • Conference Faculty
      • Committee Interest Form
      • Exhibitor and Sponsor Information
      • Speaker Application
      • Future Conference Locations
      • Posting of Conference Lectures
    • CME Miniseries
    • CME Announcements
    • Deadlines
    • Regional Affairs
      • Map of Regions
      • Get Involved
      • Regional Representatives
      • Meeting Information
    • Courses
  • Resources
    • Professional Organizations / Liaisons
    • AAPA Links
    • Helpful Links
    • Reimbursement
      • Reimbursement
      • Medicaid
      • Workers Compensation
      • Private Payers
    • Form Library
    • Prescription Drug Card
    • Surveys
Career Center

Interviewing Tips

The Interview: A Time to Shine

Congratulations! Your resume got you in the door—you and 10 other similarly qualified candidates—to interview for the job. Your task is to convince the interviewer that you are the best choice among those candidates.

Your interviewer will be looking for things that say you have expertise and competence, interpersonal and decision-making skills, and interest in the job. As you interview, you should gather more information about the job, the employer, and the organization while impressing the interviewer enough to be offered the job.

Chemistry is the Key!

Remember that the typical hiring decision is made within the first fifteen minutes of an interview. Employers hire people—not qualifications. Your credentials, experience, and professional background got you to the interview. The person that gets the job will be the person that the employer feels will work best with their team. During the interview, look for shared experience and common backgrounds. Remember studies have shown that education and experience are 35% of a hire, while chemistry is 65%.

Remember the Objective

Everything you do when you are looking for a new job should be directed toward one central goal: getting the job offer. You may decide not to accept the offer, but you have to receive the offer before you can make that decision. Once you feel that an offer is being considered, your second objective is to raise your perceived value to the employer to increase the compensation package that may be forthcoming. Leave your ego at the door when you go to be interviewed—first and foremost, get the job offer.

Ready, Research, Practice

A key to success is to go well prepared to every interview. That way, you’ll know how to present your strengths and downplay your weaknesses, and you’ll be able to ask the interviewer intelligent questions. Be prepared to give further descriptions or additional examples beyond the points made in your resume.Just as there are different types of resumes, there are a variety of types of interviews and settings for interviews.

You may face your first interview one-on-one in the hospital or at a job fair. Or your first interview may be an informal screening over the phone. A first or second interview could be conducted by a series of managers or a panel of employees in the office or in a restaurant.

Wherever or with whomever your interview occurs, most preparation is the same.

Your first step is to research the practice or organization. Your best information may come from current or previous employees. Hopefully, you’ll have spoken to some during your informal interviews. If possible you should also research the individual or individuals that will interview you.

Take your research and use it to review your strengths, skills, goals, and weaknesses. Remember when you get to the interview, the interviewer is interested in what you bring to the workplace—not in what you want to get out of the job. Practice talking about your skills, strengths, and experiences in terms of how you can use them on the job.

Practice well thought-out answers to anticipated questions:

  • Tell me about yourself.
  • What do you like about your present position?
  • What do you dislike about the positions you previously held?
  • If you were starting your career over, what would you do differently?
  • What four critical things do you want in your next job?
  • What do others see as your best qualities?
  • Why do you want to join this practice/organization?
  • Why would you hire yourself for this position?
  • Tell me about a time when a supervising physician disagreed with the way you handled something. How was the issue resolved?

Printer Friendly Version

Back to Top
  • Overview
  • Job Seekers
    • Find a Job
    • Interviewing Tips
    • Pre-Employment Checklist
    • Anatomy of a Contract
    • New Graduate Info Sheet
    • Obtaining State License
    • Employment Exit Checklist
  • Employers/Recruiters
    • Employer Career Center
    • How to Find a PA
    • Benefits of Hiring a PA
    • Reimbursement for Services
    • Advertising and Fees
  • Resources
    • Salary and Demographics
    • Physician PA Team
    • Summary of PA Regulations
    • Amending Hospital Bylaws
    • Research Grant
  • Contact Us
  • Help
  • Legal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Calendar
  • Form Library
  • Site Map

Social

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

© 2023 Pennsylvania Society of Physician Assistants

Website by Imagebox