Interviewing Tips

Interview Tips

• Doing your research prior to an interview will reflect your preparedness, professionalism, enthusiasm and knowledge of the position
• Know the location of the interview and how long it will take you to get there
• Wear professional attire
• Bring a copy of your resume and cover letter
• Make sure you’ve done research on the employer/organization
• Interviews often contain scenarios of clinical situations. Practice scenarios before the interview
• Share your personal story which motivated, love or inspired you to become a physio
• At the end of the interview, be sure to ask about income and benefits—if you don’t ask it will seem odd that it isn’t a matter of interest/clarification—this is your first professional job and you aren’t expected to know much about the income portion
• You might want to send a follow-up thank you email or letter to those involved in the interview process

Common Interview Questions

Candidacy – Are you the right fit?

Consider P A W S when you’re telling your future employer about yourself:

Personal – who are you? Why are you interested in the position?
Academic – what academic interests do you have and how are these relevant?
Work – what relevant work/volunteer skills do you have?
Skills – do you have any transferrable or additional skills that are relevant?

• Why are you the right person for this position?
• What are your plans for the future in this profession?
• What do you require from an organization you work for?

Behavioral – How would you act in a given situation?

• Tell me about a time you were faced with a difficult moral/ethical decision?
• How do you deal with peers who have different approaches?
• How do you go about planning a treatment program?

Consider S T A R  when you try to describe an experience clearly:

Situation – what happened? Who or what was involved?
Task – what was the task that needed to be accomplished?
Action – what steps did you take to accomplish the task?
Result – what was the outcome of your actions? Was the situation resolved?

Situational – If you were faced with specific circumstances, how would you deal with them?

• What would you do if a patient’s family member wanted to do something that wasn’t good for the patient?
• What would you say to a member of another professional (i.e. Doctor, OT, insurer, other profession) to give reason for physiotherapy treatment importance?
• How would you measure your effectiveness as a physio, or as a department/clinic?

Professional Responsibility – What is your ethic on supporting & advancing your new profession?

• When did you join CPA?
• What have you done to further the profession of physiotherapy?
• What association resources will you bring into workplace practice (webinars, journal club…)?

Interviewee Questions

Asking questions during your interview shows that you know about the workplace and have given considerate thought to working there:

• What is the culture of work place – fun, serious, religious, casual, formal, etc.?
• What opportunities are there for mentorship?
• What is your favourite thing about working here?
• What is the biggest challenge working here?