3 Ways to Make a Pharmacy Director Yawn in an Interview

Planning on interviewing this year? Even if you aren’t, if you ever interview again in your career, you can benefit from knowing this.   Here are some surefire ways to make a potential pharmacy employer yawn in an interview:

1.  Tell them what you’ve done and never talk about the reasons why it would benefit them. Many of us do this.  We describe our job responsibilities….and don’t say much beyond that.  It can sound very similar to what another pharmacist you’re competing with would say.  If you want to stand out from your competition, go one step further.  Describe what that would mean for the employer.

For example, if you’re a clinical/staff pharmacist in the ambulatory care setting, instead of saying “I contribute to P&T committee meetings and help with med safety initiatives”, describe right away an example of a major accomplishment and the reasons why doing what you did would benefit them:  “As part of my role of being a clinical/staff pharmacist, I worked on a project that helped reduce medication errors by X% over 12 months.  This helped with medication safety and encouraged accuracy in the pharmacy.”

Are you starting to see the power of sharing the benefit of what you did?  Change this one thing about the way you interview, and you will impress the interviewer and increase your chances for getting a job you want, vs. someone else who didn’t know better.

2.  Say trite things that other pharmacist job applicants will most likely say. Tell them how you work well with others and that you are hard working.  You can bet that your interviewer will tune out when you say trite things. Instead, try to describe yourself in a way that relates to the job you will be doing. Here’s the key: back it up with an example or a story.  You can also bring up something positive a previous boss said about you.  When a potential employer hears a story of you doing the great things you’ve done, they can relate to it.  They can think about how that situation can apply to their needs.

3.  When asked by your interviewer, “Do you have any questions”, you either say “No, you went over everything” or you ask a few questions but don’t take things a step further to show further interest.  Ask well thought out questions, listen, and ask more in depth questions about that topic.

Have some sincere questions ready for when you are asked, such as:

• “What are the qualities of the people who are your best pharmacists in your pharmacy?” (Use this to respond with the similar qualities you have)
• “What projects/initiatives are being implemented that I will have a part in if I am accepted for the job?”

The interviewer will be impressed by the questions you ask, and he or she can learn a lot about you by what you bring up during the interview.

BONUS Tip:  One great question to ask is “What’s important in what you’re looking for?” Then answer with what you’ve done that’s relevant to what they’re looking for.  Again, give examples and stories—they can help you stand out. 

Use these valuable strategies to prepare for your next pharmacy interview–instead of boring your potential employer(s), keep their eyes open & increase your chances of getting the job! Now go and get the job you deserve, or share this with a pharmacist who is interviewing soon.

Comment below on what you learned from these strategies & what mistakes you’ve made in the past but now you’ve realized.  If you have been an interviewer before, comment on how frequently you hear boring things from pharmacist applicants.