The in-person interview in the process of medical school enrolment can be challenging unless you are prepared adequately. This typical one-on-one encounter can be either the deciding factor or at least one of the most crucial criteria in the process. In any interview, the interviewer can capture emotional and behavioural clues of the candidate, such as discomfort or enthusiasm, and, more importantly, self-confidence.
The commonest and most frequent question or opening statement in an in-person interview throughout the globe is “Tell me about yourself” or something similar. However, although this question usually comes at the beginning, on some occasions, it can be posed later in the interview. Nevertheless, this is an inevitable and extremely important question, and your attentive answer is required.
We will discuss how to answer this extremely pertinent question in an interview. Your successful answer will take you to the next step in the interview with merit and ensure your enrolment.
At the outset, as a candidate, you have to understand the general reason behind the question. Why do they ask you to describe yourself? There are several important reasons. First and foremost, the question is a gentle and non-intimidating question intended to break the ice and place a customarily nervous interviewee in a relaxed and comfortable position.
Tiresome procedures
For a recruiter, the entire recruitment process is a daunting task. Starting from publishing advertisements, the process follows a tedious line of tiresome procedures such as pre-screening, choosing applicants for interviews, scheduling, and preparing for the first in-person interview. Therefore, the intention and the responsibility of any interviewer tasked with selecting individuals from many equally suitable competitors is to identify and select the best.
Most often, the candidates have similar qualifications, experience, and credentials. Therefore, they are your competitors, and you may have to defeat some of them in the race. Hence, you need to establish your personal attributes, level of confidence, and general intelligence. The recruiter also aspires to understand your ability to blend with the culture, standards, and the rest of the student population of the institution.
Immediately upon the confirmation of your interview, you must start the preparation process. As you now know, the most likely first step of the process would be to describe yourself, so you must prepare a draft of your answer promptly. It is important that your answer must be in line with the application you have submitted.
The use of present, past, and future formulas is a good way to design the answer. You can begin with your current situation and details of your previous employment while keeping the past employer’s important and critical information confidential.
Divulging such intimate information is a definite disadvantage because the interviewer immediately concludes that you are unreliable and will repeat the same practices on your next job hunt.
However, a definite advantage and more bonus points can be on the cards if you are involved in extra activities to emphasise that you are a team player and carry a suave personality. Any employer likes to add people with good social skills to their cadre. The best answers to this request must be honest, brief, and confidently delivered. Your goal is to share something interesting about yourself that illuminates who you are as a person and is a valuable asset to any organisation.
Future goals
If time permits, it is good to describe what you have done in the past in school, your achievements, if there are any, your hobbies, and anything else to support your intentions. However, if you add this to your answer, always try to link it to the job you have applied for.
Touching on your future goals is another important aspect for the interviewers. They will want to know where you are heading. Prepare a step-by-step answer, starting from the current position and proceed to describe the ultimate goal and beyond. A proper future plan will undoubtedly impress the panel of interviewers.
Giving brief examples at this stage can be useful, if time permits. Examples of hobbies, personal interests, pursuits, interactive roles, and specifically, socially beneficial volunteer work can make an impact. However, all examples must be brief and relevant.
When you prepare your answer to the question about yourself, you must also be conscious of what not to say to the interviewers.
First and foremost, you should be aware of the time allotted to you by the interviewers, if any. It is completely up to you to impress them with your initial response. If your presentation about yourself is catchy and likeable, even if you exceed the time limit, the interviewers will gladly permit more time.
Avoid controversial subjects
However, keep in mind that you must not share too much or too little information about your achievements. The interviewer does not want to know everything about you and wants to know your relevant strengths. Hence, a proper balance of information is needed.
When describing yourself, avoid potentially controversial subjects such as politics, religion, race, or any other. Also, if or when you speak about hobbies, be careful not to give the impression that hobbies are more important than the job. No interviewer will ever like their recruits to neglect their duties over hobbies.
There is no need to explain things about your family, ancestry, or achievements of siblings, unless they inquire specifically. Not only can it be a time-waster, but it can also be boring for the interviewers.
You may be tempted to describe your entire life out of excitement and enthusiasm, particularly if the interviewer is friendly. You have to keep in mind that this is not the time or place for such an exercise. Always prepare for a neat and brief account. As mentioned before, your response should be strictly related to the job and the industry and aligned with the application already submitted.
Finally, be serious about the upcoming interview and start practising the answer you have prepared as a draft, at least a few times until the response is in your mind completely. Nevertheless, in the real interview, the practised content must come out naturally and should not appear as a by-hearted text.
You can have a mock session if you can with your family or friends. As emphasised several times earlier, this is a hurdle that you have to win, and therefore, speaking about your own strength positively is crucial.
Here is an additional tip for your interview. To succeed, it is critical to impress the interviewer or panel. They will judge your personality along with your credentials or job-related experience. Therefore, choosing the most suitable outfit for the important encounter is also essential.
Personality and confidence from start to finish of the interview are critically imperative. You can positively show the interviewers that you are self-confident, talented, and intelligent, and you will definitely overshadow your competitors.