So, you’ve studied, practiced, completed your classroom training and externship, and now you want to get started on that perfect Medical Assistant career! For some people, interviews can be very stressful or even downright terrifying. In order to help you set aside some of your fears, we came up with a few suggestions of ways to decrease anxiety and increase confidence to help you put your best foot forward and hopefully land the medical assisting job of your dreams!
1. Put your best foot… er… *shoe* forward.
What you wear and how your carry yourself in an interview immediately communicates a lot about you to a potential employer. So, make sure that your physical appearance is neat, professional, and clean. It’s not enough to just wear nice clothes and cover any visible tattoos, it’s also important to act the part! As a Medical Assistant, you will be responsible for a variety of tasks including patient care and your employer will want to ensure that you are able to maintain eye contact and communicate clearly and confidently. Proving your ability to appear neat and clean while also confident and friendly will speak volumes about your ability to do the same on the job.
2. Know your audience.
Although the interview is to get to know more about you and whether or not you are a fit for the practice or other healthcare facility, it is important to spend some time learning about the place that you are attempting to get a job. There is a wealth of information that can typically be found on the organization’s website. Take the time to research and then ask informed questions during appropriate times in your interview. That lets the interviewer know that you cared enough to become informed and that you are already investing in their practice or facility.
Also, knowing the facility will allow you to match your answers to their interview questions with the needs of the practice. If it is a specialized office and you are not as familiar with that specialty of healthcare, get familiar with it! If you have no experience in a dermatology office, start researching so that you can appropriately answer questions with that in mind. Many of their questions will be specifically designed to help determine whether or not you will be a good fit. Do you believe that you are? Prove it.
3. Be honest.
Although you want to show a potential employer that you are the perfect Medical Assistant for the job, you must also be honest. If you don’t know something, let them know that you are eager to learn. If you are not certified and they ask, share your plans to pursue certification. Although they may seem like they want you to answer a certain way, it is never worth it to pretend you are someone that you’re not. However, you can always be enthusiastic about your desire to continue growing in the healthcare field and taking on new responsibilities.
Some questions you may be asked could include:
- “Tell me about yourself”
This is often one of the first questions asked. A potential employer may ask this simply to get to know you better. They want to know what is important to you and what you are passionate about. Of course, it is important to be honest. However, honesty doesn’t mean you must disclose everything about yourself. Share those things that are relevant to your potential employment. This is also a great time to let some of your enthusiasm about medical assisting shine! - “Tell me about a time that you had to deal with an angry patient, what did you do?”
They are likely wanting to ensure that you can communicate well, even under pressure. - “What are your weaknesses?”
This may seem like a trick question as you don’t want to begin listing reasons to not hire you! However, this can easily be turned into a strength if you share an area that you have less experience in but would love the opportunity to grow. For example, maybe you completed your externship in a general practice office and are interviewing for a pediatric office. You can respond that you had an older client base and look forward to the opportunity to work more with children.
4. Be passionate and positive.
You got into the medical assisting field because you are passionate about helping people live healthy and happy lives. Don’t hide that! Enthusiasm about your chosen field can often cause potential employers to be inspired, especially when it’s paired with professionalism and the right experience. Remember, your interviewer is in the same field as you are – they are also passionate about people and healthcare! Share about your interests and hobbies as well as any volunteer work you do or community organizations you are a part of.
5. Be on time… or early!
Make sure to give yourself plenty of time to make it to the interview even if something happens. You never know when a flat tire, accident, or UFO sighting may make your drive a little longer than anticipated. Give yourself more time than you need as a potential employer will expect you to be on time for work and the interview. In a medical assisting career, you have patients and other healthcare professionals counting on you to be prepared; prove that you are timely before you even land the job!
Are you interested in pursuing a career in medical assisting? We offer Medical Assistant career training at each of our Ross Medical Education Center campuses! Our Career Services team will work with you to help you get prepared for interviews and hopefully land that perfect job! Visit our Medical Assistant program page to find out more!