A Physiotherapy job interview can be a daunting experience, especially if it is your first time. But with proper preparation, you can make sure you perform at your best on the day.
So, in this article, we will give you a step-by-step guide that will help you to prepare for all the key questions that may be asked.
1. Use the Right Resources 📚
The best way to prepare for a physiotherapy job interview is to use the right resources to give you the knowledge you need.
There are numerous websites and educational videos that offer advice on how to prepare for an interview, such as jamesarmstrongphysio. It is also useful to limit the number of resources you use to 3 as this can help prevent you from feeling overwhelmed.
The most important thing you can do once you select the right resources for you is practise answering questions. Get a friend to ask you questions about the role you are interviewing for, and practice your responses. Being prepared well in advance will help you feel much more confident during the interview.
2. Know the Different Types of Questions ❓
When preparing for a Physiotherapy job interview, it is important to understand the format of the interview and what will be expected of you.
There are three main types of questions you could be asked: structured, unstructured, and scenario-based.
1) Structured questions are those that require a specific answer, For example, “Do you have experience using any electronic patient record system?”
2) Unstructured questions are open-ended, For example, “Tell me about how you manage stress.”
3) Scenario-based questions require you to imagine that you are in a particular clinical situation and then describe the steps you would take to reach the most desirable outcome. For example, “A patient in your clinic has a 2-week history of mechanical back pain and has been unable to sleep. The patient demands an urgent MRI scan of the lower back. How would you manage this situation?”
It is important to be prepared for all three types of questions, as you will not know which type will be asked in your interview. Again, regular practise including all question types will maximise your chance of performing well during the interview.
3. Practise, practise and practise some more 🏋️
Perhaps the most important aspect of your preparation for a physiotherapy job interview is consistently practising your responses to different questions.
Interviewers want to see that you can respond to challenging questions in a calm and effective manner. The best way to do this is to practise in a safe environment so that your responses become semi-automatic and you genuinely feel confident when responding to each question.
You can find sample questions online and initially practise your response by yourself. Then you can progress to asking your friends or family to quiz you. For thorough preparation, you can ask a willing but unfamiliar colleague or peer to quiz you as this will be more representative of the real interview.
It is important to note that, you do not want to memorise each response word-for-word as this will come across as a robotic answer, but rather keep a note of key words that are essential for a given response and then build your answer around the key word(s).
4. Try a Mock Interview 🎭
A mock interview will give you an opportunity to put all of your practice together and become comfortable with answering a series of questions in a similar environment as you would during the real interview.
Similar to practising individual responses for potential interview questions, you want to ask a friend or family member to sit down with you and formally ask you a series of questions that they have selected at random. Additionally, you may want to set a time limit for each response to optimise your pacing for the real interview. It is useful to complete a mock interview within one week of the real interview but the exact timing can vary from person to person.
5. Be ready to talk about Yourself 🧐
One of the most important things you can do when preparing for a Physiotherapy job interview is to get ready to answer questions about yourself.
This is a crucial aspect of interview preparation that can be easily forgotten as you can become hyper-focused on perfecting your knowledge and articulation of the technical aspects of the job you are applying for. However, usually, at the beginning of the interview, you will likely be asked about your hobbies, personal experiences or how you manage stress. The interviewer might also want to find out more about your motivation to undertake the job.
6. Confidence is Key 😎
It is important to remember that you have worked hard to get to this point and you deserve to be there. You have relevant experience and knowledge, so try not to be fearful when answering the interviewer’s questions.
Remain professional but show the interviewer your personality when it is appropriate to do so as they want to hire a Physiotherapist that is competent but also a pleasant person to work with. Also, the interviewer wants to get to know you and has seen your potential to fulfil the role you have applied for. Most importantly, be confident in your preparation and constantly remind yourself that you have prepared well so you can navigate any questions that come up during the interview.