Preparing for a Job Interview at Mayo Clinic
An important event in the career development process is an interview. A good interview can open the door to many opportunities and experiences. This section has been developed based on thoughts and suggestions from Mayo Clinic Human Resources professionals. This section will assist you in preparing for an interview at Mayo Clinic.

Preparing for the Interview

To be prepared for an interview, you need to be knowledgeable about yourself and the position. Below are a few recommended actions to help prepare for an interview.

• Assess your skills and abilities.
• Search for knowledge about the company and the position for which you are interviewing.
• Review Mayo's interview process.
• Think about job-specific and behavioral questions that may be asked; think about questions you may want to ask.
• Prepare and verbally practice answers to potential questions.

Assess Your Skills and Abilities
Prior to an interview, it is important to learn as much about yourself as possible. Listed below are some questions to ask to learn more about yourself. Be prepared to cite specific examples.

• What is important to me in a job?
• What are my achievements? Accomplishments?
• What are my strengths?
• What are areas in which I need further development?
• What attracts me to this position?
• What are my short- and long-term goals?
• How do my education and work history relate to this position?
• How do my interests, values, skills, and goals match the job or fit with the organization?
• Why do I feel I will be successful in this position?
• Is this position a good fit with my skills and abilities?
• For what kind of an organization do I want to work?
• Do I work well in a team setting or do I prefer working along?
• What problem-solving skills do I have?
• Do I work better in a structured or unstructured environment?

Mayo Interview Process
Below is a diagram of the Mayo interview process. The specific steps and details of each interview may vary, depending on the job.

Interview Process:

Announce open position

Review applications and select best candidates to interview

Conduct interviews

Select and offer position to best candidate

Interviews at Mayo can range from one hour to a full-day event. The overall interview process may take several weeks due to the large number of applications, scheduling of interviews, selecting the candidates, and offering the job. Job offers are generally made to successful candidates within 2-3 weeks of the on-site interview but can take longer due to certain circumstances.

Be prepared to encounter different types of interviews and different styles of interviewing, depending on the job and the interviewers.

• Panel interviews - including three to five interviewers -- are common. Try to find out in advance if you will be interviewed by one person or a panel.
• Behavior-based interviewing is a structured interview process that is commonly used at Mayo. All candidates being interviewed will be asked the same set of questions. The interviewer(s) will probably read the questions to you and take notes during the interview.

Sample Questions
Open-Ended and Technical Questions Frequently Asked by Interviewers:

• Tell us about your previous work experience.
• Why are you interested in this job?
• What experiences have you had that qualify you for this job?
• Do you have other abilities or experiences that will help perform the job?
• What do you know about this department? Why do you think you would like to work in this department?
• What are your career goals?
• Tell me about an area in which you have worked to develop additional skills or abilities.
• What specific skills do you have related to the job opening?
• Tell me why you think you would be successful in this position.
• What do you feel is a satisfactory attendance record?
• Tell me about your school experiences. In which areas did you do best or worst?
• Tell me about your non-work activities which might help qualify you for this job.
• Do you prefer working with others or by yourself?
• What is the accomplishment of which you are most proud?

Behavior-based Interviewing Sample Questions:

• Give me an example of a time when you handled a customer complaint. Tell me specifically what you did in the situation.
• This position requires working on multiple projects simultaneously. Give us an example of your experiences organizing and prioritizing projects and tasks.
• Describe for me a team you have participated on recently. What were the goals and what was your role in helping the team achieve its goals?
• Give an example of a time when you received negative feedback from a coworker, your supervisor, or a team member. Describe the situation. How did you respond to the feedback? What was the result?
• Describe an experience you've had working on a project. Describe the project and your role.
• Describe strategies you have used to ensure the confidentiality of sensitive information.
• Please describe a situation in which you experienced a lot of pressure in meeting deadlines. How did you handle the situation?
• Tell me about a time when you had to deal with frequent changes or unexpected events on the job. What does this situation say about your ability to handle changing circumstances?
• Describe for me a specific time when your ability to listen helped you communicate better.
• Tell me specifically how you have dealt with a patient or other customer who is angry, frustrated, or demanding? What was the outcome?
• Tell us about a high stress situation when it was desirable for you to keep a positive attitude. What happened?