In this episode, Patty Prado invites listeners to focus on the impact of their stories when interviewing with prospective employers. Patty is an Assistant Director of Leadership Development and Coaching in the Department of Medical Education at The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School.
This episode of Cancer Uncovered was mixed and mastered by Morgan Honaker.
Hosts
Ginger M. Okoro, MPAManager at LCI, Department of Oncology at the Dell Medical School
Patty PradoAssistant Director in Leadership Development and Assessment in the Department of Medical Education at the University of Texas at Austin
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[0:00:28 Speaker 1] empowerment podcast by the live strong cancer institutes. Yeah, you have likely heard the phrase. You had to be there. Well, tell me about it. I’m ginger oh, curl with the Livestrong Cancer institutes and emerging cancer center at the University of texas at Austin’s Dell Medical School. This month’s mini episode examines how we show up how we describe our experiences in an extremely short amount of time. There are many forms of interview styles and approaches Patty discusses how to relay your story, your experiences, your background and your engagement with the interviewer. Patty Prado is an assistant director of leadership development and coaching in the Department of Medical Education at the University of texas at Austin’s Dell Medical School.
[0:01:38 Speaker 0] Interviewing for a new position typically brings mixed emotions, nervousness and excitement, hope and uncertainty, worry and enthusiasm. Underneath all of these feelings lies a desire to make a strong impression and get the job. It feels good to be wanted and appreciated. Even if we turn down an offer, having that choice to do so means we have options and we are in control, something most of us prefer to have when it comes to our career. Thankfully there are tons of resources available to prepare yourself for an interview from list of questions you can practice answering in advance to how to ensure a professional online presence in your zoom interview. So I’d like to talk about something different as we think about interviewing skills and best practices. I’m always amazed at how this Maya Angelou quote can be applied for so many different life experiences. People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. What a wonderful guide this quote can be for how we can think about interviewing and life because it’s inevitable. We might say something or do something that we wish we hadn’t in an interview. But if we put our attention, our energy and our intention to creating an experience that will make our interviewer never forget how we made them feel well. That can be quite powerful and this does go both ways. We could leave an impression that makes them feel shocked or horrified. And no matter how much relevant experience you have, no matter how perfect of a fit you think you are for a role. If you’ve made someone feel awful, you’re probably not going to advance in the hiring process. So what’s a helpful way to make someone feel in an interview? Hm It’s an interesting question that only you can answer. It will really depend on the position you are applying for. Is it appropriate to show a lot of energy and excitement? Would it be more helpful to have a calm, even keel demeanor? The more you learn about the role of the organization, their history, their goals. This can inform how you show up and how you can make your interviewer or the hiring committee feel and never forget the interview starts before the actual scheduled interview starts. For virtual or in person interviews. Someone will be reaching out to you to schedule the time, give you a link, give you parking information and many times that individual is not the person interviewing you but their input and feedback may still play a part in the process. So lucky you. There’s another opportunity to make someone feel appreciated and valued. Over my 16 years. Working at U. T. I. have conducted hundreds of interviews. Some for students staff positions, many for full time staff positions, a few years worth of medical student applicants and countless mock interviews for undergraduate and graduate students. What stands out in my mind for the best interview experiences is not that someone had the perfect answer or the best response. But how they shared their story. There’s two things here. First is how they shared their story. The second is that they shared a story but we’ll get to that in a minute. How an applicant talked to me how their body language expressed interest and engagement or did not how they interacted with others during the interview. All of this was many times much more important than what they actually said. You can have all the right words and write responses, but if it is said in an arrogant way or you come across very unsure of yourself, that’s not going to make me feel confident about you. And it in turn makes me question how you would fit in on our team. And that’s the other thing about interviews beyond the right skills or qualifications an interviewer or hiring manager is thinking, what will it be like to work with this person? What is their communication style? Will they be collaborative? Can I trust them demonstrating what you are like to work with in your interview? Can help you be successful in the hiring process? I said there was a second thing beyond how you share your story and that is sharing a story, This is huge. People love a great storyteller and who better to tell your story than you when I think about standing interviews, I’ve conducted personal and relevant stories, take the win every time I can really feel like I’m understanding their perspective, like I was there and storytelling effectively helps illustrate a point after a question is asked, answer the question, make your point and then back it up with a story. When I’m interviewing people, I can always see a shift in their energy, their posture, how their eyes shine when they begin telling a story that’s important to them during an interview and it’s usually a very memorable moment. You’ve probably heard that the best interviews are really conversations, there are back and forth dialogue between people, learning and sharing about each other stories. Help facilitate that conversation. So this means having stories ready to draw upon is an important step in your interview preparation. It’s actually easier than you think. So, let’s try it right now, I invite you to think of a very challenging moment in your academic career, in a professional setting or on any team you’ve ever been a part of what happened, what was going on? Think of how you could describe the context for someone shedding light onto the big picture view of the situation and then think of how you would share what your role was in this challenging moment. What did you do, What were you thinking? How did you get there? How did you move through the challenge? What did you learn? Who helped you? How would you approach the same situation differently? Now, these questions can help you craft the story of your own experience to be able to effectively share that in an interview. So, coming to an interview, it’s helpful to have a few stories written down ready to mention, definitely bring your own notes to the interview, not just questions you have prepared to ask in your interview. And one approach to help jog your memory of challenging moments to then help find some stories you could share is to just look at your resume, look at your activities, your positions, you’ve held awards committees, you’ve been on volunteering, everything you’ve done that’s listed on your resume or your CV and now think about your experiences in these different areas. Who did you work with? What was tough about being in that role? What was your favorite accomplishment? one idea is to try to have at least one or two stories ready to go from each of your former positions or organizations that you’ve been a part of and now beyond having a story ready practice telling your story ideally in front of someone else. Although I think pets count for this. But the point is to be able to share your experiences in a natural and compelling way and the more you practice your own story telling, the easier it will be to do. So in the moment during an interview when you’re already a little nervous after an interview, it can be helpful to take some notes. Of course. You know, you’ll send a follow up, thank you email or even possibly a handwritten note that that’s doable, but that’s for them. That’s for your interviewer or the hiring committee. Don’t forget to do something for yourself at this important moment while it’s still fresh in your mind, be proactive about documenting questions you were asked how you responded questions or comments that you didn’t say in the interview, but thought of later all of these important data points can help strengthen your interviewing skills and preparation for the next one. Use each interview experience as a valuable opportunity to educate yourself for future interviews. What did you do that worked well? What were you proud of? What did you say that you don’t think landed well, how would you say it differently now? Navigating different interview formats requires agility and attention. Regardless of the number of people in your interview or if it’s online or in person. You can always be intentional about how you’re showing up and what stories you’re sharing. Keeping in mind that you want to help your interviewer feel like you’re a good fit for the role can help you stay focused and engaged. And if things don’t go as planned or a result in an offer you’re still learning, you’re still practicing, there will be more chances. And that’s the journey of life
[0:11:38 Speaker 1] Patty prompts us to consider practicing our experiences and really understanding how our responses and interactions can positively shape our presentation practice introducing yourself and your abilities through stories. I think that this past year has definitely taught us. We all have some. Thank you for joining us today. If you enjoyed this episode, please tell a friend and be sure to subscribe for questions about this episode or the live Strong Cancer Institutes, please email live Strong cancer institutes at Dell med dot utexas dot e d u. You can also follow our chair and our director, Dr Gail Eckhart on twitter. That’s at S S Ensue Gail, G A I L Eckhart, E c k h A r D t. This is ginger Okaroh. Thank you for your ongoing support of cancer uncovered. May you continue to make good