Dentistry Interviews: The Interviewers Perspective Tips & Common Pitfalls

• Be confident

It is said that an interviewer makes up his/her mind in the first 30seconds of an interview. Needless to say, confidence is a huge game player. When a candidate shows confidence coupled with a humble approach, this will surely be an advantageous start to the interview.

• Cheerful persona

Entering the interview with a cheerful and bright persona will always gain brownie points! Subconsciously, it tells the interviewer more about your personality and helps start the process on a pleasant note rather than one of awkwardness, nerves and fear.

• Zeal & passion

An interviewer always yearns to see the zeal and passion of a candidate. That they truly wish to pursue dentistry as a life career. Passion and zeal are contagious and if a candidate can exhibit this, it will surely give them a forward footing in the interview process. Saying the right things but with a lack of enthusiasm or in a monotonous tone will surely wear off unto the interviewer.

• Evidence

We live in a world where everything needs to be backed up. And it’s no different with a dental interviewer. The interviewer wants to see whether your facts are backed up. So, be prepared to bring evidence to the table. Claim you have manual dexterity, show them how. Mention that you display empathy, explain how. And the list goes on.

• Honesty

It’s easy to lie your way through an interview but when assessors have conducted thousands of them, they can surely tell when facts don’t add up and this can easily get a candidate into a mess. Always be honest and truthful. There’s no harm in saying, ‘I don’t know’ but also showing a zeal to understand more and perhaps answering a question with another question!