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Nervous about job interview
I got a job interview for a patient access representative position at a hospital in two days. I'm a little nervous b/c I blow it on my last job interview. In the last one, I told them I was registering for college soon but swore that it won't interfere with the job. It's full time. I was going to take online classes. The agency that connect me w/ the company said they were hesitant about hiring me b/c I was in school. I felt like I should not have told them that. It was almost like they were shaming me for getting an education? I'm in debt and really need the job. Do I have to pick one over the other to get this next job?
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The key to a good god interview is to answer only the questions asked of you. Do not volunteer any information or elaborate on a question.
One question almost all interviewers ask is for you to tell them about yourself. This is your opportunity to sell yourself to the interviewer. This does not mean you have to give away the store, you can hold back on some things like going to college online or at night. If you are asked the question then be truthful with your answer.
Another question many interviewers like to ask, one than I always followed up with is: Where do you see yourself in say 5 years. Now this is where you can tell them that you have PLANS to continue your education while working sometime in the future. You could add that you would like to see yourself in a management position with the hospital and would choose courses to help you obtain that goal. That would be an excellent answer. It is telling the interviewer you came with a plan for success to stay with them and grow with them. This is important when interviewing for entry level positions.
The short answer to your questions is; no you do not have to pick one over the other. You just need to learn how to deliver the information the interviewer is seeking. The secret to that is to not anticipate the questions. Listen to the question and answer only the question asked. This would include the open-ended question about telling him/her about yourself. This is like a first date it is okay to keep some mystery about yourself so no you do not have to say anything about family problems, going to school at night or even if you intend to keep a part-time job you might have.
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Don't disclose.
If your training can be done without effecting your availability for work, you are under absolutely zero obligation to disclose it. It's your free time, you don't owe them an explanation or information about what you do with your free time.
If you can manage both, then you don't need to pick one of the other, but you are the one who should decide if you can manage both - You don't need to let perspective employers make that decision for you.
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Hi there. If a proposed educational course is pertinent to the job you are applying for, and the job has a clear pathway for advancement and promotion then mentioning the course will usually be in your favour as it shows ambition. They may counter it by saying they have an in-house career development plan which they might prefer you to follow. In either case it is usually a potential plus. Where the course has no relevence to the position they are likely to see it as a distraction which will be of no use to them (meaning no use to you in the job they have to offer really). I think the golden rule throughout the whole application and interview phases of job recruitment is include anything in which basically 'bigs you up' and makes you look desirable. Anything that is of no real advantage, or even might be viewed as a disadvantage...most certainly leave OUT. Where two paths are mutually exclusive to the point where you simply cannot do both, I'm afraid you will have to make a choice. But remember that choices are most usually tactical decisions, not always absolute and impossible to reverse. In fact one decision may well open up further avenues of exploration. Try not to see a decision as a dead-end, or even an end in itself. We can work as necessary and maybe pick up the reins of education a little later in life (many do, and find they become the holy grail of recruitment....a candidate with real-world job experience and an impressive academic qualification too). Since you state you are in need of work due to debts it may be a good idea to view work at the moment as the means to a greater end. Even if the job is not related to your long-term plan in any way, just a stop-gap and means to get where you want to go long-term. If you pusued on-line career development once you have the job you would not have to seek approval, or even let them know...providing it does not significantly hamper your ability to do the job to the reuired standard. Tactical choices have typically shorter range and duration than strategic choices (which are just that, the overall, long-term strategy you have in mind for your life). Clearing your debts is a tactical move, just one part of the big-picture strategy. See what I mean? When the job has served your purpose, and may begin standing in the way of your long-term plans...let it go and move onwards.
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