JPA Interview Experience and Tips 2

Straight after, the guy interviewer ( there were 2 women and one man by the way) asked us about Medical Negligence. So this time I asked to speak in English because his question was asked in rojak anyway. So, I answered (not so well, I might add) in English. So did the rest. Then they asked the meaning of INTEGRITY. I have never in my entire life, looked up the meaning of that word, and ended up telling them my perspective of it. After which I received the disappointed shake of the head of the interviewer in return. How unexpectedly not so delightful that was. I remained smiling.

They then asked us about how to confirm H1N1, the steps to reduce the spreading of H1N1, what cough etiquette is, what the working hours of a government doctor are, what to do when faced with an emergency situation (in our case it was a woman and two children, bleeding after being involved in a car accident), what attire was used to protect ourselves if we were to be in the A & E department of a hospital, why those protective garments were needed. We were asked for an example of an airborne disease, and finally, why we wanted to go overseas. I think that about sums up the questions they asked us. The thing is, they'll ask you questions to do with the field you've applied for. Like in my interview, 4 applied for medicine including me and 1 for pharmacy. So the questions asked were more associated with medical news. That's how it goes. For example, they see it as, " You want to be a doctor, you have to know about the issues to do with the medical and health care field"; naturally.

So during the interview:

7. Be confident, but don't be all snobbish. If you honestly cannot answer a question, say I don't know. But try your best to avoid that from happening.

8. Sit up straight, and put your hands on your lap. Smile. You can use your hands when you're talking if you feel comfortable.

9. Listen to the questions carefully. Start processing the question the minute the first word of it is uttered. This will prevent from you taking a long time to come up with an answer, you need to be quick on your feet and on your toes. If you need the question to be repeated, don't hesitate to ask, it's better than rambling about something entirely off topic. DO NOT talk without giving anyone else a chance to. Be fair. Yes, you want to show them your leadership and communication skills, but don't overdo it.

10. Bring your own notebook and pen.

11. Wear something smart. Don't go flower power. Go smart and cool. Suave ya know what I mean? Haha. Black is the safest option. Be careful not to blind the interviewers with big earrings (HEHE) or bright colours. Show you're serious about it. Wear covered shoes, I made the mistake of wearing my black crocs, but they looked like leather and no one noticed, so it's alright. You don't HAVE to wear leather shoes. Put it this way, wear something that adults would wear to work. There :)

12. Treat the interview like it's just a 45 minute discussion. The interviewers are there to test you, yes, but the calmer and more confident you are, the better you can articulate your answers and give a good impression. So, just treat it like you're just discussing certain topics with a few people, you'll be A-Okay.

13. Bring some water and try to have some food before you leave home :)

14. BE YOURSELF! :D Give it your best shot.

For our year 2010, the number of scholarships offered to specific countries are as follows:

5 to UK

5 to New Zealand

10 (or so) to Australia

And the rest (the interviewer did not mention how many) are sent to Russia, India or Indonesia.


That's basically it :D Hope you guys with upcoming interviews found this useful.
I'm not saying I did all of the above, and that's probably the reason I'm writing it all out.
I made some mistakes in my interview, the word "some" could be an understatement, but I honestly feel that I did my best.

Sources for all the tips up there:

- Mother and Father. All the good stuff up there's from them.
- Personal experience in the interview room.
- Tips read and remembered from all sorts of forums and blogs on the world wide web, :P


Good luck!
And sorry for the extremely long entry.

Toodles ;)