Preparing for Online Interviews

So, chances are that your last 9 months have been messed up by COVID. Mine too. You’ve probably shifted your whole life online if it wasn’t on there already and might be a wizard on Zoom by now. Hopefully at this point you’ve submitted your UCAS applications (or thinking about doing so next year) and done the UCAT/BMAT. Now, just a long, tense wait for interviews…

But how do you do interviews online? Interviews can be a very daunting experience in person, let alone online. However, once you know how, you can definitely play things to your advantage!

First of all, every single medical school has had to adapt to these changes over the past year and as far as we know pretty much all will be doing interviews online. This is as new for them as it is for you! So, I would be comforted by that!

In terms of preparations, I wouldn’t necessarily do anything differently as compared to an in-person interview. Make sure you’re reading all the information on the medical school website for guidance and practicing your answers out loud to others and to yourself. It may be a good idea to also practice interview questions on video call with friends or family, to simulate the experience of online interviews however this is not necessary.

There are some other things you need to think about when doing an online interview: 

1) Background/space

-Make sure you have a quiet room to do your interview, with a neutral background and adequate lighting. This will avoid distracting the examiner and will keep things as professional as possible. It should go without saying but make sure you have no rude posters/writing on the wall! If you don’t have an adequate space where you live, try and find somewhere else, such at school or ask anyone you might know who may have a decent space.

2) Device

-Make sure you have a device with a camera that can access the internet. It might be a good idea to test the internet connection where you will do your interview to ensure your bandwidth is strong enough to stream video calls. If not, try and borrow one from your school or from family or friends. If this is not possible, let the medical school you have an interview from know and see if they are able to help you out. No one should be excluded from the interview process because they don’t have access to devices!

3) Eye contact

-Making eye contact during an online interview may be really difficult because even though you are looking at the screen you may not be making direct eye contact with the interviewer. My tip for this would be to have a camera that is directly at eye level and to remember to look directly into it while you are talking to let the interviewer know you are talking to them. It’s okay to glance at the screen for a little bit, but the more eye contact the better!

4) Dress/body language

-Dress as you would for any in-person interview. Each medical school may say different things but generally dress professionally. Smart casual is usually fine. Some interviews may make you show around the room to check no-one else is there, so make sure to wear decent bottoms! It will help you get into the mood of the interview too! Make sure that your shoulders and upper part of your body are visible on camera and sit upright, with a decent distance away from the camera.

5) Speech

-Speech might not be as fluid as it would be in person, so talk slowly to allow for your words to be heard clearly. Try not to talk too soon after your interviewer, so that if there is a lag or glitch, you don’t miss any words that they say or interrupt them.

As long as you follow these tips you’ll be more prepared come your interview day and have the best chance of putting yourself across!

Good luck!

Nathan Anorson, Medical Student and TAMS Team Member