Fixation on Histology

Tips & Tricks: Interviewing

  
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We've blogged about the histology workforce shortages and the Great Reassessment. Many hisotechs are changing jobs or thinking of changing jobs, which means interviewing. Recently, a Histology Professionals Facebook participant posed this question, "I've got a few interviews coming up. Any tips?"

 

Our active online community was happy to contribute tips for interviewing successfully. A few thread participants showcased their sense of humor by stating, "Be honest. Don't tell them you can cut 100 blocks an hour. They will find out eventually." Another contributor quipped, "There is a shortage. I think if you show up and are alive … well … you've got a good chance." Who says histotechs aren't funny?


Many thread participants offered honest words of encouragement that would be true for anyone interviewing in any field, at any stage of their career. Tried-and-true advice like "Be yourself," "be honest," "don't say you are an expert at something if you are not," and "be sure to research the company you are interviewing with" were repeated throughout the comments. Others advised on navigating around "sneaky" questions interviewers often ask, such as "Tell us about yourself," which is just a question geared towards them gleaning personal information volunteered by you that they legally cannot outright ask. The advice was "to keep it professional" and steer the conversation away from personal topics.  


Other thread participants pointed out that in the current market, labs are short-handed, and histotechnology professionals are in high demand. Therefore, their advice was to know your worth, negotiate salary, and not take low pay or the first offer. One commenter even suggested that candidates research the pay scale at the company and the competition so that job-seekers can negotiate from a well-informed place. One contributor also shared two questions that always seem to come up during interviews, with many other commentators agreeing that they have also encountered them. The two questions they advised to have prepared answers for were:

  • Describe a difficult situation you have had with another employee? and;
  • How was the issue resolved?


And finally, many contributors wanted to remind the original poster that an interview is a "conversation." An interviewee is expected to answer the interviewer's questions. Still, they should also be asking their own to see if the company and the specific position they are interviewing for are a good fit for them. A few that came up that were mainly "on-point" were:

  • What challenges does the company have?
  • How do they plan to overcome them?
  • What is the company's vision?
  • What do they expect of their employees?
  • What can their employees expect from the company?
  • Am I a replacement for someone?
  • Why did they leave?


We often are so nervous about "getting the job" we forget to ask ourselves, "Do I want this job?" It is nice that our community of histotechs shared that wisdom with their colleagues.


If you have any interviewing stories, especially ones that may be "out of the ordinary," please let us know by commenting below. We would love to hear how your professional community may have taught you something new or how you successfully navigated an unconventional or unexpected question from an interviewer. Still, your poise and quick wit led to you getting the job you wanted.

Written by Nancy Elmahdy, based on a question and subsequent comments posted in the Histology Professionals Group on Facebook.


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02-25-2022 23:00

My experience is different or from the interviewees side. I have interviewed many Clinical Laboratory professionals, whom will be trained and work as histology laboratory professionals. Out of the 6 interviewees, one with the female gender was very active and showed the interest and and some terminologies too! We, the interviewer were very happy and expected that she will be the supervisor after sufficient training. However; the reverse became true in both performance and ethics.