everything you ever needed to know before heading to ASHP Midyear
This is Jonathan Mitchell, your 2019-2020 MedVal medical communications fellow. It seems like not that long ago I was making my own preparations for ASHP’s Midyear. I can remember scouring the web for advice, tips, and suggestions that the veterans used to make their trip to pharmacy’s largest convention and career exposition a successful one. There was a lot to consider! What sort of attire should I pack? How many CVs would I need? How does somebody begin preparing for interviews?
Fortunately for you, past posts here on this blog offer a lot of really fantastic advice on how to tackle Midyear. I’d highly recommend reading through these for a detailed instruction manual on how to be successful at such a daunting task. I wanted to provide a few of my own additions to emphasize the areas that I felt prepared me for Midyear. When preparing for interviews, it is important to prepare an elevator speech. This is a clever title for a short introduction to yourself that highlights your goals and the experiences that lead you to become interested in this. The idea is that it is short enough to serve as a chance to pitch yourself to an individual in the time it takes to ride in an elevator a few floors. Here is an article that details the process of writing an elevator speech, but I recommend including some or all of the following:
Practice answering questions. Here’s an addition to the sample interview questions provided by Jessica in previous blog posts. I’d recommend going through these questions and writing out answers according to the STAR method. By using storytelling as a tool to answer questions, you create distinct moments that interviewers can follow. I would also recommend writing out the following during your interview prep:
Preparing a portfolio of your best work will also be crucial to succeeding at Midyear. Bring copies of relevant assignments with you to showcase your work. Some employers will even request specific assignments from you like journal clubs or drug information questions you’ve answered. Also, don’t be afraid to proofread and adapt these assignments. If there’s a journal club that you’d really like to use to represent your work in an interview, but a grader marked you down for providing a weak discussion, improve the discussion! After putting these recommendations to practice, you’ll be one step closer to succeeding at Midyear. Drop a comment, get in touch on Twitter (@Fellow_MVPW), or shoot me an email ([email protected]) if you’ve got any questions or suggestions for a blog post you’d like to see. Best of luck on your Midyear and post-graduate journey!
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AuthorJonathan Mitchell, PharmD, MedVal/PharmaWrite 2019-2020 Postdoctoral Fellow Archives
October 2019
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