Once your applications are submitted it’s a bit of a waiting game on whether you will hear back from Administrative Fellowship Programs for an interview. It can be a little scary and there's a lot of uncertainty while you wait.
First, if interviews aren’t coming in for you - you will be ok! I know it may not feel that way but there are still options out there and you will find the right role that’s meant for you. I know it's different for everyone depending on the situation you are in, and perhaps I had a different perspective because I was not required to complete a Fellowship and I already had a job. The perspective I tried to maintain throughout the process was that this would obviously be an incredible opportunity, but I knew it was competitive, and I honestly just felt like it was an honor and privilege to get an interview and learn more about the potential experience.
If you do start getting interviews, congratulations! It’s an exciting time and another opportunity to have the interview committee get to know you even better.
Some of the first interviews may be a phone call, a Zoom/Teams meeting with one person or multiple people. Some will be with a combination of current Administrative Fellows and healthcare leaders in the organization. You sort of have to get comfortable with preparing for all different situations. My advice is the same no matter the interview format - be yourself, tell your story, explain why you specifically want to do an Administrative Fellowship, what value you will bring, and why you want to go to that specific program.
Remember you’re interviewing the program as well and want to make sure it’s a good fit for you too. I was able to get a sense of this from talking to current Fellows and leaders during the first round - there were some I automatically connected with and some not so much. Make sure when you’re asked if you have any questions, that you do at least have 1-2 questions prepared. Also, I think it's important to research and know the program you are looking at, but do not just memorize facts from the website.
Some of these interviews may feel uncomfortable. I remember one place I had to record myself on video answering questions with a time limit. The question popped up on the screen, you had 30 seconds to read, 30 seconds to think, and then a minute to respond. On video! With no other live people on the other side! For me, this didn’t work so well. I much prefer having a conversation, talking to a real person. The places I connected with most wanted to get to know me as a person and why I wanted to be there. There were no trick questions.
There was another program that I had a first round phone interview and then was told I'd hear about next steps. I never received the calendar invite for the 2nd round of phone interviews and I was walking on a sidewalk on a pretty busy Boston street after leaving my office to get a coffee. I picked up my phone and thought that they were calling to tell me about next steps and then I soon realized it was the interview! There were multiple people on the other end and I couldn't hear them well when they introduced themselves. I ended up sitting on someone’s apartment front steps to take the call. Needless to say, I didn’t make it to the next round after that and I was bummed, but there's nothing I could really do so I just had to move on.
Another interview I was on speaker with about 8 people in the room that I couldn't see and they passed the phone around each asking me a question. It can be a bit intimidating thinking about who you are speaking to on the other side of the phone, especially when you cannot see them or read faces etc. I just reminded myself again to be myself and tell my story. If you are doing that, it shouldn't matter who you are talking to on the other end of the phone.
Always send thank you notes. After every interview (still), I send a quick thank you email that is unique to the person I met with.
I was fortunate to receive a good amount of interviews which really helped me explore options and make the best decision for me. That being said, I still think it’s a coin flip sometimes - I’d meet people at interviews and there seemed to be no rhyme or reason as to why some of us were selected for one place but not the other. You just have to trust the process.
It really is an exciting time and one that I hope you will enjoy, regardless of the outcome. Some of my best memories over the last few years come from this period of time and I knew I was about to embark on an exciting journey.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out any time via LinkedIn, this blog or Instagram - @healthcarebyrach.