So you’ve just finished your interview for the perfect lab
position and now you’re at the end where you get asked by the interviewer the dreaded “Do you have
any questions for me?”
As an interviewee, you should always answer YES.
Nothing is worse than saying “not at this time” or “no” – no
matter how amazing and thorough the interviewer is. There is always something more you can expand
on and show how interested you are in the position and workplace. But what can
you ask that sounds like a well-thought out question? I've thought up some of my favourites below:
1. What types of professional development
opportunities do you have?
As a MLT, you know we are required by license
to obtain a certain number of learning hours per year to maintain your license.
It’s a great way to find out what types of seminars and overall learning
culture the workplace provides. Do they have their own learning system? Weekly
Lunch and Learns? Are you going to have to be proactive and attend courses
yourself or will your future workplace fulfill that requirement for you?
2. Do you offer any educational funding to
employees?
This is another great way to find out how
invested the workplace is in education opportunities. Some workplaces have a yearly grant for an employee
to attend a conference like LabCon or CSM which is a nice bonus for a free (or discounted) vacation coupled with a pile of learning hours. Others have a yearly allowance for
each employee to attend classes or workshops to help you grow in your career.
3. What type of patient population do you serve?
This is one of my favourite questions because
you can really get a sense for what type of lab you are interviewing for. It
tells you what type of workload you can expect and the variety of work you
might see. Maybe you’re looking for a high paced lab for the unpredictability
or a slower one for consistent hours. Do they receive cancer centre samples?
Dialysis unit? A Cystic Fibrosis clinic? Homeless centre? City Health Units?
Maybe you have a calling for NICU samples? Either way asking this will show you
are interested in the people you are serving and how the workplace operates.
4. What type of analyzers (Technology) will I be
using on the job?
5. How often do you change testing or test methods?
This ties a little into question 4 but is
still great to ask. How innovative is your prospective employer? Are they the
last to get changes and keep using what’s tried tested and true? Or are they
able to try new techniques out and add new tests when it’s available? The
laboratory world is rapidly evolving with new testing so how ready is your lab
to make these changes? This depends a
lot of the laboratory director/manager and funding so this is another great way
to learn about those things without directly asking.
These questions just scratch this surface on what can be
asked but hopefully they give you a few ideas instead of saying the typical “no!”
Not only will this help you stand out in the interview process but will also
give you some insight into your prospective employer and if they’d be the right
fit for you!
Hi Krista! Just found your blog, and although I'm a MLT student in the US so much of your information is still helpful. I start a "pre-clinical" rotation in the lab tomorrow and I'm so nervous but excited!! Look forward to seeing more of your posts soon!
ReplyDeleteCaroline
Hey krista!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Valerie, I am a 17 year old girl from Peru who is studying medicine. Here in my country is 7 years. I first wanted to study biology but its really hard to do it here because there not much job oportunities and you either end uo being a teacher or with no job. But I have the belief that a doctor could do research in basic science and clinical issues too. So my dream is to become a physician scientist researcher. Well, since i am a freshman student i dont know much about those things but I hope one day i do. Lately I went to the lab of my university and made friends with the guys who were doing their thesis, (they are in 6th year of medical school) Their proyect is about fluorescence aptamers to detect malaria and its being paid by canadian companies. i was helping them with some things like Pcr gel electroforesis, gel of acrilamide, espectrophotometry, induction, culture of Ecoli resistant to Kan., etc.. i was being taught by them how to do those things. and its been really cool but I still dont understand many things about their proyect. anyways, its a nice experience but I still have curiosity about working on other stuff like stem cells, they really fascinate me, for what I've read! Have you ever worked with them? What kind of work have you done? Is it possible for a physician to do research and to become a physician researcher? What medical speciality do you suggest me to take when I get my MD, i mean one where I could actually do research and work with biologist, etc, I first thought onocology or epidemiology. Well anyways, its really cool what you do honestly. I wish one day I could join a research program, science is really a passion i share! Greets! Xo Valerie
Hey Krista !!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI am Manas working as mlt last 12 years, i am certified as mlt from india and last 3 years i am working in cayman islands. Please tell me what to do to work in Canada,is that mendatory to be csmls .
Great work.com
ReplyDeleteBless you, woman. I'm finishing up my clinical practicum and sitting the CSMLS in Alberta this October. It is a stressful time to be both studying and job hunting, so I really appreciate your blog.
ReplyDelete