To our prospective behavioral health tech talent, welcome back! We are a little over halfway through our career launchpad series, and in this blog post we are going to be providing you with the tips and tricks needed to nail your interview. 

At this point in the series, we are hopeful that you have found your dream role, and that now you are preparing for your upcoming interview. Interviews are the perfect way for you to showcase your unique skills and personality while the interviewer can determine your fit for the role. 

To land your dream role, we suggest doing the following five things before and during your interview: prepare short stories that can be repurposed, highlight transferable skills, describe why you want to work in behavioral health, practice outloud, and be yourself. 

Before the Interview: Prepare Short Stories That Can Be Repurposed

Most interviews will be behavioral in nature, meaning that the interview will be a series of questions prompting you to share a story about “a time when”. To prepare for these questions, outline five to seven short stories from your previous roles and experiences that highlight a variety of your skills. Think through your prior experience: when was a time you had to solve a difficult problem? When was the last time you had to resolve a conflict? The key here is that every story should showcase multiple skills so it can be used to answer a variety of different questions.

Before the Interview: Practice Outloud

This is our biggest piece of advice for prospective candidates. Once you have prepared your short stories, practice them outloud! It is one thing to write out notes or a script for your introduction or story, but it is another thing to bring those stories to life while talking. Pick a couple of mock interview questions and practice your responses out loud. Vocalizing your potential responses will help you notice when you may be talking for too long, what responses you need to practice a little bit more, and generally allow you to get into the groove of articulating your story. 

‍During the Interview: Highlight Transferable Skills

Most candidates interviewing for a role in behavioral health will be pivoting from healthcare more broadly, or a different industry entirely. During the interview, be sure to highlight your transferable skills. As detailed in this blog post, many of the skills companies are looking for in the behavioral health space are common across skills (e.g., communication skills, ability to work independently). As you interview, make sure to highlight the skills you have worked hard to develop, as these will likely be desirable in your new role.

During the Interview: Describe Why You Want to Work in Behavioral Health

All of the companies in the behavioral health tech space are generally driven by a common goal: to improve mental health. As a candidate, you should be prepared to describe why you want to work in the behavioral health field. Has a personal experience with mental health driven your interest in the field? What makes you excited about driving change in the behavioral health sector? Genuinely answering these questions will help to articulate your passion for the space. In addition, before your interview make sure to research the company you are interviewing for. Understanding their main value proposition and customers will help you to speak intelligently about how you can provide value to their organization. 

Always: Be Yourself

Lastly, we want to reiterate that you should let your personality shine during the interview! Interviewers want to see candidates that are genuine, and genuinely excited about the prospect of joining their team. Make sure to be yourself!