Post Interview Reflection

-

Overall, I feel like the interview went well. I didn't realize I was nervous until I began talking, which surprised me! For some reason, I found it a little bit more difficult to answer questions for an actual OT job interview. I'm not sure if it was the content I struggled with or the reality that I'm so close to my dream and just couldn't believe it.

In preparation for the interview, I looked over the resources Dr. Lancaster posted on BB and made sure to look over the instructions for the mock interview that were posted. I specifically looked over the resource about questions to ask the interviewer because I can never think of my questions and I feel like it's a very important part of the interview to ask questions - to show you are interested. 

I was not prepared for the question regarding salary, which is always an awkward topic to discuss especially as an entry-level practitioner. In reality, I would look up a range appropriate for the area I'm in and what could be "livable". Dr. Likens gave me great advice on how to answer the question and I will use her advice going forward.

Preparation is KEY! But also you can prepare all you want and you still have to adjust or be flexible with how the interview is going. I think it's so important to be flexible and adjust how you speak or you act by "reading" the room/interviewer because it can make a big difference. It is a lot harder to catch the non-verbal communication over zoom but it is an important skill to learn.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Man from the South

-
Image
In this story the wife only has a thumb and a finger on her hand. Luckily, she still has a thumb as that is very important, functionally, because of it's relationship to the other digits. Let's assume that the other finger she has left is her third metacarpal otherwise known as the middle finger. The loss of her second metacarpal also known as the index finger accounts for 20% of hand dysfunction and affects many occupations as stated in our notes. In other words, while she was losing fingers in the bets with her husband we can only imagine how hard it was to adapt and adjust in her daily life. An occupation that would be affected by the losses of her fingers would be getting dressed. This would be difficult for her because many clothes include zippers like the dress that was in the room when they walked in. When you zip up a dress, bottoms, or tops you use your thumb and index finger in a tip pinch (pulp to pulp, 2 jaw chuck, pencil grip, etc). Since she is missing her index
Read more

Restoring confidence in mobility

-
To restore a client's confidence in mobility it is important to educate the client on the steps it takes to reach that goal. As a therapist it is also important to talk with the client about their values, goals, and needs to adequately help the client. The hierarchy of mobility skills is as follows: bed mobility --> mat transfer --> wheelchair transfer --> bed transfer --> functional ambulation for ADL --> toilet and tub transfer --> car transfer --> functional ambulation for community mobility --> community mobility and driving. This order is what I expected because it begins with the most basic one to accomplish and understand and then it works it's way up. For example, the milestones for an infant isn't to walk right away instead it would be to grasp.  As a therapist it is important to keep in mind that a body is easier to move when: the center of gravity is moving and the base of support is small . You can think of the hierarchy of mobility as
Read more

My Why...

-
Image
When I first came across this quote by Mother Teresa I was a freshman in college, not knowing what I wanted to do. All I knew was I wanted to go into a profession where I could live these words out loud, everyday. I didn't learn about occupational therapy growing up but my undergrad has an occupational therapy program so it was a big thing there. Once I was introduced to the pediatric side of the OT world I knew this was the career field I needed to be a part of for the next 40 years of my life. Shortly thereafter, I began working part time at a developmental preschool and therapy place in Conway, AR known as Pediatrics Plus. I fell in LOVE with the place, the field of OT, and the people there. I learned more about OT, but I also learned the importance of inclusion and how to find joy in the smallest of things. The kids and their families, the therapists, the administration, and my former co-workers there are a huge part of my "why" I want to be an OT and "why&q
Read more