VA Careers shared their top tips on how to prepare for an interview with the VA. You can make the most of the VA’s interview questions and your answers with the advice below.
VA Interview Question
Interviews for Top Jobs at US Department of Veterans Affairs
Pharmacist Interview
I applied online. I interviewed at US Department of Veterans Affairs (Virginia Beach, VA)
Interview
Got called from HR for a phone interview within a couple weeks of submitting my application online. I was provided information to call in (vs. waiting to be called). There were three interviewers and it lasted just under 30 minutes with about ten total questions.
- Questions were mostly performance based. You need to provide specific examples of situations you’ve faced and how you’ve managed them. For example, “Give an example of a time you and your coworkers were unable to agree on a course of action. How did you handle it and what was the outcome?”.
Pharmacist Interview
I applied online. I interviewed at US Department of Veterans Affairs in Mar 2020
Interview
The first part of the interview had a series of generic questions including teamwork, leadership, and customer service. About half of the questions were situational-based. The second portion involved more clinical pharmacy questions, including USP 797.
- What are some ways that you would foster teamwork?
Pharmacist Interview
I interviewed at US Department of Veterans Affairs
Interview
Straightforward interview with general interview questions, clinical questions, and situation/role-playing questions. I personally went through 3 different interview panels, one for each section. The interviewers were all nice and encouraging.
- Please tell me about yourself.
What advice do candidates give for interviewing at US Department of Veterans Affairs
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Clean background check, team player, three strong references, military hired first , arrive 30 minutes early , and relaxShared on September 10, 2022 – LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) Phlebotomist, Call Center – Lafayette, LA
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Be honest anything that you might not know you will learn on the job.Shared on June 29, 2022 – RPSGT – Orlando, FL
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Performance based interviews- studyShared on June 9, 2022 – Supervisory Medical Administration Specialist/Administrative Officer – Waycross, GA
What candidates say about the interview process at US Department of Veterans Affairs
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It was terrible.Shared on July 24, 2022 – Administrative Assistant – Cape Coral, FL
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Phone interview with 5 people and 5 questions with many parts to the question. Easy they want someone who loves to work and fast learner and does not job hop.Shared on June 8, 2022 – LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) – Eugene, OR
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The Performance Based Interview (PBI) process is greatly utilized.Shared on May 24, 2022 – Program Specialist-0301: Remote Employee – New Orleans, LA
How candidates received their first interview at US Department of Veterans Affairs
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From a person that was running the Mental Health Programs.Shared on April 8, 2020 – Addictions Counselor – Omaha, NE
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Completed USA JOBS, job application and applied with it.Shared on January 2, 2020 – Health Science Specialist – Canandaigua, NY
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I got in through the program they do every yearShared on September 29, 2019 – Pharmacy Volunteer – Seminole, FL
Action: Evaluated original subscription rates and designed a new promotional package that offered special rates for all renewal subscriptions. Results: Increased renewal subscription by 25 percent over the same period last year. This promotional package not only increased renewal subscriptions and maintains job security for the staff, but also enabled the office to replace a badly needed piece of equipment that could no longer be serviced.
Now that you have an idea of what kinds of questions to expect, the next step is how to answer them. To give a complete answer to a behavior-based question, you must, first, reflect on specific situations that you faced while working (include any volunteering or internships), then, describe the specific action you took, and, finally, the outcome as a result of your actions. The interviewer will be looking for concrete examples not generalities. A helpful hint would be to remember the initials “PAR” for “Problem, Action, and Results” such as “PAR for the Course.” Heres an example: Problem: Local newspaper subscriptions were declining for the area residents and large numbers of long-term subscribers were not renewing contracts. With the majority of the newspapers revenue generated from subscriptions, this reduction in renewals would have an enormous affect on the future of the paper, especially employment.
Prepare For An Interview By Recognizing Your Emotional Intelligence
To make the best impression in a PBI, it helps to have in-depth, complete responses that offer insight into not only your accomplishments or your shortcomings but how you achieved your successes and responded to your failures.
These kinds of answers rely on your emotional intelligence, or your ability to recognize motivations for your behavior and imbue your responses with a sense of self-awareness and empathy that PBIs are designed to elicit.
As you consider your potential responses, take time to pay attention to interactions around you. Listen to what others are telling you through their words, body language and facial expressions. Observing the way people use and react to emotion can help you fine-tune your own emotional intelligence.
In fact, according to the Military Benefits Association: “research shows that more than 70 percent of hiring managers find it difficult to ascertain recent veterans’ skills based on their resume alone.”
Most interview questions are going to start with “tell me about…” What the interviewer is looking for is for you to tell them a story. Make sure when you answer this question that you avoid military jargon and use plain English. Nothing will ruin your chances faster than forgetting who your audience is.
For example, in the United States Navy, they use terms like “head” instead of the bathroom. They use “ladder” instead of stairs, “port” for the left, and “starboard” for the right.
“Well, I was heading up the port side ladder to go the head when I ran into seaman Smith. Smith had been gone for over 45 minutes. The reason, he decided he wanted a smoke break and was out on the smoking sponson.”
Can you see how you would totally confuse your audience if they had never been in the Navy before? In short, avoid military jargon. Period.
FAQ
What questions do they ask in a pharmacy interview?
- Tell me a little about yourself.
- Why are you interested in working for this company?
- What are 3 of your strengths?
- What are 3 of your weaknesses?
- What can you offer us that someone else cannot?
- Tell me about an accomplishment you are most proud of.
How do you answer VA interview questions?
What type of interview does the VA use?
