- Are you familiar with the most common types of prescription medications?
- What are some of the most important skills for a pharmacy clerk to have?
- How do you handle stressful situations while working?
- What is your experience with working with patients?
In case you are a recent pharmacy technician graduate, you must spend some time going over the answers to habitually asked questions at a job interview, before you meet your potential employer. It is normal to feel a little apprehensive; however, preparing for the interview helps allay your nervousness, boosts your confidence and helps you make a good impression.
Here are a few pharmacy technician interview questions that your interviewer is most likely to ask and our guide on how to answer them:
Pharmacy Clerk Interview Questions
Interviews for Top Jobs at Kaiser Permanente
Pharmacy Clerk Interview
I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Kaiser Permanente (San Francisco, CA) in Oct 2015
Interview
It was a panel like interview. Asked you questions from left to right. They would ask you situational questions based on your work history. Overall it was a good interview, just a bit nerve racking specially if your not good at interviews period.
- -tell me about yourself? -where do you see yourself in 5 years?-why kaiser?
Pharmacy Clerk Interview
I applied online. I interviewed at Kaiser Permanente (Sacramento, CA) in Apr 2015
Interview
I applied online and received a call to interview. The interview was at the Hilton Hotel in Sacramento and I received I’ll call two weeks later that I was hired
- How do you handle an irate customer for waiting in line so long?
General questions
These questions are designed to help the interviewer understand your personality and background.
Describe a situation when you went out of your way to provide an exceptional performance
Like every other business, pharmacies thrive by providing top-quality customer service consistently. With stiff competition in the industry, great pharmacists must be adept at meeting customer needs regardless of the situation. Your goal should be to exceed customer expectations every time so they don’t even consider an alternative.
The answer does not have to be about a job since you may be fresh out of college. Narrate a situation where you went above and beyond to make sure another person was doing well. It may be something you did for a friend, a former co-worker or a patient at your workplace.
Use this opportunity to show your problem-solving skills and dedication to your duties and responsibilities. Show the hiring manager that when the situation calls for it, you are ready to go the extra mile. Provide a relevant real-life example for your response.
Example: “At my former employer, there was a woman who came in every week to pick up her prescription in a motorized wheelchair. I asked her why she didn’t order the medication to save herself the stress of coming to the pharmacy. She told me her finances were down and couldn’t afford such a luxury. When I asked how far she traveled to reach the store, I discovered she was living down the street from my apartment. So I volunteered to drop off her meds at the doorstep every week at no extra charge.”
What is the most vital business aspect of a pharmacist’s job?
A pharmacy is a for-profit business although the main motive is to provide quality care to patients. The recruiter asks this question to test your understanding of the business side of a pharmacy. Use this opportunity to show your knowledge of running a profitable pharmacy, how to attract customers, keep expenses low and scale the business.
In your answer, show your understanding of other responsibilities of pharmacists such as management, conflict resolution, logistics, inventory management and customer service. From your response, the hiring manager can determine whether you will be a good fit for the pharmacy and the level of value you can add to the business.
Example: “The primary role of a pharmacist is to provide top-quality care for patients and for me that is the most important aspect of this business. By offering customized care that addresses the unique needs of each patient, the pharmacy wins their loyalty and transforms them into long-term customers and advocates of the business.”
8 Pharmacist Interview Questions and Answers
What do you think is the most important business aspect of being a pharmacist?
While pharmacy is about helping patients, it’s still a business. This question gives the candidate an opportunity to explain more broadly how they think about the business of pharmacy.
What to look for:
- Understanding pharmacists’ other responsibilities
- See if applicants are a good fit for your pharmacy
- Can they bring value to the business
Why do you want to become a pharmacist?
Pharmacy is a job that pays well. This question tests why applicants would want to be a pharmacist, beyond a high salary.
What to look for:
- Interest in helping others
- Understanding of the role
- Why they are passionate about the pharmacy profession
What was your favorite subject while in school? What subject did you struggle with most?
Pharmacy is a job that requires a lot of responsibility, so pharmacists should truly enjoy what they do. This question asked applicants what they did and didn’t like about their studies to see if they enjoyed the overall experience of studying pharmacy.
What to look for:
- Self-awareness
- Commitment to the pharmacy profession
- Communication skills
Two of your technicians aren’t getting along, and customers are starting to notice. How you do handle the situation?
Pharmacists are often in a management role and need to be able to supervise their technicians. A good pharmacist will be able to manage their employees and any conflicts that arise.
What to look for:
- Management ability
- Interpersonal Skills
- Conflict resolution
You’re out of stock on medication for a customer who is extremely difficult. How would you explain the situation to the patient?
Pharmacists have to deal with all types of people. This question will let you know if they are capable of handling the different personalities they will encounter on the job.
What to look for:
- Applicants ability to interact with difficult patients
- Ability to diffuse potentially volatile situations
- Problem solving
A customer experiences worsening side effects in response to a prescription. What do you suggest to them?
Pharmacists interact with customers on a daily basis and regularly receive questions from customers regarding their medications. This question allows interviewers to gauge a candidate’s ability to communicate with customers about their ailments. It also highlights their concern for customers and gives interviewers the opportunity to see how a candidate would react if a customer experienced severe symptoms to medications.
The candidate’s answer should emphasize:
- Medical expertise
- Compassion for customers
- Knowledge of pharmaceutical drugs
Here’s an example of what a good answer to this question could look like:
A customer asks about an over-the-counter medication you’ve never heard of before. How would you handle this situation?
This hypothetical question allows the candidate to explain how they would react in a situation where they don’t know the answer. This question is important as it checks a candidates problem-solving skills.
What to look for in an answer:
- Ability to interact with patients
- Research ability
- Customer service
A customer returns to the pharmacy with a bottle of prescription medication that is partially used and says it doesn’t work. How would you address the issue?
Patients don’t always follow the instructions listed on their prescriptions. This question will let you see how applicants handle a situation where the patient isn’t following directions and because of that, not seeing results.
What to look:
- Interpersonal skills
- Patient communication
Tell me about yourself
I am a detail-oriented and trained pharmacy tech who likes interacting with people. I am a graduate from XYZ community college with specialized courses in pharmaceutical studies.
FAQ
What are the interview questions for clerk position?
- What were your duties in your previous role? …
- How do you prioritize your work if you receive multiple requests from staff members? …
- Describe a challenging task you had to deal with. …
- How do you maintain and update a filing system? …
- Describe a time when you responded to a customer complaint.
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.
What should I wear to a pharmacy clerk interview?
What are the duties of a pharmacy clerk?
…
Job duties
- Answering phones.
- Handling patient’s insurance information.
- Updating medical files.
- Organizing medications.
- Sanitizing pharmaceutical equipment.
- Performing transactions for prescriptions.
