How to Prepare for Your Next Dietitian Interview
You’ve landed an interview for your dream dietitian job and now you’re wondering exactly how to prepare to knock the interview out of the park.
Here are our top tips on how to prepare for your next dietitian interview. Spending a few hours on preparation will ensure help you stand out amongst the other applicants.
A lot of people try to wing an interview and it often shows. Even if you don’t meet all of the job qualifications or have the required years of experience, you can land the position if you show that you’re the best fit for the position.
The following steps will help you prepare for your next interview as a dietitian.
We will cover:
The importance of your story bank
Common interview questions
Steps to research the company/interview panel
A technology checklist
Outfit selection
Harnessing your confidence!
Let’s get started with how to prepare your story bank for each interview.
Review your story bank.
Have you ever gotten into an interview and completely drawn a blank when they asked tricky behavior-based questions?
You know that you have experiences that demonstrate your teamwork or conflict management skills, but when you're put on the spot you stumble through a pretty lame example or you completely freeze.
If this sounds like you, you're not alone.
And there's a pretty simple solution- your story bank. Start journaling each week about your client wins, projects that you completed, or a challenging patient that you helped.
Your story bank is your key to making your life 1000x easier when it comes to interview prep. Behavior-based interview questions for dietitians fall into seven major categories:
· Teamwork
· Leadership
· Problem-Solving
· Communication
· Adaptability
· Motivation
· Conflict Management
You should have at least 2 powerful stories to demonstrate each of the above attributes.
Why do stories matter so much?
Stories help create an emotional connection with the interviewing team and they make you memorable!
Sharing a story about how you developed and led a recipe taste test for a tofu-based dessert for veterans is going to elicit conversation and connection. And the interviewees are going to remember you.
So how do you create your story bank?
Each week, take time to journal about any challenging patient interactions, any time that you went above and beyond to provide excellent care, a project that went really well, etc.
This simple task will not only help you with interviews but will also help you prove your worth when it comes to negotiating a raise.
Outline your responses to the most common dietitian interview questions.
When you’re preparing for your next interview, you can expect that you’ll be asked a few of the common interview questions.
Here is an example question for each of the major categories:
· Teamwork
Can you tell us about a time that you worked on a team to complete a project? What was your role and what made the project successful?
· Leadership
Can you share a time that you had to lead a team that did not agree about an issue? How did you approach this situation and what was the outcome?
· Problem-Solving
What do you anticipate will be the hardest part of the position for you?
· Communication
Please share a time that you worked with a client who was unhappy with the services provided. How did you handle the situation?
· Adaptability
Can you share a time that you were asked to complete a task that you did not feel prepared for? What was the task and how did you approach it?
· Motivation
What are your long-term plans for the next five years?
· Conflict Management
Tell us about a time that you disagreed with a colleague or health professional about a nutrition recommendation or plan. How did you handle the situation and what was the outcome?
While it’s impossible to prepare for every interview question that you’ll be asked, spending a little bit of time reflecting on your experiences will help you answer any question on the fly.
Don’t worry about memorizing your answers. Stick to the STAR framework and you’ll be able to answer any question that you’re faced with.
If you want more examples of dietitian interview questions or you’re not sure how to use the STAR framework, check out my Complete Guide to Mastering the Dietitian Interview.
You can also check out my blog with 3 Common Interview Questions for Dietitians.
Review the company’s website and their social media platforms.
Spend time reviewing the company’s website and you’ll be sure to impress the interview panel. At a minimum, you should be very familiar with the company’s mission, vision, and values. Some websites will have a lot of information about the philosophies and services that they provide (for example a private practice).
Other companies such as a large healthcare organization will have very general information, but you won’t find specifics about the nutrition department.
In addition to reviewing general information, check to see if there are any recent news updates.
If it’s a hospital, have they been in the news lately for new initiatives or awards?
If it’s a food company, have they recently launched a new product?
During the interview, you can drop these little bits of knowledge that show your understanding of the company. For example, when they ask you why you’re interested in the position, you can specifically mention your interest in the new 12-week coaching program that they just launched.
Research the interview panel on the company website and LinkedIn.
Often times when the hiring manager or recruiter schedules an interview, they will let you know who will be at your interview. If they don’t provide this information, then make sure that you ask!
Spend a little bit of time familiarizing yourself with the interview panel. You don’t need to memorize their backgrounds or work history, but knowing who you’re speaking with will also help you tailor your responses.
If you’re checking out people on LinkedIn, you might be asking yourself if it’s okay to go ahead and connect with these people too?
While there are differing opinions on this practice, I personally would only connect with the recruiter and the hiring manager. I would not connect with the other employees.
Complete a technology check.
Most screening interviews and first interviews are being scheduled virtually these days. If this is the case for you, you’ll want to spend time completing a technology check.
If you have an in-person interview, you can skip this step.
Here is your Tech Checklist:
✔️ Confirm that you know how to use the video platform. If you regularly use Zoom, don’t assume that it’s the same as Google Meet (it’s not). Make sure that your security settings will allow you to easily log into a new platform.
✔️ Check your WIFI connection and consider a backup option if your WIFI is spotty. If you have roommates or family at home, make sure that they aren’t watching videos or consuming a lot of bandwidth during your interview.
✔️ Confirm that your webcam functions and adjust your camera to ensure that you have a flattering angle.
✔️ Choose a simple, non-distracting background with good lighting. Make sure to check the lighting at the time of your interview. Is there a glare? And is the lighting flattering? If not, you can set up lights or choose a different spot in your house.
Should you use a virtual background? In my opinion, they can make you look grainy and sometimes they do funny things to your facial features. If you opt to use one, have a friend confirm that it looks okay on their end.
✔️ Confirm that your microphone is working. I always recommend wearing headphones or a headset for the best audio and to eliminate the risk of outside noises that you can’t control like construction or a dog barking.
Choose an outfit that makes you feel confident.
I always recommend erring on the side of overdressed compared to underdressed. Business casual is a great rule of thumb for dietitian interviews.
Sometimes I get asked if it’s okay to wear scrubs if you know that the dietitian team wears scrubs. I always recommend wearing business casual because you never know who else will be sitting in on the interview and if we’re being honest, scrubs aren’t that flattering.
And even if it’s a remote interview, you should absolutely wear pants! You never know if you’ll have to get up to quiet a barking dog or grab your charger.
You should also confirm that your shirt isn’t bunching up when sitting down or showing cleavage.
Confirm all details for an in-person interview.
If you have an in-person interview, confirm with the hiring manager or recruiter on exactly where you should plan on meeting for the interview. Will you wait in the hospital lobby and they’ll come out and get you? Or do you need to make your way to a conference room?
If your interview is with a large company or in a large metropolitan area, ask about the parking situation.
Always give yourself plenty of extra time to account for traffic, parking, etc. If you do arrive more than 15 minutes early, wait in your car until about 10 minutes before your scheduled interview time.
Harness your inner confidence.
Remember the hiring candidate chose to interview because they are genuinely interested in your background.
It is a common misconception that the most experienced person will land the job. Rather, employers are interested in someone that is fits in with the team and work environment. Your willingness to learn and your personality are also important factors.
But here’s the deal- you have to sell yourself in an interview. It’s not the time to be humble.
The hiring team has a very limited amount of time to get to know you. It is your job to clearly state your background and connect it to exactly why you will be a great fit for the position.
A lot of people miss this key part of an interview. They prepare for standard interview questions, but they don’t tailor their answers to the specific position and how their experience will lead to success in an interview.
Even though you aren’t the one asking the interview questions, you can absolutely direct the show by sharing well-crafted stories that demonstrate your experience and soft/hard skills.
Above all, you have to believe in yourself!
A few hours of preparation will truly help you stand out and the company will be impressed if you've done your research. Want more practice with interviewing? I offer custom mock interview sessions where I write the questions based on the job description and give you specific feedback on how to improve your answers.
About the Author
Kelan Sarnoff, MS, RD is a Registered Dietitian with over 10 years of experience in the nutrition realm. She has experience in hiring and recruitment in both the clinical and academic settings. Kelan is passionate about helping dietitians land a job that aligns with their passion, values, and skills. She also believes in raising the pay for all dietitians and empowering dietitians to negotiate for desired compensation.
