Early Careerist Corner: Preparing for Interviews

NCHL presents A Guide for the Healthcare Early Careerist. This podcast series covers a wide range of topics to help provide advice and guide current students, prospective fellows, and other early careerists navigate the field of healthcare management.

Listen in as we discuss interviewing prep, interview stories, tips and tricks for putting your best foot forward, and being genuine from start to finish. Cassandra Taft (Manager of System Planning) and Mikayla Schaefer (Director of the Operational Project Management Office) from University of Utah Health share their insights from both the interviewer and interviewee perspective.

Get to Know Our Guests:

Cassandra Taft

1. What makes you stand out from my peers? Ability to be adaptable and diplomatic.
2. What are my values?   Trust, integrity, honesty, and diligence.
   1. What’s my ultimate career goal? If I am serving my community and company in a positive and needed way, I will be happy no matter where my career lands.
   2. Who makes up my support system? My husband, family, and work friends.
   3. What brings me joy? When the people I love and serve are happy.
   4. What’s my superpower – the thing I do better than anyone else? Committing to myself!
   5. What’s my favorite way to communicate? Kindly and directly.

Mikayla Schafer

1. What makes you stand out from my peers? My ability to take very ambiguous situations or information and turn them into an actionable path forward.
   1. What are my values?   Trust, Respect, Compassion, Curiosity, Challenge, Passion, and Honesty
   2. What’s my ultimate career goal? My running joke is that my 5 year plan is to be retired, but that I hope when I get there I’m still enjoying what I do so much that I can’t imagine leaving. I don’t know exactly what is in store for my career, but I do know that the healthcare industry is where I want to be.
   3. Who makes up my support system? I would echo Cassandra’s list and add that I have also been incredibly fortunate to have many wonderful mentors, career coaches, and wellness coaches who have been invaluable members of my support team.
   4. What brings me joy? Getting outside with my pups and seeing their joy at exploring the world.
   5. What’s my superpower – the thing I do better than anyone else? Helping people realize and own their value.
   6. What’s my favorite way to communicate? Get up and walk to your office. I prefer to chat face to face rather than over email or IM.