Everyone knows it can be really tough to get that first medical coding job. People will give you all kinds of tips–such as “get a foot in the door job” or “apply to everything!” While there definitely is some value in that advice, something that I think that is often overlooked is the interview process itself. You know you’ll get asked the basic questions and most likely have answers ready for those, but that’s not what this article is really about. You can have the best answer to an interview question ever, but if you don’t sound confident when you say it, it doesn’t really matter what you’re saying. The interviewer will get the vibe that you’re just not confident, and that just is not the image you want to project.
See, I have no problem saying those things, because I was that person. I used to come across very shy/not confident in interviews. That wasn’t my goal obviously so it was something I had to work on. While you’re applying for jobs, a thing you can do to prepare yourself for that interview, is to read books about how to interview well. At first that might not seem like a thing to actually do, but let me tell you, it is helpful.
When I was looking for a job way back when, I remember it was around the holidays. I went up to the attic to put away some decorations, and there was a book laying on the floor, from 1998. It was titled “The Perfect Interview.” I guess I had that book laying around since my college days but I didn’t remember actually reading it. So here I was about 15 years later and this book still seemed relevant to me. I dusted it off, and read it in a few days. It was filled with tips on little things you can do just to come across more confident even if you’re not. After reading this book, I went on an interview and was offered my first coding job. I’m not saying this book will 100% guarantee you get offered a coding job if you read it, but it definitely is worth it if you’re trying to brush up on your interview skills.
I tried to find the link to the exact book I read but since it is very old, I don’t think it’s available anymore. Notice I said the book is old. I am not old 🙂
I’m attaching a link to a book that is the next edition to the one I read.
I hope this helps you! Good luck on your job interviews!
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