Pharmacy Job Interview Questions

Pharmacy Job INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

During your various interviews, you will be asked many questions. It is important that you mentally prepare answers to some of the most common

Make sure that you know your resume and/or CV backwards and forwards! If you have done an in-service on a pharmacyrelated topic and it is mentioned on your resume or CV, review your notes or handouts prior to interviews since it is possible they may ask you something about it. The following is a random sampling to let you know what you might come across.


Common Interview Questions

As easy as it might be to memorize sample responses from interview books, try to avoid this. Savvy interviewers will see through “canned” answers. Answers should sound well-thought out, but not memorized.

Interview questions typically come from such topic areas as education, training, personal traits, pharmacy experience, and career goals. Applicants might also be asked to discuss how they would handle a specific work-related situation.


Questions most frequently asked in a variety of job interviews and settings include the following:

 Tell me about yourself.

 What are your strengths and weaknesses?

 Why are you leaving your current position? Why did you leave your last job? (If relevant to your situation.)

 What attracts you to this organization/setting/position?

 Where do you see yourself in five to ten years?

 What do you think makes you best qualified for the position?

 What do you think you can contribute to this position/organization/department/staff?

 What is the salary you are looking for in this position?

 Tell me about a project that you handled well and one in which you were not successful. 

What did you learn from each one?

 Do you have any questions?

Questions asked in a pharmacy setting might include the following:

 Why do you want to come here?

 Describe a clinical intervention that you have made.

 What practice areas are you interested in?

 How much hospital/retail experience have you had?

 What is one of the major issues facing pharmacy today?

 What would your colleagues say about you?

 Would relocating be a problem?

 How do you handle stress?

 Have you ever had a major conflict with a doctor/patient? If so, how did you handle it?

Thought or reaction questions and behavioral interview questions might be similar to the following:

 Here’s a scenario we would like you to consider: You are the only pharmacist in the pharmacy. On the phone is a nurse wanting to know dosing for a dopamine drip for a patient who is crashing. At the window is a doctor who is ranting and raving about an enoxaparin order that wasn’t approved. On the other line is a nurse calling about a patient with a vancomycin level of 15.

 In what order do you handle these problems?

 How would you deal with an irate customer?

 What makes you better for this position than other candidates?

 What do you anticipate a typical day in your career to be like?

 Choose a topic relating to pharmacy, and we’ll ask you a question about it.

Potentially Difficult Questions

Every interview candidate dreads being asked certain questions. No matter how much you prepare and practice, you are likely to be asked one or two questions that leave you searching for the right response.

Potentially difficult topic areas might include breaks between employment, getting low marks in a class or a rotation, having been fired or laid off, and the like. In addition, you may be asked illegal or inappropriate questions about your personal life.

Anticipate and prepare for the very questions you are most concerned about answering. Here are some other guidelines to consider:

 Think before answering. There is nothing wrong with pausing a few moments before responding to a tough question. Say something like, “That’s a good question. I’d like to take a moment to think before I respond.” This gives you a chance to collect your thoughts.

 Ask the interviewer to restate the question. If you don’t understand what is being asked, ask the interviewer to restate the question. . The restated question is likely to be clearer and less difficult to answer.

 Be brief and respond in a factual way. Interviewees often volunteer more information than is necessary. For example, when asked why you left a previous position, you should avoid saying anything negative about a supervisor (even if it is true). Instead, focus on the skills you hope to bring from a previous position into a new one.

 Focus on what is being asked. Illegal questions about age, marriage, and family care issues can be addressed positively by determining the reason for the interviewer’s concern. For instance, a woman does not have to answer whether or not she has children; but if this seems to be an issue for the interviewer, she might consider responding,

“My career is very important to me and will continue to be and I can assure you that I am dedicated to quality care as a pharmacist.”

 Never lie, exaggerate, or overstate. When asked direct questions about your work, experience, training, or ability to handle key elements of the job, you must respond honestly. Not only is honesty the best policy; in most cases, deception will only cause more problems for you later on.PRACTICE ANSWERING INTERVIEW QUESTIONS IN FRONT OF A MIRROR AT HOME or WITH A CAREER SERVICES PROFESSIONAL. It is better to stumble over answers to interview questions with anybody except the interviewer.

Questions to Ask the Interviewer

Adapted from: Reile DM and Nickols JL. Survival Strategies for Your New Career. 2002; 47–50.

It is important to plan questions to ask during the interview. Interviewers often make judgments about you based on the type of questions you ask. Remember that this is a time for you to evaluate the organization, residency, or fellowship.

The following is a list of questions you might consider asking in an interview for a new pharmacy position. Do not attempt to ask all of these questions. Ask the most crucial questions in the limited amount of time you may be given.

Questions to Ask in General

For clinical positions:

 How many hours are spent with service commitments per week/month? (clinical position)

 Is code team participation required?

 Are there any opportunities to teach or precept pharmacy students?

 Are there any opportunities to publish?

 How do you think this year’s residents are doing?

 What current research projects are other pharmacists at this institution working on?

 What are the strengths and weaknesses of this department?

 Does the pharmacy faculty ever work with the medical faculty on research projects?

 How would you describe the relationship between the distributional pharmacists and the clinical pharmacists?

 Is the staff given the opportunity to attend national pharmacy meetings (e.g., ASHP, APhA, ACCP, SCCM)? If so, is funding available?

 Do pharmacists ever give lectures to medical house staff?



For retail positions:

 What is a typical day like?

 How many pharmacy techs will be working with me?

 What other non-pharmacy responsibilities are involved with this position?

 How often will I be working alone?

 What is the policy for working on holidays?

 What are the actual shifts I could work?



For Residency Interviews:

 Why do you want to do a residency?

 Where do you see yourself after a pharmacy practice residency?

 What areas of pharmacy most interest you?

 What qualities do you possess that would make you a good resident?

 What are your worst qualities?

 Are you considering a specialty residency or fellowship?

 Why did you attend pharmacy school?

 What is your definition of pharmaceutical care?

 What was your favorite rotation?

 Describe the most significant contribution you made to patient’s care this past year.

 What was your least favorite rotation?

 Describe your most memorable experiences from clerkship rotations.

 If I were to ask preceptor X to describe you, what words would he or she use?

 Describe your favorite or most memorable patient

 Who was your favorite preceptor?

 Describe or discuss the most interesting medical journal article you have recently read.

 Why are you interested in our program?

 How do you handle conflict?

 What do you like to do for fun?

 Describe a conflict with a preceptor or attending physician

 Describe your time-management skills.

 How do you handle stress?

 Describe a leadership role that you had.

 Given a scenario, how would you handle the situation?

 What is your definition of a clinical pharmacist?

 Why are you the best candidate for this program?

 Do you prefer to work individually or as part of a team?



Questions to Consider Asking Only Other Pharmacy Staff:

 What time do you get to work, on average?

 Have you had any problems working with the director?

 What would you change about this department?

 What are the best and worst things about this institution?

 How accessible is the library?

 Are you ever on call?

 Do you have to pay for parking?

 Are the medical and nursing staff easy to work with at this institution?

 How many calls have you received in the middle of the night while on call?

 How far do you live from work?

 How long does it take you to get to work?

 Is the neighborhood near the institution safe?

 Have you had the opportunity to give lectures to pharmacy students? How many?

 Have you had the opportunity to write or publish (review articles, hospital newsletter articles, case reports)?

 Are your suggestions to medical staff taken seriously?

 How much impact do you have on drug therapy decisions?

 Are you asked for input?

Questions to Ask but NOT in the First Interview

 What are the benefits offered by this company/hospital/pharmacy, i.e. 401K, health insurance, stock options?

 What is the salary for this position?

NOTE: Please add and share your experience to help others. Your help will be appreciated by eager mind of young Pharmacists. Thank you :)