State of the art technology is important to us. Tell me about how you learn new technologies.

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Athenahealth provides a wide array of tech solutions to healthcare institutions worldwide. They've remained at the top of their game by adapting to and innovating new technologies. The organization expects new staff members to embrace and even promote new technologies in their work.

Before your interview with athenahealth, consider how you've learned and adapted to new technologies throughout your career or educational path. The example you share will hopefully demonstrate how you kept an open and positive mindset when the new technology was presented. Highlight how you went the extra mile to learn the new technology and implement it in your work.

"In my current role, we use a database that is new to me. I went straight to YouTube to watch demos and then dug into the tool, exploring all the different features. I know the manual is there also, but I learn by watching and doing, so this approach allowed me to learn it quickly."

"I love learning new systems by practicing right away. If somebody is teaching me, and I'm supposed to be watching them, I ask if I can be the driver, so the concepts sink in faster. I also like the teach-back approach. When I learn a new concept in the software, I teach it back to my colleague. Repeating it back to them helps me to learn it better myself."

Anonymous Answer

"I know that technology is constantly changing and as a software development engineer staying up to date with the latest technologies which are relevant to my line of work is very important. I am very interested in web technologies and hence I always push myself to seek out all the advancements in that field. When I started out learning and expanding my knowledge in web technologies I was able to learn HTML, CSS, and JS fairly quickly and have learned React.js in about 2 months and have worked on a lot of projects using these technologies. I am currently learning Redux and GraphQL and expect to do even more projects using all of my skills."

Chad's Feedback

This is a good start! You are certainly correct that technology is constantly changing, and it sounds like you are working hard to keep your skills up to date, particularly as they relate to web technologies. Your answer demonstrates to the interviewer that you have the ability to learn new technologies, but what is missing is the method you use in order to teach yourself. For example, how were you able to learn React.js in only two months?

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Anonymous Answer

"Working in the current healthcare field there is ever-changing technology. Usually, it is always for the better. So I am OK with new technology, it just takes time to learn a new way, but it is usually always like I said for the better."

Marcie's Feedback

It's great that you're open to learning how to use new technologies and recognize their importance, but make sure your answer focuses on how well you adapt to these changes. Remind the interviewer that you're a quick learner. Talk about a time when you successfully taught yourself how to use new technology at work to show that you're truly capable in this area. Discuss exactly what you did to educate yourself. Good job!