Pharmacist Mock Interview
Practice 35 Pharmacist interview questions covering clinical scenarios, patient safety, and medication management.
Question 21 of 35
How do you build relationships when you are new to a role?
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Community Answers
Stephanie Baumhover, PharmD, BCPS is a board certified clinical pharmacist with over 20 years experience interviewing and hiring pharmacists in several practice settings.
It can be daunting to be the new person at work, especially when you are entering into an established team. If the employer is taking this question, likely there may be some team dynamics they are screening for or have had issues in the past with employees who were not able to build effective relationships. It is important to recognize that you are aware you will need to work well with the current team and are happy to learn from those who have been there for a while. You want to remark specifically about building relationships. You can mention that you like to make sure you meet with each team member one-on-one, or that you try to help out anyone who is running behind. You want to pull your weight and help everyone when needed for the sake of the patient.
Stephanie Baumhover, PharmD, BCPS is a board certified clinical pharmacist with over 20 years experience interviewing and hiring pharmacists in several practice settings.
"This is so important as a new person joining the team. I build relationships by first giving and then earning their respect. I like to get to know my coworkers naturally and I am confident my personality can work with almost anyone. A good teamwork atmosphere at work is of utmost importance to me."
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Anonymous Answer
I get to know the members of the team, their culture, and their habits. Then I can bring some fruits, biscuits or chocolate. I would volunteer to make tea for everyone.
Stephanie's Feedback
Your response shows your empathy and ability to build connections with your co-workers, even if that's through sharing food or tea! I suggest adding on an additional sentence about why building relationships at work is important to you. For example: "Building meaningful working relationships is very important to me, and I go the extra mile to get to know my co-workers."
Anonymous Answer
I usually try to talk friendly with everyone in the pharmacy, everyone from the volunteers to the technicians to our pharmacy managers. Looking at everyone like they are important to providing optimal care is one of the best ways to tell everyone how important they are to our common goal of optimized patient care.
Stephanie's Feedback
It sounds like you have a friendly, collegial approach to the workplace! I suggest taking this response one step further by providing specific examples of how you connect with colleagues (for example, bringing in snacks to share or asking colleagues about their children or hobbies.) A specific example or two here will go a long way!
Anonymous Answer
Building relationships can be hard when you are a newbie. I would introduce myself and always be friendly. After about a week I would bring in something yummy that the team could snack on. Building comradery takes time and trust.
Marcie's Feedback
Introducing yourself, being friendly, and bringing in a treat for the team are all great ways to build relationships at work. To make your answer more memorable and meaningful to the interviewer, include an example of a time when you were new at work and discuss how you made interpersonal inroads. Talk about the trust that developed between you and your coworkers. Even discuss the relationship you built with your manager by establishing and meeting their expectations, etc. The more details here, the better! Prove to the interviewer that you're capable of building mutually respectful and trusting relationships with others.
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