Top Pharmacy Interview Questions & Career Options

Pharmacists are the persons who allocate the advised medicines to the patients. And also gives suggestions like how to use those medicines that the doctors prescribe. So, they play a vital role in the medical society as they are the persons who take care of patients on behalf of doctors in terms of medication. 

They also give suggestions to the individuals or patients about taking care of their health, food to intake when using medicines, timings of the medication, etc. They make sure that the drugs or the medicines that the doctors advise may show any adverse effect on the patients. Nowadays, Pharmacists are also working on compounding the medication according to the needs of the patients.

Job Role of Pharmacists:

There are different works done by the Pharmacists like suggesting medicines, answering questions related to medicinal intakes or the composition of medicines etc.,

• They educate the people about drug intake or any health-related issues.
• They too do Health check-ups whenever it is necessary or in the absence of doctors.
• Safely dispose of unwanted or expired medications before they are misused.
• They also provide the prescribed medicines to the patients or order them on behalf of the patient’s requirements.
• They also provide information about the health-related products to boost the immunity of the patients.
• They also provide services like insurance facilities.
• They can also plan, monitor and analyze the results of new drugs with their compositions.
• They maintain the records of all the patients they treated.

The Bureau of Labour Statistics believes that the employment rate for Pharmacists may increase to 5.6 percent between 2018 to 2026. According to the Glassdoor survey, the average pay for Pharmacists is about Rs. 20,000/- per month in India.

Career Paths for Pharmacists:

There are different career paths where Pharmacists can do their work:

• They can work as Clinical Pharmacists.
• They also can work in Pharmaceutical companies as Pharma Technicians.
• They can also set up a retail store on their own.
• They can also work in veterinary hospitals as veterinary Pharmacists.
• They also can work as IT Pharmacists as it is a newly growing field in the Pharma Industry.
• They also can work in Hospitals as Hospital staff.

So, to settle in this prestigious industry or take this profession as your career, first you need to pass the interview held by different Pharma companies or even by some Pharma based schools where we can gain a lot of knowledge and work experience.

But we all have doubts regarding the questions that are mostly asked in Pharma interview questions or how we can pass the Pharmacists interview guides with a good impression on the interviewer. A proper Pharmacy school interview will be pretty detailed and verbatim hence knowing all the basics is a must.

So, today we will see Top Pharmacist interview questions that are mostly asked in any Pharma company or Pharmacy-based jobs.

Types of Pharmacy Interview Questions :

Firstly, we need to divide these Pharma interview questions into three parts:

• Mostly asked Pharma interview questions.
• Scenario Pharma interview questions.
• Advanced Pharma interview questions.

They are also commonly asked questions in any interview. For Pharmacy Technician questions and Pharmacy School interview questions, a basic pattern will be followed.

Basic Pharmacy Interview Questions: 

1. Tell us about yourself?

2. What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?

3. Why do you choose your career in the Pharma Industry, or why do you choose to be a Pharmacist?

4. What subjects do you like most in the Pharmacy and what topics do you dislike?

5. Where do you want to see yourself in five years? Or what position do you want to settle in the next five years?

6. How do you make sure that the patients are educated enough about their medication?

7. Why do you want to work in our company?

8. Do you have any work-related experience?

9. Do you have the required licenses to be a Pharmacist? Why do we need to hire you?

10. What are your salary expectations according to this job?

These are the Basic and frequently asked questions in any Pharma interview questions.

We all see the frequently asked Pharma Interview questions but we all have one doubt: How to answer these questions?

Guidance for Pharmacy Interview Questions:

So, now we will see some guidance regarding answering these pharmacy technician questions ideally:

• In any Interview, firstly, we need to be confident.
• If we need to say something about ourselves, then say it within a few minutes.
• Because the Employer or the Interviewer wants to know about us, not our life history.
• If you want to answer for strengths and weaknesses then highlight your strengths and show your weaknesses positively like your weakness also help you but not harm you.
• If you want to answer a question like where you want to see yourself in the next five years.
• Try to convince the interviewer with your answer regardless of what your real plans are for the next five years.
• If we need to answer about likes and dislikes basically about our subjects, then concentrate more on practical subjects rather than theory.
• Because it will show how much you are interested in your work field.
• If there is any question like why did you choose Pharmacists career? It would help if you showed your passion and determination about your career in your answer.

There are some sample answers for a few of these Pharmacy technician questions. Just check and prepare your answers for your interview.

Scenario-Based Pharmacy Questions:

In these types of questions, you need to think before you give your answer. However, because the interviewer wants to know what you will do in that specific situation. Some of the pharmacist interview guides can provide solutions to tackling problems at a medical level.

 Some scene-based or Role-based questions that are frequently asked in the Pharmacy school interview.

Scene Based Pharmacy Interview Questions:

These Scene-based questions you will mainly face when you are giving an Pharma School Interview. And also for High-level positions sometimes.

1. How would you deal when you meet an angry customer or a stupid customer when there is a rush in the Pharmacy?

2. If a customer gave you a prescription which you think is fake, then how will you deal with him?

3. What would you do if a customer or patient asked about medical information you don’t know?

4. How would you deal when a customer or one of your patients wants to take the alternative medicine without going to the clinic?

5. Are you willing to solve the conflicts or avoid them?

6. What are the different kinds of problems you may face while being a Pharmacist?

7. Tell us about how you managed to get the answers or the needed information from the person the less responsive person?

8. What will you do if a conflict arises between doctors and Pharmacists about the complex medications? Whose side will you take in that situation?

9. Describe your experience when you are allocated to order the required equipment and the medicines in a day, what are your priorities according to them?

10. What are the biggest challenges that Pharmacists face in   this Industry?

11. If you made a mistake regarding a patient’s medication but you realized it after he went from your place, what would you do at that time?

12. What would you do if one of your patients can’t afford all his medicine’s value? 

13. How would you like to plan and organize your plans in the school or in the company?

These are some of the scene based or role based Pharmacy interview questions asked in any Pharmacy school interviews.

So, we all see how the interviewer frames the questions based on some particular situation. But, we can’t say answers recklessly and without thinking or understanding that particular situation.

Well the above questions are behavior-based and the interviewer wants to know about your sense of judgment. So, we need to think twice before we answer these questions.

• If the interviewer asks you a question like how you deal when a patient wants to take the alternative medicine, first understand the situation clearly and then think about the positives and negatives for your answer.
• Then answer as per the situation. Give the answer which will convince the interviewer rather than making them think you are not qualified to judge the situation.
• If you want to answer about the biggest challenges for a Pharmacist, then think about the recent challenges that the Pharma industry is facing. 
• For this, you need to be updated with the recent knowledge and current ongoing affairs in the Pharma Industry.
• If in case the interviewer asked a question like how you will deal with the less responsive person to take needed information, regarding their medication.
• Just keep in mind that they want to test your patience level and your way of communication towards the customer.
• Just keep in mind that whoever the person you talk with just treats them nicely. Because your words may increase the hope in them.
• If in any case the interviewer asked you about how you will give your answer regarding the medical information you don’t know, then say your answer confidently but don’t show them you’re thinking about your answer. 
• A small reminder to deal with these types or tricky questions by just being up to date with the Pharmacy related current affairs and latest innovations in the medicines.

Sample Pharmacy School Interview Questions with Answers:

Advanced Pharmacy technician questions

1. What are the important aspects you consider when storing the medicines?
2. What would you do when you can’t understand the prescriptions clearly?
3. If in any case you want to become like a drug, what drug do you like to prefer to become?
4. What are the skills that the Pharmacists need before entering this field?
5. What are the business aspects that the Pharmacists need to be aware of in your opinion?
6. Describe the effect made by the Francis report in the Pharmaceutical Industry?
7. The Pharmacist’s life is boring and unchanging, what would you like to do to keep yourself motivated?
8. How do you like to deal when your co-worker or colleague’s behavior is suspicious?

How to Answer these Advanced Pharma Interview Questions:

In these questions there are some simple yet tricky questions which need some thinking, passion about your work, understanding about yourself and knowledge about various publications in the Pharma Industry.

How to Answer these Pharma Interview Questions:

The skills relating to Pharma Industry that every Pharmacists need to have are:

• Communicate with your staff or with customers/ patients clearly.
• Ready to do Multi-Tasking whenever necessary.
• Every Pharmacist needs to follow their professional ethics.
• They must possess counselling skills which are vital for their job role.
• They need to have conflict management skills and time management skills.
• Practical Knowledge and up to date with the recent works in the Pharma Industry.
• They need to be attentive in all cases.
• Should have computer knowledge etc.,
• If you asked how you deal with the conflicts between your co-workers, then state an example that you faced the given situation in your college life or in any other ways.
• Because by asking these types of questions, the interviewer wants to check whether you can manage the staff alone or not.
• If there is a tricky question like if you want to become like a drug then what you will choose, the main reason to ask these types of questions is to test you when you face an unanticipated situation.
• And also check your spontaneous action and thoughts regarding this unknown situation.

These are some of the Pharmacy Interview questions that may be asked in interviews for freshers to higher position candidates. And there are also some questions related to the Pharmacy Technician interview.

Pharmacy Technician Interview Questions:

Pharmacy technicians are the persons who work with Pharmacists to help the needed patients. They work mainly in clinics, Retail Pharmacies, Industries, Military etc.,

So, even to get the job as Pharmacy Technician we need to pass the examination with Interview. 

There are some common questions like tell us about you, salary expectations, why we need to hire you etc,. Also asked in this interview. And with that there are some questions related to technician job like:

1. Why do you want to become a Pharmacy Technician?
2. Do you have any experience in Pharmacy software?
3. What are the major duties and responsibilities that a Pharmacy technician needs to do?
4. Differentiate the difference between the prescribed medicine and over the dosage medicines?
5. What is your feeling when you work with different customers or with colleagues from different regions?
6. How do you handle the stress in your work life?

These are some questions related to interviews for Pharmacy Technician posts.

Conclusion:

Finally, when you apply for any posts related to the Pharma Industry or for a Pharmacists job, you need to prepare yourself fully before attending the interview. Just keep in mind that a Pharmacists job role is not an ordinary job role.

It includes stress, spontaneity, understanding of certain situations, tremendous workload, time management, updated information related to the industry etc.

So, whenever you apply for an interview and face Pharmacy interview questions, prepare yourself with the most frequently asked questions because they will give you enough confidence to face the interviewer. And also, think before you answer the tricky questions in the interview.

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