UNE School of Pharmacy holds second Mock Interview Day

The UNE School of Pharmacy, in collaboration with the Career Advising Office, held its second annual Mock Interview Day on April 26. 

Eleven community partners attended the event, including Covetrus, CVS Health, Hannaford, Holland's Variety Drug, The Pharmacy at Maine Medical Center, Maine Medical Center Specialty Pharmacy, Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, Novo Nordisk, Veteran's Affairs, Walmart, and Wentworth-Douglass Hospital. 

The first half of the day took place inside Alumni Hall on UNE’s Portland Campus for the Health Sciences, where piping and drape created private interview spaces. Students signed up for two interviews each and provided interviewers copies of their resumes for review. Each mock interview lasted 30 minutes in length, followed by 10 minutes of evaluation and feedback. 

Lunch was provided in the School of Pharmacy building, and community partners were given an opportunity to speak to the Class of 2025 about their practice sites, overall student performance, and the future of pharmacy practice. Jennifer Morton, D.N.P., dean of the Westbrook College of Health Professions, and Associate Dean of Student and Clinical Affairs Bernice Mills, RDH, M.S., B.S., were both in attendance. 

Mock Interview Day wrapped up in the Drug Information Center with a mingling event.

Providing a space for students to practice the art of mingling was an important component of the event, particularly in a post-pandemic, technology-driven world, said Kerry Martin, Pharm.D., director of Experiential Pharmacy Education and assistant clinical professor in the School of Pharmacy.

“Our students were able to practice essential soft skills like delivering effective elevator pitches, engaging in small talk, and networking with potential employers beyond those they interviewed with," Martin said. “In an era where face-to-face interactions are increasingly rare, this event fostered the interpersonal abilities important for professional success.”

Mock Interview Day is particularly beneficial for pharmacy students because they are given direct feedback from future employers, residency directors, and pharmacists who are invested in the profession's future, Martin said. 

“All of the participants volunteered their time and resources to come to campus for Mock Interview Day, which speaks to the engagement of the program's external community,” she reflected.