How do I talk about my practicum in a job interview?

For most new MPH graduates, the practicum is the best source of interview examples. Behavioral questions like "Tell me about a time you worked with a difficult stakeholder" are asking for exactly the kind of experience you just had.

Use the STAR structure

• Situation: the setting and the problem, in one or two sentences
• Task: what you were responsible for
• Action: the specific steps you took, which should be the longest part
• Result: what happened, with numbers or concrete outcomes where you have them, plus what you learned

Keep each story to about two minutes. Use "I," not "we," when describing your actions, while still giving the team credit.

Build a small story bank

Prepare four or five stories that cover common themes:

• Analyzing or managing data
• Communicating with a non-technical audience
• Handling a setback, mistake, or changed plan
• Working with a difficult person or competing priorities
• Taking initiative or leading something

One project can supply several stories if you focus on different moments. Your activity logs and weekly reflections are the best source for details like dates, numbers, and what went wrong, so review them before interviews.

Tailor to the job

Read the job description and match stories to the skills it emphasizes. The same survey project can highlight data skills for an analyst role or community engagement for a health educator role.

Handle the tricky cases

If your practicum is still underway, describe the work in present tense and share early results. If the placement didn't match your goals, frame it around transferable skills rather than disappointment. The article on interview prep while still a student covers both situations.

If an interviewer asks to see your work, see sharing practicum work samples with employers.