What Recruiters Really Look for in Interviews (Insights from Emplify Health Career Services)

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with recruiters from Emplify Health’s Career Services team about what they actually look for in interviews, especially when working with early-career candidates and new graduates. Although Emplify Health hires heavily in patient-facing roles such as nursing, medical assistants, and clinical support, their insights apply far beyond healthcare. Whether you’re applying for a hospital position, research internship, corporate job, or nonprofit role, the fundamentals of interviewing remain the same.

Here are three major takeaways that stood out:

What Recruiters Notice Before You Even Start Answering Questions

Before technical skills, before GPA, before experience, recruiters are already observing something else.

They notice your nonverbal communication.

Do you seem present?
Are you making natural eye contact?
Are you engaged and listening?

Interestingly, they expect candidates to be nervous. Nerves are normal. What matters more is whether you can still communicate interest and professionalism despite that nervousness.

Simple behaviors make a difference:

Making consistent eye contact
Smiling naturally
Nodding while listening
Using comfortable hand gestures
Sitting in an open and engaged posture

These cues signal confidence and interest, even if you’re internally anxious.

For pre-health students, especially, this matters. Healthcare roles are rooted in patient interaction, teamwork, and communication. If you appear disengaged or closed off during an interview, recruiters may question how you would show up in patient-facing environments. The key isn’t to eliminate nerves. It’s to practice enough that your professionalism shows through them.

Why Most Candidates Struggle with Behavioral Questions

One of the most consistent themes recruiters emphasized was behavioral interviewing. If you’ve heard of the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) or BAR (Background, Action, Result), you already know the structure. What recruiters shared is that many candidates know the format, but don’t fully execute it.

These were the common pitfalls they emphasized:

Rambling through too much background
Not clearly explaining what you did
Leaving out the result
Speaking in “we” instead of “I”

This last one is especially common. Many students, particularly in collaborative fields like healthcare or research, describe what the team accomplished but never clarify their individual contributions.

Recruiters are not asking behavioral questions to hear about your team. They are assessing your competencies.

When answering, focus on:

One specific example
A clear description of your action
The skill you demonstrated
The outcome

Even when asked something broad like “What are your strengths?”, stories stand out more than lists. Anyone can say, “I’m a strong communicator.” Fewer people can briefly describe a moment when their communication improved a patient interaction, resolved a lab issue, or helped a team move forward. Stories are memorable. Bullet-point answers are not.

How to Stand Out (Without Feeling Like You’re Bragging)

A surprising insight from the conversation was this: many candidates are simply too hard on themselves. They assume they don’t have enough experience. They assume their answers aren’t strong enough. They assume perfection is required. For early-career candidates, especially students, that’s rarely true. Recruiters understand that new graduates will not have years of professional experience.

What they are looking for are transferable skills:

Teamwork
Initiative
Problem-solving
Compassion
Communication
Integrity and accountability

And these can come from anywhere:

Lab research
Volunteering
Student organizations
Sports
Leadership roles
Campus jobs

You do not need a hospital title to demonstrate compassion, nor do you need a corporate internship to demonstrate problem-solving. You just need a clear story that shows how you applied those skills.

Another area where candidates stand out is at the end of the interview. Thoughtful questions signal genuine interest. Instead of defaulting to “What does a day in this role look like?”, consider questions that help you assess fit and growth:

What qualities make someone successful on this team?
How does collaboration work within this department?
What does growth look like in this role?

These questions not only show curiosity, they also give you insight into whether the environment aligns with your goals.

One important note: salary conversations are usually best reserved for after an offer is extended. Early discussions about compensation can unintentionally limit negotiation flexibility.

 A Quick Word on AI and Preparation

The recruiters also shared a balanced perspective on AI tools. AI can be a powerful way to:

Generate practice behavioral questions from a job description
Simulate mock interview conversations
Refine resumes and cover letters

But it should support your preparation and not replace your thinking. If AI writes something for you, you must still be able to confidently explain it. Interviewers will quickly notice if you cannot speak naturally about your own experiences. Use AI as a rehearsal partner, not a scriptwriter.