5 Things to Expect in Your Centene Interview

1. Expect a virtual interview

The majority of interviews for positions at Centene will be conducted virtually via Zoom or Teams. We ask that both interviewers and interviewees are on camera for the interviews in an effort to create a more personal experience. To prepare for a virtual interview, we recommend that you find a quiet area and avoid busy or distracting backgrounds – this will help the interviewers focus on you and your talent! It’s also a smart idea to test out your camera and mic prior to the interview to ensure you don’t have to scramble at the last minute if your technology is not cooperating.

2. Keep an eye out for communication from our scheduling team

Once selected for an interview with a hiring leader, a member of Centene’s HR Services team will work with you to schedule the interview for a time that works best for you. The scheduling coordinator will reach out to you via email to gather your availability and set up your interview. It’s important to note that this email will come from a different person then your Talent Advisor, so please keep an eye on your inbox for updates.

3. Be prepared to introduce yourself

At first glance, this one may seem like a given. Most interviews will start with some variation of the opener “Tell me about yourself”. This may seem fairly basic, but it can be tough to know where to start if you’re not prepared. This is your opportunity to describe why you are in the market for a new position, why you are interested in this specific role, your past work experience, and why you feel you’d be a good fit for the role and the company. We recommend having a copy of your resume in front of you during the interview to help keep yourself on track.

4. Expect behavioral interview questions and prepare examples

Regardless of the position you are interviewing for, you will likely be asked behavioral interview questions as part of the interview process. Behavioral interview questions help the interviewer to assess your ability to meet the job requirements by assessing how you have navigated certain situations in the past or have utilized your skills relevant to the role. These are generally open-ended questions such as “Tell me about a time…”,  “How did you handle….”, etc.

In order to set yourself up for success, we recommend using the STAR method to answer these types of questions. STAR stands for situation, task, action, and result. To start, you will want to explain the situation and set the scene for the interview team. What was the issue you needed to resolve? Next, you will want to explain the tasks you needed to complete and the actions you took to get there. Finally, you will want to explain the results of the actions you took: What was the outcome and how did you ultimately leave the situation better than when you started? There may be times when you don’t have an exact example for a specific scenario – in these cases, think about your past work experiences where you may have dealt with something similar and share how you feel this is relevant to the skill or experience the interviewer is trying to gauge.

5. Be prepared to ask questions of your own

At the close of the interview, you will be asked what questions you have for the interview team. This is your chance to interview us! It’s important to remember that interviews are a two-way street. Not only are we looking to gauge your fit for Centene, but you should also be gauging Centene’s fit for you. Having 3 – 5 post-interview questions ready to go will help you ensure you get the information you need to aid you in making your decision, while also showing the interview team that you are engaged and interested in the role.