Physician Interviews from the Employer's Perspective

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You've researched a potential new position, figured out your needs and wants, rehearsed questions, and know what to look for at a site visit.

Have you tried seeing this process through the eyes of the physicians and administrators doing the hiring?

Before you are invited to visit the practice, there has already been considerable scrutiny of your CV. Of course prospective employers look at your medical school and where you did your residency. The future employer is also looking for misspelled words, inaccuracies, and typos in your CV. If you are careless about a document as important as your CV, they will wonder if you are careless about details with other important documents. The employer will then select the few best applications to pursue.

If you make the first cut, telephone interviews are usually the next step. The employer will be assessing your voice. He is listening for a telephone manner that he would want his patients and colleagues to hear when they call the office. The employer starts to form opinions about the candidates, and decides whom to interview in person. To narrow the field even more, there are several questions an employer may ask on the telephone.

You'll be asked what kind of position you're seeking, and what appeals to you about the position. Is it the location, the size, the reputation, or do you know someone in the practice? The interviewer will want to know if you have the clinical skills for the practice and what requirements you have. (S)he will ask you about time off, the call schedule, hospital rounds, etc. The employer will assess attitude: Are you projecting skepticism or enthusiasm? They will need to know when you can start. If you are playing hard-to-get, you may be perceived as someone who might be difficult in practice, and you will probably be ruled out. The phone call is the employers’ first impression of you.

The next step is the face-to-face interviews. Some questions will help the employer form a “personal profile” of you. Expect your interviewer to address the following:

• How does the candidate appear? Does s/he have confidence? Is the candidate on time, prepared, and dressed appropriately? Does (s)he have “people skills,” good communication skills, and ask intelligent questions? Will the candidate blend well in the practice setting?
• What are the candidate’s career and personal goals? What is s/he looking for in a position? A potential employer will want to know the candidate’s future plans.
• How ambitious is the candidate? Does s/he want to be at an academic center with teaching opportunities, the newest technology, and cutting-edge research? Would the candidate like a small-town type community?
• Is the candidate a leader or a follower? A leader is confident in most situations, while a follower pays close attention to the existing setting.
• Is the candidate civic-minded? What are his/her personal interests and hobbies?

In order to assess the factors that influence the candidate’s decision, s/he may be asked to rank the following:

• Geographic influences: family, culture, climate, safety, familiarity, urban, suburban, rural
• Professional influences: academia/research, administrative, leadership, private practice as owner or as employee, small group, large group
• Economic influences: personal and professional debt, cost of living, current income, long-term employment

After the interviews, the employer will check your credentials. In a meeting with the staff, the candidate’s weaknesses and strengths will be discussed. Are goals reasonable, and can (s)he work toward those goals within the practice? There really is such a thing as “chemistry.” The employer uses instinct to help make a selection.

When it’s time to negotiate a contract, the employer should have decided what he can compromise on and what he can’t compromise, based on what will be good for the practice in the long run. Both candidates and employers should be very careful during the negotiations and be ready for some give and take. Both should have a lawyer scrutinize the final agreement.

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