Phone interviews between a physician and an employer happen to be very common healthcare staffing because employers use them to screen candidates before holding in-person interviews. They are particularly common in locum tenens healthcare staffing, where distance often makes an in-person interview unfeasible. And while the prospect of talking on the phone does alleviate some of the pressure that comes with an in-person interview, there is still a great deal of preparation to do beforehand. Here are some tips for nailing a physician phone interview.
Research the hospital or facility beforehand.
As with any interview, it’s highly important to research the employer beforehand. Find out about the facility’s overall mission, values, and treatment offerings. How large is the staff? What are the general demographics of the patients? These are the types of things you’ll want to know before the interview so that you can better understand the position you’d be going into. Moreover, this can show the employer that you are interested in them uniquely as a facility, rather than simply as an employer.
Prepare for likely questions.
As we covered in this blog post, there are certain questions you can expect to get asked in an interview. Some examples: Tell me about yourself. How well do you perform under pressure? What is your ideal practice setting? Are you prepared to move relatively soon? Write out your answers to these types of questions as you prepare, being sure to include in your answers past work experiences that support your answers.
Outline the points you’ll want to make.
In addition to preparing answers to common questions, you’ll also want to create an outline of what you think your strongest points are as a candidate. Make these points versatile enough that you can include them in answers to a variety of different questions.
Come with questions.
Remember that this is a two-way interview, and many employers expect you to come with a list of questions. We talked about some of the best questions you can ask in a healthcare interview in this blog post. Just be sure that the questions you prepare show that you are interested in the position and that you have indeed prepared them beforehand.
Record your voice.
How you communicate over the phone is vital here, so it’s important to have your “phone voice” mastered beforehand. Try recording your voice and then listening back to it in order to catch things you might want to change. Maybe you say “um” frequently, or maybe you don’t sound quite as enthusiastic as you thought you were when you play it back.
Practice common phone etiquette.
Finally, it’s important to practice a few common pieces of phone etiquette during your interview. Greet the employer with a smile, for example, and speak in a positive tone (it helps to physically smile as you speak.) Be sure to close with a thank you as well.
We here at Fusion HealthCare Staffing know locum tenens staffing, and we thrive on matching experienced physicians with the right employers. With connections all over the country, Fusion can help you find the perfect locum tenens job today, whether you are looking to work for a few days or start a locum tenens to permanent position. Contact us today at 855-537-8353.