As a healthcare hiring manager, you are confident that your interviewing and onboarding process is solid. But today’s hiring environment is very different. And working experiences candidates want to share with you represent new skills and potential setbacks. So, as you recruit for your healthcare business, it’s worth reworking your interview questions. These are the interview questions every healthcare hiring manager should be asking.
1. Why Do You Want to Work with Our Healthcare Organization?
In the healthcare industry, your candidates already present a roster of impressive credentials. And the industry as a whole is hiring, desperate for top-notch candidates to join their ranks. What you want to know is why this particular candidate has chosen to apply with your organization. The responses will be telling to you in that they should highlight the candidate’s motivation for a career change. You must be offering an opportunity they don’t currently have. And that will help you with future job opening posts, too.
2. What Do You Know About Our Company?
If you’re interviewing a candidate who’s open to any role with any healthcare entity, they probably haven’t done their homework. And if they aren’t willing to learn about what specialty care you offer or what credentials your organization has, it could be a sign of cutting corners, desperation, or lack of thorough attention to details.
3. Can You Name One Essential Skill You’ve Learned in Your Current Position?
This is a great interview question that will demonstrate a candidate’s ability to show a willingness to learn. An applicant with lots of improved skills to share will be an eager-to-learn professional on the job. Someone who struggles to answer this question might be of the mindset that there isn’t much else to learn. And you probably don’t want a know-it-all among the ranks.
4. If Hired, What Would You Expect to Accomplish within Your First 30 Days?
Expectation interview questions are essential. Managing role expectations can be hard, especially in today’s ever-changing healthcare landscape. However, take the time to address this during the interview so you can dispel myths or confirm an applicant’s viability as an addition to your staff.
5. What Do You Do When You’re Not Working?
You don’t want to pry into someone’s personal life, but the hobbies question is still essential. Today’s healthcare professionals are experiencing burnout at a much higher rate. Probing a candidate about off-time activities will tell you how well they’re handling the work-life balance. A workaholic might be only changing jobs to avoid burnout. A well-balanced individual demonstrates an ability to manage the stress of the job with healthy time off.
6. How Would You Address an Underperforming Colleague?
Asking someone about their ability to work within a team environment is no longer a precise enough interview question. Everyone will tell you they can work within a collaborative environment. But inquiring about how a candidate would handle an underperforming colleague can lead to a host of other questions, including:
- How often should someone be applauded for great work?
- How would you handle ABC situations?
- What would be your first response to XYZ scenarios?
The candidate’s response to these hiring manager questions will reveal just how team-centric someone really is on the job.
7. What Skill Would You Like to Develop More?
Can an applicant be honest about areas of improvement? Everyone can stand to get better at something. And how a healthcare professional responds will tell you everything you need to know about strengths, weaknesses, and integrity.
8. Can You Describe a Recent Problem You Encountered and How You Solved It?
When someone solves a problem, like really solves it, they’ll be able to tell you exactly what they did to overcome the challenge. How your candidate responds will tell you if they’ve actually solved a problem or not. And it will also provide insights into the type of day-to-day challenges someone is accustomed to facing in past and current roles.
9. What Other Job Openings Are You Considering or Interested in Pursuing?
This question isn’t so much about discovering other healthcare organizations a candidate is applying for or niche segments. It can be insightful, however, if the applicant is open to considering both a management or leadership role AND a more entry-level role. If the responses suggest roles are similar across the board, it’s a good indication the person is well-versed and confident in fulfilling the duties of those roles.
10. Can You Define Personal and Professional Success for Yourself?
This interview question is similar to the expectations line of questioning. However, it can be helpful to learn more about a candidate’s motivation for success. Goal setting characteristics demonstrate ongoing betterment and performance. And you can inquire about small goals and larger, long-term goals to learn more about a candidate’s “magic wand” career path.
Consider incorporating some of these interview questions in your practice’s hiring process. And if you’re still struggling to find the best-fit healthcare candidates, let Insync Healthcare Recruiters help!