Interviews for both reception & clinical staff can be stressful and time consuming. If you make the wrong decision, it will cost you time and money. Yet view them as an opportunity to learn more about your practice and the type of people that consider you an employer of choice.
Follow these simple steps to get it right during the first round of interviews and build a practice team of quality staff:

3. Interview Process

• Start with thanking them for their time and follow with some small talk, so the candidate is not too uneasy for their first question.
• Make a good first impression as a professional employer, you only have 30minutes, but be genuine and don’t overpromise.
• Communicate your USP just as you would to a potential patient.
• Outline the interview process and timing.
• Prepare between 5 and 10 questions for the applicant and take notes. Here are some examples:

– Why are you interested in working here?
– What do you know about our practice, and how will you add value?
– Where would you like to be two years from now?
– If there were no barriers, what would be your ideal job?
– What was the reason for you to leave your previous appointment?
– In your previous role, what did you enjoy or dislike?
– What do you consider would be your greatest challenge in this position if you were successful?
– What do you consider to be your greatest professional achievement?
– Tell me about a time when you had a significant challenge with a patient or colleague? Talk me through the situation, how you responded and the outcome.
– Do you foresee any conflicts with your ability to work extra hours from time to time?
– Describe your ideal working environment; including team culture, workflow and management style?
– When you’re having a bad day, what keeps you going?

• Include questions that will determine whether or not the candidate has researched your practice.
• Include questions that will test the information contained in the resume.
• Ensure the questions are example based “Tell me about a time when you…” or “What was your greatest challenge at XYZ?”
• Encourage the applicants to apply the STAR concept for their answers:

o Situation
o Task
o Action
o Result

• Take note of what seems important to the candidate.
• Inform the candidate NOW about the role and its responsibilities.
• Optional role play/ask for experience in similar situations/roles.
• Close with explaining the interview process and when they can expect to hear from you.
• Give the candidate the opportunity to ask questions of their own to get an impression of their preparedness and what’s important to them.

4. Decision Process

• Confirm the skills and your impression of their personality with a reference check.
• Evaluate both the skills and values of your applicant.