Selection: Who and Where to Interview

We just wrapped up the recruiting portion of new hire preparation. Next, let's move into the interview and selection new-hire preparation phase.

First, identify who will be interviewing your candidates. Many times that's an HR manager, however, in our industry we're going to probably interview with the doctor and/or office manager. Sometimes staff can also get involved. Whomever is interviewing for this position, keep it consistent. That will ensure each process is consistent and there's no bias, and also the evaluation of each candidate is consistent. 

Second, decide where you want to conduct the interview. If you're holding interviews during patient care hours, be sure your front desk knows when each candidate is going to be arriving. Also ensure your schedule is ready to receive that candidate. Just like a patient, we do want candidates to have a pleasant experience during their interview process. In the event that they're not hired, hopefully they'll have enjoyed their time with your office, and if they are not a current patient, they might consider being a patient in the future. 

Ensure the space in your office is ready for your interview, whether this is an exam room or conference room. Ensure there are enough chairs for everyone that's participating in the interview and make sure everyone knows where you're going so the room is not occupied when you arrive at the room with the candidate. You can consider placing a sign on the door saying please do not disturb. 

In some cases, you might want to take your interviews off-site. This can provide a less formal environment and provide for a more relaxing experience, especially during the first interview.

Please keep a form, also, for each applicant that says the applicant's name, the date of their first interview, who was part of their interview, the questions that were asked during the interview, any notes regarding that candidate, and then a final or overall grade of the candidate. Once you get to interviewing multiple candidates, this form will be very handy to remember what you appreciated or maybe didn't appreciate regarding each candidate. It’s also a good idea to keep this form for legal considerations.