Before we get started, we need to acknowledge that most, if not all, of us do a poor job of interviewing. We don't prepare and most of our hires, outside of solid referrals, are shots in the dark. I'm sure we have all been there. After looking through piles of resumes, we narrow it down to three or four prospects and set ourselves up for what is inevitably the most awkward 15 minutes of the week: The interview. You dread the interview because you know it's a big deal. There is real pressure not to hire someone that will disrupt your practice. In a small amount of time, you have to meet an individual (likely for the first time), ask them a few questions, and look over a piece of paper to determine if they are the right fit for your business. Yeah. It isn't easy. And how does the interviewee feel? They need a job, have likely never been in your office before, have never met you, and they might be sweating excessively. Looking at this scenario realistically, this is a recipe for disaster. Seriously, though. Does it have to be this way? The answer is no. Granted, conducting an interview will never be a completely "comfortable" experience for some of us, but a few simple steps can make the process much, much easier. For the sake of our practices, this needs to change. Below you will find five ways to prepare both you and your interviewee for a successful interview. Pick your interviewers. The normal approach here is to conduct the interview all by yourself or maybe bring one other manager in with you. Yes, the person responsible for the business as a whole should be present, but what are the consequences of the boss being the only person in the interview? For one, on the new hire's first day, they don't know anyone in the office. You are already starting them off at a disadvantage because there is a disconnect between them and the rest of your staff. A solid approach here is to bring a trusted, tenured employee in on the interview. It also helps if this is an individual who knows the position and, potentially works in the role on a daily basis. Are you hiring a new front desk person? Maybe you should bring in Martha who has held down the front desk position for the last 22 years? (Well, unless you are replacing Martha!) She will add insight and give you invaluable feedback as to whether or not the individual can perform the job well. If the individual will be reporting to one specific staff member, it is wise to bring them in on the interview as well. Prepare your candidate. You want to get to know your candidate. You don't want to get to know a frazzled, sweaty version of someone who may or may not work for you. You can take a bit of the pressure off by explaining a few things to the person interviewing for the jobbefore they get to the office. First, give them clear instructions on how to get there and where to go. If there are tricks to finding the building, be sure to let them know. Finding your location should be the easiest thing they do! You should also tell the individual how long they should expect the interview to last. This is just a common courtesy. Finally, you should tell them where to go when they get to your office and let the front desk person know they are coming. The first impression is huge! When Jessica says, "Hi, I am here to meet ______ for a job interview," your front desk person should say, "Oh, you must be Jessica. You will be meeting with Dr. _____ and _____ in the conference room. Have a seat and I will let them know you are here." Offer them a bottle of water. Make them feel at home. Set a time and stick to it. Some of you interview people for 10 minutes. Others probably have those hour long interviews. If you hire people based off of their resume alone, stop it. You should be able to set a reasonable time limit to your interview. Try 20-30 minutes and see how it goes. If you ask a person to come all the way to your office and keep them for 10 minutes, they will likely feel as if you devalue both them and the position they are being interviewed for. You should take this process seriously, but don't get too crazy with it. Be prepared. You have to be the most prepared person in the room. Period. Come into the interview with a copy of the job description for everyone and be able to give the individual an idea of what their day to day will look like. (If you bring someone in who already serves in the position, let them explain it.) After explaining the description, ask him or her specific questions about their capability to perform the required tasks. Also, if you have specific goals for your company's culture (which you should), this is a perfect time to communicate them and gauge the candidate's reaction. Prior to the interview, you should make yourself familiar with the individual's resume. If glaring holes or issues exist, you must ask about them in person. This is crucial. Tone and body language will speak volumes in these situations. Finally, you should do a sweep of their social media and address any concerns during the interview. Maybe it's a misunderstanding? Maybe it's a real issue? You'll never know if you don't ask. Questions to ask. You need to be asking great questions during your interviews. They need to dig deep into both the interviewee and your business.
Another cool idea is to let the individual sit in your lobby area for a few minutes. When you begin questioning them, ask them what they observed. This question will likely produce an answer from way out of left field and could potentially tell you a lot about the individual's mindset. For example, if they are interviewing to work alongside Martha and comment on the way she cares for the customers, remembers their names and is intentional about scheduling their follow up appointment, you will know you are on the right track. We don't claim to be HR experts. We are simply looking for ways to improve our practice and our network. We would love to hear from you. What are some tips and tricks you have discovered over the years that make the interview process easier and more rewarding?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorThe staff and doctors at VisionAmerica are committed to providing relevant information for you, your patients and your practice. We hope you find the information in our blog post helpful. Archives
August 2019
Categories |