In the days of long ago, the interaction between the interviewer and the candidate was designed to see whether the candidate could impress the interviewer with their technical knowledge first and foremost. It placed the candidate’s competencies against a very specific job description. Not entirely so much today. The engagement is intended to uncover the real person, assessing your character without being taken in by the “tuxedo effect.”

As a candidate, you should be prepared to be assessed on the following abilities: articulating well; sharing the conversation across an observance of your capacity to reason; displaying good judgment, ethical stamina, and analytical processes; and adapting to a wide array of interactions in a diverse employment dimension. And yes, your technical competency will inevitably be investigated.

Andrew Proffer, PhD, a psychologist with health care IT recruiting firm, CompassPoints Consulting, says: “Candidates should be prepared to speak to their professional values and accomplishments in a way that is positive, accurate, and not self-aggrandizing.” He suggests that candidates should research the prospective employer on Glassdoor.com as well as through professional circles in order to ask questions that will provide meaningful information and demonstrate that they’ve done their homework. “Be prepared,” he adds, “to turn the interview into a discovery process about the company, the culture, and the individual interviewing you.”

Keep the Focus on Your Strengths

First, acknowledge that pursuing your career interests is work. Examine your areas of strength and areas still needing development. Never use the word “weakness.” If it is used by the interviewer, gently reconstruct it as areas needing further development and demonstrate how you are actively engaged in moving that forward.

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Be prepared to identify what has given you the greatest satisfaction and has led to your career selection as well as the decision to continue on in your chosen specialty. This should be aligned against your knowledge that there is a match between your chosen specialty and the functional area of the prospective employer. Never blindly cast your choice before the employer without knowing that there is a related function in the organization.

For example, you know that there is an ongoing effort by the health care provider to encourage nurses to improve their knowledge and skills in the area of evidence-based nursing. It’s a tool to strengthen your ability to engage patients and provide quality care with factual information regarding the patient’s illness. Now is the time to convey that your academic preparation or your prior work experience has equipped you to serve well in such a culture.

Remember, you need to get past the HR representative before you get to visit with the hiring manager and the screening committee(s) that will follow a successful first interview. In that encounter, be prepared to respond to “Tell me about a time when….” questions. Share your in-depth knowledge in the areas where you are strongest, and probe the committee to uncover what is expected of the person they seek to hire as it impacts the specialty areas where you believe you are strong.

The Scenario Interview Challenge

This is another aspect of the behavioral interview. Here’s an example:

Bertha is a petite woman who looks younger than her 67 years, but she has a failing heart. Even the smallest amount of physical exertion causes shortness of breath and other symptoms such as arm pain, so her cardiologists brought in the palliative care team and you are a member. Bertha could go home on her intravenous medication, but neither her son nor her daughter is going to be able to accommodate her needs. This is a common situation in today’s families. What might you do that would help the family decide what to do?

Belinda Jennette, who was recently hired by the largest privately held analytics firm as a project manager, says she was given a typical set of events made by management that had produced some unforeseen outcomes and asked how she as project manager would resolve the situation. “While the specific scenario was not unusual for the company,” she explains, “its purpose was to see how I would develop clarity regarding what was described, and how I would use my probative skills to produce a recommendation that could be defended. It was not designed to judge whether I had had experience handling that specific scenario.”

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Beware the fishing questions. These might include: “When or how might you use humor as part of your bedside manner?” or “How many times does an inappropriate act by your coworker have to occur before you report it to the provider’s management?”

The point is: you should spend preparation time thinking about how you might demonstrate that you are very committed to delivering care consistent with the provider’s vision and sensitive to the competitive nature of the industry. Figure out how to sufficiently respond to questions in the interview without excessively overstating things. You should have some sense of when the fish is in the boat!

James Z. Daniels
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