Five Tips to Ace an Onsite Interview

How do you secure your dream job? The answer is simple, ace the onsite interview. This is your chance to shine and the employer’s chance to put a face to the name and see firsthand how you will mesh with the practice and business model. You will have the chance to see the operation and to make an informed decision on an offer. In my experience, maximizing the site visit opportunity almost always turns into getting a good employment offer. Here’s what you need to know to have a successful interview.

  1. Remember, the primary goal of the site visit interview is to be offered an employment contract, not to decide if you want to take the job. The secondary goal of the site visit is to gather as much information as you need regarding the practice, the team, and the community. It is your chance to see for yourself the practice and other physicians in action. Spend some time getting to know the community and the people you will be working alongside; the more you know about these aspects the easier your decision will be.
  2. Treat the entirety of your site visit as the interview opportunity. I have seen too many physicians ace the 90 minute interview section of their visit, but then misrepresent themselves by letting their guard down in a lunch or dinner social setting. From the moment you meet your recruiter or point of contact with the group, until the time you leave, you are being interviewed. Treat everyone you meet with, including supporting staff, administration professionals, etc. as if they are on the interviewing team – because often times they are!
  3. Ask about compensation during the interview (preferably towards the end), but take special care not to negotiate anything at this time! If you recall from my previous blog post, it is a best practice to avoid discussing compensation values during the initial telephone interview. Although, if you did have a chance to discuss how the compensation is structured, now is the time to discuss that further. Remember, the goal is to be offered the job first. Most practices are willing to negotiate compensation, but it makes no difference if they don’t offer you the job. Work closely with your recruiter both before and after the site visit to discuss compensation goals, the value of the offer, and how to tactfully negotiate the compensation to the most practice and physician friendly values.
  4. Unless you are totally opposed to proceeding any further with the opportunity, ask for the job. It shows a high level of enthusiasm and engagement to be proactive in asking for the job after a successful site visit. Even if you are on the fence, or need time to fully digest everything you’ve learned about the opportunity to this point, having an executable employment offer in hand after a successful site visit is the ultimate goal. You have nothing to decide upon if they don’t offer you the job. Be enthusiastic and proactive in joining the team if the opportunity is a good fit this will put you in a great position to negotiate finer details if not every single detail is to your liking.
  5.   Express gratitude and thank your contacts for their time (and even use their name – “thank you Mr./Ms. ____”) to create a personal connection and communicate your appreciation for the hard work that employers put into the recruiting process. This is an easy way for you to set yourself apart from other candidate: be a gracious and considerate candidate.

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Source: Physicians Recruiting Blog