We believe you would agree with us that your primary objective of your site visit is to get an offer.  Although the site visit is an opportunity for both parties to evaluate whether or not each is a good fit for the other, you certainly want to put your best foot forward.  Interviews are normally a bit uncomfortable for both parties because both are entering uncharted waters.  From our vantage point, an interview should be nothing more than a validation of the information we have shared with you via telephone and an opportunity for you to see if the proper chemistry between you and your potential employer exists.  This is a highly emotional event because you are leaving a location where you have roots and the idea of selling a house, transferring schools for the children and getting acclimated to a new location can be very troublesome.  The best approach is to evaluate the opportunity without those burdensome thoughts cluttering the process and just see, if by chance, you have a found your new professional and personal home. 

Because professionals do not make a living at interviewing we have compiled some helpful information that may assist you during the site visit. It is difficult to make requests from an opportunity that doesn’t have an interest in you as a viable candidate.  Without sounding overly simplistic, be yourself and everything else will take care of itself.

  1. Always keep an interview positive.  By the time you meet with the opportunity they will have a good idea of why you are entertaining other practice opportunities at this time.  The last thing you want to do, is spend the entire time harping on why you are looking and considering this location.  If they ask you why you are considering re-locating at this time you should be honest and forthright with the information, but whenever possible turn the negative into a positive.
  2. The attire should be professional.  In other words blue jeans and pullover shirts should never be worn during an interview.  There may be a casual dinner or event they will take you to but even in those cases business casual should be considered.  Men should wear a shirt and tie and preferably a suit and females should be in a business suit as well.  Typically, an interview will only last for one day but if there are two days of meetings don’t hesitate to carry two ties to provide yourself with a different look for each day.  This should help eliminate some of the packing you may have for the trip.
  3. You should always be punctual for all meetings.  Timeliness is always a reflection of someone’s character.  Whenever you feel like you may be late for a scheduled meeting try your best to contact someone and apprise them of your situation.  This should relieve the opportunity of any stress that may come as a result of you running late for your meeting.
  4. Always take good notes during your meetings with the different individuals you meet.  The reason for this is, you are going to gather a considerable amount of information during your site visit and the odds of you remembering every piece of information are remote.  This will help you, especially when you are comparing this opportunity to another opportunity you may have already visited. 
  5. An opportunity is always looking for someone who engages in dialogue.  This can easily be done by asking a lot of questions about the opportunity, community, hospital, politics, finances of the practice and the hospital, and any additional information you are trying to gather to help you make an informed decision.
  6. When meeting with the key players of the opportunity, try and convey how your philosophy and approach to healthcare can and would be a benefit to them.  This is as much an opportunity for them to sell you on the idea of relocating to their community as it is an opportunity for you to sell your ideas to them.

We trust the information above will be helpful to you during your site visit.  Please don’t hesitate to call us if you have questions regarding any of the above information.