6 virtual interviewing tips for physician recruiters

Virtual interviews have become a common alternative to in-person interviews for prospective physician candidates. They save time and money, streamline the interview process, and are convenient — for both your facility and physician candidates.  Healthcare organizations who can make their virtual experience shine will be the winners when it comes to recruiting the best talent. Here are six virtual interviewing tips that can help make your interviews the best they can be.

1. Prepare and practice with a mock interview

If you are new to virtual interviewing, it’s crucial to practice using the technology well before conducting your first interview — things like checking your microphone and camera, internet speed, and even holding a mock interview for practice.

Adam Ullman, senior recruiter for physician and advanced practice practitioners at Henry Ford Health System, stresses that holding mock interviews, particularly with interviewers who aren’t the most comfortable interviewing virtually, is crucial.

“We do practice interviews with our chairs of departments and division heads,” he says. “We make sure we’ve our prepped interviewers with the technology we’re using before our virtual interviews.”

Another best practice is to have a checklist to ensure you’re prepared before every interview. Some examples include interview protocol, introductory script, questions, applications, and a scoring rubric. It’s also important for the interviewer to rehearse the introductory script and questions.

2. Test your technology and have a backup plan

Although there are many technology choices for holding virtual interviews — like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams — Ullman admits the technology still isn’t perfect. When you are relying on both the facilities’ technology as well as the interviewee’s technology to be working simultaneously, it’s hard to guarantee a smooth video interview process.

“The first thing we have them do is test and we go in assuming that we’ve done that up front, just in case there’s a technology breakdown,” Ullman says, “and if all else fails, we quickly arrange a phone call as a backup option, so having their phone number at hand is crucial.”

3. Pay attention to technology failures as a possible red flag

Ullman says hospital recruiters should always go into first interviews with the expectation that the interviewee may have technology issues. However, if the candidate is having repeated technology problems, it could be indicative of other, larger issues.

“Having repeated technology issues sends the message that perhaps they’re not as committed as we are,” he says. “We want to focus on candidates who show the same level of interest in us as we do with them.”

4. Invest in quality equipment

Ullman stresses how important it is to be equipped with the right technology to ensure your facility is prepared to hold quality virtual interviews.

“It’s important to invest in good technology,” Ullman says. “There’ll be upfront costs, but it will be cheaper than bringing someone in, which could be a minimum of $1,500 to $3,000 for a visit. This is money you can use to invest in a quality laptop.”

In addition to a reliable laptop, Ullman says it’s important to have a microphone or a headset, and he says most of his interviewers have desktops with nice laptops or computers in their offices.

An investment in equipment must include quality software, and he says it’s important to research what software will work best for your facility. Ullman says for Henry Ford Health System, Microsoft Teams has been working well for them as a virtual interviewing platform.

5. Pay attention to the background

Since face-to-face interviews are becoming a thing of the past, it’s important to present yourself — and your surroundings — as professionally as possible.

“Be sure you’re in a well-lit area with a very professional or neutral background, and dress appropriately,” Ullman says. “You should dress as if you’d be conducting a face-to-face interview, so at a minimum business casual.”

6. Streamline the site visit

Once you’ve identified your ideal candidate, a site visit is usually the next step.  Site visits for Henry Ford Health System include the candidate meeting coworkers, getting a facility tour, having meals with fellow healthcare workers, and sometimes even going on a tour of the surrounding area and places of interest.

“We try to maximize the time they are on-site. We’ll include some situations that might be a little bit outside the norm — maybe a little bit of behavioral interviewing. We’re not doing a lot of dining outside, but frankly, dining in with the candidate tells us a lot about their disposition.”

Whether in-person or virtual, Ullman says he prefers to keep the process “as organic as possible,” ensuring he finds the right fit for his organization.

The time and cost savings of virtual interviews

Although in-person interviews for physician candidates will continue to be an option in the hiring process, virtual interviews have now become the preferred way to screen and interview candidates for many organizations.

“Virtual interviews save time, and the interview day is a bit easier to manage,” Ullman says. “Once the awkwardness of looking at somebody on the screen has worn off, the candidate becomes very comfortable because they’re in their own setting and there’s more engagement there.”

Another bonus is the cost savings. “You’re not spending as much in the recruitment department on hosting and touring, so you can focus more on recruitment and searching and sourcing.”

Virtual interviews are a popular and convenient alternative to in-person interviews — saving you time and money — and can help to broaden the pool of physician candidates. These virtual interviewing tips will help ensure your virtual interviewing process runs smoothly.

CompHealth specializes in finding the best physicians, PAs, and NPs to fill your staffing needs. Call 800.453.3030 and we’ll find the right person to fill your opening.

Updated April 28, 2022