When you’re an employer trying to fill a physiatry job, it’s hard to tell in one or two interviews if the physiatrist you’re interviewing has good people skills. These people skills are among the most important:

Adaptability

Communication

Conflict resolution

Critical observation

Problem-solving

Teamwork

Interview questions such as “How adaptable are you?” won’t work.  You need to ask questions that show how the physical medicine and rehabilitation job candidate will act in certain situations.  These are called behavioral questions. Some examples of these questions are:

  • Tell me about a time you worked effectively under pressure?
  • Describe a time when you anticipated potential problems and developed preventive measures?
  • Describe a time when you tried to accomplish something and failed?
  • Tell me about a difficult decision you’ve made in the last year?


https://blog.nomadhealth.com › 10-behavioral-question…

Identifying Soft Skills Through Observation

There are some ways that you can tell a physiatrist’s people skills during the interview to fill a physiatry job.

Eye contact. Does the candidate have a hard time looking you in the eye or, conversely, is the candidate intensely staring you down? It’s not natural for someone to look you in the eyes all the time so this shouldn’t be expected.  Eye contact also indicates that someone probably is a good listener.

Problem solving. One of the most important skills in handling any task is problem solving. As the physiatrists you interview explain how they would handle a particular situation, watch for how they explain what they would do.  Is it in a step-by-step fashion or is the explanation scattered?

 

Interruptions. If the candidate interrupts you often during the interview it is a sign that the candidate does not have good communication skills. Of course, if a candidate keeps talking and talking, that is also not a good sign.

Evasion. When people don’t answer direct questions, it usually means they don’t have a good answer or they can’t focus. This can be a sign of poor adaptability, communication skills, critical observation problem-solving.

https://hiring.monster.com/resources/recruiting-strategies/talent-acquisition/soft-skills-hiring-strategy/

For information about what practice opportunities are available for comparison purposes to the physical medicine and rehabilitation job you have or if you are a physiatrist looking for pm&r jobs, please visit here