How do you know if the physiatry candidate you’re talking with on the phone is the right doctor for your physiatry job? Will this person who you are now interviewing be able to meet your organization’s goals? One thing that is a given, is that there will be changes in your organization over time. Will the interviewee be able to fill your goals as they change in the future?
These are tough questions which you might respond that there’s no way to make sure unless you have a crystal ball! Rest assured, that if you have the right questions to ask the doctor about your physical medicine and rehabilitation job, you should be able to reasonably predict a candidate’s success. The right questions are particular to your organization’s needs but the following questions will give you a heads-up on the type of questions you will want to ask.
- How does the physiatrist work in new and different situations?
Needless to say, you want someone who is light-footed in their responses and attitude to various situations at their physiatry job. Therefore, you might want to ask them to give you an example of their adaptability at their current job. Critical thinking skills and an even demeanor are necessary to good adaptability.
- Does the physiatry candidate ask insightful questions?
A good candidate will be an intentful listener. The physician will be able to identify questions based on the information they process from your conversation, rather than just asking questions based on research they’ve done on your organization beforehand about your physical medicine and rehabilitation job. The candidate who asks insightful questions will be the same person who will be able to assess your organization once the physician is there for awhile and offer helpful advice on changes for system improvement, new ways to address community needs and to maximize the organization’s economic efficiencies.
- Is the physiatrist voraciously curious?
Is the candidate excited about your physiatry job? In a book about curiosity, Todd Kashdan notes that curiosity is about “appreciating and seeking out the new instead of desperately seeking certainty, it is about embracing uncertainty. Being curious is key to high productivity and insightful thinking.
- Can the physiatrist see patterns in disparate information?
Mountain of data and an overabundance of information now overwhelm every work environment. Does the physical medicine and rehabilitation job candidate demonstrate they can see patterns and sense important trends in information, workflows and organizational crises? New work conditions demand the ability to proactively “see” what’s happening in the market synthetically, and to be able to communicate it to others.
- Is the physiatrist a team player?
Over at Netflix, where the corporate culture is all about freedom and responsibility to lead the market in innovation, they emphasize hiring and retention of stunning colleagues are superb collaborators. The best doctor for your physiatry job is someone who gets along with doctors, staff and patients, someone who has good interpersonal and communications skills and is willing to be an ombudsman for your organization. This means searching for the candidate who understands their thinking is improved by collaboration and diversity.
- Is the physiatrist a good resource manager?
When filling your physical medicine and rehabilitation job, the new candidate should be able to use the resources you provide in an efficient and effective manner. This means using staff wisely, being good time managers and good record keepers.
- Is the physiatrist enthusiastic about people and relationships?
“Spirited workplaces” are filled with individuals who are creative communicators – who are affirming of others and attentive to how their interactions with others make them feel, says business consultant Glanz. Enthusiastic people tend to generate positive feelings and productive energy at work because they are creative in connection and savvy about their impact on others. You need this energy in your organization. Do you feel it when you are talking to this candidate?
- Will the physiatrist admit to mistakes?
New research describes how adaptive learning requires mistake making – you can’t go forward without experimenting. Really able learners make lots of mistakes and are able to glean important lessons from them. Ask the candidate for your physiatry job to describe a situation they were in or a decision they made that was a failure. If they are fairly quick in their response, it shows that they are adaptive learners.
- Does the physiatrist have strong interests outside of work?
Steve Leveen, CEO and founder of Levenger, says when he hires he looks for people who are collectors. “It doesn’t actually matter what they collect,” he says. “Just that they are really interested in something, that they have passions.” If they have active interests in their personal life, they will bring this same enthusiasm to work. Ask the physical medicine and rehabilitation job candidate about their hobbies, sports and other interests. Are they excited when they talk about them?
- Is this the kind of person you want on your team?
No candidate has exactly the right skills for the job or is perfectly qualified. Is the physiatrist you’re interviewing have the values and habits you respect? Can you trust them to do the right thing? Every employee is going to have to “learn into” any job they are hired for now. Your instincts will help, but asking the right questions is also critical.