Interviewing Techniques for Veterinary Candidates

When you are interviewing candidates to fill an associate veterinarian position, what questions are you asking to determine whether the doctor is a good fit for your practice? My guess is you’re asking the standard questions about education, past experiences, goals, etc. But to really determine whether a candidate would be a good addition to your staff, I’d like to suggest some other questions you should be asking:

• How do you like to spend your workday?
• What type of work environment sets you up for success?
• How do you like to receive feedback?
• What would you do to solve conflict with coworkers?

If you know the candidate is also interviewing at other clinics in other markets, there are some questions you can ask to identify whether your practice would be a good fit:

• What type of environment would you like to live in – city, suburb, country, beach or waterfront?
• What do you like to do outside of work?
• How do you spend your free time? Hobbies?
• How much time are you willing to spend on your commute to the clinic?
• Are you available for weekends or on call hours?

While you’re conducting the interview, pay attention to nonverbal cues like eye contact and body language to get a feel for how comfortable the candidate appears. Also keep in mind while listening whether your gut is telling you the doctor will complement your staff. If your intuition tells you no, keep the interview short so as to not waste either of your time.

Have more questions about what to ask while interviewing job candidates? Or are you not sure how to get started? Give me a call and I’d be happy to tell you how my team has earned a 93% success rate in bringing quality candidates to our clients within the first 90 days of the recruitment process.