OTHER TRICKS TO INTERVIEWING (Part 3 )

In the previous blog posts we talked about effective interviewing, how to make what is sometimes on onerous task easier and more productive.  To summarize, let’s examine 10 desirable qualities consistently found in super star auxiliaries, qualities that professional interviewers look for in applicants for any job:

            Ability to deal with others

            Communication skills

            Initiative

            Common sense

            Cognitive ability

            Organizational skills

            Work ethic

            Perseverance

            Adaptability/flexibility

            Technical skills

Henry Ford of Ford Motor Company fame said repeatedly, “I will pay more for the ability to deal with others than for any other ability under the sun.”  No matter how talented and skilled the team member, if she/he cannot get along with others, the office, the team, and ultimately, your patients will suffer.   

Remember, communication skills include the willingness and ability to LISTEN as well as to SPEAK.  Listening includes comprehension.

Initiative marks a self-starter, one with the intelligence, creativeness, and energy to get on with the task at hand without being told every move to make. 

Common sense is perhaps the most difficult quality to assess when interviewing, but practicality in the applicant can be judged by asking certain questions which were mentioned in last week’s posting. 

Cognitive ability is the ability to learn new material and tasks or problem solve based on previous experience. (Wonderlic Company, Northfield, IL, offers a test for determining cognitive ability.  For information, go to www.wonderlic.com.) 

Organizational skills and work ethic can be ascertained by asking the right questions when interviewing---again, look for specific questions in last week’s blog. 

Perseverance is a vitally important characteristic---questions to assess “sticktoittiveness” were outlined in last week’s posting as were questions to evaluate adaptability (willingness to change or adapt to new methods, equipment, materials, computer system, etc.) and technical skills.

Look at the big picture of interviewing.  Effective interviewing is a learned skill, one that is a meaningful, vitally important aspect of the management of your practice.  Skillful interviewing will bring you a staff second to none, a team that affects every aspect of your office, hopefully for good.