One interview or two?

The trend is to one on site interviews for physicians being recruited, says a recent article in The Physician Recruiting Standard, a publication from Delta Physician Recruiters. The argument? It’s time consuming and costly, and first impressions are what count.

Here’s my take: never, ever, hire anyone based upon one interview. When a new physician doesn’t work out, it is very, very expensive, and very, very time consuming to separate the physician and find a new one.

I’ll go even further. If you bring in a recruit from out of town, arrange for an overnight stay. Take them out in the evening for dinner – sometimes bringing a spouse can be a good thing all around, as there is someone who hasn’t asked a lot of questions already. Steer away from the probing business and clinical questions, and talk more about what they – and their spouse – are looking for in a practice and a community. If the recruit is single, presumably they will be interested in meeting other singles, so get some scoop in advance as to where to go in your community. Do not set them up on a date!

During the visit, put the recruit together with a trusted real estate agent who can show them around a bit. When I was actively going on interviews, I would ask if I could stay over and rent a car. I wanted to get a “feel” for the area, for if living in the community was a deal killer, I’d rather tell the company right away then later on. Someone looking to relocate is going to want to know if they can afford a house with a relatively short commute to the office and hospitals (not where you live – they have a few years), schools, recreation, shopping and so on. The basics.

By now, many communities have free material on a website that would be a good introduction. I was once being recruited to go on a local interview for a job in a small city in the Midwest – the recruiter was going to meet me at the airport. I kept asking for information about the city, and it was never provided. Frankly, I was wondering, “what are they hiding?” I had one physician tell me that the city they were located in was pretty awful, but “it’s only 90 minutes to Beverly Hills.” Yep – just zip down for dinner. I declined both interviews.

You will have time for interviews if you make the time. Make the time. This is the best use of your time – everything else can, and will, wait. It’s in everyone’s best interest.