ACM. healthcare. There is no such thing as luck. Only being prepared and ready at all times. helping you help others

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1 Healthcare Interview Preparation helping you help others There is no such thing as luck. Only being prepared and ready at all times. At Healthcare we care about your career and appreciate the importance of our role in helping you achieve and realise your dreams and aspirations.

2 Healthcare Interview Preparation Pre-Interview Preparation The more you know about the company, the more confident you feel and appear during an interview. We are confident you have already thought about these tips, however, just in case here is a shortlist of pre-interview prep tips. We recommend investing the time to research before your interview. Leverage technology Peruse through the website to try and understand the company s culture and values, current strategies, and past and present performance. New articles and journals Read third party articles or journals to familiarise yourself with the company s past, present and future. Use your network Speak to friends you know have worked at the organisation previously for their advice and opinion. Call us! Take advantage of your consultant s knowledge about their client to build a picture of previous successful interviewees, likely questions and interview structure. Read the job description Know the job that you are applying for. Having an understanding of the duties and responsibilities of the role will help you prepare and ask relevant questions. It will display that you are serious about the role and have taken the time to identify how your skills will fit to their needs and expectations. The stage is set. It s your time to shine!

3 Healthcare Interview Preparation Interview Preparation Interviews are the ultimate opportunity to sell yourself on a face-to-face basis. It should be experienced as an open forum for two-way information flow. Stand out! Being able to clearly and concisely answer standard questions may already give you a competitive edge. It s impossible to prepare for every question but you can prepare for the common ones. Describe a difficult situation that you have been in at work and how you overcame it? This question is used to gauge if you are able to show a logical approach in how you go about solving problems. It is highly advised that you choose a difficult situation that was not caused by you. The STAR model will provide a structure to your answers: A little preparation goes a long way Situation Task Define a situation or problem that you have encountered. Describe the task and options that the situation required, or your ideas for resolving the problem. Common behavioural questions Tell me about yourself? Honesty is the best policy! This is your opportunity to sell your attributes, strengths, experience and unique skills in line with the position you are applying for. Be prepared with a list of tasks (your current or last job) your strengths (stick to job-focused skills), and a summary of your career history, linking your experience to the job at hand. Walk me through your resume? Know your resume back to front. Take your interviewer on a journey through your employment history in a clear and concise manner, while highlighting key achievements and skill sets obtained that will be relevant to the role. Support with examples! What are your major achievements? Identify and quantify the benefit to the organisation. Use a recent achievement that is applicable to the role. Identify the skills and tasks involved, be clear on the actual benefit achieved and try to quantify the benefit (if possible). Action Results Describe the final decision and reason for your choice, and obstacles that you had to overcome. Identify the business outcomes achieved (i.e. decreased patient waiting time). What is it about this role that interests you? Are you a good fit? This question explores whether the current role aligns with your experience, skills and medium-long term goals. Use examples from your resume and previous experience to display your suitability for the role. What is it that you like about your current role? The key will be balancing the ability to identify aspects and skills of your current role that will align with the competencies of the new role, whilst making it clear why you require a change. What are your current dislikes or frustrations in your current role? This is your opportunity to display your problem solving skills to acknowledge and identify the hurdles and difficulties at the workplace and how you found a solution or work around.

4 Healthcare Interview Preparation What are your strengths? Think outside the box. Limit your list of strengths to three of four. Think of strengths outside of the standard responses ( Team player, adaptable, fast learner ) set yourself apart. Provide strengths that align with the competencies required for the role. For example, have the ability to manage and effectively work with difficult patients, given my previous experience. Be prepared with examples and link to previous experience to support your statement. Prepare a few in advance of the meeting. What is your greatest weakness? No one is perfect. Never say you don t have one. The best method to tackle this question is to be honest and identify a weakness that is not a key requirement of the role and identify the method in which you have overcome or manage this weakness. For example task orientation is a known weakness, therefore, I prepare a to-do list every morning. Think outside the box! What are the reasons behind your decision to leave your current employer? Never badmouth your previous employer as this can imply disloyalty. Simply respond positively-...for better career advancement or promotion opportunities, increased responsibility, and greater variety at work.... Stay away from referring to money as the main driver. These are sample behavioural questions designed to elicit information about the required competencies for the position. Cite experiences in your past jobs, and always try to inject a positive note and support your answers with examples. Competency-based questions Employers may utilise competency-based questions to separate the star candidates from the rest. You should clearly walk your interviewer through real situations from the past. This will be used as a tool in assessing how you would tackle problems going forward. They often relate to areas such as influencing, communication, management, collaboration and conflict resolution. Typical questions that are often asked include: How did you cope with a crisis or difficult situation at work? Can you give me an example of when you felt that you were out of your depth? How did you handle this? Tell me about some risks you have taken in your working or professional life? How did you go about this? Can you describe some of the approaches you take when selling ideas to clients/ colleagues? When have you had to go against general feelings or policies to accomplish a goal? Tell me about it. Be clear concise and apply the STAR Model. Be able to clearly identify the situation, communicate the tasks and steps required, the actions implemented and most importantly, the result and benefit. Prepare good, relevant examples of past triumphs that you have dealt with effectively. Employers like to know that their employees can act calmly, efficiently, and with care and diplomacy.

5 Healthcare Interview Preparation Questions for the employer The interview is a two-way dialogue, whereby you have the opportunity to assess whether you are right for the role. This is your opportunity to ask about the position, request clarification of general information about the company, or replay your understanding and request confirmation. If they have answered your questions during the interview process, tell them (be specific) so they know that you have thought about the position in preparing for the interview. What do you see as being the main focus of this role? Am I correct in saying that the position involves mediating between A and B departments, and monitoring and developing new approaches to...? What is the work environment like? Closing the interview There are number of ways an interview can be concluded. If the interviewer offers you the job on the spot and you want it, accept it on the spot. If you require time to think about your options, qualify your reason and provide a defined timeline to give your answer. You may want to gauge the interviewer s position by agreeing on the next steps in the process. Tactfully ask the interviewer when they would like you to start. Thank the interviewer for their time! Why do you [the interviewer] enjoy working for this company? Who in the company would review my performance? When? What are the chances of advancement/promotion in this position? What are the opportunities for training and professional development? Stay away from asking questions about money Assess whether you are right for the role.

6 Healthcare Interview Preparation Post-Interview Process Call your consultant afterwards to provide feedback on the interview. Your consultant will discuss feedback with the potential employer. Your consultant will inform you of your success as soon as possible. Your consultant will provide direct feedback regarding your performance. Whether or not you are successful, this constructive feedback is important for future interviews. We are here to discuss and provide further assistance, so don t hesitate to contact us. Cheat Sheet The interview is your chance to shine. Do not be shy about promoting your positive points and abilities to perform the job back yourself with an arsenal of examples. Your consultant will follow up the interview with you and the client, so don t worry if you have forgotten something it can always be communicated to the client by your consultant at the feedback stage. To reiterate the obvious: Ensure you are on time. Know where to be. Confirm the date, time and exact location of your interview. Know who you are meeting. Name, title, phone number. Plan your trip. Have clear directions and know how long it is going to take you to get there. Dress for the occasion. Be showered, well groomed and wear appropriate attire. Turn off your electronics. Turn off all iphones, ipads, Blackberries, or any other electronic paraphilia before entering the interview room. Stand up and shake firmly! When the interviewer enters the room, stand up and firmly shake their hand. Eye contact is imperative. Concentrate on maintaining eye contact throughout the meeting, while ensuring you minimise fidgeting and slouching.

7 If you d like more guidance, feel free to get in touch! Contact us recruitment@acm.com.au PO Box Q281 Queen Victoria Building, NSW 1230 helping you help others Connect with us