Client Interview Tips

Site Visits

• Physician and spouse on site interview will typically last between 24−36 hours.
• You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. Make sure you route the physician and spouse through the nicest parts of town. Leave a gift that reflects the flavor of your community. Flowers, a fruit basket, or a welcome packet will go a long way to show the candidate you are interested. Offer to pick up the candidate and spouse at the airport.
• Make sure you utilize the physician’s and spouse’s time. We should have an itinerary before the candidate is on site. We should also:
  1. Have the candidate meet a real estate agent that you use on a consistent basis for a tour of the community.
  2. Provide a tour of hospital facilities.
  3. Provide a tour of office space.
  4. Schedule a luncheon with key members of the medical staff.
  5. Include a dinner with key members of the community and key members of the hospital staff (i.e. marketing).
  6. Include tour of extracurricular activities (e.g. golf, tennis, fishing, and hunting).
  7. Meet people of their own age and interest.
  8. Meet education personnel in the area.
  9. A site visit should confirm all the information we have shared with the candidate and spouse.

• A site visit should be 80% social and 20% professional.
• Try not to build in a second site visit. If the recruiter and client have done their jobs, there should be no need for a second site visit. A second site visit should only occur when looking for a home.
• If we had four completed interviews on site and have not secured a signed agreement, we need to evaluate our search techniques.

Other tips to keep in mind

• Recruit the spouse and you will have recruited the physician.
• Reimburse expenses quickly.
• Do not compare physicians. A physician’s “shelf life” is very limited in this competitive market. Try to evaluate each physician on his or her own merits.
• Continue interviewing until you have a signed agreement. We should not stop the interview process until we have a candidate sign on the dotted line.
• Allow the recruiter to maintain a third-party influence role. This allows a recruiter to wear the “black hat” and be a buffer between the two parties. Remember, in a two-party transaction, there is always potential for miscommunication.
• If you find a candidate who meets 80% of what you are looking for, pursue that candidate.

Contact us today to learn more.