Are you making common interview mistakes?

Even the most seasoned healthcare executives can get flustered during a formal job interview. The stakes are high in any job interview, but in healthcare, the interview questions can be especially tough as employers want to make sure they’re onboarding the best of the best.

They say...those who fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Preparation is key for delivering polished and professional responses in an interview setting, rehearsing your responses ahead of the interview, ensuring you are conscious of time is key.

Before any interview make sure you put aside at least an hour, ideally two or three, to prep before the meeting - ensuring you have researched the organisation, the appointment in-depth and crafted specific questions for the panel.???

Base salary and STI Benefits? During the first stage meeting steer clear of specific remuneration and benefits questions until later in the recruitment process. Instead, use this time to find out about the appointment, direct reports, key deliverables, what success looks like and the ideal cultural fit. This key information will help you understand if you are a good fit for the appointment and the business overall.?

Company mission and vision??Be prepared and have an in-depth understanding of what the company stands for and how this position fits into the bigger picture. Correct delivery around this point could be: "If I understand your mission and vision to be X, then is it fair to say this role contributes to the mission by Y?"?The question demonstrates strategic long term vision and evidence you have done your research.?

Why is the position vacant? An interesting point to delicately probe around is how the position has became vacant. During the interview commonly you can find out why the role is open by listening to the interviewer speak in more depth about the appointment. Let this answer come to you, especially earlier in the interview process.?

Annual leave structure??One of the worst questions you could ask during an interview is about the company’s annual leave structure, as it can send the wrong message and can be easily covered off at the latter end of the process. The hard truth is if you are wondering how many days you can spend away from a job, it’s not a great start. Many more important questions could be asked to understand the recruitment process and the strategic goals of the business.?

Flexible Hours??Only recently have we understood that employees can be trusted to deliver in a home based environment, asking this question too early in the process may disrupt the intentions you are seeking to deliver to the business and the role. Once you have been given an offer or are at negotiation stage with your new employer, it would then be appropriate to ask this question to understand more around the flexibility offered.?

What is lacking from my education and/or qualifications??While this is a question with good intentions, it typically backfires by planting an unintended thought in your interviewer's mind and curiosity as to what they may be overlooking about your skill set. It also brings negative thoughts into the meeting, instead of focusing on the positives of your strong experience to date.

What reservations do you have about my background? While some career coaches advise executives to ask about reservations at the end of a job interview, you want to avoid this advice. The focus of the interview is why you are a strong fit for the company and appointment. Asking about reservations can turn a great conversation into an awkward or even uncomfortable one. Ideally, you do not want to put the hiring manager on the spot by asking them to speak to negative points.??