Six Locums Interview Tips on How to Land a Job

General.

One of the most important parts of the locum tenens placement process is your interview with a representative from your potential placement site. However, even if you have interviewed for multiple jobs, locums interviews can be daunting.

To help ease your nerves, we’ve asked two of our expert consultants for their best tips on how you can land a locum tenens job by interviewing flawlessly.

First, we’ll hear from Evans Aguilar, a client consultant who interacts with hospitals and health facilities daily.

What are three tips you have for prepping for a locums interview?

1. Always know who you are going to be interviewing with and do your research.  Look for commonalities on their LinkedIn profile that are relatable to your background such as, education, sports teams, hobbies, etc.
2. Read the job description – come prepared with different examples of how you’ve accomplished the job bullets in your professional and/or personal experience.  Even if they don’t ask you about each one, being overprepared with more than you need will give you the opportunity to pivot, reactively, to whatever question they have into an example you’ve already prepared to explain.
3. Ask questions – the interview works both ways.  It’s not only an opportunity for you to impress the client, but for you to best understand what joining the health organization would look like, and if that matches what you are looking for.  You are interviewing them just as much as they are interviewing you.

What are most clients looking for in a candidate interview?

• Communication skills, problem-solving skills, likeability

What are three important questions a candidate should ask in an interview?

1. “Is there anything in my background/experience that you’ve found, and think could be challenging for me in this position?  If so, will you allow for an open dialogue now, so that we can collaboratively explore that together before ending this conversation?” The question works both ways for the candidate/client to see if the job is the right fit for them, based on their biggest concern, and for the candidate to have one last opportunity to defend any nerves that could have resulted in a poorly answered question earlier on in the interview before enough rapport and comfort had been built.
2. After reviewing my resume, what interested you the most in having a conversation with me?
3. How do you feel that my personal skillset and level of experience will best benefit your organization?

The following tips are from Allie Bisby, a provider consultant who helps candidates find and get placed in locum tenens jobs every day.

What are three tips you provide candidates to ensure a successful interview?

1. Make sure you have 2-3 good questions to ask at the end. (See the suggestions Evans provides above).
2. Do your research. Look up the facility, how many beds, the department, etc. Look them up on LinkedIn, the hospital website, or whoever you are interviewing with. You never know if you know someone from the past.
3. Make sure you know and understand the job that you are interviewing for. I.e., schedule, location, ratios, etc.

What factors do you see commonly missed by a candidate in a job interview?

1. Schedule – sometimes the candidate tells us they are available for 12-hour shifts but then they talk and really, they need less than they let on.
2. Expectations – sometimes a candidate will just give us basics and when they interview then all the flood gates open and there are a lot more things needed.
3. Vibe – I honestly don’t think that interviews go long enough to get a feel for who the locums doctor or Advanced Practice Provider are going to be working for. They get onsite and find out that it’s not a good fit for either them or the client.

What are two expectations a client has when looking at a prospective candidate?

1. Availability – can they cover all the shifts that they need
2. Local or travel – can they take someone out of state

Once you have made it through your locums interview, the most difficult part can be waiting to hear back from the healthcare facility. Your consultant will keep you updated with any feedback or additional questions the facility might have. If you have any questions or concerns about the job, your interview, or the client, your dedicated consultant will happily assist you and answer any questions.