With competition for your services as a physician being fierce, healthcare organizations are increasingly looking for individuals who fit their culture in addition to having the necessary skills to succeed.
While administrators are going out of their way to attract and hire doctors who are a good fit, it is important that you do the same for yourself. If you are being brought in for an on-site interview, it is a good indication that they think your values and skills are a match for the organization. Don’t pass up the opportunity to do some reconnaissance of your own about the organization as well as the community. Is it a place you can envision settling into? A place you might even want to raise a family? Fortunately, like anyone who is in a high-demand career, you have the opportunity to focus on finding a job that fits your career and life goals.
Think About Your Time Away from the Job
If you are going to avoid burnout, you have to have access to things that you like to do to recharge your batteries. Do you like to fish and hike? Then check out your proximity to parklands. Maybe you are a cycler or a runner. You can search online for local running or bicycling clubs. Another underutilized resource for individuals who are relocating is the local chamber of commerce. People work for the chamber because they know everybody in town and are connected to everyone who matters. You can connect with them online, it’s a great place to start your research.
Spend Some Time in the Community
Make your way around the downtown or take a drive in the suburbs, it is important to get a feel for the speed and vibrancy of life there. Strike up a random conversation with the person who is filling up their gas tank at the pump next to you. You have made your career by gleaning health information from strangers, it is just as easy to learn about non-health related things in the same way.
Assess the Facility Environment
What are your thoughts as you walk through the front doors? Do the folks at the front desk have a smile on their face? How about the other clinicians? What can you read from their body language? Head over to the coffee shop or the cafeteria and strike up a conversation with any physicians or residents you come across. You might be surprised what you can learn from a little human intelligence, and it will help you in the interview process.
Now, that you have your own sense of the community, the facility, and the people who work there, there is a frame of reference for you to lean on during the interview. You may have learned something that you want to confirm or ask about. The members of the interview team will measure you up at the same time you can measure them against your recon experience. While it may feel a bit like a spy novel, we are talking about your career and your happiness and engagement in that career.
Jackson Physician Search recruiters personally visit their client’s location so they can help candidates accurately evaluate fit.
