Note: This is the second installment in a seven-part series on best practices in physician executive recruiting.
Part II:
Fine-tune and agree upon selection criteria
This is an important and often time-consuming task, but an essential investment. Discuss the qualities and experience committee members believe the perfect candidate would possess. Discuss qualities and experience scenarios that are questionable or raise “yellow flags.” Come to a consensus on criteria that are “required” and that are “nice to have.” Sticking by this list helps you evaluate candidates consistently, even if interviews are several months apart. More importantly, it ensures your compliance with EEO and Affirmative Action plans your organization may have.
Categorize your list and split it up among committee members, making each member consistently responsible for asking questions and assessing candidates in a particular area. This protects candidates from answering the same questions all day long and makes the interview process fresh and interesting for both sides. Of course, every interviewer should feel free to ask general questions and to follow interesting threads of conversation.
It’s always a good idea to provide a quick refresher on legal interviewing. Contact your HR department for assistance. This is very important to the success of your process and the protection of your institution.
Check back next month for Part III, Creating a Resource Compendium