CV

Given the choice of two physicians of equal ability, hospitals and private practices will always prefer to interview the one with the most artfully constructed and attractive Curriculum Vitae. Develop a clear, concise CV that highlights your strength and career goals.

Career Strategy

Have a strategic plan that includes a 3-year, 5-year and 10-year career goal and be ready to recite it.  Ambiguity will scare off potential employers or partners.  You have invested 7 or more years in education and 3 or more years in specialized training; you need to strategically move forward to gain the experience you need to succeed in your career and lifestyle goals.

Develop your career strategy by defining your optimum opportunity, categorizing it an A. Define areas in your optimum opportunity that you would "give up" and categorizing it a B. Further refine a lesser, yet considerable opportunity and categorize it C. As you start to consider available career opportunities, these can be fine tuned. Always be able to assign an A, B, or C to each career opportunity that you are considering, even if you have to assign pluses or minuses in each letter in order to keep your career search on track.

First Interview

Most hospitals and practices conduct a telephone interview to begin their process.  The best telephone interview is SCHEDULED.  Offering future employers to call you anytime can lead to a lasting first impression that is not so polished.

On-Site Interview

The personality of the hospital or practice will shine during the on-site interview.  Some have you observe surgeries or patient rounds to give you a feel for the day-to-day activities and to see how well you interact with colleagues and patients; most importantly, they are hoping to assess your medical abilities.  Others will offer a tour of the hospital or practice and have you scheduled in back to back, face to face interviews with colleagues and administration.  Then there is the lunch or dinner that can make or break your success.

Follow Up

Everyone wants to feel wanted - hospitals and practices are no different. They want to feel that you want to join them, not that they are trying to sell you. A note of gratitude [e-mail or hand-written] at each step in the interview process will develop a positive relationship that may lead to the most positive outcome: an offer.

Communicate

Many times two people can be in the same room, speaking directly to each other, and even taking notes yet the communication feedback is very different from each. Language barriers can increase the chance of miscommunication exponentially. Repeat key topics that are discussed at the end of communicating and ask for confirmation. Then, use e-mail to recap the areas that are important and include statements of gratitude and interest inside the message. Most importantly, if at any point in the process a piece of communication has been presented that is not going to fit into your strategic plan, get confirmation that you understand the point before you start to lose interest.

Manage your Search

Constantly review your career strategy and give top priority to those career opportunities that fit into it. Rate the career opportunities as they fit into categories of A, B and C. If you have more Cs than As and Bs, apply for more opportunities. If you determine there are no A-type opportunities available to you, re-strategize. You must be realistic and honest, with yourself and with future hospitals or practices. If you are fully loaded with A and B opportunities, be honest with the C opportunities and politely state that you would like to postpone proceeding until you work through the opportunities that are currently active. Keep the communication open but don't lead the hospital or practice into believing you are interested "at this time".