Career Cube Blog

In addition to having the qualifications and skills required by a hiring organization, candidates for senior healthcare financial positions should know how to set themselves apart from other candidates in interviews. That takes thoughtful preparation. In today’s highly competitive healthcare career marketplace, where many well-qualified candidates often vie for one position, interview skills are more essential than ever.Appropriate interview preparation takes time and attention, but there is nothing mysterious about it. By properly preparing for interviews, candidates should feel comfortable presenting themselves in a way that sets them apart from other candidates. Here are tips to help healthcare financial executives prepare for interviewing success:

• Pinpoint goals;
• Undergo mock interviews;
• Identify distiguising professional attributes;
• Have objective measurements of accomplishements;
• Ask questions based on research;
• Evaluate executive presence, and;
• Take a deep breath.

Pinpoint goals. Success comes to those who know what they are after, but one’s goals should not be frivolous or self-serving. Hiring executives are unimpressed with candidates who are only seeking to acquire a new title, an increased salary, or a location offering enhanced leisure opportunities. Instead, candidates should look deep into themselves to determine meaningful reasons for seeking a specific position and be ready to present these reasons in an interview.

Undergo mock interviews. Candidates can learn what interviewing skills they need to improve by interviewing themselves or asking a colleague or friend to interview them, then critically reviewing their own responses from an interviewer’s point of view. This step also allows candidates to objectively analyze the strengths and interests they would bring to a new position and identify those aspects of a job that excite and motivate them. A mock interview also can help candidates prioritize the points they want to communicate in an interview.

Identify distinguishing professional attributes. Candidates preparing for interviews should identify their unique professional attributes and proficiencies. Such attributes might include expertise in solving the problems of financially troubled organizations, an affinity for working with physicians, or a flair for developing new services or expanding services into new markets. Candidates should be prepared to highlight these attributes during an interview and to convey an eagerness to take on assignments that use these proficiencies. When a candidate’s unique interests and proficiencies correspond with an organization’s unique needs, a job offer is more likely to be forthcoming.

Have objective measurements of accomplishments. The prepared candidate impresses an interviewer by confidently offering a career story that is supported by objective examples, facts, and data. Interviewers insist on numbers and percentages in part to see whether a candidate has reflected on past successes and distilled important points for discussion. Consequently candidates should have an excellent grasp of actual measurements of their accomplishments.

A caveat: when relating accomplishments, candidates should be careful to share the credit. Any savvy interviewer knows that statements such as, “I took the organization from losing $2 million a year to making $6 million,” improperly discount the contributions of clinical and administrative colleagues. It is much more credible (and demonstrates teambuilding skills) for candidates to discuss their part in a specific accomplishment while acknowledging the role of colleagues.

Ask questions based on research. Anyone with Internet access and a little curiosity can readily acquire key facts about an organization. Interviewers are flattered and favorably impressed by candidates who can knowledgeably discuss facts about the organization. Research also can tell a candidate whether a need for a particular skill set exists within the organization. Many candidates neglect to do this research, knowing that they probably will be supplied with packets of information about the organization if they advance to the final interviewing stage. But individuals who expend independent effort researching an organization will earn an interviewer’s respect for their energy and diligence and enhance their chances of reaching that stage.

Before an interview for a position with a large hospital system, one candidate investigated the organization’s relationships with various regional managed care companies. He came to the interview prepared to ask in-depth, intelligent questions about the system’s relationship decisions. He surprised the interviewer with his knowledge about the organization and made a positive impression that was indelible. His research and attention to detail were rewarded when he was offered the position.

Evaluate executive presence. Most senior financial executives recognize the need to dress appropriately for interviews. But a little extra sprucing up is an important part of developing confidence, and that may include upgrading one’s interview wardrobe. It may be wise to spend more than usual on clothing for interviews. A relatively small investment in image-polishing can pay big dividends in poise and presence.

Take a deep breath. Being asked to interview for a position is a compliment. Generally unqualified applicants have been eliminated before the interview process begins, so being asked to participate in a personal interview is a sign that a candidate is under serious consideration for the position. Candidates therefore can relax a bit, knowing that their qualifications already have been scrutinized and that their careful preparation will assist them in the interview. Although a successful conclusion is not assured, a well-prepared candidate can be confident that he or she is presenting a positive image that is likely to be well-received by hiring executives. A candidate can be proud of such an achievement.

Andrew P. Chastain is an executive search consultant, Witt/Kieffer, Atlanta, Georgia. His e-mail address is and rewc@wittkieffer.com.

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