Welcome back to our blog series on utilizing your interview process to showcase your job openings and company culture. In the first two installments, we explored ways to convey your values and brand and how to set the stage for an impactful interview. In this post, we're diving into the heart of building connections – storytelling and well-crafted questions.

Storytelling is a powerful tool for creating an emotional connection with candidates. Sharing stories about your company's successes, challenges, and culture can help potential candidates visualize themselves as a part of your team.

Before you even begin crafting your interview questions, begin by identifying the key values and behaviors that define your company culture. These may include things like collaboration, innovation, teamwork, or customer service. Then think about specific examples of when these values were demonstrated in the workplace. Consider success stories, challenges overcome, and unique experiences that set your company apart. Use these ideas and themes to craft and design questions that will help you assess whether or not the candidate embodies these same values.

Here are a couple of our interview questions so you can start to see what I mean. “As we mentioned in our email, one of our core values is having transformational experiences with our patients and coworkers, rather than just transactional. Can you tell us about a time you had a transformational experience with a customer, patient, or team member in a previous job? How did you know it was transformational?”

Here’s another example, “As a private practice, we are lucky to be able to implement strategic changes relatively quickly and you might remember, being strategic is another one of our core values. Sometimes people can get uncomfortable embracing an organizational change, because even a positive change can be challenging. Please describe a time when you supported an organizational change in a current or past position.”

If one of your core values is collaboration, you could ask something such as "In our organization, collaboration is something we value. Can you describe a time when you worked on a team to accomplish a goal, and what role did you play in that team?" This question will help you assess the candidate's ability to work collaboratively and give you an idea of how they approach teamwork.

Bottom line, ask questions that push the candidate to tell a story so that you and the applicant can visualize how they will perform within your culture.

To end our interviews, we give applicants the opportunity to ask questions as well as review our comprehensive benefit package so they hear about the perks we offer and professional development opportunities. We aim to help them to understand that when comparing offers from other potential practices, it’s not just a comparison of wage per hour, but the entire package and culture that your practice has to offer. 

Communicate clearly when you bring the interview to a close. When I say communicate clearly, I mean be transparent about the hiring timeline and next steps in the process. Let candidates know when they can expect to hear back from you when a decision has been reached and stick to those timelines as closely as possible. And after a candidate takes the time to interview with your practice, show them that you appreciate their time and effort. A simple thank-you can go a long way in making a positive impression.

As we wrap up this post on how to connect with applicants through storytelling and well-crafted questions, we invite you to join us for the fourth and final installment of our series. In the next blog, we'll delve into the post-interview phase, where you'll discover how to build lasting relationships and further nurture the connections you've created with your potential new hire.