Many Clinicians are familiar with standard interview questions like, "Where did you train?" or "How many people a day do you generally see in clinic?" This interview style has been a favorite of many in healthcare for years but the times are changing.

Behavioral Interviews are becoming increasingly popular as more Clinicians incorporate into larger healthcare organizations and groups. The shift from standard interviews to behavioral interviews in healthcare requires that competitive candidates be prepared for both styles of interview. Below, we outline several behavioral interview tips to help physicians land their next position.

What are Behavioral Based Interviews?

Behavioral Based Interviews (BBI) involve asking potential candidates open-ended questions about how they would handle real world problems. An example of a behavioral based interview question would be: "Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a project failure?"

Behavioral based interview questions require that candidates provide real world examples of their past performance. Hiring managers like behavioral interviews in healthcare because they yield a considerable amount of information about a candidate's track record while also shedding light on possible future behaviors.

How Do I Prepare for a Behavioral Interview?

Let's not kid ourselves, if you are like most people you will need to prepare for a Behavioral Based Interview. It requires thoughtful, careful and effective answers to ace a behavioral based interview. Here are some behavioral interview tips for physicians looking to take the next step in their careers:

1. Understanding the Opportunity

   Your first step to prepping for a behavioral interview involves understanding what the interviewer is looking for by examining the job announcement. For example, what are the job duties described and are there any specific skillsets or candidate characteristics they are looking for? If the announcement says, "we are looking for a team player" or "someone who is comfortable with a high-volume clinic," be ready to tell them about when you headed up a multidisciplinary team or how you thrived in the 40-patient-a-day clinic back in New York.

2. Learn the STAR Interview Format

   When creating your answers think about the "STAR" format. STAR stands for: Situation (describe a situation), Task (task used in the situation), Action (action you employed during the situation), and Result (what was the result of the situation). Preparing behavioral based interviewing questions in this format provides a great framework to structure your answer on.

3. Research Commonly Asked BBI Questions

   Get a set of behavioral based interview questions and practice them. The internet has an endless source of BBI questions. Pick out some of the most commonly-asked questions and script some narratives. Take your answers and practice them so they are fresh in your mind come interview time.

4. Get Help Practicing for Behavioral Interviews

   Lastly, don't forget to enlist the help of others to provide feedback while you practice for a behavioral based interview. Friends and family can often provide helpful behavioral based interview tips and positive feedback to help you ace the interview.

Understanding how to utilize these behavioral interview tips can help you stand out and land that next big job in your healthcare career. Haven't found it yet? Search our nationwide database of open physician jobs or advanced practitioner jobs. Additionally, check out our career resources section for tips on resume building, career fairs and workshops near you.