6 Healthcare Interview Red Flags to Look for When Hiring

Hiring the right healthcare candidate is essential for providing quality care to patients. Not only should a candidate have the necessary skills and experience for the role, but they should also possess essential soft skills such as empathy, flexibility, and self-awareness. However, sometimes healthcare red flags can arise during the interview process that raise concerns about a candidate's potential fit within the organization. In this article, we will discuss some common healthcare interview red flags and what employers can do to avoid making a hiring mistake.

Essential Soft Skills for Healthcare Professionals

Many of the healthcare candidate red flags that may come up revolve around the soft skills essential for healthcare professionals. Therefore, it is important to begin this discussion of potential healthcare hiring red flags with an understanding of the essential soft skills for healthcare professionals.

Healthcare professionals need a range of soft skills to interact with patients and colleagues effectively, such as:

• Resilience
• Empathy
• Flexibility
• Active listening
• Teamwork
• Clear communication
• Attention to detail
• Patience
• Time management
• Dedication
• Self-awareness

Some of these soft skills can be improved with concerted effort, whereas others may be inherent traits. Regardless, these soft skills are important for all healthcare professionals because they enable them to provide the best care possible to patients and colleagues alike.

6 Healthcare Interview Red Flags and How to Identify Them

While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to identifying potential healthcare candidate red flags, there are some common signs that you should look out for during the interview process.

1. Lack of preparation
2. Negative attitude
3. Lack of professionalism
4. Inflexibility or resistance to change
5. Inconsistent responses
6. Lack of detail

Lack of Preparation

In healthcare, being prepared is essential for optimal patient care. In emergency situations, it can even mean the difference between life and death. Therefore, it’s important to assess a candidate’s level of preparedness before making a hiring decision.

What It Looks Like: One of the most obvious healthcare interview red flags is a candidate who has not adequately prepared for the interview. Lack of preparation might also look like a candidate who is not familiar with the organization, the job duties, or current events happening in the healthcare industry.

What It Means: A potential employee who is unprepared for an interview is a reflection of their level of dedication to not only securing the job but also keeping it. However, other factors may be at play when considering healthcare candidate red flags. For example, lack of preparation could be due to the stress of the situation, or even a language barrier. Therefore, it's important to assess each candidate on a case-by-case basis and evaluate their overall readiness for the role.

What to Do: To address this red flag, healthcare employers should consider providing candidates with detailed job descriptions and conducting pre-interview assessments to evaluate their level of preparedness. Healthcare candidates who have at least read the provided materials are off to a good start!

Negative Attitude

A candidate's attitude is critically important in the healthcare industry. It's important to look for a candidate who is positive and respectful, even when discussing former employers or other difficult situations they have encountered.

What It Looks Like: A healthcare candidate with a negative attitude may have a dismissive or short-tempered attitude. They might be more likely to blame others for their mistakes, rather than taking ownership of their actions.

What It Means: There are many reasons why a healthcare candidate might have a negative outlook, but it's important to determine if they can support a positive working environment for others. If they're unable to maintain respect and positivity, even when faced with difficult situations, then they may not be the right fit for this role.

What To Do: Ask questions that encourage the candidate to think about how they handled difficult situations in the past, and observe how they respond when discussing current challenges they may be facing. If you continue to receive negative responses, you may also directly ask for a positive response with a question such as, “What do you love most about working in healthcare?” If they are still unable to offer a positive comment, that is a big healthcare candidate red flag and they may not be the right one for the job.

Lack of Professionalism

Since healthcare workers deal with patients on a very personal level, professionalism looks very different in healthcare than it does in a corporate setting. However, there are still certain standards of professionalism that must be maintained, such as being courteous and respectful to patients and coworkers, showing up on time for shifts, and meeting deadlines. Without these qualities, a healthcare candidate may not be an effective team member.

What It Looks Like: A lack of professionalism can come in many forms. They may be late to their job interviews, show up in casual clothing instead of professional attire, or send unprofessional emails to the talent acquisition team.

What It Means: A lack of professionalism, similar to a negative attitude, may indicate a lack of respect for the job and those in it. This can be detrimental when caring for patients or dealing with confidential information. However, it is also important to consider the cultural context of the candidate before making any judgments about their professionalism.

What To Do: During interviews, ask specific questions that will help you gauge a candidate's level of professionalism. Look for examples of how they handled situations in previous workplaces or volunteer opportunities. In addition, be sure to discuss expectations and protocols around professionalism to gauge their willingness to adapt and any cultural or personal differences that may exist.

Resistance to Change

In healthcare, change is inevitable. When interviewing healthcare candidates, it's important to gauge how they handle and even prepare for change.

What It Looks Like: A good sign that a healthcare candidate is resistant to change is when they have a hard time understanding why something needs to change or don't make any suggestions on how to approach the transition.

What It Means: Not all change is progress and sometimes it is appropriate to question the change. However, when a candidate is actually resistant to change, this can be a sign that they may not adapt well to changes in their work environment and could even actively resist initiatives.

What To Do: Ask questions that focus on their ability and willingness to adjust, like “How do you stay informed of changes in the industry?” or “Describe a situation where you adapted quickly to change.” When they answer interview questions, listen for any grievances they have had with changes in the past and the reasons behind them. Then, determine if they are resistant to change, or if they can offer effective alternative solutions.

Inconsistent Responses

Consistency is key in healthcare roles, from the information they share with patients to their interactions with colleagues. When interviewing a candidate, you want to be sure they are reliable and consistent in their responses.

What It Looks Like: Inconsistency may come in various forms. For example, a candidate may be unable to provide the same answer when asked the same question multiple times, or they may contradict themselves in their responses.

What It Means: Inconsistent responses can be a sign that a candidate is unprepared, unreliable, or not confident in their answers. This can mean they are ill-equipped for your fast-paced healthcare organization, but it can also mean they are nervous or a new to the field. It’s important, therefore, to ask follow-up questions to determine what is causing the inconsistency.

What To Do: Be sure to ask follow-up questions if you think a candidate has given an inaccurate response, or if their answers don’t seem to align with each other. Ask clarifying questions to ensure the candidate has a full understanding of the question, and probe further into their answers. Additionally, take note of any other behaviors that may suggest inconsistency in order to make an informed decision about whether or not they are a good fit for your team.

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Lack of Detail

Healthcare is an industry that requires attention to detail and accuracy. For example, without a thorough evaluation, an accurate care plan cannot be set and patient outcomes will suffer.

What It Looks Like: Candidates may provide incomplete or vague answers to interview questions. For example, a healthcare candidate may describe an ideal behavior without providing an example of how they have embodied that in the past.

What It Means: Communication is key in healthcare, and a lack of detail can suggest that a healthcare candidate won’t be able to effectively communicate to patients or team members as needed. This healthcare interview red flag also prevents the interviewer from fully understanding the candidate's competency in either hard or soft skills.

What To Do: When conducting an interview, ask open-ended questions that require candidates to provide detailed responses. Observe their tone of voice, clarity of speech, and body language. Pay attention to how much detail the candidate is able to provide when discussing past experiences and ask follow-up questions for clarification.

Avoid Healthcare Hiring Red Flags

Finding the right candidate can be a daunting task, but paying attention to these common healthcare interview red flags can help avoid hiring mistakes. By seeking out prepared, communicative, positive, flexible, and detail-oriented candidates with a strong track record of learning, healthcare employers can set their organization up for success and provide the best care possible for their patients.

Looking for more information on hiring in the healthcare industry? Check out iHire’s Resource Center.