Mise en place (French pronunciation: [mi zɑ̃ ˈplas]) is a French culinary phrase which means “putting everything in its place.” In culinary school, you are taught the discipline of mise en place well before you first fire up the stove.
As a cooking technique, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Mise en place is a method of preparing, measuring, and organizing each ingredient ahead of time so the cooking process itself can go smoothly and efficiently.
Bad things can happen when we’re not prepared. In cooking, failing to prepare our mise en place can result in burnt garlic and a ruined meal.
But the consequences of hiring the wrong person can be much worse. A bad hire can hurt you, your staff, and your practice for months or even years to come. One misjudged hire can turn a fun workplace sour and cause headaches for everyone involved.
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
Benjamin Franklin
On the flipside, making a good hire can be an immediate boom for your practice. The fact that you’re hiring usually means that your practice is healthy and growing. A new hire’s perspective can inject more energy and fresh ideas into a complacent team.
Hiring is certainly one of the most important things we must do as independent practice owners. Therefore it’s best to follow a consistent framework in order to do it right.
In today’s post, we outline 3 simple steps that all doctors can use in their preparation to make a great hire.
Step 1: Define Responsibilities
Making a new hire always starts with a good job description. Step 1 is to define the responsibilities required for the job.
For example, a list of job responsibilities for a new front desk medical receptionist might include:
- Manage the flow of new patients as they check-in and check-out
- Maintain computerized scheduling and follow office scheduling policies
- Perform copying and faxing of documents
If you are backfilling a role or adding to an existing position, you probably already have an old job description that you can work from. If not, here are 2 quick ways you can brainstorm a complete list of job responsibilities:
- Search job posting websites like Indeed.com for similar job titles.
- Collaborate with your team for advice. Members of your team probably have a good idea of what needs to be done in a similar role.
Step 2: List Qualifications
After you define responsibilities, the next step is to clarify what qualifications a candidate will need in order to meet those expectations.
You should always hire for values first, and skills second. You can always improve someone’s specific skills, but it is exceedingly difficult to change someone’s attitude or approach.
Values should be aligned with your mission statement. They are consistently demonstrated by every member of your team and provide the basis for your culture.
Some examples of important values you might look for in a job candidate include:
- Teamwork
- Gratitude
- Adaptability
- Integrity
The next step is to list all of the required skills. Continuing our example for a front desk medical receptionist, these skills might entail:
- Strong written and verbal communication
- Ability to multitask
- Knowledge or prior experience with using EHR software
Don’t worry if you have a long list of qualifications. The more detail you provide in your job description improves the quality of your candidate pool. People who are less qualified will likely self select out of the application process.
Step 3: Prepare Interview Questions
When it comes time to hire, most of us do an adequate job of steps 1 and 2. But step 3 is where many of us fail to follow through in our preparation.
Your goal in an interview is to get insight into whether or not the candidate possesses the right values and skills to be successful on your team. You get these answers by preparing open-ended
Ask Open-Ended Questions
Open-ended questions are the best way to get the person on the other side of the table talking. And the more they talk, the more information you’ll learn about their values, skills, and thought process.
Open-ended questions usually start with phrases like:
- “Tell me about a time when…”
- “Explain how would you handle a situation where…”
- “Give me an example of…”
Anticipate Key Phrases
Anticipating key phrases that you might expect to hear in response to your questions is a smart way to prepare for an interview. It will help you quickly distinguish a good answer from a great one.
For example, if you value teamwork as an important qualification, be on the alert for how they present their stories. Do they talk themselves up using the first person singular (“I did this and then I did that”)? Or do they reminisce about a group effort and give examples of how they supported the accomplishments of a team member?
By anticipating how you would expect your ideal candidate to answer your questions before the interview, you can be a better judge of whether or not the candidate is the right person for the job.
Preparation is Worth the Effort
The hiring process isn’t always easy, but it’s incredibly important to do it well. The success of your practice depends on having the right people in the right spot.
Doctors don’t need to be an HR specialist to hire a great team. But they do need to have a framework they can use to consistently find the best talent.
Post Summary
- The hiring process begins with preparing a clear job description
- Start by defining job responsibilities
- List all supporting qualifications, starting with required values first, and then skills
- Prepare interview questions that are open-ended
- Anticipate key phrases in the answers to your questions that separate the good from the great
Tyler DeVries
Business Systems Engineer
Tyler is passionate about helping small business owners lead and manage effective teams. His work is focused on developing digital practice management resources for independent healthcare providers.
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