Hiring the right employee isn't an easy job, nor a particularly fun one. But taking the time to think it through and do it right is well worth it.
You don't want to do it all over again in a couple of months because your recent new hire didn't work out.
If that happened to you, here are some things you may have done wrong. Maybe you …
- Skipped writing an accurate job description for the position before you began interviewing. Doing so helps you determine the qualifications needed, convey your expectations to candidates, and interview all candidates under the same criteria.
- Didn't research the local job market to find out what constitutes a competitive salary or wage and benefits for a practice like yours in your geographic area. This is especially important when you are hiring for managerial positions.
- Hired "easy" instead of "right." You might have been eager to fill that vacant position, but hiring the first person who comes along, or the person a friend or employee referred to you, won't necessarily fill your needs. You should advertise - widely for higher-level positions - and interview several promising candidates.
- Focused your interview on skills only, without considering if the candidate had experience with the type of situations that arise in your practice or was likely to fit into your practice culture.
- Did most of the talking during the interview, rather than ask questions that elicit information about experience, availability, and other factors you need to know to make a good decision.
- Failed to conduct reference and background checks and found out the hard way the employee had a record that made him or her inappropriate for the position.
- Showed your new employee around the office and expected him or her to get right to work. An orientation and training period pays off; you get better performance, and the employee gains confidence more quickly.
- Put off giving feedback until the end-of-year performance appraisal, even though that was months away. Use the orientation period to evaluate the employee's progress and offer immediate feedback that will help him or her do a better job from the start.
TMA's free 14-page Your Guide to Hiring a Practice Manager is a good place to start when you are hiring for that position. Order an electronic copy online, or request a hard copy from the TMA Knowledge Center at (800) 880-7955 or knowledge[at]texmed[dot]org. In addition, TMA offers two customizable guides that can help you hire smart and retain good employees: Policies and Procedures — A Guide for Medical Offices and Employee Handbook for Medical Practices.
If you need help with hiring, turn to TMA Practice Consulting. A TMA consultant can determine the clinical and business staff appropriate for your practice and recruit qualified candidates to meet your needs. Your consultant will collect job-related information, provide salary and benefit recommendations, place employments ads, conduct telephone screening, schedule and participate in interviews as requested, check references, and initiate background checks for qualified candidates.
If you have any questions, contact TMA Practice Consulting at (800) 523-8776 or practice.consulting[at]texmed[dot]org.
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Last Updated On
September 17, 2021
Originally Published On
June 10, 2014