With 70 percent of veterinary hospitals facing staff shortages, every practice is hiring.¹ A study found 35 percent of veterinarians and technicians will quit in the next three to five years, along with 27 percent of client service representatives (CSRs).² You get an average of 40 minutes and limited number of questions to get to know a candidate.

Managers and owners need interview questions that lead to insightful conversations and make your practice stand out, so you do not miss the best talent. Prepare a list of questions so you may consistently screen and compare candidates. Ask these questions for job interviews with revealing answers:

Starter interview questions

Opening with a few friendly questions will ease candidates’ anxiety as well as build rapport. Applicants can introduce themselves and share values and skills important to them. Kicking off with good interview questions sets the tone for the rest of your conversation.

• “Tell me about your pets.” Interviewees will relax, share their personality, and reveal interests outside of veterinary medicine.
• “What breed of dog are you, and why?” Access whether candidates can quickly reply and back their logic with explanations. As a bonus, you will find out if they are familiar with breeds and their personalities.
• “What do you know about our practice?” Identify what research candidates did to prepare for interviews and why they care about working for you.
• “How can you better our team?” This lets candidates share strengthens and describe their work styles and skills.
• “What are you looking for in our work culture?” Ask about their ideal team environment to find out if they will fit in with your employees.
• “How would you describe your last employer?” Answers will indicate preferences of leadership and management styles.

Skills questions

These questions will help you assess the candidate’s skill set, as well as identify their training needs. Get prospects to describe their strengths and knowledge. Provide a job description so interviewees know the physical and technical skills required to be successful.

• “What are your top three skills?”
• “Are there any duties on this job description you haven’t done before?”
• “What does good client service look like?” Each employee influences client experiences, from CSRs to veterinarians.
• “How do you plan your workday?” Answers will let you assess organizational skills.
• “How do you communicate effectively with clients in text messages?” Whether CSRs reply to a scheduling request or technicians text a client about a refill ready for pickup, you want to know their proficiency in communicating with clients via texts. Do they use text templates? Which text platforms do they know?
  What texting best practices do they follow?
• “What areas of medicine would you grow in our practice and how?” What certifications do veterinarians and technicians have that will grow your practice? Technicians may have earned a Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) designation in a discipline such as dentistry or critical care. There are 16 specialty academies approved by the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA)³ Veterinarians may have board certifications in rehabilitation, behavior, or one of 46 AVMA-recognized veterinary specialties.
• “How do you keep your medical knowledge current?” Find out what veterinarian, technician, and assistant applicants do to update skills. What conferences do they attend? Do they take online courses? What journals are must-reads? What organizations do they belong to? How would candidates describe their relationships with sales professionals?
• “What are your learning goals this year, and how do you plan to achieve them?” Find out if candidates are goal-oriented and take charge of their own development. You want employees who constantly grow skills and see their jobs as long-term careers with your hospital.

Situational questions

When candidates tell stories or share experiences, you will learn about their critical-thinking skills. Answers will reveal how they involve co-workers and managers and what approach they may take as your employee in certain situations.

• “When a client yelled or swore at you, how did you respond?” Find out how candidates dealt with past situations and identify their interactions with others.
• “Tell me about your experience handling cash, checks, credit cards, and text or app payments.” Get insight on money management.
• “Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond for a client.” See if they take initiative and know how to exceed expectations.
• “Describe a situation where you had to handle a difficult client, doctor, or co-worker.” Seek information on professionalism, respect, and problem solving.
• “How do you deal with co-workers who aren’t getting the job done?” Look for leadership and teamwork efforts.
• “How would you react when a client arrives with a dog that has been hit by a car, is bleeding, and requires immediate life-saving care?” This question applies to everyone from CSRs to doctors. Gain insight on judgment, emotional management, and triage abilities.
• “Give me an example of how you anticipate doctors’ needs.” Get a preview of how technicians and assistants will support veterinarians and use their interpersonal skills.
• “Tell me how you increased compliance for preventive services and the client education methods you used.” Find out communication skills of technicians, assistants, doctors, and hospital managers who have exam conversations and marketing responsibilities.
• “You diagnose a 13-year-old cat with Grade 3 dental disease. How will you present the diagnosis and treatment to the client?” Learn about the doctor’s approach to case presentation and financial conversations.
• “Tell me about a mistake you made and how you fixed it.” Learn how candidates approach problem solving and take accountability of errors.

Behavior questions

Working in a veterinary hospital has daily mental and physical challenges. You want to recruit employees with positive, can-do attitudes. Listen for answers that hint at gossip or drama, which are warning sirens.

• “What are the top three qualities you want in a job?” Find out if they are a culture fit.
• “How do you manage stress at work?” Learn about their mindset and how they may respond in challenging situations.
• “You are asked to improve a task that you feel went well. How will you respond to constructive feedback?” Learn about candidates’ attitudes and approaches when asked to improve processes. Top-performing practices want employees who produce high-quality work and look for ways to increase efficiency and revenue.
• “Describe a situation where a client/co-worker was wrong. How did you respond, and what was the result?” Gain insight on conflict-resolution and communication skills.
• “Tell me about a time when you had to accept a sudden change at work. How did it make you feel, and how did you respond?” Practices face constant change, from new software to going from private to corporate ownership. Think about how COVID-19 forced practices to pivot to curbside care, embrace technology, and rethink processes. You want prospects who will have “We got this” attitudes rather than “Holy moly.”
• “Tell me about a time you disagreed with a supervisor and what you did about it.” Differences of opinions are common in workplaces. You’ll learn about candidates’ communication and conflict-resolution skills, respect, and professionalism.

Write and prioritize your interview questions. In addition to getting answers to your questions, allow 10 to 15 minutes for candidates to ask their own questions. Those who are genuinely interested in working at your hospital will have questions by the end of interviews.

If intuition tells you this person is a fantastic fit, you may want to scrap certain questions and focus on selling the benefits of working at your hospital. You do not want top talent to slip away. When wrapping up the interview, explain next steps and when the candidate will hear back. You may want to schedule a second interview, shadow time with the team, personality test, or pre-employment drug screen.

After every interview, review your notes to capture details of the conversation. Note your impressions on professionalism, ability to express ideas, personality, and culture fit. Rank candidates so you can promptly follow up with star talent.

Wendy S. Myers, CVJ, has taught communication and client service skills for more than two decades. As founder of Communication Solutions for Veterinarians, Myers teaches practical skills through online courses, onsite coaching, and conferences. Wendy was a partner in a specialty and emergency practice. Visit YouTube.com/csvets and Csvets.com for more.

References

1. Stapleton-Charles N. Veterinary Clinics: An Alarming 70% Are Battling Staffing Shortages in Healthcare. Weave blog. Available at: https://www.getweave.com/veterinary-clinics-an-alarming-70-are-battling-staffing-shortages-in-healthcare/?utm_source=email&utm_campaign=january_2022_vpn_eblast_blog&utm_medium=eblast&utm_advertising_industry=veterinary&utm_advertising_partner=vpn. Accessed Jan. 19, 2022.
2. Halow B. Alarming Results from National Survey on Veterinary Stress. Available at: https://www.bashhalow.com/alarming-results-from-national-survey-on-veterinary-stress. Accessed May 1, 2023.
3. List of Approved Academies. NAVTA. Available at: https://navta.net/veterinary-technician-specialties/list-of-approved-academies. Accessed May 1, 2023.
4. Boskamp E. 40 Important Job Interview Statistics [2023]: What You Need to Know Before Starting Your Job Search. Zippia. Available at: https://www.zippia.com/advice/job-interview-statistics/#:~:text=Face%2Dto%2Dface%20interviews%20last%20an%20average%20of%2040%20minutes. Accessed May 1, 2023.