Three top qualities that physicians must possess to get hired today

Having an exceptional curriculum vitae will likely land a physician an interview. But in a competitive job market, what key qualities must they exude during that meeting to distinguish themselves from other viable candidates?

Allan Cacanindin, Senior Executive Vice President of Client Services for Cejka Search, a physician recruitment firm, offered his advice on three key qualities that hiring managers are looking for in physicians.

Flexibility: Cacanindin says with the unpredictable state of medicine, hiring managers are focusing on physicians who appear to be the most flexible in their work.

“They need to be adaptable to the changing environment,” he says. “Those physicians who have the nimbleness to navigate those changes, those are our needles in the haystack.”

In terms of hire-ability, recruiters are looking at candidates who are productive, experienced, well versed in their field and possess a great skill set, Cacanindin says. They also must have outstanding patient quality scores.

Teamwork: During the interview, physicians should demonstrate their ability to work well with others. Cacanindin says a strong candidate is someone who is team-oriented.

“You want a candidate who is collegial within a work environment, so they’re not adversarial with staff,” he says.

Technical savvy: As more payments and incentives are tied to electronic health record compliance, hospitals and private practices are also looking for physicians who are technologically savvy.

“There is very much a need for a candidate to have a technical acumen particularly within the wake of electronic health records,” he says. “They need to navigate those systems skillfully.”