07 Dec Preparing for a Job Interview in Healthcare IT
In many ways, preparing for a healthcare IT job interview is the same as prepping for any other job. You need to bring fresh copies of your resume, demonstrate your knowledge about the company and the job you want, and be ready to answer questions intelligently and confidently.
What makes HIT job interviews unique, however, is the kinds of questions you’ll be asked. Depending on the specific job you want, you’ll be answering questions about data validity, clinical software, process management, revenue cycle, and more.
It’s impossible to overstate how important it is to be well prepared for your interview, and 1st Solution USA wants to help you shine. There are five basic types of interview questions:
- Resume verification
- Behavioral
- Situational
- Critical thinking
- Role-specific
If you are looking for a healthcare IT position, be sure to check out our listings, and don’t forget to upload your resume so our client companies can discover you!
Resume Verification Questions
These questions refer to specific resume bullets, education, or work history. Interviewers ask them in order to verify your credentials. They will be on the lookout for red flags such as large gaps in employment, a history of short tenure, etc. Interviewers are savvy. They know that most people try to make themselves seem like the perfect candidate by inflating their experience, so be careful about this.
Some interviewers may ask you technical questions to see if you really have the skills you claim you do, while others may simply ask to perform a background check on you.
According to Accu-Screen, a company that performs background screening for employers, the most common resume fibs are related to job title, employment dates, and pay. Lies about degrees and certifications are less common. Think about what information or titles your supervisor would agree with and use that instead of embellishing.
One benefit of resume verification questions is that you can use them as an opportunity to address any details from your work history that didn’t fit on the resume.
Behavioral Interview Questions
These questions prompt you to discuss how you handled something in the past. They often start with “Tell me about a time when…” or “what has been the most difficult challenge…” Some questions you might encounter are:
- Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or achieve it.
- Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone’s opinion.
- Give me a specific example of a time when you had to conform to a policy with which you did not agree.
These questions are intended to reveal your personality, communication skills, interpersonal interactions, problem-solving skills, and adaptability. They are used to measure your strengths and weaknesses, and are a great place for you to show off how great you are at handling difficult situations, or how you have learned from them.
To ensure your responses shine, be prepared with stories from your work history that put you in a good light (but try not to embellish!). Also, make sure the stories or your actions focus on behavioral traits that show how you are a good fit for the job. The ability to provide relevant responses is also a skill the interviewer wants to see.
Situational Interview Questions
In situational interview questions, the interviewer asks you to imagine a hypothetical scenario to see how you will respond. These questions show hiring managers how you will perform and how you react to problems or changes.
Some examples are:
- Imagine that you’ve been assigned a new analytics project. How would you begin and what would be your process?
- How would you convince stakeholders to use a new system?
- How do you manage competing priorities when working on multiple projects?
To best answer these questions, outline specific steps that you would take to solve the problem. Bring up any potential roadblocks to your steps and how you would deal with those roadblocks. Provide examples of how you handled a similar situation in the past.
Critical Thinking Interview Questions
Often, interviewers pose these questions in the form of a brainteaser. Sometimes the questions are completely unrelated to your line of work and may seem absurd, but their purpose is to find out how you think and to gauge how you would go about finding answers and information.
Examples:
- How many paperclips could fit inside a bathtub?
- Describe how you make a bowl of cereal.
The best way to respond to critical thinking questions is to talk through how you would approach the problem in detail. Often there is no right answer. The solution to the question is not as important as the process you choose to solve the problem.
Role Specific Questions
These are very common in IT interviews because they focus on specific skills, certifications, competencies, systems, tools and processes. These questions reveal your individual contribution, not that of your teammates. Interviewers rely on these questions to evaluate your fit for a specific job.
Sample questions:
- Describe your experience with SAS.
- What do informatics nurses do?
- What is involved in typical data analysis?
- What tools do you use to mine the data?
- How much experience do you have with configuration/builds within the EMR?
To answer, do your due diligence before you even walk in the door of the interview. Know the job requirements inside and out. Once there, give examples that demonstrate your knowledge. Be honest. If you don’t know the answer, say that, but be sure to explain what resources you would use to get the answer. Be prepared to highlight how your health care industry experience sets you apart from candidates who may not have that experience.
How 1st Solution USA Can Help You
If you are actively looking for a new job or just curious to see what’s out there, and have IT qualifications, we want to hear from you! Upload your resume, or try searching our healthcare IT job board.