1. Set up a mock phone interview with a friend to sharpen stumbling blocks in speech and to correct empty pauses, "ums" and "ahs." Answer interview questions knowledgeably (as if a patient were asking) and avoid run-on sentences. Healthcare organizations are looking for high functioning, confident therapists who can handle difficult situations with ease. The phone interview is the first test.
2. Be prepared to explain why you think you’re the best candidate for the physical therapy job. This requires spot-on knowledge of your skills, qualifications and background. Talk about your professional strengths and your ability to work within a team. Be sure to mention specialties, certifications and your interest in continuing education. Point to a history of promptness, exceptional people skills and your passion for administering therapy. Therapist job interviews tend to be rigorous.
3. Let the friendly, enthusiastic side of you show in the phone interview. If the interviewer is confrontational; that’s okay. He or she is simply looking to see how you hold up under pressure and how you might deal with cranky patients. Stay calm, cool and collected at all times during the travel therapy jobs interview, and you’ll do just fine.
4. Be prepared to discuss how you successfully dealt with challenging patients in the past. Travel therapy jobs are solution-oriented positions that require intuition, steadfastness and determination. Allow these qualities to show during the phone interview.
5. Don’t talk about money. Direct all questions about pay and benefits to your travel therapy jobs recruiter, not the interviewer.
6. Prior to the initial phone interview, obtain as much information as possible about the facility from your recruiter. Then supplement that information with internet research. Seek out press releases from the facility that provide you with insight as to the facility’s philosophy, direction and plans for the community.
7. Plan intelligent questions in advance regarding orientation, scheduling and rehabilitation therapist patient load. What types of patients does the facility cater to – children, the elderly, athletes, professionals, all of the above? Feel free to ask about new technologies, computerized patient care, new therapies and the qualifications of the people you’ll be working with. Confirm the start date.
8. Be assertive and confident. If toward the end of the phone interview you feel as though the travel therapy job is right for you, pinpoint why you think so, and be cordial in your delivery.
9. Ask the interviewer about the next step in the travel therapy job hiring process. Will the facility be contacting you or will they be calling your recruiter?
10. Lastly, when the phone rings; answer it! Or you risk the next candidate called getting the physical therapy job you want. You and your recruiter worked diligently to get this far, don’t mess it up by letting this life-changing call go to voice mail.
We'll help you gets the phone interview. The rest is up to you. The expansive national reach of our firm ensures a selection of travel therapy jobs nationwide. Call a Recruiter at 800-617-0608 to learn more or apply online and we’ll respond immediately to your application.
