- How does the interview process work?
- How do you interview as a travel therapist?
- What is the interview process like for a travel PT?
- How do you interview for jobs as a travel PT?
- What questions should I ask on the interview as a new grad physical therapist?
Here are a few tips to help you nail the interview:
After about 100 of interviews as a travel PT, here are my TOP tips to help you feel confident during your interviews.
Do your research.
Research the facility and team beforehand and ask about techniques or equipment specific to the facility. Ask about the certifications of the director or other members of the team.
For example, if the DOR is also pilates certified or BIG certified, inquire further about their experience. Express your eagerness to learn from other clinicians or about certain techniques or modalities practiced in that clinic.
Be prepared to answer questions.
Prepare in advance how you would answer the typical questions one might get on an interview.
Example questions to be prepared to answer:
- What experience do you have working with (patient population)/(diagnosis), in (setting), or with (EMR)?
- What was your most challenging experience & how did you handle it?
- Why do you like working in (setting) or being a therapist?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Minimize filler words.
Something I struggle with and practice regularly is to be able to articulate and confidently. Practice removing filler words in your everyday speech to friends and family as a practice for your interview. Speak slowly to think about what you are going to say and get comfortable with silence. Minimizing the use of filler words when talking such as “umm,” “ahh,” and “like” helps improve authority and credibility as a clinician, as well.
We all have words that we tend to repeat regularly. Know what yours are and practice to avoid them. If you don’t know what they are, ask an honest and trusted family member or friend to tell you, as we are not always aware or can figure it out by ourselves.
Talk about your experience.
Mention your specific experiences and skills that that coincide with their patient population, techniques, or equipment (including EMR) and that would be an asset to the clinic. For example, if they have aquatic therapy, and you have experience working with patients in aquatic therapy from an internship, mention that in your conversation. Or if they treat patients with BPPV and you are confident in your vestibular skills, incorporate that into the conversation. Since I have experience treating patients with vestibular issues, I ask the facility if they regularly treat patients with this diagnosis because I know this is an uncommon skill among therapists and could set me apart from other candidates in that job.
What questions should you ask on the interview?
Click below to download the 10 MUST-Ask Interview Questions to make sure you find the right job for you!
DOWNLOAD THE QUESTIONS
