Considering the state of healthcare today, with many frontline workers feeling burnt out and fatigued, taking the time to do your research and ask the right questions can make or break finding the ideal role that aligns with your values and provides the balance you need to be excited and energized by your work. After all, the interview process goes both ways: you shouldn’t only seek a potential employer’s approval—they should be working hard to wow you, too.

Just like dressing the part, being punctual, and wielding a confident handshake, asking the right questions can make or break the desired outcome of a job interview. Are you asking no questions at all? Well, you can skip to the auto-generated email that says they’ve decided to pursue other candidates.

Going in with the right strategy ensures you stand out from the competition. Thus, being equipped with calculated, thoughtful questions positions you to be on the receiving end of that offer letter. Here are the top questions to ask an interviewer to ensure you seal the deal in your next job in healthcare.

Top 5 Questions to Ask in a Healthcare Interview

What would you say are the top three words that describe your organization’s culture?

The last thing you want to put on the back burner in your job hunt for a new healthcare position is a prospective company’s culture. The culture will be a solid indicator of whether or not you’ll be expected to always pick up shifts on your days off, work longer hours than you’re scheduled, or fall into problematic habits of consistently overcommitting or overexerting yourself. At the same time, your PTO bank collects dust—a recipe for burnout. Conversely, asking the team questions like, “What do you like about working for the company” can also clarify the kind of culture you’d be joining.

Can you tell me more about how you came into your current role?

Asking questions about how the interview panel came into their current roles within the organization can paint a picture of what upward mobility will look like if you decide to work for them. It can also benefit you in several other ways. First, it is an effective way to show sincere interest in the team and learn more about the people you’ll work closely with. Second, it shows you are eager to learn and have ambitions. Third, it is an easy way to organically build rapport and hopefully be remembered by the team you’re meeting with. You can also ask the question a couple of other ways: “Roughly what percentage of the team I would work with have been promoted from within the company via being hired externally?” or “Can you tell me about your healthcare career path?”

What are the biggest challenges the department is facing currently?

Proactively peeling back the layers of the existing challenges in the role you’d potentially fulfill—such as extreme staffing shortages where you might be expected to pick up the slack—shows initiative on your part and that you have a knack for problem-solving. Conversely, it also lends insight into any existing disorganization and disarray, giving you a chance to walk away before you find yourself in the eye of a healthcare delivery storm. By diving into potential challenges before beginning your new position, you can start as prepared as possible. Another way to ask this question: “What's an initiative you've been trying to tackle for a long time but haven't been able to do so?”

What are your biggest pet peeves as a leader?

Proactively trying to identify the leadership style of the team you’ll be joining is an easy way to gauge how you can stay under the radar and exceed expectations. It’s a more politically correct way to say, “Are you a micromanager?” and a more creative way to ask, “What’s your management style?” In summary, this is a good area to explore and learn how much interaction you will or will not have with management. It will also give you an idea of whether or not your working style will align with your manager and the rest of the team.

What three qualities would the ideal candidate for this role possess?

This is a powerful question to ask in an interview because it shows the hiring team you’re serious about finding a role that’s most aligned with your qualifications and that you embody the most important characteristics of the role. It also gives you a chance, after they respond to the question, to connect your personal skill set to their answer without coming off too salesy. This helps the interviewing team to subconsciously connect the dots that your skillset might upstage the other candidates.

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