3 Things to Say in a Pharmacist Job Interview to Make a Pharmacy Director Yawn
In the spirit of ASHP Midyear meeting coming up, some of you are sure to be interviewing there (or maybe being the interviewer). Here are some surefire ways to make a potential pharmacy employer yawn in an interview:
1. Tell them what you’ve done and never talk about the reasons why it would benefit them. A lot of pharmacists are really good at doing this. They describe their job responsibilities….and then end there. The average pharmacy job seeker describes their experience in a typical way & expects that the employer will think they walk on water, because they do the same things as everyone else who has similar experience.
If you want to stand out from your competition, go one step further. Describe what that would mean for the employer. For example, if you’re a pharmacy manager, instead of saying “I manage 14 pharmacists”, say:
“I manage 14 pharmacists and have built a loyal pharmacy staff with the highest retention the pharmacy has seen in the last 10 yrs during my employment there.”
To impress the employer even more, take it a step further & describe the reasons why doing what you did would benefit them:
“I manage 14 pharmacists and have built a loyal pharmacy staff that has seen the highest retention in the last 10 yrs, saving my current employer over $XXX/yr in turnover costs.”
——————-
If you’re a clinical coordinator, instead of just listing your job responsibilities”: “I have been a clinical coordinator for 7 years. I’ve been involved with rounding, developing clinical protocols, & medication safety initiatives”,
describe your accomplishments in a nutshell right away: “…..I’ve been involved with medication safety initiatives that have reduced medication errors each year by XX%. I’ve also helped establish a residency program.”
& describe the reasons why doing what you did would benefit them: “….made the pharmacy department look good by reducing medication errors each year by X%” and “increased the amount of visibility & interest pharmacists had in our institution from establishing a residency program”. Are you starting to see the power in that? Change this one thing about the way you interview, and you will leave impressing the interviewer and increase your chances for getting a job you want, vs. someone else who didn’t know better.
——————–
Are you starting to see the power in that? Change this one thing about the way you interview, and you will leave impressing the interviewer and increase your chances for getting a job you want, vs. someone else who didn’t know better.
2. S
ay trite things that other pharmacist job applicants will most likely say. Tell them how you work well with others and that you are hard working. Be like a broken record that a pharmacy director or hiring manager will have likely heard a million times before. You can bet that your interviewer will tune out when you say trite things.
Instead, try to describe yourself in a way that relates to the job you will be doing. Perhaps you could describe your strengths in being a creative thinker who likes to explore alternative solutions to solve problems. Here’s the key: Back it up with an example, or a story. When a potential employer hears a story of you doing the great things you’ve done, they can relate to it. They can think about how that situation can apply to their needs.
3. When asked by your interviewer, “Do you have any questions?”, you say, “No, you went over everything.” Hmm..boring. Non-creative person. Probably not really that interested in the job to even have any questions! Hiring managers want to know that you are just as invested in choosing the right job as they are in choosing the right candidate. By saying that you have no questions about the position, you raise a red flag about your level of interest. Have some sincere questions ready for when you are asked, such as:
“What are the qualities of people who are very successful in your pharmacy?” (Use this to respond with the similar qualities you have)
“Can you tell me a bit about the long-term advancement opportunities at this hospital?” (This shows your interest in long-term growth and not just “a job”)
“What projects/initiatives are being implemented that I will have a part in if I am accepted for the job?”
The interviewer will be impressed by the questions you ask, and he or she can learn a lot about you by what you bring up during the interview.
Use these valuable strategies in your next interview–stop boring your potential employer(s), keep their eyes wide open & get the job!
Comment below on what you learned from these strategies & what mistakes you’ve made in the past but now you’ve realized. If you have been an interviewer before, comment on how frequently you hear boring things from pharmacist applicants.
If you’re going to ASHP Midyear, email me–I’m gifting mini resume and interview assessments to PGY2 pharmacy residents and hospital-experienced pharmacists in my community (everything’s confidential). Apply here for limited available spots. Or if you just want to meet up, email me. Have a good recruiter know you personally and they’ll put more attention on looking out for opportunities for you.
#1 Reason for Communication Challenges in a Pharmacy
The #1 communication method that causes misunderstandings in pharmacies is….
You voted & the results are in from last month’s poll of pharmacy residency directors and pharmacy managers. The most popular answer was email. Face-to-face communication is currently in 2nd place. Do you agree?
What method of communication has caused you the most misunderstandings? If you haven’t voted yet, vote here & see the latest tally so your input is counted.
Tired of emails causing you frustrations with miscommunication? Here are 7 ways to prevent this issue from happening, including when & when not to use email.
Hospital Pharmacists ONLY – Sneak Peek at Our New Website & Get a Complimentary Resume Critique
Get an exclusive sneak peak at our brand new website & critique it! To thank you for giving us your valuable input on what you like/don’t like, we’d like to give you a complimentary 15-min resume critique. NOTE: current resume makeover packages with Chen Yen, PharmD, Pharmacist Job Market Expert start at $245, so lock in your complimentary critique now!
Who this is for: Hospital pharmacists ONLY
How this works: Fill out the form below & attach your resume. You will be directed to book a session to get your complimentary 15-min resume critique. You will also be giving your 10-min critique of our brand new website during the session.
If you want to critique our new website, but don’t want a complimentary resume critique, just write “don’t want resume critique” in the My Preferred Job Situation field below.
Lock in your spot! Book your session now!
Frustrations Communicating with Your Pharmacy Staff
Co-mmuni-cat-ion. Com-munic-at-ion. I started having a good look at my own communication issues recently when I was feeling frustrated with things falling through the cracks in my pharmacist recruiting business. Some things I envisioned being done a certain way ended up being done a different way. Recently, an email I sent to a team member about a request was interpreted in a different way than I intended & it got us both extremely frustrated. My communication challenges were driving me nuts. There’s nothing I hate more than things impacting the level of service that pharmacists need attention to with their job search.
I was determined to figure out how to solve the challenges I was having. Looking into it, I noticed that sometimes, things I clearly stated one way were being interpreted in another. Then there were times when things I unclearly said were unclearly getting interpreted (imagine that!). If I got lucky, sometimes people read my mind just fine.
I tried to figure out how I could solve the problem, and while doing so, I stayed up all night reading about communication one night. Here are some straight no BS tips I learned (and from my personal experiences) that you can use in your pharmacy/department:
1. Don’t be hard on yourself or on the other person when a communication breakdown happens and you’re frustrated. Realize that communication issues happen when the steps that contribute to communication are skipped. Also, people interpret you from their own “world”, and even if you communicate clearly and they seem to understand exactly as you said, there is still a chance for miscommunication to happen. Take a step back and evaluate what you may have contributed to the issue.
2. Communication = someone expressing themselves + someone interpreting that expression. Happiness for communicator= someone communicating + being understood the way they want. Happiness for recipient= Receiving what was being said + having the info with as little judgment as possible +a way to respond and express their understanding.
3. 
No BS lessons/tips to make life easier: Read more
Can’t Work on Saturdays. Employer Turned Off-Any Suggestion
Chen, I cannot work on Saturdays for religious reasons. I offer to work every Sunday and every legal holiday. As soon as the employer hears this they are no longer interested in offering me the job. I do not want to mislead the employer by not saying anything about the scheduling issue. For this reason I am forced to think about retraining in a different profession. I would much rather stay in pharmacy. Have you any suggestions how I can handle the scheduling issue?
Answer: Two things come to mind.
1) How is your timing— when do you tell a potential employer that you cannot work Saturdays? And how are you expressing it? Without knowing when in the process you pop your schedule requirements, consider when in the process you would tell a potential employer. Is it after they are attracted to how well you would do the job & may be a fit for the company, or is it early on in a first conversation when they hardly know you? This is a great example of where you want to liken a job search to dating. Would you tell someone that you have a requirement that you can’t hang out with them on Saturdays for the rest of their life when you first meet them? I can think of one pharmacist I helped recently whom an employer just loved and was willing to accommodate the schedule she requested.
It seems like you are open to accommodate working on any other day of the week. Perhaps you could propose an alternative. Start with the benefit first, ie: “I would be happy to cover every Sunday and holiday. I have personal commitments where I am unable to work on Saturdays. Would that be something we can work out?” You don’t need to bring your specific personal reasons into the conversation & mention religion, unless you really feel compelled.
2) It is important not to mislead the employer. So, if you know upfront that it is a position that requires Saturdays, and after some fact-finding, you find out the reason for this requirement is because no one else can cover it currently (or that your working on Sundays or holidays does the place no good, because they aren’t even open on Sundays or holidays) & you know for sure the pharmacy would not accommodate, then look for pharmacist jobs that do not require Saturdays. There are definitely such positions out there.
Without knowing more about your experience and what you desire, perhaps you need to make concession with the type of setting & geographic location you will accept working in. Check out some of the jobs we are connected with and see if any suit your needs. We don’t advertise everything, so feel free to connect with us directly. Good luck to you!
Pharmacy Job Market Update – Mid-Year 2011
The last few years have been tough for many pharmacists who found themselves in transition to another job. It was more time consuming to find the right pharmacy position, and sometimes extremely frustrating. Pharmacists went from being spoiled by being frequently called by recruiters about positions, to wondering when the next time a position in their desired role would become available in their preferred geographic area.
Our profession went from being one of the most job secure positions to one that was subject to uncertainty. Uncertainty of budget cuts, layoffs, overall direction of the pharmacy, and lots of overworked pharmacists was the theme of the last few years.
Here’s the answer to the question many of you have been asking me about. What direction do I see the pharmacy job market going? What kind of jobs are hot?
Clinical coordinators and overnight shift 7 on/7 off pharmacists (especially in the inpatient pharmacy setting) are in high demand. Specialty areas such as pharmacy informatics, pediatric pharmacist, infectious disease pharmacist, and oncology pharmacist positions are still hot.
If you are planning ahead & deciding whether to do a PGY2 residency, the areas of pediatric infectious disease and pediatric oncology pharmacy seem to be new emerging specialty areas of demand. Also, there aren’t enough pharmacy informatics residency programs to meet the demand for the increasing need for informatics/pharmacy automation pharmacists. Good field to get into.
Remote order entry pharmacists continue to be increasing in demand, where inpatient experienced pharmacists process/fill orders for hospitals off-site. This is a cost-saving measure and a growing area of pharmacy. The majority of these remote order entry positions are still on-site, but there are remote order entry positions where you can work from home also.
I have noticed that new grads are having a harder time finding the right pharmacist position this year than even last year. There are more pharmacists out there looking for work than in the past, and competition is fierce. For new grads, retail pharmacist positions are still the easiest to get into. Getting into an inpatient pharmacist position as a new grad, for example, is tough in saturated pharmacy job markets.
One thing I’ve noticed is that new grads are more realistic than they used to be. Sorry, new grads, but your nickname in the recruiting world used to be “divas”. I used to talk frequently to new grads who expected clinical pharmacist positions without experience or a pharmacy practice residency. But now, they come to me having a clearer idea of what they are truly qualified for.
For experienced pharmacists who are job hunting, finding the right job quickly is all about marketing yourself well. I have noticed a higher percentage of experienced pharmacists who are not finding the position they want. And it’s not because they’re not qualified. It’s because they don’t know how to market themselves well. If you’re like most pharmacists, you didn’t go to pharmacy school to learn about marketing. In fact, you probably cringe at hearing the word “sales”.
Getting the right job quickly in this market is all about tapping into the hidden job market & getting noticed. If you want someone to be networking on your behalf for unadvertised jobs, find a recruiter you resonate with to keep their eyes open for you. In this tough job market, you have to be an experienced pharmacist with strong work history (aka no job hopping) in order for a recruiter to represent you. Otherwise, learn about how to stand out in this competitive market. Start here with the first step to marketing yourself well.
Take the Poll: How long Did it Take to Get Your Pharmacist License?
Share your nightmare story below,
and give your advice for getting licensed in that state.
Comment below,
and hear what other pharmacists have to say.
Ready to Take Action & Turn Around Your Demotivated Pharmacy Staff?
Last month, you learned the first 3 steps to improve productivity and increase your pharmacy staff’s motivation by taking a proactive approach to the situation. Now, read on for the second stage of the process, in which you prepare and present a plan to motivate your staff to the next level.
Step 4: Give each of your staff the opportunity of completing special projects within the pharmacy and give them creative freedom to introduce it into pharmacy. These can be patient-service related, clinical, or workflow-related. Allow your staff to have ways in which they may provide ongoing suggestions (ie, a suggestion box). Take time to discuss as a team the top ones to work on next, with the input of your vision. Give your staff the autonomy to be in charge of their project. Be amazed at your staff taking ownership and having pride in what they create. Give them a sense of purpose that motivates them to do their best every day.
Step 5: Make the most of your pharmacy technicians–give your techs ownership of an area that supports you. Ideas include taking P&T meeting minutes, organizing drug files (with you doing the aspects that require clinical knowledge), and answering all phone calls unless they escalate to requiring a pharmacist. For example, in many pharmacies, when a patient asks for a pharmacist, the phone immediately gets handed to a pharmacist. Instead, train your pharmacy support staff to ask what the person is calling about, so that if they can answer the question for them, they can do so. This helps you as the pharmacist or pharmacy manager make the best use of your time. You may train your support staff to say “so that I can give him/her [pharmacist] the heads up on what to help you with, would you let me know in a nutshell what you would like help with?”
Step 6: Inspect what you expect & acknowledge accomplishments. It’s cliché, but it rings true. Consistency of performance is impossible to maintain long-term when you don’t take the time to “inspect what you expect” & continue to inspire your staff.
Taking an active approach to turn around a demotivated staff reaps great rewards in productivity, employee satisfaction, and team cohesiveness. After implementing your unique plan, watch as your pharmacy staff grows on an individual and team level. As time goes on, be sure to not let the excitement of these new responsibilities wear off. Continue to encourage your pharmacists and techs to contribute in new, creative ways.
Motivating Your Pharmacy Staff Who Aren’t Performing to Their Potential
Are you tired of figuring out a way to motivate your pharmacy staff who are underperforming, or who are visibly demotivated?
What if you didn’t have to pull your hair out anymore, and could easily inspire your staff to exceed their potential?
You can improve productivity and increase your pharmacy staff’s motivation by taking a proactive approach to the situation. Create a more dynamic team with this two-tiered plan. First, set the tone for positive change and to decrease obstacles. Second, bring a plan to motivate your staff to the next level.
Here are some ideas you can implement now to achieve this:
Step 1: Share your vision for the pharmacy openly and frequently. Share your 1-mo, quaterly, annual, or 5-yr vision at staff meetings. Ask your staff what role they’d have an interest in playing with helping you reach your vision. In sharing your vision, share your specific goals as well. Instead of general goals such as “improve patient care” or “decrease wait time” give specific goals that are measurable, such as “decrease wait time by 20 min”.
Step 2: Provide clear channels of communication. Include regular time when your staff gets 1-on-1 time with you aside from performance reviews or team meetings. This time is best used to proactively encourage their growth as a pharmacist/tech, discuss challenges, and listen to the solutions they have to offer.
Clear communication when policy changes are made. When policy change are made, include your whole staff on those changes. This includes contract pharmacists who may not always attend your staff meetings. Provide them with an agenda that includes outcomes of those staff meetings and ask them to sign the agenda to acknowledge reading it.
Step 3: Set the stage for a more defined work flow by choosing structure over “wherever you’re needed”. Rather than letting your staff pharmacists & technicians choose where among the workflow to help out, have a structured workflow that lays out who is to do what when. Delegate responsibility that includes checklists (this can apply well to technicians). Some pharmacies allow pharmacists to float between screening & verifying/counseling without a set schedule.
The drawback to this is that some pharmacists may have a preference for one type of responsibility over another and engage primarily in that responsibility. This can create resentment among your staff, because those who may not be as assertive may end up feeling “stuck” doing responsibilities that the other staff doesn’t like to do.
Of course, instill the culture in your staff to help each other out when they’re backed up, but give your staff clear expectations of their roles.
Next month, we’ll introduce a plan for inspiring your pharmacists to want to perform at the next level.
7 Reference Questions You Wish You Asked Before Hiring a Pharmacist
Have you ever hired a pharmacist you got along with so well during the interview, only to wonder why you hadn’t seen it coming that your new hire would not work out as your employee? 
Hindsight is always 20/20. But what if you could have as close to 20/20 before you hire someone? Take the emotional judgment out of your decision by using your intuition (NOTE: there is a distinction between intuition and emotion), assessing someone’s potential for future performance, and uncovering past behavior. This prevents you from just hiring someone you like, but who may not be a fit for the role. The decision factors mentioned above are the keys to a successful hire.
One method to uncover past behavior is asking the right reference questions. Not just generic standard reference questions, but insightful ones that help you make a sound decision. Don’t skip asking these insightful questions before you rush into hiring someone just because you’re short-handed.
Ask these 7 Reference Questions Before You Hire Your New Pharmacist:
- What did you find him/her to be naturally good at, or thrive on doing?
- Tell me about a time when a breakdown happened (ie, patient wasn’t getting served in the way you wanted; project wasn’t completed in a timely manner). What happened & what was the resolution?
- Under what kind of work environment do you think he/she would feel stifled in?
- Did he/she meet, exceed, or perform below your expectations?
- What advice do you have for managing him/her, and bringing out the best in him/her?
- What comes to mind first when you think of him/her–a starter, or a finisher?
- Would you have him/her work there again if the opportunity arose?
BONUS Reference Check Question:
If you were to hire XXX back and could create a position for XXX, what kind of a position would it be (ie, responsibilities)?
Comment below, or click the link to the right to share YOUR favorite reference questions. Contribute and you will receive a FREE Gift of” Top 20 Interview Questions to Ask“, so You Hire the Best Pharmacist NOT the Best Interviewer.