• Introduction
If got an invitation to a job interview, then congratulations. 🥳💐 We will share with you how the whole thing works so that you increase your chances of getting the job.
• Invitation
You will get a call or an email. If you are a beginner, do not discuss the meeting date and time. But it is not a big problem if you ask for a new date. Sometimes, they give you possible dates to choose from.
By the way, we explained in another article how you can apply to increase your chances of getting invitations to job interviews. You can also find in the article free templates for emails and motivational letters:
🇩🇪 Doctors in Germany: Find job offers & apply intelligently
• How should you travel to the interview?
If it is your first job position, then travel maybe one day before the day of the interview to the city of the hospital if it is a far one and try to sleep well at the night before the interview. Traveling with trains is unfortunately not that accurate. So, plan a lot of time if you want to travel at the day of the interview.
💸💰 Money tip: Keep all invoices you get (for hotels, trains, costs of printing or of folders, etc.) because you can get a tax refund at the end of the year (around 40% of what you pay)
More details: https://facharztJETZT.de/tax
If you arrive in the hospitals up to two hours before the interview, you can go to the secretary and inform them that you came.
💡 You can be try to be funny and say:
A funny and confident applicant
“Guten Tag, mein Name ist XY. Ich habe heute glücklicherweise ein Vorstellungsgespräch bei Ihnen. Ich will Ihnen nur sagen, Sie müssen sich keine Sorgen machen, dass ich nicht komme oder dass ich mich verspäte. Ich bin wie Sie sehen schon angekommen und warte gerne in Ihrem schönen Krankenhaus auf meinen Termin”
• How long does the interview last?
Usually 10-20 minutes. Sometimes more and sometimes less. If you are an experienced doctor in Germany, the job interview is only a formality, and the decision to hire you was already met before you come to the interview.
• Who conducts the interview?
Almost always, the head of the department is there (🇩🇪 der Chefarzt/die Chefärztin). Sometimes, the senior physicians (🇩🇪 die Oberärzte/die Oberärztinnen) are there too. In some cases there is someone from the human resources department (🇩🇪 die Personalabteilung). Do not be afraid. They are in most cases friendly.
• How should I dress myself? Do I need a white coat?
Preferably, official clothes. You need a white coat only if there is a short 🇩🇪 Hospitation as a part of the interview. In this case, you are asked to come around 8 am and spend a half day (or a whole day) in the department. Be careful what you say and do. We explained this in the tips articles (link below).
• What should I take with me to the interview?
Usually nothing other than your beautiful smile. Sometimes, they ask you to bring the original copy of your permanent medical license (🇩🇪 die Approbation) with you. If they want such a thing, they will write you. Do not try to be smart and ask them if you should bring anything with you. They do not like a lot of questions here.
• What are the main goals of the job interview?
(1) To see how good you speak German
Do not forget to read our articles about learning German:
🇩🇪 Tips on how to learn German for doctors & medical specialties
(2) To see the character of the applicant
(3) Find out if the applicant is whom they are searching for
• Do you have tips to help me ace the job interview?
Yes, sure. We wrote an entire article for that. These tips will surely help you:
🇩🇪 For doctors: Tips for job interviews for doctors in Germany
• What are the most common questions asked in a job interview?
Some questions are asked in almost all job interviews. Be sure to prepare answers for them. Read all the secrets here:
• Simulation of a job interview
A few years ago, a colleague of mine and I did a simulation of a job interview. You can watch it here:
• Seeing the department
As a part of the interview, the head of the department, one of the specialists or one of the residents will show you the different wards, examination rooms of the department and the emergency department. Be careful: The specialists and residents will tell the head of department almost anything you tell them or ask them. So, be careful! The head of department will only send people whom they trust to accompany you.
🕵️🗣️ Trust means in hospitals = Those who accompany you will tell the head of department everything you say/do
A small real story:
A short true story
Once in a hospital I worked in, the head of department (🇩🇪 der Chefarzt) asked an experienced resident how the tour with the applicant was. The resident was honest and said: “He could barely speak German, and it would have better if one of the Arabic colleagues accompanied him and showed him the hospital (because he would have understood what is being explained)” 😅. The head of department was astonished and said: “Really? We did not notice that in the job interview”. My colleague confirmed that to the head of the department and the Chefarzt did not comment any longer 😂. Probably this applicant simply learnt the common questions in the interview by heart and therefore, he made the impression, that he simply speaks great German! We explained this trick in the article for tips for interviews.
• When do I know if I get accepted?
It depends on how good your CV is and how well you did in the job interview. Sometimes, you get the answer at the end of the interview. The job interview is anyhow in such cases only a formality. Other times, if there are many applicants, they tell you that they must talk to other applicants, and then they will decide. Or this is simply a way to avoid saying to you face to face that you were not accepted.
Want to learn more? Questions?
Join JETZT (🇺🇸 now) all of our groups & ask what you like
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