As a physician, you will go through the process of applying and interviewing for opportunities. During this time, organizations and recruiters will be looking at you as a whole to make sure that you are the right candidate to work at and represent their organization. These are some key items that are red flags for recruiters:
1. Being late
As a candidate, you are going to have interviews to attend, and if you are consistently late or do not even show up, this is a huge red flag for recruiters. Missing an interview can eliminate you from being seriously considered for a position. Double check that you have put all interviews into a calendar for the correct date and time and set reminders. If you have to request time off from work, leave ample time to make sure you have that day off and do not have to reschedule. Give yourself enough time to make it to the interview (at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the interview) because if you are late, you give the impression the job is not a priority for you.
2. Being too aggressive
Everyone wants to know where they stand when it comes to interviewing for a position. However, keep in mind that many organizations have interview processes that they have to follow and multiple candidates applying and interviewing for the opportunity. This means that you may not be told the next day if you are moving on in the interview process, so do not bombard the recruiter with emails or calls asking where you stand. You may see it as being an interested candidate, but it can come across as desperate.
3. Not being truthful and avoiding questions
You will be asked multiple questions from the start of the recruitment process until the end. Lying on your CV or when answering questions will be found out, so it is best to be truthful. Some questions may be difficult for you to answer or you may not want to answer, but by avoiding an answer you're raising suspicions. Do not try to talk your way around an answer — simply be truthful.
4. Being too money-hungry
As a candidate, you will be interested in the compensation of the opportunity, but if you are constantly asking about compensation, it can appear that you only care about how much money they will pay you. This can be another red flag because they will be fearful that you will leave as soon as you can find an opportunity that pays more.
5. Being too vague on your CV
Your CV is a representation of you, so you want to make sure that you are including the important work details, like accurate descriptions and dates. If your CV only mentions a role title and no information about the organization, description, or dates that you were employed by them, it can appear that you are hiding information on purpose. If you do have gaps on your CV, you do not need to put the dates or an explanation on your CV. This will come up during the interview and you will be able to explain the gaps then.
Remember that recruiters are human too, so they do not solely want to look at your skills on paper. During the interview, you are promoting yourself as the best candidate for the opportunity, so you want to make sure that you are putting your best foot forward. Avoiding these red flags is a good start, but preparing for interviews as best as possible is important too.