Steven Babitsky, Esq.
Physicians who are moving from a clinical practice to a non-clinical position will want to be prepared to negotiate a favorable employment contract. Here are recommendations to assist you.
- It’s not all about the money.
Before you begin to negotiate salary you should consider items of equal importance, i.e.:
- Duties
- Hours
- Location
- Fringe benefits
- Corporate culture
- Support staff
- Long-term job potential
- Ability to earn outside income
- Travel required
While salary is important, you want to clarify what you will be doing, where you will be working, and what the other requirements of the job actually are.
- Excel at your interview(s)
You will want to prepare for and excel at your interview(s). while your employer may have a budget and a salary in mind, if they love you at the interview they will likely show flexibility in salary and other important terms. How to make them love you?
- Explain what you can do for the company.
- Demonstrate your abilities by being a great listener, being articulate, and by asking intelligent probing questions.
- Asking the “right questions”
Physicians negotiating a non-clinical employment contract may success or fail based upon the questions they ask during the negotiation. Some questions that can help you are:
- Q. What is the most you have ever paid someone for this position?
- Q. How much flexibility do you have in your compensation package?
- Q. Why did you select me to interview?
- Q. Please tell me about the corporate culture.
- Q. Is there anything else I should know about this position?
- Prepare for Your Negotiation
Prior to beginning your employment contract negotiation you will want to thoroughly prepare by:
- Knowing what you want in a job offer
- Knowing what you are worth in the marketplace
- Learning as much as possible about the company and the specific position you are interviewing for
- Researching comparable compensation packages
- Have other job alternatives available to you
- Ability to answer the “hard” questions
Physicians negotiating a non-clinical employment contract will want to anticipate and practice their answers to difficult questions they will be asked. Typical questions may include:
- Q. Why should we hire you?
- Q. How much money did you make at your last position?
- Q. Why did you leave?
- Q. Why should we offer you better contract terms than we budgeted for?
- Q. Tell me some of your biggest weaknesses.
- Q. Tell me some times that are not on your resume.
Conclusion
Physicians moving to a non-clinical position will want to spend the time to prepare thoroughly and develop a negotiation strategy prior to negotiating their employment contract.
About the Author
Steven Babitsky, Esq. is the author of numerous books including “The Physicians Comprehensive Guide to Negotiating” by SEAK, Inc. He is the trainer featured in the 4-DVD set Negotiating Skills for Physicians. He is also the conference leader for the SEAK Non-Clinical Careers for Physicians Conference.