The Palo Alto Medical Foundation Interview Questions
& Process

The interview was really something else. The charge nurse was super hostile and asked me some really bullying questions. Honestly, they didn't assess my skills at all. Instead, they focused on whether I'd be okay doing more work than a specific person who was struggling. They also questioned if people generally liked me. My resume is solid, but they seemed unsure about me as a person, even though we only spoke for five minutes and she did all the talking.

I had my interview this morning and it was very different than the typical interviews I am used to. This interview was scenario based rather than questions on your skills and experience. I can see why they conduct their interviews this way; it keeps the interview process very competitive. I had applied to this program last week on Tuesday, and I got a call that same day for an interview, about 2 hours after I had submitted the application. Now I have to wait to get a call back within this next week to see whether or not I got the position. Fingers crossed!

I applied back in June 2015, and didn't get a call back until October. I'd almost forgotten about it, but decided to interview since I was still interested. The interview process had three rounds and the longest one was 4 hours. After the first round, I had to wait two weeks and then follow up myself because they seemed to have forgotten who I was. Since I expressed continued interest, they set up more interviews. It was pretty straightforward; I met with all the providers in the department. They asked about why I was changing jobs, my interest in their company, and my previous experience. I also got a tour and saw how busy they were with patients. One provider even mentioned feeling stressed and overworked during the interview. They did offer me the job, but during the background check process, they contacted my current employer against my wishes, asking why I was leaving. This was awkward because I hadn't told my current employer I was looking for a new job.

I sent my resume and got a call the same day. Then I had an interview two days later. I filled out a form about my top 3 locations and then interviewed. After that, I was asked to stay and talk with HR, and they offered me the job. My advice is to be ready for clinical questions and to describe how you'd handle different situations. Dress professionally too; two other people interviewing weren't asked to stay for HR and were wearing colored jeans.