Whether you are a physician or a nursing professional, you may eventually reach a point in your career where you’ll want to make a move into a more administrative role.  If and when you are ready to make that transition, the first step towards achieving your goal will involve learning how to position your background in a way that shows prospective employers that you can be successful in a less clinical capacity.

“For many healthcare professionals, the transition to an executive-level or administrative role is just the next, natural step in their career once they master their clinical expertise,” says Emily Liguori, an Executive Recruiter within The Execu|Search Group’s Physician Recruitment division.  “In fact, while many of the job seekers we work with have expressed a desire to make this change, the evolving healthcare landscape has also required our clients to create and hire for new administrative/executive positions. To help our candidates – especially those who have never held an administrative position before – take advantage of this hiring trend, it’s important for them to understand what healthcare organizations are looking for in their leadership team-members.”

For nurses and physicians interested in applying for administrative and executive-level roles, here are Emily’s 3 tips to help put you on the right track:

Your CV should show clear career progression:

While you don’t necessarily need to have extensive administrative experience to attain one of these roles, highlighting your professional growth throughout your career is one way to show prospective employers that you are capable of making the transition.  “Clinical leadership experience and the ability to show initiative are strong indicators that a nurse or physician would make a good administrator,” advises Emily.  “When editing your resume, don’t overlook any small detail or experience that can help show that you possess these qualities.  Including them can make the difference between getting an invitation to interview and not hearing back.”

For example, holding the position of Chief Resident if you are a physician, or On-Site Supervisor if you are a nurse, are two clinical roles that could demonstrate your ability to take initiative and lead.  “In addition to job titles and responsibilities, healthcare organizations also look out for higher education, training, or further involvement in your profession beyond your day-to-day responsibilities that shows your commitment to the field,” notes Emily.  This can include a Master’s in Healthcare Administration or Public Health, participation in committees such as quality assurance and medical protocol development, or other examples that show initiative and your interest in the field such as teaching.

Highlight your communication skills:

As a medical professional in an administrative or executive capacity, communication is a critical component of success.  In other words, you can expect any prospective employer to closely evaluate the way you present and articulate yourself during an interview.  “An impressive CV might get you an interview, but if you don’t appear confident, or can’t communicate your abilities or past experience well, that will raise some red flags for the employer,” warns Emily.  “At the end of the day, being an administrator involves managing and working with people at different levels of the organization, making tough decisions, understanding how to prioritize different tasks, and ensuring there is a long-term plan in place and the organization is on track for meeting the plan’s requirements.  Effective communication is at the heart of these responsibilities, which means the interview is the time to not only give examples of your communication skills, but also prove them through the way your present yourself.”  In the end, a medical practice or hospital can have the nicest facilities, the latest technology, and be in the best location, but those factors don’t necessarily determine success – the people do.  And, for a facility to function effectively, leadership needs to have the ability to communicate well with others and lead by example.

Have a vision for the future:

In today’s changing healthcare landscape, it’s important for medical facilities to have executives and administrators in place who can plan for the future and lead staff members through change.  “The Affordable Care Act has required medical facilities to overhaul their strategic plans to focus on the quality of care over the quantity of services provided,” explains Emily.  “As a result, hiring managers specifically look out for candidates who understand value-based care and market trends, so they can help navigate the organization through the transition to a new healthcare model.”

To get a better feel for whether prospective new hires can do this, a common interview question they ask revolves around shorter-term and longer-term professional goals.  “As a candidate interviewing for an administrative role, you should be prepared to discuss the professional goals that you have for yourself in one year, five years, and ten years,” advises Emily.  “If you have a well-thought out vision for yourself based on professional growth and market trends, it’s usually a good indicator that you will be prepared to help develop and/or carry out the organization’s strategic plan.”