First, a word needs to be said about gender-identifying pronouns.

Since the vast majority of chiropractic assistants are female, the use of the pronoun "she" has been chosen when referring to C.A.s or applicants for a C.A. position. This is not to be interpreted as a suggestion that men are less qualified or less suited for the challenges inherent in this position, but merely as a reflection of the present situation in most chiropractic offices.

In last month's issue of The Chiropractic Journal, the process of hiring a Chiropractic Assistant was begun: defining needs, soliciting resumes, advertising, and preparing for the actual interview. Now, it's time to select those applicants who will be granted an interview, and sit down with each of them.

The first step is to narrow the field. Hopefully, by this stage, you have a stack of resumes from job-seekers. You or a staff member can easily discard the ones that are totally unacceptable: hand written or sloppy resumes which reflect the person's lack of professionalism and self-esteem; the four-to-five page treatises that indicate an inability to prepare concise reports so necessary in a D.C.'s office; the ones that come attached with a note specifying a salary in a tax bracket higher than the doctor's; and those indicating an incompatible personality (such as the one from a young woman who mentioned, in her cover letter, she was so attractive that she was constantly having problems dealing with jealousy from other female employees. She wanted assurances before taking the job that she would be the only female in the office, other than the doctor!).

After the obvious "rejects" are discarded, you face the more difficult task of choosing the possibilities. One of the most crucial factors on the resume will be experience. This is also the area of most disagreement among office personnel managers. Should you look for a person who has prior experience as a C.A. (or, at least, in a chiropractic office), or hire someone with little experience so you can train them in your methods? There are advantages, and disadvantages, either way.

In general, however, if you are opening a new practice and need someone to come in and establish your office systems and procedures, a person with experience in similar environments will be invaluable. The same holds true if your present system is not working properly and you intend to make drastic changes.

If, on the other hand, your office procedures are well-established and comfortable to you and your existing staff, it might be well to hire someone who has not be indoctrinated in another doctor's methods. The phrase, "we used to do it differently at Dr. Smith's office," gets tiresome quickly. While some office experience is helpful (particularly in a professional office), a bright individual with the right attitude and personality can be trained for the position.

Another factor to take into consideration is the availability of training. If the new person will be replacing an existing staff member, the overlap time generally won't be sufficient to train the newcomer thoroughly. Either hire an experienced C.A., or plan on having a C.A. consultant or trainer brought in to complete the task. If the new employee will be an addition to the staff, with supervision and guidance from a more experienced person, prior work history in a similar situation will be less crucial.

Once the top candidates have been chosen, appointments should be set for individual interviews. This is the step that creates the most problems for chiropractors. They are extremely busy and loathe to "waste" time. Often they are hard pressed to find a few spare minutes in their work day, let alone the hours that job interviewing may demand. But time alone is seldom the reason that doctors grimace when contemplating these meetings.

"Even after talking to them, you can't really tell if they'll be any good," some complain. "Once I get past the 'where have you worked before?' stage, I never know what to ask," others admit. "It's hard to say no, particularly if they seem to really need a job," the nice ones confess. Yet, these are all problems which can be overcome through pre-planning and understanding the dynamics of the interview.

While it is possible to delegate the responsibility of interviewing to an office manager or other senior staff member, it's usually advisable to take part in the final selection interviews. After all, if the new person is to be your assistant, the choice should reflect your preferences and needs.

When the applicant enters the office, take careful note of her outward appearance and body language. She is not being hired as a high-fashion model, so there should be no requirement for classic beauty. She is, however, the personification of the professionalism, friendliness, and health-enhancing benefits of your practice and her appearance must reflect that. She should be clean, neatly dressed, well-groomed, and "healthy" looking.

Obviously, this is a subjective criteria but the image projected by someone who is either obese or significantly underweight is not one of health. Keep in mind, too, that physical disabilities that do not interfere with the office routine should not bar an applicant from the position. There are many excellent C.A.s who hold together busy, successful practices from their wheelchairs or with the use of one arm, or with some other disability.

Body language is the clue to the professionalism and friendly attitude of the applicant, as well as her ability to cope under stress (if the interview is stressful for the doctor, imagine how the prospective employee feels!). Does she step into your office tentatively, seemingly afraid to approach your desk? Is she able to meet your eyes, or shake your hand firmly? Is her smile genuine and warm?

Once she is seated, you are ready to take control of the interview. It is important that you are familiar with the questions you want to ask, or the general areas you plan to cover. You've already read her resume, so there is little point in asking general questions about her work history. Focus in on more specific topics.

Ask what she liked least -- and most -- about past jobs. Probe for specific strengths and weaknesses, as well as accomplishments in previous positions. Allow her ample time to answer each question, and listen to the way she responds, as well as to the actual answers. Don't allow her to ramble. A simple, "I'd love to go into more detail about that, but since we're short on time, let's talk instead about why you left your last job," will get her back on track.

Finally, tell her that the successful applicant would be required to have a spinal examination and undergo chiropractic care if necessary (as part of the fringe benefits of the job). Watch closely for her reaction. Occasionally, a deep-seated fear or suspicion of chiropractic will come to the surface. Any applicant who refuses to even consider such care probably has such an ingrained bias against the profession that she would be unable -- no matter how hard she tries -- to project the proper enthusiasm and conviction to prospective patients.

When you have covered all the areas and questions, thank the applicant for coming and close the interview. Even if you feel certain that you've made up your mind, never commit yourself to hiring someone during the interview. Instead, let each one know that you will be interviewing other candidates and give an approximate time frame for making a decision.

Normally, after the last of the interviews is held, you will have a good idea of which candidate would be most suited for the position. Allow your intuition to influence the choice. More can be learned from our "instinctive" reaction to a person than from reading all the job histories on file. If another staff member was part of the hiring process, discuss the possibilities together and find a mutually acceptable candidate.

Before the applicant is formally offered the position, provide her with a full job description, along with details on salary, work hours, vacation, benefits, and other job conditions. Only after she has agreed to all those conditions should you officially welcome her to your staff.

If the hiring process is conducted properly and with adequate planning, you stand a good chance of choosing someone who will be a valuable asset to your practice and who will remain with you a long while (thereby making it unnecessary to go through this agony again any time soon). That is the best thing that can possibly happen!