About two weeks after submitting my application (with tailored cover letter and resume) to Banfield I received a call from the practice manager. Since I was not yet living in the city to which I applied for work, I was instructed to call once I arrived to schedule an interview. About a month later, I called and set up an interview for the next day.
My "interview attire" consisted of black dress pants, a light blouse, a white blazer, and some nude-colored flats. I also applied some natural-looking makeup and had my hair in a tidy bun. I am including this information as a reference because I believe a professional appearance (and a firm handshake!) made a great first impression.
I arrived to the hospital half an hour early and sat in my car until about 7 minutes before the scheduled interview time. Once I checked in with the CSCs and told them that I was interviewing for a Client Service Coordinator position, they appeared thrilled at the idea of another set of hands! I asked them about the duties of a CSC and they walked me through a normal day at the hospital. Regardless of the position you are applying for, it wouldn't hurt to make conversation with the current employees (assuming that they are not currently engaged or otherwise busy.) I believe that showing your interest and enthusiasm to hopeful-coworkers will also make a great first impression.
I was interviewed by a practice manager in an exam room with what I believe to be typical customer service/retail questions (i.e. "What would you do in this situation?" "How would you handle this?") After 20-25 minutes of questions and conversation I was asked to "observe" at
the front desk with the CSCs on shift. Interacting with them beforehand made the process much more comfortable! It was a slow morning (as they only had one veterinarian on duty) but I got to experience firsthand a bit of what the position would entail, including but not limited to interacting with customers, filling out paperwork, making phone calls, and filling prescriptions.
After about half an hour of job-shadowing the practice manager called me back to the exam room and informed me that I would be receiving a phone call from another practice manager to conduct an over-the-phone interview. An hour or so later I received the call, and I have to admit that I did not perform as well during the phone interview. For me it was more nerve-wracking than a face-to-face interview because I did not have a visual of who I was speaking with and I felt rushed to answer every question. My mind went blank when I was asked in a very roundabout fashion about my greatest weaknesses. It was worded more along the lines of "What do you hope to gain from working at Banfield that you don't have now?" It threw me for a loop and I studdered out a shaky answer, fearful when I hung up that I had lost any chance at being offered the position.
Thankfully, I was wrong! Later in the evening I received a phone call from the practice manager with whom I'd first interviewed offering me the position.