Hospice El Paso Interview

Interview questions

Tell me about yourself and your career.

My name is Olivia I work for Hospice El Paso it is a non for profit organization. My title is Community Relations Representative or liaison. I work in the marketing department along with the Admissions Department. My job consists of building relationships, creating marketing material, educating physicians, social workers, nurses, hospital staff and families on hospice. It is very challenging but rewarding as well.

Do you have a strong communication plan within your organization?

Yes. We have several plans that are put in to use regarding different situations that may come up from time to time.

Are there internal networks within your organization that are separate from the organizational chart?

 None that are recognized by the company.  There are always going to be people talking to their friends during the day and there isn’t much we can do about that.

Are people getting their information from friends or from supervisors?

Sometimes. This is why we have the communication plans in place. We try to eliminate the dispersion of information through informal networks. These could be really bad for the company if informal networks are distributing information. Especially if it involves a specific employee or if it has to do with structural changes.  

Do social networks allow you to distribute information quickly or does it make it harder to communicate with staff?

It makes it harder to communicate with staff. Sometimes we try to talk to employees and they already know the information we are talking to them about. The only thing is that they don’t know the whole picture. What they think they know came from a friend who heard only bits of the conversation while they were passing by or from another co-worker. This makes our jobs that much harder when distributing information.

Do you have any external networking that helps with your job?

 Yes, I do. I use these external contacts to provide me with information from other organizations or new laws and procedures that could affect the way we operate.

How important is social networking to you?

It’s very important. The flow of information between individuals can either make or break an organization.

What is more important networking internally or externally?

Internal networks are more important. These are the people we say day in and day out. If these networks aren’t functioning well then there can be serious problems for ourselves and our clients.

What do you use your external networking contacts for?

I use them to obtain new information, get referrals, fundraisers, and other things like that.

What do you use your internal networking for?

I use the internal networks in order to provide the right level of care as well as to make my job easier in the field. They help me network on the outside.

When relaying information to staff do you rely on a set network or the staff’s informal networks?

A set network, even though we know the informal networks will take over at some point.

As in their friends telling friends?

 Yes. Exactly.

This interview helped me understand that management sometimes knows that people are going to talk to their friends no matter what. It doesn't matter how strong of a communication plan you have in your organization, information will get out through informal networks. I think it would be best to study these informal networks and use them to your advantage.