New Grad Traumatized After First Interview

[rollieem]

Hello everyone!

After waiting 2 1/2 months of passing my NCLEX, I finally received a phone call from a Pediatric Rehabilitation Center who is interested in interviewing me. I am ecstatic, I love working with children and I was looking forward to learning more about their facility as well. I scheduled my interview with the HR receptionist who sounded really sweet on the phone. I spent the next four days reviewing possible questions and even did a few mock interviews with my friends. Interview day arrived and I felt ready and confident! I showed up 25 minutes early and waited, for what seemed to be forever, in the lobby to be escorted to the room for my interview.

I then meet with the director of nursing who is going to interview me. She sits down and looks at my resume and sees that I have done a preceptorship at a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at a local hospital nearby. She then says to me, "Oh, I see you have PICU experience, why didn't you apply to this hospital?" I responded, " I did not see any openings but I am here and interested in learning more about your facility." She then asks, "Oh, so they're not hiring or they're hiring new grads?" I then answer, "I guess it's both?" (Maybe I shouldn't have said that?) She then goes into a tangent for about five minutes on how she is not really looking to hire any new graduates and that only a few will be hired because many of her nurses in the past has used their facility as a stepping stone to get into bigger hospitals. She also emphasized that she has to be really careful of who she hires (this facility is fairly new and will have its one year anniversary of opening next month). After hearing all this, I am just sitting there SHOCKED and feeling slightly angry thinking (okay, my resume clearly says I'm a new graduate, if you aren't interesting in hiring me, why bring me here in the first place and waste my time and your time?!) The rest of the interview went downhill. I just lost my concentration. I couldn't answer her other questions to the best of my ability and even froze during some points (think deer with headlights, haha).

As a new grad, I would like to be in a setting that is supportive and offers mentorship and guidance. I just felt like the nursing director judged me for being a new graduate who just wanted use them as a stepping stone after seeing my PICU experience. I mean ultimately I would like to work at a hospital but that doesn't mean I would leave that facility ASAP after 'gaining my year of experience.' Her attitude just set a negative atmosphere for the interview. I am also disappointed in myself for becoming rattled, not saying focused and not making myself seem like a decent candidate. The interview ended quite abruptly, I felt rushed and didn't even have much time to ask her my questions.

Thank you so much for listening to me vent!!! Has anyone had an experience similar to mine? I am just traumatized and afraid for my next interview, this experience has definitely shaken my confidence. I guess it's tough love in the world on nursing today, huh..

[bbble 25]

I wouldn't be too discouraged, she did say that they were hiring a few new grads, although sitting at an interview hearing all that after they call YOU would unsettle anyone. Good luck!

[SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN]

If you stepped on a lego would it give you PTSD?

You never know!

[redhead_NURSE98!, ADN, BSN]

It seems as though that is a trend. Either places won't/don't hire new grads. Or students. You have to know where you want to work, and why. I had a staff development cordinator that said "I am never hiring students again!" Hm. Well, at the facility I worked at, the door was revolving. We had new staff every 6 months.....gee.....I wonder why?!

As another poster said......would you really want to work there? If they don't want to hire new grads, they shouldn't interview them. Not professional, IMO.

My facility has a 25% turnover rate, something like 65% of those were in their first year of nursing. That DOESN'T count the number of nurses who transferred from one "giant hospital corporation" facility to another within our "giant hospital corporation," so even more new grads than those 65% hopped on over to the ICU at another of our corporate facilities 5 miles down the road. Yes they do in fact use their magical one year of experience to get another job. It doesn't pay to hire a new grad, and until people stop job hopping (or until health care employers GET OVER job hopping - does this problem NOT exist in every other field???), it will stay that way.

[wish_me_luck, BSN, RN]

I am very selective in where I apply--I get slack for that from people. They think I should just apply anywhere and everywhere to find a job and "hit the ground running". That's great and all, I understand they mean well; but I am selective because I want to stay at the job for a long time.

I feel like you can't win with this finding a job stuff--if I am selective where I apply, then I am not trying hard enough; but, people think I am wanting my one year experience, if I apply anywhere and everywhere.

I decided to do things on my terms...apply for positions I want (and plan on staying at for a long time) and if I have to volunteer until I get the "dream job", then so be it. I don't know how that looks to employers...but, I am going to try and explain it as "I was waiting for this position to become open...."

I do wish that the interviewer would not go in with the attitude of new grads leaving. It is awful when there is a negative vibe starting out--I mean, since they have a thing against new grads, who's to say that they wouldn't "throw you under the bus" for any little thing you did?

Generally, people do try for jobs they want, if the environment is pleasant (nice staff, willing to work with the new grad, etc.); most people will stay.

[bekka2233]

So sorry you had to go through that experience. There are a lot of sweet girls in Nursing -- you sound like one of them. I know I was. Admittedly it took quite a few years doubting questioning myself/abilities, to develop a professional backbone, and a matured listening stance. Directors, Supervisors, Charges ... are people doing business ... and not above having their own personal issues filter their perceptions.

With gruff people remember "hard shell = soft center" Keep eye contact and a soft accepting expression on your face. Nobody does well on the defensive, so don't go there. Clarify your intent, your agenda, thereby providing reassurance. And believe it -- you are also interviewing them. Good luck, and stay sweet.

[dah doh, BSN, RN]

Try not take it as a personal attack. If a negative comment or concerns about new grad status or your internship in a different specialty come up, find a way to make it a strength to convince them you are the right candidate. It's all about selling yourself! There are a few interviewers who just aren't pleasant so look at it this way...do you really want to work for the unpleasant ones anyways?

[metal_m0nk, BSN, RN]

That kind of tough love happens everywhere, not just nursing. She was looking for rehab to be where you want to be. Next time you will recognize it when the interview turns that direction and will pipe up about all the ways this particular job is what you want. It is kind of like a girl wanting reassurance the guy really loves her before she sleeps with him. They want to believe they are your first choice. Nobody wants to be the interim sweetheart.

*chuckle*

And in the real world, the guy says whatever he thinks she wants to hear so that he can get laid because he knows that they have only known each other 3 weeks and her expectations are unrealistic. When really, both would be much better off if the girl were honest with herself about the situation and adjusted her expectations. The relationship could then be based in honesty and they could enjoy each other's company for as long as it worked for both of them. I will never understand why women set themselves up like that and then fall to pieces when the fabrication they've built up in their heads crumbles in the face of reality. /end rant

Honestly OP, your interviewer sounds like she has some conflicting and/or unrealistic expectations. Perhaps she hasn't been in management for very long. You may have dodged a bullet there.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

I agree with the essence of what metal_mOnk posted. Look. All these posts about how this NM was some sort of Gandalf with great knowledge and wisdom and a plan for her selection of ONLY the BEST for her facility, are ridiculous.

OP, you had the misfortune to waste your time, and gas for your car. I've never interviewed with anyone in nursing that I thought could manage their way out of a paper bag! LOL. This is why the nursing profession is such a massive trainwreck.

[RNdynamic]

I then meet with the director of nursing who is going to interview me. She sits down and looks at my resume and sees that I have done a preceptorship at a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at a local hospital nearby. She then says to me, "Oh, I see you have PICU experience, why didn't you apply to this hospital?" I responded, " I did not see any openings but I am here and interested in learning more about your facility." She then asks, "Oh, so they're not hiring or they're hiring new grads?" I then answer, "I guess it's both?" (Maybe I shouldn't have said that?) She then goes into a tangent for about five minutes on how she is not really looking to hire any new graduates and that only a few will be hired because many of her nurses in the past has used their facility as a stepping stone to get into bigger hospitals. She also emphasized that she has to be really careful of who she hires (this facility is fairly new and will have its one year anniversary of opening next month). After hearing all this, I am just sitting there SHOCKED and feeling slightly angry thinking (okay, my resume clearly says I'm a new graduate, if you aren't interesting in hiring me, why bring me here in the first place and waste my time and your time?!) The rest of the interview went downhill. I just lost my concentration. I couldn't answer her other questions to the best of my ability and even froze during some points (think deer with headlights, haha).

Almost this exact situation happened to me during when I searched for a second job. I worked at a hospital in NYS for 8 months but had to relocate to CT for personal reasons. I left my old job in very good standing and had a few interviews scheduled as I continued to work in my last few weeks. Most went well, and I landed a job I was very happy with in the end, but during one of them the manager of the floor asked if my old employer knew I planned to leave, which I answered no. In my mind, it is not standard etiquette to inform your employer of leaving before you actually have a solidified destination and plan to leave -- because what if your mind changes? However, this manager went into a tangent about how from a management perspective it is opportunistic to not inform your current employer that you are looking for other jobs. I knew then that this manager was wasting my time.

To generally stupid managers:

It's fine if you hold the idiotic belief that you should not leave a job in less than a year or that you need to give an unreasonably long amount of forward notice to your employer two months ahead of time that you are leaving, but don't interview people of whom you know for a fact that is true if you have no plan to hire them. You are just wasting both our times. Look at the resume, use your brain, and make an intelligent decision. It isn't that hard, people.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

To generally stupid managers:

It's fine if you hold the idiotic belief that you should not leave a job in less than a year or that you need to give an unreasonably long amount of forward notice to your employer two months ahead of time that you are leaving, but don't interview people of whom you know for a fact that is true if you have no plan to hire them. You are just wasting both our times. Look at the resume, use your brain, and make an intelligent decision. It isn't that hard, people.

^This!!!