I have an interview next week with a NICU director to be able to work in the NICU when I graduate in December. I've been through a few interviews lately and I get very nervous and freeze up. This is a very important interview for me because I would really love to get into the NICU to work as a nurse.

Any tips and advice for interviews would be very very helpful.

Thanks,

Kimberly

I have an interview next week with a NICU director to be able to work in the NICU when I graduate in December. I've been through a few interviews lately and I get very nervous and freeze up. This is a very important interview for me because I would really love to get into the NICU to work as a nurse.

Any tips and advice for interviews would be very very helpful.

Thanks,

Kimberly

just put your best foot forward and if you do not know the answer, just tell them you are willing to learn/best to you, hty/

Practicing (with a friend asking actual questions) might help you to organize your thoughts and prepare what you will say in response to some of the common questions. But for the "nervousness" part, you will probably just have to think the situation through, take a deep breath, put a smile on your face, and tough it out.

By "thinking it through," I mean to identify all your strengths and the reasons why you SHOULD be offered the position. That will help bolster your confidence -- and realistic confidence is usually an asset in an interview situation.

Good luck,

llg

And be yourself! :) If it is the nurse manager interviewing you, I know that many will be sizing you up for your preceptor, at least where I work they do...and they do a great job matching personalities!

The advice on having someone interview you is a great one! When I was in nursing school, in the dim dark ages, we had Nursing Leadership and part of our class was dressing as if we were going to an interview and being interviewed by the head mistress of the school....it was eye opening! She told us how many times we said...um, umm :chuckle But it made us ready for our interviews!

My two cents incudes spending some time thinking about what type of person you think would be an ideal NICU nurse... (I did this prior to my interview last winter). I thought about intelligence, ability to learn, cool under pressure, warm (approachable), easy to talk to, interested in the 'medical side' of nursing, interested in the 'people side' of a young family in a big transition... Come up with your own list - and then think about the ways you are like that 'ideal NICU nurse'. During your interview, make sure that you show off those qualities that you think would be valuable and be ready to articulate them. I had a really long interview (I was there for over an hour) and I really spent alot of time talking about myself (they would ask about my previous life experiences, why I thought I would be a good team member in the NICU, etc.) and I asked lots of questions about the unit. I've been told (and believe it to be true) that the best intensive care nurses are able to put out calming and confident energy. If you've got that - make sure you let them see it!

Good luck!

great resume and interview advice here:

http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/nursing/jobhandbookindex.html

interviewing techniques

sample interview questions

sample questions for informational interviews

thank-you letters/follow-up correspondence

sample follow-up correspondence