Finally got an interview but need advice!

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in Community Health.

So after 2 months of completely fruitless job hunting, I got a run of good luck today and landed not one but 2 interviews! The first one is on Friday and is for a per diem position in LTC, and the other one is next week for a Patient Care Tech position at my dream hospital (I talked to them about working outside my license and they said that was fine)

I'm super nervous for both but especially for the hospital job...even though I would be making a lot less than I could as an LPN, it's a dream job for me because it would include a mentoring program with experienced RN's, and get my foot in the door at the best hospital in my state. I would probobly do it for free if I had to!

Anyways, I'm nervous because it's been almost 5 years since I've been on a job interview, and that one doesn't even count because it was for a steak house and consisted of a manager asking me if I did drugs or had any felonies :lol2:

So what should I expect? What kinds of questions do you think will be asked? Should I send a thank you card after the interview or is that overkill? Do I dress in nice scrubs, or business attire? Help! :confused:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Wear a business attire and send a thank you note right away. Those two things worked for me.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in pediatric.

I thought out my answers ahead of time, and I even typed them out and spoke them out loud to myself. Rehearsing may seem stupid, but once you've visualized yourself saying this to the recruiter/RN manager, it will be a bit less nerve racking when you do it the first time for real in front of someone else! Bring a couple extra copies of your cover letter and resume since you may meet more than 1 person. Make good eye contact, wear a suit, and smile! I also am a fan of thank you cards. It adds a personal touch. Good luck!!! :yeah:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Click on the link below to read up on 50 tough interview questions. It is optimal to attend an interview with plenty of preparation. Dress professionally, and definitely know why you would be an asset to these particular facilities. Do your research and know the mission statements of these places. Good luck to you!

http://unoceo.unomaha.edu/documents/toughinterviewquestions.pdf

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Community Health.

Thanks for the advice...Commuter that website is great! I've been practicing answering questions on webcam and then watching it back. I've noticed a few little "tics" I have when answering questions (I always dart my eyes to the side and twirl my hair, totally unconsciously!) Ugh, I hope I can learn to control them within the next 24 hours...lol

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Community Health.

Well got some bad news today...the interview for tommorow was cancelled because they filled their last available position this morning. I was glad they called me so I didn't waste the trip, but it's really frustrating because I was actually supposed to interview today originally but couldn't because I had to take my father to a doctors appointment...so I can only assume they had an interview with someone else this morning and decided to go with them instead.

On top of that, I'm now having issues finding out when I'm supposed to come in for this other interview...I keep getting the runaround. I spoke directly with the nurse recruiter yesterday and she told me to fill out some paperwork online and as soon as she received it she would contact me to let me know what day I should come in for the interview. She even took my name and contact info down so that she would recognize the application when it came through. I submitted it yesterday afternoon and all I got was a generic "thank you for your interest in working at ____ hospital, we will contact you if a position becomes available" email from "The recruiting team". From what she told me yesterday, their were definately positions available, orientation starts very soon, and she wants to interview me next week. So now I'm wondering if she actually got it, or if it ended up somewhere in the black hole known as human resources.

So what do I do now? Should I call her tommorow and ask if she recieved my information, or wait a couple weeks and then follow up? I'm trying to tread that fine line between showing I'm interested and being too overzelous...

God I hate job hunting so much :crying2:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment