How to ace an interview and get hired if you're a new graduate with no experience?

[willowRN]

How do I go about mentioning that I have no job experience and this is my first job if ever without sounding less competent?

How do I request the need for preceptors 4-6 months? Should I mention it during the interview?

How should I present myself in an interview if I am a new grad with no experience whatsoever?

Hoping you could give me some advice. It will be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much colleagues. God bless!

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

Well DUH! I am not telling the OP to lie, I gave examples and told the OP to think about what to say. Its more like thinking to say something that is a positive and negative.

"Well DUH"? I think people are just saying that one of your examples was a really bad example.

[rkitty198, BSN, RN]

"Well DUH"? I think people are just saying that one of your examples was a really bad example.

It may have been :) wow you are so right! Thanks for pointing that out!

moving on....

Don't forget to shake peoples hands, with a firm handshake.

We just hired a new grad on my floor and my manager said she was very outgoing. Don't forget to smile.

Although I may have given a bad example as hiddencat so nicely pointed out, I would still think about what you would say in that instance when they ask about your flaws.

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

It may have been :) wow you are so right! Thanks for pointing that out!

moving on....

Don't forget to shake peoples hands, with a firm handshake.

We just hired a new grad on my floor and my manager said she was very outgoing. Don't forget to smile.

Although I may have given a bad example as hiddencat so nicely pointed out, I would still think about what you would say in that instance when they ask about your flaws.

I appreciate you editing out the "well duh" from your previous post- I'm glad that you also felt that it was inappropriate.

I don't think anyone is suggesting that OP *not* think about how to handle the weakness question: it's a hard question to tackle, and if you do some googling there's a lot of advice out there on how to handle it. If your school ever brings an HR person in to speak with your class, listen closely to what they have to say and ask them what they look for in successful new grads and what dealbreakers have been for them.

I've found that the interviews I do the best on are the ones where I can answer questions honestly in a way that plays up my strengths without trying to fit into something that sounds scripted. Even though you are inexperienced, you do have something to offer potential employers: enthusiasm? dedication to your patients? humility and openness to asking questions?

[Darjeeling22]

I was a recruiter and assistant hiring manager for several years. This was a non-medical company, but much of what advice I'd give is universal when trying to get a job.

I second, third, and fourth the person who said to know the organization. A little homework goes a long way in showing an interviewer that you took the time to make sure you're a good fit. I used to see applicant after applicant who within thirty seconds made it painfully obvious that they hadn't even taken the time to look at basic company information, and those were almost instant rejects. I don't want to hear the same schpiel said to me that I can tell in a heartbeat is the exact thing they said to the last interviewer somewhere else.

The ones that brought up specific details to ask for clarification on X training program, mentioned their attraction to specific Y aspect of what we did, spoke up about how they read about Z new location and how they had ABC background that made them a great fit for that...those kind of things impressed me quite a bit. Among other positives, that said to me that they're proactive, and that I could probably count on that in their future work ethic.

[JulieCVICURN, BSN, RN]

Regarding the ridiculous question that always gets asked about what your faults or weaknesses are - forget about trying to turn it around by saying things like "Oh, I'm such a perfectionist that I expect the same from others," blah blah. Interviewers can see right through that kind of stuff. I would say something like, "My weaknesses at this point are my lack of experience and that I have a lot to learn and as a result probably will need some time to build confidence, but I counter that with an open mind and a willingness to work as hard as I need to to be successful at this job and to prove that I'm an asset to whatever unit I'm placed in."

And to the person who thinks that asking things like "Will I need to provide my own scrubs?" are trivial - I interview people frequently. Questions like this put the interviewer in the mode of already planning for the person to be in the job as it encourages them to respond in a way that assumes the person is hirable. If I'm saying to someone, "We don't provide scrubs, you'll have to get your own when you start", I'm picturing that person as an employee, even if it was subconscious.

I definitely agree that you don't want to bring up money in the first interview. That will come with the offer, and in my experience there's very little negotiating when you are a new grad with no experience.

[noahsmama]

Regarding the ridiculous question that always gets asked about what your faults or weaknesses are - forget about trying to turn it around by saying things like "Oh, I'm such a perfectionist that I expect the same from others," blah blah. Interviewers can see right through that kind of stuff. I would say something like, "My weaknesses at this point are my lack of experience and that I have a lot to learn and as a result probably will need some time to build confidence, but I counter that with an open mind and a willingness to work as hard as I need to to be successful at this job and to prove that I'm an asset to whatever unit I'm placed in".

Excellent suggestion!