Please quit wasting my time: Interview Advice from Hiring Manager

Nurses Job Hunt

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I have spent the last two days interviewing candidates for an open RN position on my floor. Last week I went through the 14 resumes HR sent over to pick out the ones I wanted to interview. Eliminated eight of these for various reasons ( poor grammar and spelling, history of job hopping, inappropriate email address), and scheduled six interviews. I did the last interview this afternoon, and still have not found a suitable candidate. I know there are plenty of resources online that give Job Search tips, so please, put a little effort into writing an appropriate resume, and learning how to interview. I don't care if you are old, young, fat, thin, new GN or crusty old bat, gorgeous or if you wear a paper bag over your head. Please present yourself in a professional manner when interviewing. You don't need to wear a business suit, but don't come in jeans or shorts. Don't come with overdone hair and make up and tons of bling. Learn to communicate in a professional manner as well. You are a college graduate, you should at least have an understanding of basic grammar and know how to express yourself. Express a sincere desire to work on my unit. Don't tell me that you really don't want to work on a telemetry unit, that you just want to get into the hospital so that you can transfer into ICU as soon as there is an opening. Don't be cocky or dismissive of CNAs and other ancillary personnel when I introduce you to the staff for the peer interview.

I have read numerous posts from nurses who cannot find jobs in the present economy, and I feel for them. But it can be just as frustrating for a manager looking for staff who are professional, caring, and committed to their profession. I feel like the last two days have been a complete waste of my time. Please, if you are lucky enough to get an interview, make sure you are presenting yourself as a professional. If you cannot make the effort to do so, don't waste your time or mine by even scheduling the interview.

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Specializes in Gerontology.

Great post Sue!I hope job seekers read it and learn from it.

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Your candidates sound ridiculous...WOW. My comment is don't automatically count someone just b/c they have switched jobs a few times. There may very well be legitimate reasons.

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Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.

I was going to advise that you place this in the career advice section (Nursing Career Advice), but this is probably the best place for your thread. Well, done!

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Specializes in Emergency.

I loved this post. I pictured people with emails like sexyboy5999 or bigplayer269. It is not hard to make a quality email account.

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Your candidates sound ridiculous...WOW. My comment is don't automatically count someone just b/c they have switched jobs a few times. There may very well be legitimate reasons.
Well, if you're smart, you just don't list places you've only worked for a couple months. Only list the employers you want to.
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If you are in the western Metro area, please PM me! LOL! I swear! My email is PROFESSIONAL, I dress PROFESSIONALLY and though my spelling may not be perfect here, my resume and cover letter are PERFECT! ;) If this is what I am up against here, I should be ok when I actually get an interview!

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Specializes in Oncology.

Just because someone switched jobs multiple times doesn't necessarily mean anything negative about them, maybe they aren't willing to work in a subpar environment or had to move or who knows what. I left 2 jobs where the nursing standards were horrible, employees were treated like garbage, and patient care was not a priority. But if you look at the dates it just looks like job-hopping. In reality though, I refuse to lower my standard of care for my patients, or my self-respect as as a person and as a nurse.

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Specializes in Oncology.
Well, if you're smart, you just don't list places you've only worked for a couple months. Only list the employers you want to.

When you're a new nurse though, you need something nursing on a resume. Believe me, my jobs were sad to see me go, one of my managers even told me so. It was the environment and poor staffing, no supplies, etc., that drove me away. Not because I just like to switch jobs or had a conflict with my performance or work or anything like that.

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When you're a new nurse though, you need something nursing on a resume. Believe me, my jobs were sad to see me go, one of my managers even told me so. It was the environment and poor staffing, no supplies, etc., that drove meaway. Not because I just like to switch jobs or had a conflict with my performance or work or anything like that.
True, new nurses are kind of in a pickle if they don't like their first job. Lots of pressure to just stick it out an get that invaluable year of experience under their belt.
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Specializes in Psych, LTC/SNF, Rehab, Corrections.

Jeans and shorts, really?

I tend to develop a weird case of stage fright during my interviews.

I can't think. The answers just don't come as quickly. I appear nervous. One interviewer actually gave me a minute to simmer down. LOL

It's horrible.

It's not a good representation for how I really am in the workplace, because I actually do shine under pressure. I just don't know what happens to me in the interview. Those who hire me - I guess they can see through that?

Don't be cocky or dismissive of CNAs and other ancillary personnel when I introduce you to the staff for the peer interview.

Darn straight!!!!

Don't pooh-pooh on our aides. A good CNA will keep you abreast of change and help you out more times than you can imagine.

We're a team. No matter the title, everyone is as important as everyone else...and there's something to be learned from everyone.

On my floor, we've good med aides who've been passing meds for years. I'm not 'too good' to ask them for tips. As a student aide, I learned a great deal about therapuetic communication and how to take an angry/psychotic resident down 'with words and nonverbal communication' from a 50 year old coworker who'd been a psych tech for 15 years.

I call her, 'The Resident Whisperer'. LOL

Express a sincere desire to work on my unit. Don't tell me that you really don't want to work on a telemetry unit, that you just want to get into the hospital so that you can transfer into ICU as soon as there is an opening.

They deserved to bounced out of the interview for that one.

Telemetry sounds great. May not be what you want but looking at the big picture? Hey, it's EXPERIENCE.

To me, any experience that I can grab onto as a new nurse is good experience. That's why I'm not particularly put off about working in LTC. Some would think, "I don't want to work at the nursing home."

Well, I'm learning some serious time-management skills. C'mon - passing meds to 36 residents? That's skill. LOL All of that running round? That's making a better professional of me.

Besides, geriatrics is a speciality. Plus, our facility is 'behavioral' and 80% of our residents are on anti-psychs.

Yes, my residents are old, ornery and sundown like crazy. I never paid attn to celestial events until the weekend of the Super Eclipse? Good God!

...but I love em to death. LOL I'd never work in a regular LTC.

Things is, Psych is a speciality, too. So that's two specialities on the resume.

...and Psych experience always comes in handy? You need it in every avenue of nursing. Undx'd types coming in to the ER. New mothers w/PP depression or psychosis. Maybe they don't have psych issues. Maybe you have new parents dealing with fetal demise or malformed infants. Maybe you're dealing with a family member in Med Surg or ICU whose wife is dying and he can't let go.

Maybe you're dealing with a parent in the ER who is combative and angry over goodness knows what.

Well - you have to know how to counsel the pt'sproperly. You have to understand the grief process. Have to know how to deal with an angry pt and resolve that conflict.

It enables you to treat the WHOLE person.

I've done clinicals on the Med Surg and ICU floors and seen how uncomfortable the bulk of the staff gets when a pt wth Alchohol DTS or an individual who has BP and presently 'off the rails' comes through. They almost don't know how to approach the individual.

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My nursing school had an "employment specialist" come in toward the end and do mock interviews with us. I think it really helped some people.

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