Was it the wrong thing to say in a interview?

Nurses Job Hunt

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Hello everyone, I went to a interview for a CNA position in a unit I REALLY want to go to after I graduate nursing school ( 1 more year left), while in the interview I felt everything was going great...until the person interviewing me asked "why I decided on joining the unit?" to which I responded on how being a CNA would help me in learning more on what is expected from the unit and would help when I decide to join the unit as a nurse...(awkward silence) then as I was about to shadow for the job, the interviewer asked what I was planning to do once school started back up, to which I said "I was hoping if I could go to part time or flex time"...(another awkward silence). Thinking back I see why my last answer to hoping I could switch to lower hours would hurt me as a candidate but, for my first response on how I would like to join the unit as a nurse...could that have done more harm than good?

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We have no idea what influenced the interviewer, but one can guess that they are looking for a CNA, not a soon-to-be nurse, who plans to work a full schedule, not just when it is convenient.

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hey thank you for your comment and you're absolutely right, seeing it from that perspective I can see why hiring someone who just plans filling a position temporarily would not be a good fit at all.

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It sounded kind of harsh but I think that is how she took it. You were only being forthright but it did not come across right. Most people are careful to say what the interviewer wants to hear and then they worry about special circumstances down the way.

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Hey its alright I'm not the type of guy to take anything personal, maybe I just need to learn to say what they want to hear...I just always believe that it is better to be upfront about something than to later on cause problems for not only yourself but others.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.
Hey its alright I'm not the type of guy to take anything personal, maybe I just need to learn to say what they want to hear...I just always believe that it is better to be upfront about something than to later on cause problems for not only yourself but others.

I agree with you as a general rule .... but if what you are saying is something that the interviewer doesn't want in a job applicant ... it's bound to hurt your chances of getting the job.

Honesty is a good policy ... but if you say you committed a crime, you will still be punished for it. Being honest doesn't eliminate the consequences.

Good luck with finding a great job!

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Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.

I do a lot of job interviews, including for CNAs. People who tell us what their availability is, or who try to cut deals about when they will work before we have even made an offer, have just talked their way out of an offer if they were going to get one. While we encourage people to further their educations, we don't hire people expecting to immediately start accommodating school schedules (or any other special needs). If we are interviewing, we have a specific need to fill - ours, not the applicant's.

We held interviews for LPNs a while back. As it turned out, two of the applicants were a month away from completing RN training. One said that she wanted an LPN slot so that she could slide over into an RN spot once she got her license. That's not how it works, ladies.

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Specializes in CIC, Geriatrics.

I would like to think the interviewer would appreciate honesty when it comes to your answers. Most would see the "bigger picture", revealing having a new RN grad whom the facility already knows their working ethic, call in frequency, flexibility, etc. Sounds like someone who isn't really thinking about what's best for their facility.

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Specializes in 15 years in ICU, 22 years in PACU.
I would like to think the interviewer would appreciate honesty when it comes to your answers. Most would see the "bigger picture", revealing having a new RN grad whom the facility already knows their working ethic, call in frequency, flexibility, etc. Sounds like someone who isn't really thinking about what's best for their facility.

Totally disagree here. The facility IS looking out for themselves. They need a full time CNA NOW, not a possible future RN.

Honesty has it's own reward in that you have been true to yourself. You will have to accept the consequences of your honesty if you don't get what you want because the other party got what they wanted.

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Hey, at least you were honest. As others said, you interviewed for a CNA position, admitted you were going to drop to part-time, and then said your CNA position was temporary because you wanted to be a nurse on the unit.

There's no way to tell. If the unit is consistently looking to hire nurses, maybe you said the right thing. But if they are only in need to long-term CNAs, you may have shot yourself in the foot.

Again, you were honest. And if you don't get this CNA position, reapply for a position as a nurse after you're finished with school.

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