Tricky interview questions

Nurses Job Hunt

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So I just graduated in December and I am looking for that perfect unit and job. So far, I applied to many places including nurse residency programs. I have been called for interviews four times. The first one was to get my feet wet. The second one was to see maybe I will get something. The third one was an eye opener. And the fourth one really knocked me hard in my tommy cos I thought the interview went well and I got the job just to find out I did not get. In my opinion, I answered all of the interview questions well than I did in my previous interviews. What I noticed in the last interview (well afterwards) was that the first question HR asked me was did I have difficulty finding the place which I truthfully answered yes. I elaborated on how I went the round about way of finding the place. Anyhoo, we proceeded to the interview phase. After, I met with the unit director and unit manager. They interviewed me and blah blah blah. After the interview, as we were heading out, they asked me about the same question HR asked me in which I gave the same answer. The unit manager even shared that he was lost on his first time coming for an interview at the same hospital. As I was going home, I thought why would they be interested in how I navigated myself to the interview. But it dawned on me later that they maybe checking to see if candidates can follow simple instructions such as finding the interview place. Long story short, I did not get the job and I can only attribute it to answering truthfully my finding the HR office.

In addition, during the interview, the unit manager kept giving me a look that made me uneasy. He just kept staring at me and I kept stumbling on my words during the interview (each time I look at his side, I would give him a quick smile and look at the unit director instead). My interview with HR was a lot smoother than with the unit manager and director. My question is, what are managers looking at and looking for in a candidate? Do managers want candidates to be truthful when answering questions or do they prefer lies. To tell the truth, I don't know what else to do or say during interviews anymore. I was tempted to email the manager to ask him why I did not get the job. My husband's advice is to let it go and move on to the next one. But I desperately wanna find out why I did not get the job.

How and what can I do to nab that job that I'm desperately looking for. My self esteem is about 50% since my last interview and I don't know if I can take any more rejections :(.

Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

I think you are putting WAY too much attention on that question. It is a standard question to ask as small talk. Hospitals are notoriously difficult places to find your way around in the first time. The actual reason for not hiring you is likely as simple as there were many candidates, and at least one of them was a better candidate. Four interviews is not a lot. The current hiring climate for new grads is difficult in many areas. Keep applying and keep interviewing.

Thanks meanmaryjean. I'm probably reading more to the innocent question :). My husband told me the same thing too that 4 interviews are not a lot:sarcastic:. I have been advised to put as many as 1000 applications out :unsure: (I don't know if that's even feasible but I have been applying away) and see where that gets me.

Agree that hospitals are a maze - if you had a hard time finding where to go, it was due to the clarity of the instructions you were given, not your aptitude. Also, as funny as it seems, there is not always a direct correlation between acing an interview and getting a job. I just applied to a high level position, where I literally had 15 interviews for one position. I knocked each one out of the park, but ended up not getting the job because I lacked experience with a specific skill set. No amount of excellent responses to behavior based questions can make up for an actual deficit. So yes, interviews are very important, but don't think you are doing them "wrong" just because you are not getting offers.

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