Acing the Interview: Tips for Getting the Job

Just having an awesome resume isn't enough to get the job these days. To land a position in your field, you need to perfect your interviewing skills, as well. Fortunately, you can use these tips to help you through.

Acing the Interview: Tips for Getting the Job

You've gone through the rigors of crafting the perfect resume. You've blanketed the town with your name and qualifications. If you've done your homework, it is only a matter of time before you land an interview with a facility. Now, I will not sugar coat it. Sometimes, it takes some time searching before finding a job, even if your resume is in tip-top shape. For that reason, when you get an interview, you have to make sure you nail it. Here are some tips for making the most of the opportunity and hopefully getting the job.

Documentation

Yes, even before you hit the nursing floor, documentation is important. At the very least, you want to bring your nursing license along so that the interviewer can make a copy. You should also bring any proof of certifications, classes, or special seminars. CPR cards are absolutely important, and ACLS ones should be presented, if you have them. Some nurses have med-surg or geriatric certifications, and the proof of these should be brought along, as well. If you are a new nurse, bring your certification to test or anything else that proves you are in the process of taking your NCLEX. It bears repeating: take your NCLEX as soon as possible.

References

You need references when you go to your interview. Some facilities ask for references in advance with the resume, but there are some who wait for the interview. You should have at least three. Your supervisors should be listed in your work history, and they will be contacted for information on your work. These are not good people for references. Think of your references as character witnesses. That coworker that you helped all the time? Put them down. Teachers from your nursing school? They would work. Even support staff that could attest to your attendance, work ethic, and skill would be a good person to tap for a reference. You should always ask them before putting their name down, though, so they don't get a call out of the blue.

Prepare for Questions

The article How To Answer The Most Common Nursing Interview Questions shares the most common questions nurses are asked in interviews. It still doesn't hurt to stress the importance of anticipating interview questions. Even the innocuous "tell me about yourself" can be difficult to answer in a high-pressure situation. One way to prepare is to give a list of questions to a friend or family member and run through them out loud. That will give you a chance to think about what you are going to say, what sounds good, and what you need to work on.

Know Your Goals

Goals are important to nurses. Half of a careplan is the goals section. When you interview, it is important to know your goals, as well. What do you want from this job? What do you want from nursing? Where do you see yourself in five years? In ten years? Really give this some thought because it represents your mission and your passion. Nothing is better than a nurse who can show passion for the job and express it succinctly to a hiring manager. If you have a goals section in your resume, look it over. Ask yourself if it really reflects how you feel about nursing. If not, come up with something better, change it in the resume, and be prepared to use it in the interview.

Know the Company and Ask Questions

You should know something about the facility you are applying to. Luckily, you have Google at your disposal, so you could memorize their mission statement if you wanted to. However, that isn't necessary, but you should know what their goals are, what awards they have won, and what their general philosophy is. It varies from facility to facility. You should also ask questions about how the facility works. Aside from pay and benefits, show a genuine interest in the company by asking about how many beds they have, what their patient turnover is like, and what staffing ratios they ideally aim for. You should also ask about the chain of command and other insightful questions that let the interviewer know you've done your homework and are really interested in the position.

Give Concrete Examples

As with the resume, you need to be specific. You can say that you are a hard worker, but what does that really mean? Anyone can say it. Instead, say that you worked overtime for seven days in a row when a coworker was sick. That's not recommended, but if you did it, it would be a good example. If you want to emphasize your attendance, tell them about how you had one of the best records of attendance on your floor. The point is to be concrete. Anyone can say they are the best nurse ever. Prove it. Tell the recruiter what you have specifically done to illustrate the points in your resume and in your comments. Otherwise, you sound just like everyone else.

Consider Dress, Greeting, Handshake, and Arrival Time

Practical concerns can be just as important as answering questions. First, consider dress. There's a lot of controversy over whether you can wear scrubs to an interview. Some find it unprofessional, and some say they are usually coming from the job with no opportunity to change. A good compromise would be to dress in scrubs only if you are absolutely unable to find a way to dress up. Ideally, you should be professionally dressed, but if this is impossible, apologize to your interviewer and explain why. It is an either/or situation, so use your best judgement.

You should also arrive on time. Don't arrive 45 minutes early, either, because that may inconvenience the interviewer. Ten minutes ahead of time is good. If you need or want to get there early, hang out in the car or a coffee shop until it is time to go in. The handshake and greeting are important, too. Use a firm, but not overpowering, handshake to say hello to your interviewer. Until you are told otherwise, it is customary to refer to your contact as Mr. or Ms. Politeness is rare in society anymore, and it will pay off in this situation. You may come across as a little formal, but the interviewer can relax the rules if they choose to. It is important that you simply express that you know how to be polite and respectful because that will translate into your patient care.

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Lynda Lampert, RN

About Lynda Lampert, RN

Freelance Medical Writer

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One comment that I make at interviews, and I have been given positive feedback, is that I will tell them that I am not afraid to ask questions if I am unfamiliar with something and/or if I do not know something. They tell me they can't stand nurses that think they know everything.

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If the interviewer asks you for a weakness don't say "I care too much" or "work too hard". So annoying.

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Then what is a good response to the "weakness" question without eliminating oneself, please?

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Specializes in Nursing Management.
Then what is a good response to the "weakness" question without eliminating oneself, please?

Well if you're a new grad, there's your weakness. You lack the experience of a seasoned nurse.

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Specializes in telemetry, med-surg, post op, ICU.

Well, I didn't get into the answers to the questions, because I thought that another article cover that. I didn't want to go over the same territory, but this question is particularly difficult. You really have two options: brown nose or be blunt. I don't know which is the way to go. I've been asked this question, and I usually fall to the brown nose side, even though it is so cliche. I would like to do an article where I interview HR people and ask how to answer these questions. Maybe it is something I will consider after my next investigative article. Anyway, here is a scathing review of this question from Forbes Magazine:

How To Answer The Question 'What's Your Greatest Weakness?' - Forbes

My mother always used to respond that she had no weaknesses. I thought that was funny, but she had a good track record with getting hired. I'm not sure she believed it, by why talk bad about yourself? It's a loaded question and not really fair.

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Well I have conducted interviews and I have never hired someone who gave that type of "I'm perfect" answer. While I do work hard I usually phrase my answer like this: "I have a tendency to impose my high standards on my coworkers which can cause friction. I am learning that every nurse is in a different place and is valuable in their own way". This tells my future employer that I am a great employee but not perfect.

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Specializes in telemetry, med-surg, post op, ICU.

LOL, Conqueror, my mom was a teller of tall tales. I'm not sure she ever said it, but I sort of got her point. That question is a loaded question, and yet it is asked at just about every interview. Maybe, "Tell me what parts of your practice you are working on," would be better. I don't know. It just doesn't seem logical to admit to a weakness when you are trying to sell yourself. I mean, ads don't say, "These are things that are bad about us, but hirer us anyway." I mean what's the point of a question that asks you to basically demean yourself. Is it to see how politically correct you can be? Is it to see if you can talk politics? I understand that it is supposed to show that you have insight into your full personality, but it seem like it is a trap, pure and simple. I would like to start a grassroots protest against it. :) We're all imperfect, but why advertise that when you are trying to get a job? That's no way to sell anything, especially yourself.

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I never asked that question to demean a candidate. I simply wanted to know if they had any insight. There is nothing worse than an employee/coworker who is clueless about their faults. Good luck giving them constructive criticism. :)

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Specializes in telemetry, med-surg, post op, ICU.

I don't know that the question is ever asked to particularly demean. I don't think that is what the interviewer sets out to do, but it does have a sense of demeaning feeling to it. Why ask someone to talk bad about themselves? Maybe ask them about a time they made a mistake and how they fixed it. That would still give you some insight into how they take criticism and have insight into their ability to deal with the issues in nursing. Perhaps I am too caught up in semantics. I am a writer, after all. But I feel like asking someone their weakness is almost akin to saying "give me a reason to not hire you." It just doesn't feel right or fair to me. I understand that isn't how interviewers mean it, and I understand why it is asked. I just wish there was a better way to get the same information that didn't use such a negative, fear inspiring word.

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