what to ask during an interwiew

[Mister_Nurse]

This is what i asked..

What type of orientation you offer and how long?

What other Educational/Training Opportunities are offered?

What are the hardest thing your staff has faced?

[shoegalRN, RN]

Here's what I asked:

-What is your management style and what kind of employee fits well with it?

-How long is the orientation period?

-Does your unit participate in Shared Goverance?

-What is your ideal of a new grad nurse?

-As a manager, what are your plans for the unit in the near future and how do you plan on accomplishing those goals?

-What is the culture of your unit and how will I fit into it as a new grad?

-What is the biggest challenge for your unit?

The interviewer told me she was very impressed with my questions!

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

Make sure you know how long your orientation is for, also if it can be extended if you need more time. DO NOT be afraid to ask about orientation it has got to be the most important thing to discuss especially if you are a new nurse. Ask to be limited to 2 preceptors other wise you will get too many imputs which can be confusing.

Make a list of questions and carry it with you in your portfolio, make sure you pull it out when they ask you if you have any questions, refer to your list. If they are good interveiwers they will have covered all your questions during the interview. You dont have to ask questions, but in case you are nervous it looks like you prepared for the interview by having the list.

I have interviewed many RN's you make an impression from the moment you walk in the room. A good interviewer will allow for nervousness

look smart

wear closed shoes

well groomed hair

Look the person in the eyes who is asking you a question

If you dont know the answer be honest or ask them to rephase the question

Have knowledge of a piece of research relevent to the floor

Smile

[GWCCStudentRN]

Thanks for the great interview tips and questions!

I graduate in May and hope to start interviewing and lock in a position very soon. The problem is, not too many places are hiring due to cutting back in this tough economy. The places that are hiring are not looking for new grads.

Any suggestions for making myself stand out as a new grad and convincing my interviewers?

[nakeia]

having reference letters readily available for them to view is always a good thing and something that stands out in situations where they dont necessarily ask for them upfront.... idk if they asked you to bring that to the interview or not but it worked for me because i asked if i needed to bring them and they said no but i brought them anyway and got a job offer! but that may have been just one thing that stood out above the rest

[TrinaCNA]

I don't think it will make you look good if you ask about salary on the interview...you should wait until you get the job...its just interview etiquette...

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

HR normally discusses salary with you as it tends to be fixed anyway

[elkpark]

Again, I encourage you to talk to the current staff. Whatever the NM and administrators tell you about their wonderful orientation, education benefits, etc., it's when you talk to the nurses on the floor that you find out that the last couple new hires got told the same great stuff about orientation but then got taken off orientation after two weeks and thrown to the wolves ... I'm not saying that the HR and management people are intentionally lying, but it seems they often engage in, shall we say, wishful thinking. It's when you talk to other people who have already been through the process that you find out how things work "in the real world" with that particular employer.