asking where else you are interviewing

The "where else are you applying" question can tell a Manager many things:

1. What type of patient population interests the applicant. For example: Do the other places provide care for a similar population? I work in a Children's Hospital. If none of the other places has anything to do with maternal/child health, that raises suspicions -- particularly if the candidate has shown little interest in kids in the past.

2. What type of work interests the applicant. Are most of the other jobs in-patient or out-patient jobs?

3. Preferred geographic area. Are all of the other jobs located nearby? -- indicating an interest in working in this area. Or are they clustered in an alternative location (indicating the the other location is the preferred one). Or are they all spread out (suggesting that the applicant may not have a geographic preference -- or that their real geographic preference is unavailable and they are just looking for a job to get some experience that will help them get the real job of choice in the first-choice location in a year or so.)

4. Are the other jobs ones that require a similar work schedule, shifts, etc.? For example, if the other jobs are all Monday through Friday day shift jobs and I am looking for a night shift nurse, I would have my doubts that this person is really interested in working the night shift -- and will leave as soon as they get a day shift.

In summary, the "Where else have you applied?" question helps the interviewer complete their assessment of the candidate and their under-lying preferences. If the response is consistent with what the candidate has told you about himself/herself, it can help you feel more confident in your decision. If the response reflects an inconsistency or raises doubts about whether or not YOUR job is the one the applicant truly wants and will keep, that indicates a need for more investigation at the minimum ... and maybe it is a confirmation that this application is not really interested in your job. You may be their "fall back" option.

There is no one best answer to such a question -- though keep in mind that it is usually difficult to fool an experienced interviewer about such things. Honesty is usually best -- and if you think honesty will make you look bad, then you need to do some thinking about reasons for applying to that particular job and whether or not it is really a good fit for you.

... and yes, if you are applying for multiple positions within the same organization ... you can expect information to be shared among the managers.

All of the interviews are for ER RN positions. All in a 50 mile radius

all have spoken to me at length on the phone and ask me to come I. For a walk they, then ask where else I have applied. And have stated reasons why theirs would be the better choice of employment

Sounds good to me. It sounds to me as if you are really interested in an ED position close to where you currently live -- nothing suspicious there. Good luck!