should i disclose this in my interviews?

caliotter3 · Jul 11, 2007

It is never a good idea to bring up anything negative in an interview. Speak only positively about what you learned during your preceptorship. The interview is about you and your abilities to do the job and fit in. It is not about your preceptor. You didn't get fired from a job, or get kicked out of nursing school, or have anything else negative, so don't bring up the negative. Good luck on your interviews and hope you get a position soon.

llg, PhD, RN · Jul 11, 2007

No. Do not go into the whole story. Disclose only what is necessary. You don't want to invite people to suspect that you might have problems working with whoever they assign to orient you.

If they know nothing about your preceptorship experience, then there is no reason for you to bring it up at all. If they already know that it didn't go well (e.g. if it's on the same unit) ... then I would bring it up, but discuss it only briefly. Do NOT blame the preceptor. Simply say it wasn't a very good fit, but that you learned a lot and are grateful for the experience. Be prepare to tell them what you learned and how that will help you be successful in the future if the interviewer seems to want to discuss it.

But keep it positive. Don't be negative at all. Few things make a job applicant look worse that when he/she complains about her last job (or school), dwells on the negative, and blames other people for whatever problems existed.

allthingsbright · Jul 21, 2007

hi everyone,
was wondering if i should disclose in my nursing interviews my sour clinical experience/rotation with my preceptor? we did not have a strong relationship and she did not volunteer to precept so things were very hard throughout. i was not assertive enough throughout my rotation but in the end i learned a lot of hard lessons that i think made me a stronger person...but should i discolse this info to the interviewees (only because i want them to really know me and to know what my true experiences were like...i dont want to seem like a fake person and for them to know only half of me, i want them to know me. i want to be open and honest, but is this too much honesty?) i want them to know that i can be a great nurse but that i have to be supported. is this going the wrong way in an interview?
should i redirect my thoughts and answers to other things? and forget about this experience? should i shun this experience out of my mind? its just so hard to do that.
any reply would be appreciated...

no,no,no! focus on the positives ONLY!!!! definitely voice that you would LOVE support and new learning experiences, but DO NOT focus on the negative stuff you encountered in school. Make a list of ALL your positive experiences and things you did right and bring those up in the interview! GL!