Favorite questions to ask in job interviews?

[NightNerd, MSN, RN]

I've got a couple job interviews coming up in preparation for an out-of-state move, and I am honestly so excited. So far I'm interviewing for a staff nurse position in oncology, and one as a unit supervisor on night shift. I'm making my list of questions and wanted to ask you fine folks: what questions have been most helpful and revealing for you in interviews? I'm especially interested in questions that would be applicable to the supervisor job, as this would be a bit of a new role for me. Thanks, everyone!!

[TriciaJ, RN]

I was once asked "Tell us about an error you made and how you handled it."  I found myself sharing a story I never thought I'd be mentioning in a job interview!

But they must have liked my answer because they gave me the job.

[JBMmom, MSN, NP]

For supervisor positions I think a question that can be very telling is "what is a major conflict that you have encountered in your career and how did you address it?" Also, questions like "what do you find works best for maintaining good staff morale, especially in challenging situations?" and "what do you find to be the best approach when staff come to you with interpersonal conflicts?"  Telling management that you can appropriately address issues related to staff is an important part of nursing, especially these days with all the issues with staffing being faced in almost every work environment. 

Good luck with your interviews!

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Visit my thread for management questions to be prepared along with questions to ASK facility

Some questions I've used:

If I called a member of your current staff and asked them to tell me about you, what would they say? 

How many people have you fired? How do you go about it?

Tell me about a time when you had to deal with an irate physician, patient, employee etc. How did you handle it and what was the result?

What's your secret to getting subordinates to follow you?

Tell me about some of the people who have become successful as a result of your management. What was your role in their development?

 

[MelEpiRN]

look up behavioral interviews. Healthcare loves them and it helps to have things prepared so most questions don't come out of the blue. 

As far as asking the interviewer? 'What qualities do people have that succeed in this role?"

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

7 minutes ago, MelEpiRN said:

As far as asking the interviewer? 'What qualities do people have that succeed in this role?"

Ooh. This is a good one.