Feel like I really messed up my interview =[ LONG

[maddox11, ASN, RN]

Hey everyone. Just or a little background, I graduated in May 2013 and got a job at a small detox facility, per diem. It's really a crazy place to work so I have been searching for another job. I have applied for positions in LTC, maternity, medsurg, psych, detox, ortho, onc, anything and everything.

So to make a long story short, I finally got called for an interview on a detox unit in a general hospital. I researched the facility and I wrote down a bunch of possible interview questions and I thought out answers and just reviewed them before the interview. I am a very honest person and cannot make up a load of crap...so the answers I had composed to the most common interview questions were genuine and well thought out.

So fast forward to the interview..I get there and first I am interviewing with someone from HR. She was extremely nice and asked me the basics...what I saw myself doing in 10 years...tell me about {the job I have now}, etc. I felt that it went exceptionally well. She then said I would be going downstairs to interview with the nurse manager of the unit. I really didn't get too worked up at that point. So she walked me downstairs, introduced me to the nurse manager, and I feel like for some reason I dropped the ball from there. The first few questions were fine. She wanted to know what meds we use for detox at my current job, and what the clients do there on a daily basis, etc. I answered those questions fine.

Then something happened during my interview and I feel this may have threw me off. There was a knock at her office door and it was a Dr. from the unit. She got up and was talking with him at the door, but she said it was too loud and for him to step in. He stepped in and closed the door and they were discussing this big incident that apparently happened there. I am not sure what it was exactly about. But he was just saying, "this can never happen again! For that patient it was like the nightmare on elm street!" And she told him to go away because she was interviewing a nurse (me) for 3rd shift position and that he was going to scare me away.

While that really didn't scare me away, it just broke my train of thought. I was kind of wondering what they were talking about, and also, I was SO THIRSTY!! My mouth was extremely dry and I just felt distracted. I was staring at the mints on her table. I so wanted one because my mouth was so dry but I didn't dare. lol.

The Dr. went on about his business and she sat back down and picked up my resume and was carefully looking at it. Under my job duties I had written that I was responsible for ensuring the safety of the clients and medically monitoring their detox... she read that statement and asked me what it meant. I completely stuttered and she was just staring at me. But then I got out that we have to monitor them to make sure they are not in danger of seizures or anything related to withdrawal and I gave an example about checking Blood alcohol levels and making sure they are not increasing. And she said yea and what else are you going to monitor? And after a few seconds I said vital signs...blood pressure, and pulse specifically. It was apparent that I got nervous.

Then she asked me why she should hire me. I had this all written down and went over it before the interview, but what I said had nothing to do with what I wrote and I have no idea why I decided to say the lousy answer I said. I just said she could count on me and I have experience working with this population...basically I did the same thing with the next question...she asked me what about my personality and I just feel like I could have given a much better answer and I just screwed up.

She closed the interview by saying they still had 2 more people to interview and she would let me know. She gave me her card and told me to call with any questions.

But then she said something kind of strange that I cannot figure out if it is a good or a bad thing...as she was walking me out to the lobby she shook my hand and said something like we will let you know, don't worry.

Does don't worry mean that I have the job or does it indicate something else?

Should I call her or the HR lady who first interviewed me and ask if they have made a decision or should I just wait? The interview was Tuesday night and it is Thursday. I want this job so bad and I want to appear very interested, but not like a haunt.

And can someone explain to me why my brain strayed off the path and I did not go with what I had originally wanted to say? I feel like if I said what I had planned I would have been hired on the spot =[ I know I kind of rushed to answer the questions which was dumb. I should have thought about what I was going to say before I said it. I think that was mistake #1.

Sorry its such a long post, I just feel kind of down and I need some advice/support. THANKS

[THELIVINGWORST, ASN, RN]

I am so sorry this happened but you are not alone! Having that interruption plus dry mouth is very disrupting. Wait until Monday, then call.

[maddox11, ASN, RN]

Thanks for the reply.

I just decided to write a thank you note to both the HR generalist and the nurse manager who interviewed me. I figure at this point in couldn't hurt. I also sent them both an email just thanking them for the opportunity.

[THELIVINGWORST, ASN, RN]

That sounds good. I just dropped by the office of the DON in a department that I really want to work in. I already work in that hospital as a CNA but I don't get my license for another two weeks. It really think that interviews feel like asking the most popular kid in school to the Prom, lol.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

Impossible to know what she meant.

Good luck!

[GinginRN]

Sounds like you held your own during the interview. As you invited to more interviews in the future, you will observe that each style may be different. Be prepared for anything. Wishing you the best of luck with the position.