First interview ever...advice??

Munchiekon · Mar 5, 2014

Hi! First of all, congrats on getting an interview and good luck! I just had my second successful nursing interview on Monday, so here goes ... First off, I usually leave the house about 45 minutes in advance (and I live about 20 minutes away from the places I've interviewed.) This might sound extreme, but you never know what traffic will be like, or if you will accidentally make a wrong turn, and if you're late you'll just go into the interview with points already against you. That being said, I think as long as you arrive at the facility at least 15 minutes ahead of time, you should be good to go.

I usually bring at least 3 copies of my resume with me -- sometimes you will be surprised to find that you're being interviewed by more than one individual. I also bring copies of my license and BLS certification. I keep all of these things in a leather portfolio with a legal pad and some pens. They may not actually ask for any of these things, but it never hurts to be prepared. If you take your phone inside with you, double check to make sure it's on silent or vibrate so it doesn't go off during the interview.

The interview usually starts out with, "Tell us about yourself." Here are some additional questions I've been asked: Why are you interested in working for this hospital/facility? What qualities are important to you when considering a potential employer? How would your best friend describe you? What sort of people do you like to work with? Why did you choose nursing? Where do you see yourself in 5 years? What might cause you to leave a job? What does excellent customer service mean to you? Also, they usually want to figure out how you deal with conflict, so you may be asked to describe a situation where you had to deal with a difficult pt. or coworker and how you handled it?

The night before an interview, I always search for common nursing interview questions on google and try to think of how I would respond to them. Also, there are some great interviewing tips on YouTube. Here's some of my favorites:

Munchiekon · Mar 5, 2014

Also, make sure you research the facility beforehand. It's a good idea to be familiar with their mission statement. Prospective employers want to feel as though you've deliberately chosen to pursue employment with their facility, and not that you're just looking for any 'ole job you can get. Additionally, come prepared with some questions of your own. I usually about what the orientation/training period will be like. I avoid questions pertaining to pay, benefits, vacation, etc. Let the employer bring these things up ... if they do, it may be a good sign that they're interested in you!

aviaa · Mar 6, 2014

Thanks munchiekon!!! Thanks to all of your help, I had my interview this morning and it went really good. They offered me the job and I got hired! They only asked me a few questions...none of the super hard ones though. I was kind of surprised. I am actually quite in shock that all this is happening so fast! But thanks for your help! :)

Munchiekon · Mar 6, 2014

I'm so glad you got the job! Kudos and best of luck to you, I hope you enjoy your new position!

aviaa · Mar 7, 2014

Thank you!! I appreciate that! I hope I enjoy it as well and learn a lot. You said you had your 2nd interview...best of luck to you as well! :)