first interview. 3 questions for yall.

[gaylordfocker2002]

i just had my first interview and it seemed to go pretty well. the nurse interviewing me told me should would contact me at the end of the week. a few minutes after i got home i recieved a call from her. she asked me if i could come in tomorrow to observe change of shift report, and observe the way things work on the unit. she assigned me to one nurse in particular and asked me to acompany her with her patients.

now, does this happen often? she didnt tell me i had the job.....

if this is common, what does it usually mean?

also, she complimented me on some questions i asked her today. she told me to bring some more questions for tomorrow. anyone have any good questions i can ask the staff? i just want to make a good impression, so any input is appreciated.

thanks everyone.

[ukstudent]

It sounds like they like you and are giving you a chance to see the unit and how it is run warts and all. Go in and take notice on how the unit feels. Are the nurses respectful of each other, do they help each other? Do they have techs to help the nurses or is it total care? I presume you have asked about orientation time, if you are going to work swing shift. You could ask if they have a formal mentoring program for when you are off orientation? Anyway have a good time and keep your eyes and ears open. Don't forget you are interviewing them and much as they are interviewing you.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

i think that making a good impression is exactly what they are looking for. this sounds unique to me. they apparently want to get input from the staff as to whether or not they like you and think they will be able to work with you. they must have had problems in the past with bad interactions between staff members and new employees. i like this idea of what they are doing.

i would say "be on your best behavior". keep in mind that you are being watched and evaluated for how you interact with the staff and the patients.

here is the list of characteristics that i post for people that interviewers are looking for in job candidates. if you can think of questions that will show these qualities in you, the better off you will be:

• positive attitude
  
• motivation
  
• initiative
  
• dynamic energy
  
• responsibility
  
• ability to give good customer service
  
• capacity to learn
  
• productivity
  
• flexibility
  
• leadership
  
• team work
  
• ability to tolerate pressure
  
• analytical ability
  
• desire to develop professionally

under any circumstances:

• do not talk about your personal self or try to show off.
  
• do not show your superiority in the situation.
  
• do not show your agreement or disagreement with the things an interviewer says.
  
• do not compare yourself with other candidates or other persons who might have been in the same position during this trial period.
  
• don't let them trick you into participating in gossip. don't respond to gossip--just keep your mouth shut.
  
• do not interrupt the person you are with without reason (the interruption is accepted only with a specific purpose).
  
• do not use or talk about technology you don't understand or know anything about. just admit you've never worked with that equipment before.
  
• do not talk about irrelevant things
  
• do not volunteer information until you are asked for it.

they know that new graduating nurses pretty much don't know squat, so don't try to impress them that you do. they want to see how you are going to handle yourself as a newbie and new learner. if you don't know something or didn't have exposure or experience at it in school let them know if that specific issue comes up--it won't be a shock to them. it's worse to get caught in a lie. then, you'll be tagged as a liar. be honest. then you don't have to remember the lies you might have told. remember the old adage: loose lips sink ships.

[DAMomma]

Awesome tips! What does this mean?

Do not show your agreement or disagreement with the things an interviewer says.

I understand the disagreement part, but what about the agreement part?

D

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

agreeing with something is the same as making a commitment to it. it's very easy to nod your head and agree to something that you later forget about. the interviewer may not though. you can inadvertently agree to something that you never wanted! this happened to me in an interview once. we were talking about floating. i was applying for a position on a medical unit. i got hired. guess where i found i was placed? in the float pool. when i questioned this, my file was pulled and i was told, "but you said in the interview that you agreed that floating is something nurses have to do." and i was showed the notation in the file and it was underlined in red! i told them i applied for a medical unit position and if i wasn't transferred out of the float pool i was quitting immediately.