first interview

Be yourself. Know how to state your goals. Know how to state what you can bring to the unit. Be sure to ask questions. Good luck.

Be prepared with answers to the following questions:

"What do you feel are your strengths/weaknesses?"

"If a co-worker was asked, what do you think they would say about how you work within the team?"

"Where do you see yourself in 5 years? What are your goals?"

"What will you bring to this facility?"

Just a sample few of those I've been asked in recent interviews... Good luck!

Some other questions I remember being asked were:

-What was your most challenging patient, why, and how did you deal with it? (either in clinical or as a PCA)

-How do you deal with conflict? (disagreement with another nurse, argument between PCAs, etc)

-Why are you interested in this specialty?

Also, like Hands and Heart said, ask questions! You need to learn about them just as much as they need to learn about you. It also shows you are genuinely interested in the unit.

Easier said than done, but act sure of yourself and your answers! Confidence in yourself is important. Good luck!

Any answers to theese questions provided...Im so nervous I cant even think of any answers to theese questions please help....

Answers?!

I think that's kind of individual.

People can help by giving you potential questions, but answering for you is ridiculous!!!

I hope your interview goes well.

Thanks so much for the responses, i'm glad i found this thread. I have an interview on Mon and i'm drawing blanks and these questions should help settle some of the jitters and would help me get a clearer mind so that I can answer without stuttering haha

Edit: If anyone else has any other questions/ideas please feel free to add... especially some of you who actually do the interviewing :) Thanks a lot!

In reply to neesau the reason why I asked answers was because their are things that employers like to hear... ie long term plans goals from reading on this website an employer is looking for long term employees and are not so supportive of continuation of education as much as they make you believe they are most questions were individual but others not so much....just to clarify

Liz, if you are not able to answer these questions then you need to take time for some serious reflection over the weekend. You need to be able to answer these honestly and for yourself. What are your strengths and weaknesses? This can be about you or regarding your skills. What do you have to offer? Don't give cookie cutter answers because management doesn't want the Stepford nurses working for their facility. Every person is unique. We all vary in our capabilities, and this comes with positive and negatives. Where do you see yourself in five years? Do you want to specialize? Is there an area you love and can see yourself working in forever? Do you plan to go back to school? What are your goals? Are you using this position as a stepping stone to a specific career? Is this your dream job? Management asks these questions because they want to see if you as a person are a good fit. If you're not, that's okay. There will be another hospital you do fit in with. There are no wrong answers. Anyone can give standard answers, but it takes a strong nurse think outside the box. Impress them by being you.

Thanks for the reply October... As a student I did extremely well Im just stuck in this mind set that I have to tell employers what they want to hear as stupid as it sounds. Ive never been to a job interview so this is all new to me. However I really appreciate the feedback.

OctoberBride is right: be yourself!

Thanks for the reply October... As a student I did extremely well Im just stuck in this mind set that I have to tell employers what they want to hear as stupid as it sounds. Ive never been to a job interview so this is all new to me. However I really appreciate the feedback.

Liz, if you don't know exactly what you want to do that's okay! Not everyone has their life planned out five years in advance. Don't be afraid to tell them the truth. If you're not sure where you fit in with the nursing spectrum yet let them know that you love nursing but you're not sure what field is your fit just yet so you want to concentrate on honing your skills in med-surg. I loved every area of medicine but in the end I know the NICU is the place I want to make a career out of. It's worth the ups and downs and the heartbreak to see the day-to-day tiny miracles. Do some research if there is an area that you're interested in. Read up on some nurses' experiences on here. Try it out. Maybe you'll love it, maybe there's something else for you. It's perfectly fine to not know what kind of nurse you're going to be, but you can let them know the kind of nurse you want to be.

Liz-Beth, I graduated in May, & since January I have been on the interview circuit (the first time since '88). It pains me to type this, for one thing to contradict seasoned nurses & for a second thing the sheer principle of it, but the way I percieve it is that:

if you really & truly want the job, & unless they are desperate, you should tell them what they want to hear.

(In my last life, I could be a pretentious person when I felt it was a requirement. I've evolved somewhat, & the most recent stage in that evolution was nsg school. I don't want to be pretentious anymore, & consequently I wound up accepting employment at a county LTC setting w/ a somewhat dubious reputation. I was offered 3 jobs at places where I think they were at different degrees of desperation & me being myself was acceptable.)

Good luck.