Grad Nurse Interview

TxxRN · May 29, 2016

It's very exhausting to get yourself worked up over something you can't control. What you CAN control is how prepared you are for the interview and how confident you perform. What's also exhausting is stressing over variables you don't even have yet (like actually going ON the interview!) You're asking us to assess a situation we don't even have facts on yet (for example, the actual interview). Even then, you won't know for sure until you get a written offer. I think it's wise to be happy you made it to the point of getting an interview, if this hospital is indeed difficult to get into. Prepare well for your meeting and come back and tell us how it went.

I think Thank You notes are always a good way to go.

Jupiterxo · May 29, 2016

Thanks so much for your reply!

I do agree that it's exhausting and that I'm working myself up for a lot of what ifs. I'll try my best to calm down!

I've been practicing some example interview questions and researching more in depth about the facility so hopefully I'll be well prepared for Tuesday. She said it would be around a 20 min interview. I guess the only thing I can do is hope for the best, be prepared, and try to relax.

Ill definitely post more information about how the interview went when I have it! :)

amb218, BSN, RN · May 29, 2016

Looks like you're completely on the right track! Believe me, if they were not interested in hiring you, then they would not be interviewing you :) Be sure to be very prepared at the interview and bring copies of your resume and cover letter as well.

I've found that for residency programs, the questions are usually behavioral questions such as what you would do in certain situations, questions about your personality, strengths, weaknesses, etc. The questions will probably be more specific for the type of unit you're interviewing for. I interviewed for a PICU position so a lot of the questions were mainly focused on determining if I would be a good fit for that kind of environment. Oh, and definitely send thank you's!! You may not receive a reply which is totally fine and doesn't mean anything bad, but I think it's always good interview etiquette to do so! Best of luck!

Jupiterxo · May 30, 2016

Thank you so much for your advice! Very helpful :) and I'll definitely send the thank yous now! I hope that this will help me stand out, even just a little bit.

I have a packet with my cover letter, resume, three letters of reference, and a copy of my BLS to hand to the interviewer.

I'm interviewing with someone in Team Resources I believe. This residency program is run by the Education department so they'll be doing the hiring. It's for a med surg position.

Any idea of what questions would be good to ask her, since it's not a unit manager?

So far I have:

What does the residency and orientation entail?

What qualities are you looking for in an ideal candidate?

What opportunities does this hospital have for continuing education?

amb218, BSN, RN · May 30, 2016

Those questions sound great! Also, you can definitely send the thank-yous to those who helped get you the interview but be sure to send the one to the interviewer less than 24 hours after the interview - it is a nice gesture and will also remind the interviewer about you and gives you a chance to express continued interest in the position. A question I always like to ask are what are some of the greatest challenges that new grads face in this program? Or kind of like one of the questions you had, what qualities make an orientee successful on this unit?

Jupiterxo · May 30, 2016

Wow! Those are great questions and I will definitely add them to the list! Thanks!

About the thank you notes, I feel the same! I may or may not be trying to suck up a little but I genuinely want this job more than anything and any chance that I have to stand out (in a positive way) is one that I will take. I'm planning on writing the thank yous immediately after my interview in my car and then mailing them on my way home.

I'm very nervous as this is only my second nursing interview and I'm aware that I don't have the best interview skills, mostly because I get very anxious and talk too fast and am afraid I'll forget the patient situations that I prepared beforehand or just simply not know how to answer a question. I hope she can at least see that I really want this and that I'm dedicated and willing to put my all into becoming a great nurse!

I'll update how it goes tomorrow after my interview! Wish me luck! :)

amb218, BSN, RN · May 31, 2016

Hope the interview went well! I'm sure you did great! :)

Jupiterxo · May 31, 2016

Hope the interview went well! I'm sure you did great! :)

It went well! Thanks for asking! It was, however, very, very short. We're talking 10 minutes max. I'm worried about that because can she really tell my personality and how much I want this or if I would even be a good candidate in that small amount of time? I did mention several times how I wanted to work there more than anything and that I was extremely honored to have gotten an interview. And I smiled a lot and tried to appear genuine. She was also very nice. She asked me a few questions (Tell me about yourself and what my 5 and 10 year goals were, etc), I mentioned that eventually I'd like to work in Peds and she said something like Oh awesome! I'm actually a pediatric nurse!â€ Then she went on to describe the residency program and asked if I had any questions (I asked a few, my last being what she thought was the most positive aspect of being a nurse there, in which she replied with a thoughtful answer about how she loved the culture and the peopleâ€¦I said something like See! I love hearing that and that's exactly why I was to be a member of this team!â€) It just seemed like she was rushed from the very beginning and I hope that that doesn't mean that she didn't like me from the very beginning.

She said that there are 35 spots and that she's interviewing 47 people this week and isn't sure if they're going to have her interview more or if that will end up being the only week that they interview.

Here's the kicker and the part that I am so conflicted on. She said the program doesn't start until October and that those selected won't find out until September! Now, I wouldn't mind waiting that long if it was a guarantee, but what if I wait until September and find out that I'm not selected? It's just so risky. I really want to wait because this is my dream hospital and I guess 3 or 4 months isn't too much longer in the long run but I'm scared to also and wonder if I should keep applying for other jobs still.

I sent my thank you cards and am planning on keeping in touch with the recruiter but I'm so worried that they'll forget about me. Anyone have any advice on what they would do? I still live with my parents so finances aren't a total issue at the moment.

amb218, BSN, RN · Jun 1, 2016

Well, if it makes you feel any better my most recent interview was pretty short as well and my interviewer was very positive and did a lot of the talking and I was offered the job! It sounds to me like it went very well! :)

Hmm...I can see why you're a bit conflicted about this. Finding out in September when you interviewed in May seems very unreasonable. I know you really want this job and that it is your first choice, but if there is absolutely no way you can find out any earlier, you should cover yourself by applying to some other jobs.

A few of my friends have been in similar situations so although they always had a first choice, they applied to other positions and were offered jobs and were then able to contact their first choice saying that they needed to know as soon as possible since they had other offers on the table. In this situation, you can be very upfront and tell them that while they are still your first choice and dream hospital, you have other offers that you'll have to consider. And I think almost all of my friends in this same situation were called back either that same day or the next day with an offer!!

TxxRN · Jun 1, 2016

Yay, I'm glad you survived it and had a positive experience - although it was a short one! I agree that you should still continue to interview, because you'll need a back-up if this one somehow doesn't happen for you, or you get uncomfortable waiting. Good luck!

Jupiterxo · Jun 2, 2016

Thanks so much for your advice, amb218 and you as well, TxxRN! You're both right that I should probably still keep my options open and apply to other jobs, just in case this doesn't work out. I don't currently have any other offers but do have other applications out there so we'll see what happens! Maybe the dream hospital will still work out :) I'll tell you one thing, though. I sure will not miss this whole job search and interview process when I'm employed. Talk about stressful!

amb218....congrats on the job offer! You must be overjoyed and I'm so happy for you!