HELP! 2nd Interview not so good....

[amichelle1126]

Hi all! So, I am a new grad. Just graduated May 2014. I just got a call about a nurse residency program in my area that starts in September. Spoke with a recruiter, it went well, she then took to the ER where I met with the nurse manager and another nurse for a peer interview. We really clicked! She then took me around to meet other nurses on the unit. Afterwards, she took me to meet the Service Line Manager on the day of the interview. A few days later, the service line manager called me for a phone interview since we did not have a lot of time to talk. It went well. She asked me where I see myself in 5 years, etc. Even mentioned my references had excellent things to say. I got a call again from the recruiter a few days later inviting me in to an interview with the CEO and another HR lady! THE CEO OF THE HOSPITAL!! Apparantly he just got hired about 6 months ago and its new policy that he sees ALL of the employees before they get hired on. Well, I totally blew it. I was so nervous and rambled on and on--not even sure if I answered his questions :/. He asked me about the core values of the hospital and I froze. I did not know them by heart. :/ Then I was so worked up by the end of the interview that I forgot my few questions I had ready to ask. I was mortified. I sent a thank you email to the CEO and the recruiter afterwards for the opportunity. I was told I would get a call soon right after the interview...but my friend got offered a job the day of his interview at the same hospital...so now I am discouraged that I didn't get it. I just interviewed on Friday at 2:30 PM...Memorial Day was Monday, so now it is 5:00 on Tuesday and I have heard nothing. Anyone have any insight on this? Will that last interview kill all opportuniy I had?

[pinkiepieRN]

I'm not a new grad but it can seriously take at least a week for a decision to be made and sometimes even weeks! Monday was a holiday - do you think management was in the building to make plans about hiring or did they have the day off? You interviewed late in the day on Friday - do you think they would have had the time to sit down and go through your interview as well as other candidates for a final decision at the end of the day leading into a holiday weekend?

I know waiting can be hard and it's scary when one of your friends gets a job offer on the spot and you don't, but that doesn't mean you won't get the job. I've been offered a job on the spot, but I also was offered one a week after they told me I'd hear something and was hired after a very easy 2nd interview but then had my start date pushed back by a week. Every new job is different in hiring. Do be patient and follow-up with HR this week. Don't contact the CEO directly regarding a hiring decision, because he's not likely to be the one with the paperwork or to answer your "when does orientation start?" or "tell me about benefits" questions.

Good luck! It sounds like things went well and I hope things come through!

[iPink, BSN, RN]

Wow, interview with the CEO. He's certainly not busy to interview each and every potential employer. On the first day of new employee orientation, that was the day we met the CEO.

The only advice I can give you is to wait. It's hard but it must be done. I agree with the PP not to contact the CEO but you can follow up with HR regarding the status of the position.

[amichelle1126]

Thank you both for your responses! I was definitely being irrational with it being Memorial Day Weekend! It is so nerve-racking! The only time I contacted the CEO was to thank him for the opportunity to interview. Was that wrong? :/

But yes, I could not believe they were having me meet with the CEO. I had never heard of that before. I guess it is just the waiting game. How long should I wait to contact the recruiter that has been in touch with me to check on the status? Maybe Monday of next week?

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Why in the world would anyone quiz an applicant on the organization's core values? That's just dumb. You should not be expected to know any organization-specific trivia. Interviews should be focused on assessing the applicant's knowledge, skills & abilities... that are relevant to that job. Orientation is the time to cover all that other stuff.... sheesh.

I cannot imagine why a CEO would involve him/herself in staff interviews.... just wrong on so many different (micromanagement) levels. Sounds like a newbie mistake - is it his/her first CEO job??