How long should I stay in the city for an interview?

[teg9]

Just got a brief phone interview from an out of state hospital recruiter. After the interview they asked for my references. So now I'm just wondering if they ask for an in person interview how long should I plan on staying on that city? Maybe 3 days or more if I can afford it so that I can check the city out? And also what should I check for while I'm there? Any inputs would be great.

[CrufflerJJ, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

Will you really need 3 days to decide whether you'd take a job in the city, if offered?

In the current economy, it took me 3 months of applications/interviews to get a job offer. I checked into the city as much as possible online, and had a few spare hours before/after my interview. That's it!

Even before receiving the job offer, I knew that I felt comfortable with the facility & the surrounding community. Trust your "gut feel."

Now I will say that after receiving the job offer, I took 3 days to apartment search & spend time driving around the surrounding area. But even before then, I'd already made up my mind that I'd be OK with the job location.

As to "what should I check for while I'm there", I'd include things like:

- How is the surrounding neighborhood (run down, dangerous, or decent)

- How does the outside & inside of their facility look

- If you get a face-to-face interview, ask for a tour of their hospital. You DID come from out of state, after all - it shouldn't be too much to ask.

- Availability of nearby shopping centers for food & whatnot, entertainment, local attractions (the internet is your friend on this sort of stuff)

- How would your drive be if you found an apartment close to the facility

- How are the local schools (if you have children) - are the public schools good, or will you need to spend $$$ on private schooling?

- Check out the local region with http://www.city-data.com

Good luck!

[Kevin RN08]

Yeah. What he said.

Look at other opportunities, or follow up on other applications in that town or surrounding areas. Try and schedule multiple interviews if possible.

I'd say leave late on day 3.

Day 1-Get your bearings, read the local paper, tour the city, grab a couple Apartment Guides, make a practice run to the hospital or interview site. Go to the Hotel Bar/ Restaurant and chat up the locals. Get to bed early, because nothing else matters if you suck at the interview tomorrow.

Day 2- Hit a Homerun at the Interview, early AM if possible. Tour facilities, let the interviewer know your intent of looking around town to get the "lay of the land", but you aren't leaving until 1400 tomorrow and are available if desired, you may get a good feel as to whether you sold them or not. Write your Thank-you card before you leave the hospital.

Check out a couple apartments.

Possibly call airline to leave today rather than tomorrow.

Day 3- Follow up with interviewer, unless told otherwise... hey, you just travelled X # of miles let's cut to the chase (especially if it's on your dime). Read the paper, nose around town, listen to the morning traffic or watch the local TV. Maybe look an other living arrangements such as rental house, other apartments.

[BonnieSc]

I did pretty much exactly what was described above when I interviewed out of state (and eventually moved here). I vowed to enjoy the trip even if I didn't get the job, so I made sure to do a little bit of sight-seeing. It helped a lot to be able to picture the city when I was trying to decide if I wanted the job or not. I got a good feeling when I was walking around the town and especially the hospital, and my gut feeling has played out well. Good luck!