internship interview tips

allnurses Guide · Apr 30, 2010

Dress professionally. Dress slacks. Conservative professional blouse with no cleavage. A matching jacket if you have one. Moderate heels. No or very conservative jewelry. No perfume, lotions or body mist. Just enough make up to make you feel confident.

Make eye contact. Shake hands confidently without being wimpy or crushing them. Research the place you are interviewing for. Remember, you are interviewing them as much as them interviewing you. What do you want to know about them? Never go to an interview without having researched the company and having questions prepared.

Smile. Be relaxed. Be real. Don't talk money, time off, loan reimbursement etc at this initial meeting. Never discuss specifics like that until you have an offer in hand. Bring copies of your resume and letters of recommendation. If they offer you a bottle of water, accept it and say thank you. If they ask what kind of salary you expect, smile and say you are looking for a position that pays a fair market rate for new grads. And know beforehand what that is. Try to avoid putting a firm number on things; stress that it is negotiable and there are other things just as important to you, such as a happy work atmosphere and benefits.

Don't talk about your kids (or lack thereof), your upcoming wedding (or lack thereof), your health history, your disabilities or anything too personal. If they ask you what you are most proud of, find something to talk about that you are proud of pertaining to your schooling or clinical experiences. Remember, they are there to see what kind of employee you would make and whether you are a good fit for their institution. Make everything you say relate back to that. They will want to know you are going to show up on time, every time you are supposed to. They will want to know if you have ambitions. If you are too limited in what you want from a job. If you are demanding. They will want to know if you are aware that a medical institution is also a business and if there isn't a profit, nobody gets paid. They will want to know that excellent patient care is important to you. They will want to feel that you are excited and enthusiastic, but also controlled, sane, willing to work hard and ready to be trained.

Ask what their nurse to patient ratio is. What kinds of shift work there is. If you will ever be "on call". How long they have worked there. What they love most about working there.

Be prepared to answer why you want to be a nurse. Why you want to be a nurse for THEM. What you have enjoyed most about nursing school. What you feel may be a challenge for you in the future. How your classmates might describe you. When you have ever held a leadership position and how you handle conflict. Whether you enjoy being in leadership positions. Whether you expect to continue schooling.

Enjoy this experience. Interviewing can be fun when you truly go into it with the internal knowledge that you are looking for a good fit too, not just them. You have something to offer and want to see also what they have to offer. Use common sense, good manners and professional behavior. Good luck!

Intern67 · Apr 30, 2010

I got an interview for a student nurse summer internship & I am super excited, but so nervous. How should I prepare? What kinds of questions do they usually ask? What should I wear? Any help??

Wear business dress clothes.

They will ask you about why you applied for THAT particular internship. They may ask what you know about their organization. Make sure you peruse the org's website for their history, goals, accomplishments, all that. Make a personal connection to them through their organization. I was very deficient in this area.

They may ask a lot of "Give me an example of..." type questions like:

...a time when you solved a problem

...how you handled it when you saw a coworker break rules or misbehave.

...how you handled it when you had a conflict with a coworker from a different culture

...a time you made a mistake and how you handled it.

...what do you do if a coworker is gossiping to you about another coworker. (They love this one)

Of course you get the standard interview "Tell me a strength/weaknes" nonsense. They really want to see how you communicate, not necessarily what you say. Be prepared to talk about yourself.

Make sure you have some questions prepared for them.

This is a bit of how my internship interview went. Good news: I got it! Bad news: They eliminated pay for interns this year. Worse news: the nurses union may go on strike before my internship starts.

Good luck!