Interview Q & A

[obillyboy]

I was recently chosen to help pick our new unit director. What do all of you think might be a good question and answer to ask?

My concern is that we find someone who is passionate and not always focused on the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Thanks for all your help in advance.

[dynamicfigure]

The current school of thought is that Behavioral interview questions are the best. The philosophy behind this interviewing strategy is that past performance predicts future success. For that reason all the questions are about how people did in similar situations at some point in there past. An example of this line of questioning might be something like "Describe to me a situation where you have sacrificed personal time and resources without any chance of financial reward." In Behavioral Interview's it is equally important to not let them off the hook after they answer that first, initial question. Rather what you do is probe their answer and look for any chink in their armor. Dig alittle deeper and see if what they are saying adds up. Some good way's to do this involve questions like "tell me more about how you..." or "what happened when you..." Basically Who, What, When, Where types of questions that dig into the specifics of their answers. One word of warning here is that you can probe so much that you don't get many questions in. For that reason Behavioral interviews are sometimes summed up as "3 question interviews", because you are only asking 3 primary questions and probe the answers, and the answers to those answers till you are comfortable.

Some good links on Behavioral interviewing questions might include:

http://rit.placementmanual.com/interviewing/interviewing-14.html

http://www.ksu.edu/hr/emp_tips_behav_inter.html

http://www.career.vt.edu/JOBSEARC/interview/Behavioral.htm

Traditional interview methods can be useful in ferreting out weaknesses as well. Though when you are looking for something as intangible as "are they enthusiastic and not money hungry" a line of questioning can be tough to think up. You might want to ask indirect questions that would separate candidates who are caring from those who are not. Some examples might include "How would the staff who worked under you in your last job describe you", or "what do you find most rewarding about nursing management?" Of course direct questions can also be asked to like "How important are financial rewards and incentives to you as a manager?"

I think that with the nursing shortage being as great as it is many folks in hiring situations are pressed against the wall so hard that they don't choose to ask tough questions. I strongly feel that it is important to ask the tough questions though. My personal philosophy is that all your questions should be designed to uncover weaknesses, to expose red flags and separate good candidates from great ones through the process. For that reason I suggest asking difficult questions and following up till you are comfortable.