Interview Question - Biggest Mistake

Dogen · Jul 8, 2015

I was reading recently that whole "take a negative and turn it into a positive thing," makes people hate you. Apparently it was not a secret to hiring managers that everyone and their pet rock said, "I'm too detail oriented," or some other vacuous thing in order to look good. Shocking, I know. Take a minute to absorb that.

I have this story I tell about a time when I said something I meant to be self-deprecating but was interpreted by the person I was talking to as being an insult directed at her. She then spent several weeks trying to get me fired. I tell people that what I learned was to be more thoughtful about the things I say at work. What I really learned is that my coworker was crazier than a bag of squirrels and twice as unpleasant.

Davey Do · Jul 8, 2015

How would you answer the interview question, "What is the biggest mistake you've made as a nurse?"

Truthfully answering that question!

Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN · Jul 8, 2015

I would give an example of inaction instead of an example of something I did.

Maybe there was a patient who was a little confused, but I neglected to find them a bed with an alarm on it before they fell and hit their head. Maybe I didn't trust my instincts and contact an MD as soon as I should have about an important patient issue.

I definitely wouldn't say, "I gave the wrong dose of the wrong medication to the wrong patient." I also wouldn't use any example were the outcome was bad.