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Discussion

Interview question

Hi, I have my first nursing interview next week! I've been on interviews before but never for nursing. I know the basics, go early, dress nice, don't discuss salary until last and I got a bunch of questions to ask during a nurse interview from a helpful poster on this site. I know some of you have hired people. I was wondering what you look for when interviewing someone? I don't do well on interviews because I get neverous, which makes me shy and soft-spoken and it comes off as lack on interest. I'm trying to work on it. Does anyone have any specific advice?

Thanks,

-Mike

Featured Replies

Hi Mike,

Make sure to get a good nights sleep the night before, make eye contact during the interview(failure to do this will show lack of confidence) and RELAX dude!!!! If this is your first interview then I am assuming that you have just finished school, correct? You have to get in there and sell yourself to your prespective new employer, show me why I should hire you over someone esle. Coming out of school you have fresh new knowledge, we need that in nursing now. Tell them why you wanted to be a nurse, how you did in school and hit on any positive clinical experiences that you had. Let them know you really want to become a member of their team, yeah you are new but are ready and willing to make your contribution to the nursing profession. You want to find out about their schedules(maybe they can show you a current one), weekend obligation etc. What is the orientation like and who will precept you(has this person precepted before) and how long will the orientation last. What the nurse to patient ratios, support staff(CNA's PCT's etc), and what is the focus unit(medical-is the unit a med/tele unit, surgical-ortho or GU etc, PCU/telemetry) any special skills or certs needed(ACLS, Arrhythmia course etc). Above all else do not act cocky or try and come as a know-it-all because none of us are(except those nurses who are a legend in their own minds-mostly they are just annoying), a roomate of mine had medic experience and all through school as well as his first attempts to get jobs he acted like he was knew more or was better than he was(led to nothing but problems for him. If you get the job and are being precepted and don't know a particular thing(maybe something you didn't much of a chance to do in school) or have questions then by all means ask them, it's always better to ask and know before trying to do something without knowing and doing something detrimental to your patients. Good luck, you can do this guy, take a couple of deep breaths and center yourself prior to the interview.

Paul

I've hired...and fired a few in my time.

As far as the interview, I really looked for someone who would make eye contact with me, smile (not a grin, but smile), and express a genuine interest in the area. I was also looking for someone who had researched the position- if the position required a certification that they didn't have, did they have an idea of how to get it, or were they relying on the manager to tell them to get it (spoon feeding). It's always nice to have a potential hire say, "I'm not certified in ACLS, but I was looking on line and I saw a few different classes offerred locally."

I admit, I was interested in people with some "personality" and to see how they handled things.

And for those with no experience, I looked at how they seemed to view that- as an opportunity to be molded, or as something to hide.

I also always sent the potential hire around the unit with a trusted nurse- to give me feedback on how you interacted with the "crew".

Mikey- you have a lot of healthcare experience with EMS right? You will be a shoe-in for any position.

You might be asked depending on where you are interviewing how you feel about the transition from EMS to bedside nursing...

  • Experts
As far as the interview, I really looked for someone who would make eye contact with me, smile (not a grin, but smile), and express a genuine interest in the area. ...

This is a point I always emphasize. You want to give the impression that you have a genuine interest in doing the type of work they are trying to find someone to do. You want to give the impression that you will care about your job, the patients, etc. and therefore do a good job. There are few things worse that when an applicant leaves the impression that "This is not the job I really want, but I'm willing to do it for a short time because I need the money ... or the line on my resume." Such an attitude suggests that the applicant will not do their best work, will not make any sacrifices to ensure that the quality of care provided is excellent, and will not stay in the position very long. You would be surprised how many people give that impression during an interview.

If they ask something you don't know or haven't thought about, etc. ... it's usually best to be up front about that. Smile, pause, and say something like, "Gee, I hadn't thought about that. I'll have to think about that for a minute." Then slowly build your answer ... show them how you think by thinking out loud as you respond to the question. If appropriate, end by saying something like, "Well, those of my first thoughts about that, but I should probably think about that a little more. Hmm... that's interesting. I'll give that a little more thought. Thank you for bringing that up." Again, if it's appropriate to do so, you can mention your further thinking in your follow-up thank you note. That will show that you really listened to what they had to say (which was probably important to them), gave it some serious thought, and learned a little from it. It also gives you the chance to add to your answer and nail it perfectly. It also gives them a chance to see that you are someone they can work with -- someone who listens, thinks, and learns.

Good luck,

llg

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