Interview questions - What did you ask the interviewer?

You really should know all those answers walking into the interview by going on the webpage and learning everything you can about the company. Most sites even tell you about benefits and tuition reimbursement, vacation etc. Know the name of the CEO and what is going on as far as is the facility expanding. Do a job search to see what other openings and you will see if they employ techs, cna's. I am not sure why you wouldn't know what you are applying for like you indicated asking is it a total care floor. If you want to ask something about JCAHO, I wouldn't ask when is the last visit as I am not sure how that benefits you. If they say one month ago or 2 years ago does that factor in a the job decision for you and what do you say to their answer....oh a month ago good. What if they answer this past may 2010 and tell me about JCAHO and the concerns you have regarding their inspections? You might be caught off guard. If you are going to ask a question make sure it is not one that could have been easily found by doing a little research. You can make a statement to show you have done some homework and expand on it with a question. Good luck

I think it's perfectly fine to ask questions such as those. Some hospitals like the one I hope to work at employ CNAs but only on med-surg and tele floors. Critical care floors are total cares. I've done my research for this hospital and the only reason I know this is because I've worked in this hospital as either a CNA or as an RN student intern on all the floors. So yes I do agree you should do your research first so you don't ask questions that can easily be learned on their website.

About the JCAHO thing: I think it's valid to ask that question too. It shows that you're showing interest about the company and its merits. Even though the job hunt environment right now is basically "take what you can get", it doesn't mean that you can't hope to work for a good employer.

Personally, I'm going to be asking about what changes the hospital is going through right now in terms of the nursing staff. For example: the nurses last month have just started color uniforms. Are there any other changes? Is the hospital interested at all in magnet status? The latter question I think is pretty good because then you can research magnet status and say how you can contribute to that by being that kind of exemplary nurse. ^_^

Anyways Best of Luck!

Both replies are helpful thank you! raquetmom you bring up a good point about the interviewer catching me off guard. I need to be ready for anything!

My point is you can google and quickly find out if the hospital is JCAHO certified and has nothing to do with settling. There are many candidates so you want to be the prepared one. Asking simply for a date of inspection doesn't do anything unless you add to it in my opinion. If you think JCAHO is what makes a good employee than you would already know this and not take an interview with that facility if it is considered settling. Again, I haven't been on a nursing interview as I am student, but I have participated in nursing interviews and hiring processes. You are asking if one of the goals for the hospital is to achieve Magnet (because you already researched and know it is not at this time) then be prepared to respond with something if they say no they are not working on that status. That is what I am trying to get across is if they come back with the answers you are not expecting. It's easy when they say yes and you come back and say my goal is to continue and achieve a BSN and participate in the goals of Magnet and you list out some of Magnet goals, but what if they point blank say no then they may add is that something you are looking for in a facility. You don't want to come back with "no" especially when you asked the question so it must be important. Specifically to your position, I think it is appropriate to want to know turn-over in the dept. or how long the position has been open. That gives you great insight as if turnover is high what is going on? Not that you wouldn't take the position anyways, but shows you care how the unit is functioning. Why do they think there is such a large turnover and what actions are they doing to try to retain people? Asking length of preceptorship/orientation with your patient/ratio is good IMO. As far as tuition reimbursement, most websites do give basic information on their benefits page. You can add that you are aware they participate in tuition reimbursement, but would like to know if there is a waiting period. Sometimes you may have to be employed for a period of time before they allow 401K participation, healthcare, or tuition assistance etc. This way they know you have been on the webpage or did some type of research but you expanded it a step further. Another question perhaps is what are the challenges they foresee in this position for the person coming in. They may give you challenges and be prepared to answer how you would handle these. They may already do this before you have a chance to ask the question. Always have a weakness prepared because to state I don't really have one or can't really think of anything is not good....do a search on this if you are unsure what to say, but you can state a weakness yet it comes across as a positive. Also positive attributes you can contribute. One nurse manager I worked with would ask every person give me ten reasons why I should hire you . I mean literally ten and she would be taking notes and count them and say two more. Basically because it is a stressor and to see how they respond and think on the spot because it is hard to give yourself ten positives for most people. People can typically think of the few regulars I am dependable/reliable, team player, etc. very quickly, but then it starts to get a bit slower if you know what I mean. Lastly, Websites will list awards/certificates, they will have news related items as to expanding or merging, they will typicallly have foundations and community services they participate in. I would read through the recent events. Maybe they are involved and give money to an organization that is very important to you and that is one of the reasons you like this facility. Again, good luck.

My point is you can google and quickly find out if the hospital is JCAHO certified and has nothing to do with settling. There ar.......

I think I just didn't make my point quite well when I replied but I meant just about that. I think asking those kinds of questions are fine because like I said before you can ask about magnet status and be prepared to turn it around with your own research. For example, I asked the magnet question, they say "No, we're not. Is that something you're looking for in a hospital?" I can answer that it was something I was interested in about the hospital because I hadn't seen mention of it. I'm interested because I know about the standards the ANCC looks at and I'm shooting for those high standards even if it were just for myself. If the hospital were to start applying for magnet status, I would be completely on board.

I had an interview today.. (verdict is still tentative *fingerscrossed* but it didn't go badly i don't think). I asked the magnet status question and I was able to have a rapport with the interviewers about it, the ICU and the Beacon Award. So yes. My point was do your research and when asking questions, be prepared not just for a yes or no answer but for follow up and for the ability to be knowledgeable about what you ask and why it makes you a desirable candidate.

Not really questions for you to ask BUT-

be prepared to answer "scenario" type questions :

"tell me about a time that you didn't get along with a coworker, and how you handled that"

"tell me about a time when you dealt with a complaint from a physician, patient, or supervisor"

"How do you handle stress? Specifically, how will I, as your supervisor, know when you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed?"

A friend of mine was given a detailed imaginary scene and asked what she would do in the situation.

good luck!

Thanks, LaurainLA for the great link. I've had a couple of interviews that asked the "behavioral" questions: tell me about a time you went above & beyond for your patient, tell me about a time you demonstrated teamwork, tell me about a time you received criticism from your clinical instructor, tell me about a time you were innovative in solving a problem, etc. Be prepared to give specific examples & what the outcome of each situation was.

Thanks, LaurainLA for the great link. I've had a couple of interviews that asked the "behavioral" questions: tell me about a time you went above & beyond for your patient, tell me about a time you demonstrated teamwork, tell me about a time you received criticism from your clinical instructor, tell me about a time you were innovative in solving a problem, etc. Be prepared to give specific examples & what the outcome of each situation was.

Hi,

Thanks very much for this comment. It help me to think about my ideals.

Tks again and pls keep posting.

Hi,

Thanks very much for this comment. It help me to think about my ideals.

Tks again and pls keep posting.

Apart from that, this link below may be useful: Interview questions to ask