Interview Tips Please

Wren · Jun 22, 2005

Congratulations on your graduation!

First, be upbeat, friendly and DRESS PROFESSIONALLY!! That means a dress, suit or jacket/skirt....no casual wear. Tell the recruiter why you want to work at this particular hospital (great reputation, magnet status, flexible scheduling, etc) and how excited you are about the opportunity to become a contributing team member. Don't talk about bad experiences you had in your clinical rotations or why your instructor sucked and gave you bad grades you didn't deserve (yes, people do this on interviews and worse!!) :uhoh21: :uhoh21:

Once you have impressed the recruiter (or Nurse Manager) with your professional, friendly attitude, then ask about what the orientation program or mentoring program will be like. How long does it typically last? Will you have one preceptor or a variety of different nurses? What you are looking for is a place with a clear, well defined plan for getting you oriented and up to speed. What you DON'T want is...."oh, we play it by ear and you can have assistance as long as you need it." My personal feeling is that when you are a new grad, the most important thing is find out is how they are going to support you and train you until you can stand on you own.

I wouldn't ask about salary initially but it is ok to let them know any shift restrictions you might have (can't work Sunday evenings because you lead choir practice, etc). I also think it never hurts to tell the Recruiter or Manager that you are a self starter and plan on doing self-study and reading clinical journals to continue your education (only if that's true of course!). They'll be impressed by your responsibility.

Good luck on your interview!