Interviewing Advice

verybadkitty · Sep 4, 2015

All the advice I've been given has been to wait until the end of the interview, or to wait until an offer has been made. That being said, I totally disagreed and I've NEVER followed this advice.

I always tell them when they ask about my prior employment and why I left. (I was fired.). I give them a PG-rated version of what happened, not offering any of the gory details unless they ask. They've never asked. And I've gotten several job offers.

Good luck!

odaat · Sep 4, 2015

I always ended up doing the same as the previous poster also. Inevitably every interview I had started off with why did you leave your last job and there really was no other honest way to answer that than to divulge. In some ways it was better that way because if it was going to be a problem then we could end it there and not waste my time or theirs.

LPNSWEETHEART · Sep 4, 2015

Thanks souch, I've been working ad a CNA since my monitoring began bc I need the income, and dnot want to leave healthcare.. I us ally tell them at the end when they ask of u have anything else to say or ask. Its just so weird or ackward for me when I tell then" I made some mistakes in my past, and I am currently on a monitoring program for my nursing license". I think that's a good statement, what do you guys think? Another thing they say sometimes is why r you being monitored? Do I tell them I was reported for.being under the influence at work ( which is the truth), or just say that I had a substance abuse issue and been in recovery for the past 5 and a half years?. That's where I need some guidance, not sure what to say or what words to use when explaining my situation. Thanks.so.much for all your feedback....

odaat · Sep 4, 2015

I would just say you had a SA problem, are in monitoring and have been in recovery for the time you have. The way you worded it sounds good to me. I never went into more detail than necessary and it worked out okay. Of course if they ask for further detail you should be honest but I don't think that's going to happen. I can definitely relate to the awkwardness of it. Unfortunately I had to go on lottttts of interviews so I got much better with practice lol

peachfuzz · Sep 15, 2015

In my experience I have always been upfront almost immediately upon meeting interviewer. Something like "I want/need to share something about myself with you. I have been in recovery since.....for substance abuse. This is what I have done... and continue to do to make sure it doesn't happen again". I also tell them they can drug test me anytime. I wouldn't go into details cuz the last thing they need to hear are excuses of any sort. Not that you would give excuses but they tend to come across in one way or another. Tell them you will be the best nurse they have and mean it.