Interviewing: You never get a second chance to make a first impression

[NowImaNurse]

I am going out for my first interviews as an RN tomorrow. One in the morning for a General Acute Care unit with telemetry monitoring, night, and a second one in the afternoon for 2 different positions on a General Medical Unit. Needless to say I am very nervous. I don't know what to expect. So my questions are: what sort of questions can I expect them to ask me, and what are they looking for in a response. Also, what sort of questions should I ask them, I've heard you are given an opportunity to ask questions and you should. I assume there will be questions like "Tell me about a time you had conflict with a co-worker and what happened" which I can answer. And questions like "What would you do if a patient was being verbally abusive to you" which I don't know how to answer. Other than that, I'm sort of at a loss as how to prepare and what they will ask. On the subject of what I can ask them, I've been told to always ask "when will you be making your hiring decision?' and "What is an are of that needs improvement on this unit that I can assist in if I am hired?" Are these good questions? What else can I expect to be aske, what are they trying to find out about me with these questions? How can I show them that I am a very likable, friendly, competent, compassionate person and that I work very well under pressure? I feel like I am going to get flustered. Are the questions I listed good ones to ask? What else should I ask?

I really appreciate any and all input, I would really like any of these three positions and would like to be prepared. I want to make a good first impression.

[cracklingkraken, ASN, RN]

First and foremost, always be honest in your answers!

Common questions:

What are your strengths and weaknesses?(Good answers: tailor your answer to the position, show why you would be an asset. And the famous weakness question - show how you've been improving on it)

How would your previous enployers/coworkers/friends describe you? (They're trying to get a feel for your character and personality. Any positive characteristics, such as a team player, compassionate, driven, etc. are possible answers.

Tell me about yourself. (They don't want to know your employment history or where you graduated from. All that information is on your resume. This is where you can attest how your personality or previous work experiences make you a desirable candidate for the position).

Questions you can ask:

Do you have any hesistations about my qualifications that I could address? What is the nurse to pt ratio?

And practice, practice, practice! Have a friend or someone mock interview you. Repetition makes it much easier during the actual interview. And have the person throw in some of their own questions. These days, interviewers throw random questions at you, so you may need to think on your feet (e.g. what kind of animal best represents you and why?). Hope this helps a little!

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Jeez Louise, kinda late to ask us for preparation ideas.

All you can do now is .. make appropriate eye contact, if you can't answer a question.. just say " can we come back to that?"

Smile upon introduction and have a good handshake.

Deep breaths, let us know how it went.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

First and foremost, always be honest in your answers!

Common questions:

What are your strengths and weaknesses?(Good answers: tailor your answer to the position, show why you would be an asset. And the famous weakness question - show how you've been improving on it)

How would your previous enployers/coworkers/friends describe you? (They're trying to get a feel for your character and personality. Any positive characteristics, such as a team player, compassionate, driven, etc. are possible answers.

Tell me about yourself. (They don't want to know your employment history or where you graduated from. All that information is on your resume. This is where you can attest how your personality or previous work experiences make you a desirable candidate for the position).

Questions you can ask:

Do you have any hesistations about my qualifications that I could address? What is the nurse to pt ratio?

And practice, practice, practice! Have a friend or someone mock interview you. Repetition makes it much easier during the actual interview. And have the person throw in some of their own questions. These days, interviewers throw random questions at you, so you may need to think on your feet (e.g. what kind of animal best represents you and why?). Hope this helps a little!

Noooo! What is the nurse- patient ratio is NOT a good question. Makes it all about the candidate, not the facility.

[cracklingkraken, ASN, RN]

Noooo! What is the nurse- patient ratio is NOT a good question. Makes it all about the candidate, not the facility.

Really? Well, that's good to know. Scratching that off my list..