Is the first applicant to interview a disadvantage?

[kimmy20]

I recently had my first interview as a new grad for a great residency position. I was nervous but I felt pretty confident with my answers then I noticed things during my interview that made me feel like I probably won't get it. First of all, I found out that I was the first of 10 applicants that he's interviewing. He told me it will take him about a month to interview everyone so I won't be hearing back anytime soon. Second, the nurse manager was obviously sick because he was coughing and sneezing the entire time and I felt like he was not all there. He had to excuse himself to leave the room once. He didn't take any notes either and it felt like he was kind of breezing through questions like he wanted to get it over with. I just felt like he wasn't completely paying attention and being the first applicant to be interviewed I'm sure he's going to forget about me. I'm just really bummed right now because it really felt like I was being rushed but more for the fact that I was the first to interview and I feel it's a disadvantage.

I had an interview with a recruiter before and that went really great. I'm wondering...do nurse recruiters and nurse managers compare notes or is the decision solely made by the nurse manager?

Anyone else have experience with this and willing to share how they dealt with it? Of course I plan on sending him a thank you note maybe a week or two later so he can remember me but I'm not sure what else to do at this point. I really wish I had a redo.

[Jules A, MSN]

Hopefully you are reading too much into it and to be honest with you I'm not sure they are expected to be overly focused on a nurse intern interview no matter who it is. Try googling it I bet there are stats on the advantages vs disadvantages of going first. Personally I have interviewed first and got the job but from the start it seemed pretty clear I was a good fit for that position. Definitely send a thank you note and good luck!

[kimmy20]

Hopefully you are reading too much into it and to be honest with you I'm not sure they are expected to be overly focused on a nurse intern interview no matter who it is. Try googling it I bet there are stats on the advantages vs disadvantages of going first. Personally I have interviewed first and got the job but from the start it seemed pretty clear I was a good fit for that position. Definitely send a thank you note and good luck!

Thanks so much for sharing your experience! Makes me feel a little better...and yeah I'm pretty sure I was reading too much into it as others have told me. I just can't help it! I looked it up on google and there's mixed reviews but majority articles I read generally say the first and last are the ones they remember. First helps set the bar and last is the most fresh in their mind. How long did you wait to get an offer? I thought one month was pretty long but after reading more on the forum it seems typical especially for a residency program. Now it's just a waiting game. Thanks again!

[resqbug]

I think the opposite may be true at times. The applicants interviewed further down the list can have a disadvantage because mgmt might have already chosen their candidate, but choose to interview others as a formality.

I went on a job interview years ago (not nursing) and I was flat out told by the manager she had already chosen a candidate, but figured she'd still have me come for the interview. I decided to try to make myself stand out anyways, but the manager kept comparing my experience and education with the "chosen applicant". What a waste of time.