Is this interview process unprofessional?

Nurses Career Support

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I applied for a job and within 2 hours I got a call from a recruiter for a phone interview. He told me the manager will not be able to interview me for a full week. I really wanted the job and so I waited and did not apply elsewhere. I interview with her and it went well. The interview was on a Monday. She said I should hear from the recruiter by Wednesday to schedule me for a peer interview. I hear nothing on Wednesday, so I called my recruiter Thursday morning. He finally called me back Friday at 3pm to schedule the peer interview. He said he just heard back from the manager about scheduling it, hence the delay.

Peer interview was then on Tuesday. They had my resume, and instead of talking about the unit, unit goals, pros/cons of the job and working there, they were giving me an actual interview which I do not think was appropriate. They are not qualified for that and that is not what a peer interview is supposed to entail. I went along with it. As they were walking me back to the lobby, in the elevator, etc, they were glued to their personal phone, texting. I tried making small talk such as “is that the hospital chapel” and I was given a “mmm hmm” with they’d heads still down at their phone. Again, this was on Tuesday.

Wednesday, I heard nothing.

Thursday morning, a generic email arrived, to paraphrase : “thank you for applying, your credentials look impressive but we’ve decided to interview other candidates.” Applied? How about interviewed?

Boom. That’s all. No follow up.

A friend interviewed for a job at the sane place, but a different recruiter. She was called and told she didn’t get the job but was offered an interview w a different department.

I waited a full week for my first interview. And then a full week for my 2nd interview. And now that’s it?

Specializes in Neuro.

The way I look at it, even if I really want a particular job I applied or interviewed for, I will still cast my net wide and keep applying and interviewing no matter what. My take is, I'm out here people, come get me....may the odds be ever in their favor ? ?

In my previous career, I was pulled by management to sit in on interviews as a peer interviewer. I didn't really have a choice and part of it was my bosses wanted to know how I felt the candidates would fit in and my thoughts on the candidates themselves. That wasn't in my job description but I was voluntold and in the end it had benefits, the people hired got along well with us & took to the job well. That aside, the actions of the interviewer looking at their phone in my opinion was unprofessional & I personally would not do that. Someone made a point though, do you think you might have put them off of you somehow? You may have not, but something worth considering.

Specializes in Critical care, Trauma.

I've been involved in peer interviews in multiple different facilities. Some were more organized than others, as far as guiding what questions could be asked. The last place I worked didn't even offer the general refresher of "these are illegal/inappopriate questions, these are common questions, etc" so it wouldn't have surprised me if someone accidentally came out with one because we are nurses, not HR. But we absolutely want to take those peer interview opportunities to assess the fit of a potential employee. After you work with enough staff where you find yourself asking "how does he/she work here?" from their lack of cultural fit or general knowledge base, you'll grow to appreciate being given the chance to participate. Many employers don't offer it.

Specializes in Hospice Home Care and Inpatient.

I actually love peer interviews.... I sort've get why you may have felt offended that phone calls were taken as you were leaving, however there was work to be done and the escort out is a courtesy. As Rose Queen said, never put all your eggs in one basket. Best wishes.

Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.

At my workplace, the team interviews each candidate.We come up with our own questions. We know what you can't ask on an interview (family, children, etc) and don't ask about that.

You are wrong that your peers aren't qualified to interview you. They are.

It sounds like you didn't interview well.

Some of you are very catty and non supportive. I’ve been asked by most of you why I don’t think they were qualified to interview me. Well for starters, according to one of my nursing journals, it’s supposed to be an informal & casual interview where the peers ask me informal & casual interview questions such as “Tell us what you think this job will be like and then we’ll tell you the reality” They should also be prepared to answer my questions and not look at eachother with deer-in-headlight eyes when a question is asked. My questions? So how long have you guys worked here and what do you like and dislike about this job” - Head in deerlights- ohh, you’ve been here 6 months? Ohhh, you’re a new grad? Ohh you’re new grad with an ADN and your interviewing a nurse of 15 years with a MSN and questioning her experience . Haha okkk.

Will not be reading further replies. Peace out!

2 minutes ago, raindrop said:

I’ve been asked by most of you why I don’t think they were qualified to interview me.

No, you haven't been.

But we were trying to understand what you expected from a peer interview. That was information you didn't provide up front.

Peer interviews may mean different things in different organizations. In some places it is as your journal described it, and others utilize peers on panel interviews where they are very much participating in actual interview-style questions. I'm sure there are other permutations as well.

Your reply just now, along with some of the things you initially described, makes it clear that the whole thing doesn't sound like it was very professionally or collegially conducted (which some of us had already acknowledged). There's no cause for getting agitated with us.

Specializes in Pediatrics, Pediatric Float, PICU, NICU.
11 minutes ago, raindrop said:

Ohh you’re new grad with an ADN and your interviewing a nurse of 15 years with a MSN and questioning her experience . Haha okkk.

Will not be reading further replies. Peace out!

Ohhh my.

I see the likely issue now, and besides the phone situation, the issue isn't them...

Regardless of how the OP is reacting to replies on this thread, a new grad with an ASN and no more than six months experience, is not qualified to pass judgement on a person with 15 years experience who has earned an MSN.

Specializes in Pediatrics, Pediatric Float, PICU, NICU.
6 minutes ago, caliotter3 said:

Regardless of how the OP is reacting to replies on this thread, a new grad with an ASN and no more than six months experience, is not qualified to pass judgement on a person with 15 years experience who has earned an MSN.

Regardless, they are qualified to conduct a peer interview on their home unit. At least in my personal experience, we went out of our way to have a variety of experience-levels conducting the peer interview on potential staff no matter how much experience or what degrees the interviewee had.

36 minutes ago, raindrop said:

So how long have you guys worked here and what do you like and dislike about this job”

I wouldn't want to answer this (the bolded part) either. It's not appropriate for an interview if asked in that fashion. A more appropriate question would have been "what do you find challenging about this position". If you interview like you post your "in your face" style is likely to be off-putting. Also your disparaging remarks about the new grad and the ASN will not garner you much support here, after all, they have more experience on that unit than you do and always will. You've started out badly and have a chance to redeem yourself but it seems you've chosen to bail rather than practicing a little introspection and perhaps growing a bit. I'm afraid it's your loss more than anything.

57 minutes ago, JadedCPN said:

Regardless, they are qualified to conduct a peer interview on their home unit. At least in my personal experience, we went out of our way to have a variety of experience-levels conducting the peer interview on potential staff no matter how much experience or what degrees the interviewee had.

Just wondering for my own knowledge, what are the qualifications and is there any kind of training or instruction?

Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.
1 hour ago, caliotter3 said:

Regardless of how the OP is reacting to replies on this thread, a new grad with an ASN and no more than six months experience, is not qualified to pass judgement on a person with 15 years experience who has earned an MSN.

If they have 15 years experience, an MSN and are interviewing to be that person's peer, that person certainly does have the right to determine if it is someone they want to work with and/or for. The questions were likely behavioral, not educational content.

Frankly, the OP's reply here is shocking. Nobody was "catty". Many posted trying to understand. I personally have never experienced a peer interview the likes of what the OP was expecting, but even if I did, if I was trying to get a job, I would put my best foot forward regardless of who was doing the asking knowing that even if they were a level one EVS, if they got to interact with me before I was hired it is likely they are part of the hiring process and will get a vote.

This much rigidity is definitely going to be a barrier for the OP. I suspect the OP was expecting this to be a shoo-in and for them to sell her the job and didn't deal with it well when it was made apparent that they were actually trying to determine whether she was a good fit rather than a recruiting trick. I am basing that suspicion on her summary of her friend's experience and her own actions in stopping looking for work once she was called in for an interview. Either way, her reaction here is pretty extreme; it isn't a reach now to think it may have been then too.

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