List your crazy interview questions...

auchiepie · Oct 22, 2014

I just had an interview in a city 40 miles away from my current job. They wanted me to list some of the surgical doctors i work with at my current job....i thought that was odd. After listing a few, i had to ask, "do you them?" Of course the answer was no.

Thats odd and mind a funny at the same time lol. Maybe you shouldn't have given them names, maybe its a test to see how youd be in keeping patient privacy -hipaa? Who knows nowadays

CaliGirl0629 · Oct 22, 2014

I have no idea what it was about but I highly doubt its a test about hipaa. Lol i'm not breaking any laws with doctors names. I did walk out of there with a wth was this all about....every question started with "how do you do this at your current job"

scaredsilly, BSN, RN · Oct 22, 2014

I'm a new grad and I was asked if I passed NCLEX the first time, how many questions and how I studied! I thought that was really weird, but I was hired and found out later that the HR person who sat in the interview was a 2nd time fail and preparing to test for the 3rd time. Seems she just wanted study tips :-)

maryuh982 · Dec 4, 2015

I think an answer like this would impress me! Shows that someone can think quickly, not freeze under pressure, and has some personality. We all know the seriousness of our positions, and if the rest of the interview questions were answered in a more serious and focused manner, this could be a great opportunity to actually stand apart from others who were interviewed. :)

runner502 · Dec 5, 2015

Unfortunately, I have been on way too many interviews without any offers, but I'd say the most recent odd question was, "What would you do if you found out someone you are working with was being dishonest. I thought that was such a bogus question and I had a hard time thinking of a situation. I'm assuming they want to make sure you're honest, but of all the questions they could ask, I think they could have come up with something better. Some other common questions I've been asked:

Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a coworker and how you handled it.

Is there any way to look good with this answer? What is considered an "appropriate" response?

What would you do if you knew you couldn't complete all of your work

What if a patient was very upset and wanted you to sit with them but you were already behind in your work.

What ever happened to a "normal" interview?

Tell me about yourself...Why should we hire you? Why do you want to work here? What strengths do you have that would contribute to patient care, the hospital, etc.....

All of these scenarios can be answered with whatever sounds the best even if it's not what you would really do. I'm sure many applicants get hired because they know how to "play the game" and answer hypothetical questions based on what the hiring manger wants to hear. Very frustrating, but I guess I need to figure out how to play the game as well if I want to start getting real job offers!

starmickey03, MSN, RN · Dec 5, 2015

Unfortunately, I have been on way too many interviews without any offers, but I'd say the most recent odd question was, "What would you do if you found out someone you are working with was being dishonest. I thought that was such a bogus question and I had a hard time thinking of a situation. I'm assuming they want to make sure you're honest, but of all the questions they could ask, I think they could have come up with something better. Some other common questions I've been asked:
Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a coworker and how you handled it.
Is there any way to look good with this answer? What is considered an "appropriate" response?
What would you do if you knew you couldn't complete all of your work
What if a patient was very upset and wanted you to sit with them but you were already behind in your work.
What ever happened to a "normal" interview?
Tell me about yourself...Why should we hire you? Why do you want to work here? What strengths do you have that would contribute to patient care, the hospital, etc.....
All of these scenarios can be answered with whatever sounds the best even if it's not what you would really do. I'm sure many applicants get hired because they know how to "play the game" and answer hypothetical questions based on what the hiring manger wants to hear. Very frustrating, but I guess I need to figure out how to play the game as well if I want to start getting real job offers!

Yes, you definitely need to learn to "play the game". The answers that I give during every interview are fabricated because I've never been in any of the situations they ask about. But the good thing for me is that all hospitals use the exact same scenario questions, so I give them all the same answers since they are embedded into my memory.

Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN · Dec 5, 2015

I copied and pasted this from an thread a few years back:

I had an interview for a very competitive position at a prestigious teaching facility. The entire interview felt like an SNL skit.

The manager zoned off more than once during our time together. NaBIQMUjpy6JP8AEsqrDDq5cr4AAAAASUVORK5CYII= She asked about my experiences in clinicals versus the floor, and I explained that I felt like I hadn't used many skills in clinical. Then I told her about the skills I became quickly adept at on the floor and somehow she got the impression I didn't know how to catheterize someone at all...

NM: You've never cath'd anyone?

Me: I didn't have the opportunity to do that in clinical, but working on the surgical floor, I became very skilled at it.

NM: I can't believe you haven't catheterized anyone.

Me: But I have, I'm actually good at it.

NM: You've been a nurse HOW LONG and you haven't put in a Foley?

Me:

I'm not kidding, that was our exchange.

Then, some random person walked in and they started having a conversation, interrupting me without excusing themselves or anything. And I guess that meant the interview was over.

I asked the manager to please show me to the elevator because the hallways were confusing. She did that, and while we were waiting for the elevator, she asked if my mom was proud of me. Huh? I wanted to say, "well, I was raised by wolves, so my mom doesn't really understand human words..."

Then, after we got off the elevator (right in front of the main door that directly led to the parking garage), she stood there for a minute. I thanked her. Then she asked me, "hmm, why haven't you tried to get a job in New Jersey? New Jersey is next to Delaware!" (I live in Delaware). I said, "well, yes, and so is Maryland" (we were in Maryland). She said, "it is? But it's so much farther away than New Jersey. You're right next to New Jersey when you're in Delaware, aren't you?" 4RQRcAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC

At that moment, I realized I wasn't even in the running for this job. That was okay, because I had decided earlier that I wasn't going to take it anyway.

So, I thanked her and attempted to leave, making haste for the main door that led directly to the garage. She tried to get me to go to the other side of the hospital to leave the building. I assured her that I would be fine, as I was about three minutes from my car at that point. She shook her head and watched me ever so closely as I booked it to the parking garage.

Then, when I got in my car, I looked in my mirror and I had, I'm not kidding, chocolate Carnation Instant Breakfast on my nose.

I don't know if I answered your question, but I'm pretty sure that experience was one big ol' "red flag!"