Need help, new grad/ no medical history resume

[zimmersdreamer]

Hi, I am a new grad, I take the NCLEX in 5 days and have my first interview in 7 days. I feel my phone interview was underwhelming, as I have years of work experience, just not in the medical field. I was a hiring manager in my last field, but feel completely inept as an interviewee. Any suggestions?

[emmy27]

If you advanced to an in-person interview from a phone interview, you must have done reasonably well in their opinion.

Think in advance about the types of things frequently addressed in nursing interviews, things like "Tell me about a time you encountered a challenging situation in the workplace/clinicals/school," "How would you handle a conflict with a coworker?" or "Where do you see yourself in five years." Think about what you hope to do in the position you're being considered for, what make you in particular well-suited for the position and the organization, and any questions you have. Practice verbalizing these things in short, concise ways.

With no paid medical experience (you do have clinical experience and work experience to draw on, remember!) you may have to be creative, so that's what the prep work is for. Practice acknowledging areas where you're obviously weak (like inexperience) while offsetting them with positive things you do bring to the table (ie, "I know as a new graduate I still have a lot to learn about independent practice, but I believe my past experience in customer service and my interest in oncology will help me to become a valuable member of the team.")

Nurse managers who are willing to interview a new grad know that if they hire one, they're getting somebody inexperienced who is going to require a lot of investment and time to get up to speed. They want to see that YOU recognize that, and are up to the challenge.

[emmy27]

Also, ALWAYS have thoughtful questions. "What is the orientation process like" is a good one, especially for new grads (and the answer might affect whether you even WANT this job!). Specific questions about the facility are great ("I know the hospital is pursuing magnet status, is the unit participating in any initiatives?" "Does this unit have a unit-based council?" "I've read that a specialty cardiac wing is opening next year, do you foresee that affecting the patient population this unit serves?") as are general things like "How would you describe the culture of the unit?" and even specific questions to the interviewer, especially if you know or notice anything about their office that you can spin off of ("I see your pennant, did you go to State? I've been looking at their MSN program, did you like it?"). Listen to their answers, there's often a second question, or a chance to show that you're a good fit in their answers ("You're doing a pain assessment study on the unit as part of the Magnet initiative? Pain assessment was the subject of my capstone project, I would love to be part of that!").

Be friendly, be prepared, and make it clear that you've thought about this job and facility in particular rather than just casting a wide net for every potential job (even if that is in fact what you've done).