New Grad RN - Interview Help!

Hi CeeCee, I wish you the best of luck on your interview. I am a student and I just went through two interviews for externships. The first one was for a cancer center, and I got accepted. The second one was for a psych nursing externship and although I think I am a great prospect for the position, I feel that I bombed the interview.

I don't know what kind of interview you will be participating in, but the one I did poorly at was a performance based interview. The interviewer asked me a series of questions and wrote down my responses as I was talking. There is a page on the organization's web site about preparing for their interviews (it is the V.A.), and had I just prepared for it properly, I would have had such a better presentation.

"Tell me about yourself." I gave a list of adjectives. Ugh.

"Describe a non nursing situation where you have been patient and tolerant, and used critical thinking." I was stuck on stupid. I said, "Uhhhh...custody battle?"

"Tell me a situation in your life that illustrates that you are a self starter and can work independently." Stuck on stupid again. Yeah, it was pretty traumatic for me. But I did it to myself, and I will NEVER come unprepared again.

If you go in ready with some really good anecdotes describing yourself responding to or initiating situations, with a "problem, action, outcome" slant, it will be good preparation.

I have heard of people getting drilled with questions to assess their clinical knowledge; this was what I actually HAD prepared myself for, but I got none of those sorts of questions.

I hope you do great!!! Good luck!!!

ceecee22 how did your interview go? I'm a new grad and I'm really leaning toward oncology. I'd like to hear your opinion on the beginning process of getting a job in this specialty.