New Grad Nurse First Interview - HELP!!

HeySis, BSN, RN · Nov 17, 2016

Hi Everyone!
Naturally, I am panicking a little bit, so ANY AND ALL advice would be greatly appreciated!
-What to Wear
-What to Bring
-What to Include In My Resume
-Should I Bring Hard Copies of Recommendation Letters
-Should I Bring My Skills Checklist From My Nursing Program

Dress professionally, (for women a skirt or very nice slacks and a blouse, for men nice slacks button up shirt and tie) Do not wear anything you'll fidget with like a bracelet, if you're nervous fidgettor.

Bring your resume and letters of recommendation. They may or may not want them depending on what they had you upload in your application, but they are always good to have on hand.

Your resume should include your schooling, past jobs and and service you have done. It should also include any certifications you have such as BLS, ACLS, or PALS.

You won't need your skills checklist, we know what you've checked off, you had to get it done in order to graduate, and they'll check you off again as part of your competencies if hired.

Hi Everyone!
-What Kind Of Questions Should I Expect
and
-What Information, Statements & Words Should I Try To Stay Away From

This really depends upon the facility but I find now a days you're mostly asked questions about situations and how you have or would handle things. I lot of...

-tell me about a hard patient/family and what did you do.

-tell me about a situation where you had integrity

-how you fixed a mistake

-handled a conflict with a co-worker

-best compliment form a patient

Remember if they ask you for a weakness to look for one that you've worked to improve and tell them how you did that.

Take time to think about your answers, they may not roll off the tongue. I was asked something and I couldn't think of a scenario that fit that question quickly, so I asked if we could come back to it, and we did.

And don't leave without asking your own questions.

I always ask,

-what's the best thing about working for this team?

-why is this position open?

-what is the biggest challenge you face daily?

-how do you define success?

If you don't like mine here's a website that has a lot to choose from

45 Questions Job Seekers Should Ask in Job Interviews - Job-Hunt.org

I ask the ones I do to get a feel for the people I'm going to work with, if the best thing you can tell me about working there is the money I'll make.... then I'll look else where.

I've worked many places, and it's not usually the work that makes it great or horrible, but the team you work with.

Remember to smile and make eye contact. Good Luck!

nutella, MSN, RN · Nov 17, 2016

Professional attire - career pants / skirt, blouse/ long arm shirt, blazer/jacket - make sure your shoes are polished.

No clown make-up, subtle make-up is ok but nothing shrill - the same is true for clothes - avoid high heels, no crazy or super cheap looking jewelry - less is more.

Make sure your hair is ok, file your nails and make sure your hands look ok. Personally, I do not wear nail polish and my nails are on the short side but I file them regularly and do my own "in home " manicure once a week with the cost effective supplies I got at some place.

Oh - don't use parfume - you never know who likes it or not and many people are allergic nowadays.

Your resume should be current and modern, include your education, jobs, volunteering, languages you are fluent in, certifications, organizations you belong to and so on. Look at some examples online.

If you want to invest some money - get paper for your print outs resume that is a bit more sturdy. The super cheap paper is that - super cheap - Better paper is more expensive but you do not need 100 pages, just some - there are kits and the color of that paper is often not snow white , it is more like a creme color - hard to explain. Because the paper is thicker and looks nicer, you make a good impression. It is best to print 3 resumes. Even though you applied online - sometimes they forget to print out the resume, or can't because of a problem - sometimes they ask for a paper copy. Also, do not just crumble the copies into some shopping bag, make sure you have some kind of bag that looks ok and is clean, can be a messenger bag. Get some kind of folder or such in which you put your print outs of your resume.

Get another folder and in this one you put a print out of all the email conversation you got from the place including interview invitation with time and place. If you have some recommendation letters you can also have them in the folder.

Also, you need your nursing license information - if they do not send paper cared in your state you can print out a page from the webpage.

If you are a citizen, you need to know your SSN - if you are a permanent resident or work permit you need those documents as well.

Preparation:

Make sure you know how to get there, where to park and where to meet. Leave early enough with ample time. If you expect traffic leave early enough.

In your bag with the folder and documents you should also place a mini lint roller, mini floss, tissues, 2 pens and some kind of novel you can read while waiting. There is always some waiting time and it really does not make a good impression when you wait at HR or somewhere else and fiddle around with your phone and "facebook". Make sure your cell phone is switched off for the interview or leave it in the car. The advantage of a good book (no romance - I guess that is self-explanatory) is that you also have something to small talk about. There is nothing worse than an interview with somebody who is not able to engage in small talk before or after - you might even walk from A to B and it is good to have some topics in mind for small talk that are "safe". There are many good books/novels you probably have been wanting to read for a while ... Since it is going towards holidays avoid endorsing a specific religion and steer clear of topics related to religion and politics. If you have a hobby like cooking, sports, book club, or such that might be something for small talk. Of course the weather is always a good topic...

Practice the interview, especially how to sit and shake hands. The handshake should be firm and secure - a lot of people are not good with shaking hands - so perhaps you need to practice. Make sure to get up when the person from HR or the manager approach you and just be prepared for the most common small talk and other questions. They usually ask " did you find us ok" or "did you have a lot of traffic?".

For the real interview read about behavioral interview and scenario question and prepare, just practice at home or if you drive, in the car while driving. They may ask you about how you feel about nursing, what your experiences were and so no. They often ask scenario questions. They could ask what you expect from an orientation, how you envision your work , where you see yourself in 5 years. If there is something you are passionate about perhaps you can somehow talk about it if appropriate. For example, if you feel strongly about healthcare literacy or self-management in chronic illness, you might be able to share that and why you feel that way. They almost always ask about conflict management and resolution - how you feel about conflict, how you resolve conflict. They ask about coping skills and how you cope with stress.

If you meet with the manager and / or the team they will ask questions as well, perhaps they will show you the floor. Good topics and questions to ask are about general orientation, the kind of report they give - bedside report is the big thing now, it is good to ask questions that show you are interested and have some perspective, how patient calls are answered (some hospitals have a central call station in the nurses station, in some the call lights go to the nurse or aid per pager or phone , patient population served and common problems in the community, any innovations that the nursing team or floor is working on, are there unit or other councils you might be able to join at some point, special interest groups. Ask if the organization has a library where nurses can read magazines and such.

Avoid everything that can be controversial - do not ask if the have a union (this is something you should know from your research of the place), no politics, no religion talk unless it pertains to your position, do not mention graduate school even if this is your goal because they may think you will leave after a year and perhaps take somebody else, do not talk about your kids if you have some, do not talk about too much personal stuff, do not talk about "nurses eating their youngs..."...

Try to convey a positive attitude with a dose of realism. You know that orientation is stressful but you can cope because you have a good life work balance, take care of yourself, have some hobbies, and so on..

Don't expect that things will be handed to you, convey that you are responsible, accountable, and somebody that gets along with other people.

Make sure to take a business card from HR and manager and write a thank you email the same day if you interview in am or lunch and next day if you interview in afternoon.

Good luck!

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Nov 17, 2016

Moved to our Nursing Interview Advice forum for more replies.