Panel Interview- Your opinion greatly appreciated

Published

Hello,

I am new grad who just had a 6 person panel interview and would appreciate your feedback, please! I was very nervous and not sure how I came across. I believe that I did well with the patient care questions, but I feel I was lacking in the critical thinking department because I failed to answer the critical thinking questions thoroughly. I'm not the kind of person who is good at answering on the fly. The nurse manager said they will be making a decision by tomorrow. Since they are deciding so quickly, should I bother to mail out thank you notes since they will get them after a decision has been made or should I send them anyway?

What has been your experience during interviews? Did you excel in one area and lack in another but still get the job? I really emphasized that I was a team player, worked well with others, and went above and beyond for my patients? Would that help make up for the incomplete critical thinking answers? I made them laugh several times if that is a plus! I'm sick to my stomach thinking I messed this up because who knows when I will get another opportunity.

Please comment and I would appreciate any advice for the future as well. Thank you so much for reading my post. :)

Cyn

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

What appeals to one interviewer will not necessarily appeal to another ... so it's impossible to generalize.

And not being selected for a particular job may indicate nothing more than ... that particular interviewer or panel of interviewers were looking for someone other than you.

In other words ... it's not personal.

Having said that ... remember that any interview is essentially a sales presentation in which you sell yourself, and there will be questions asked on the fly. Otherwise, they would just ask each candidate to submit a pre-written essay. ;) Practice and role play, if at all possible, with friends or family members who are willing to take this seriously to help you in your job-hunting effort. Also remember to ask questions about the unit, the facility, etc. ... you're evaluating them and the position for "fit" every bit as much as they're evaluating you.

Keep on keeping on ... hoping you find the right job soon.

PS -- I would still send a thank you card, and the decision may not get made "tomorrow" for any number of reasons. Follow up in 7-10 days if you haven't heard anything.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Altra, thank you so much for your response and advice. Your right, I should send the thank you notes.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospice.

Panel interviews are intimidating. I often conduct interviews in a panel situation. If it makes you feel better, usually people who are interviewing recognize and take into account that people are nervous during interviews. If I were interviewing a new grad, I would not be surprised if their answers to critical thinking situations were not thorough. I would be looking for them to mention how they would access their resources and ask for help. Hope everything turns out well!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Erin S, Thank you for your reply. Whew!!! I feel a little better after your post. I keep rehashing what I said/didn't say during the interview. I'll will supposedly find out tomorrow. I will post the outcome for anyone who is interested. Thanks again :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

By all means, send thank-you's tonight.

Don't fret too much about 1 or 2 questions, especially in a panel interview. That question may have been important to one panelist and completely meaningless to another. Don't give it more weight than it's due. Also, I never worry too much about unit-specific questions, since most new grads don't have much specialty experience.

Good luck and I'll check back tomorrow to see your results.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

WindRN, when I had 2 new grad interviews earlier this year, I felt afterwards like I bombed some of the questions . . . . but guess what, I got offers from both. I just got the feeling that they understand you are nervous, and are not expecting necessarily the "right" answers by new grads. May be judging you more on traits that you have, and how you sell yourself. Hope you get it! and as others have said, definitely send the thank you notes because they may take longer to make their decision about you... you never know. Let us know what happens!;)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Jolie and ArtsyCraftsy, thank you for your words of wisdom! Wow, 2 job offers, that is impressive! I hope that my sincere intentions shined through during the interview. When I get nervous, I tend to have diarrhea of the mouth and that gets me in trouble. Already mailed the thank you notes. I hope to hear tomorrow. Please check back and thank you for your kind words :).

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care.

I've heard this is becoming standard practice in many different business sectors. My brother has been on a panel for his IT dept and no coworkers who have had these type of interviews when applying for other jobs. It sure sounds intimidating, but this is another trend in employment so you just have to accept it and do your best!

Good luck! It's good that they are going to get back with you so soon so you'll have an answer one way or the other, instead of waiting and worrying!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in perioperative, ACE.

first of all: Congratulations on getting an interview! Having your resume seen/stand out is the toughest and most challenging part to any job application.

Secondly, uggh, panels are the worst :p

All of my interviews weigh heavily on the "What would you do ..." scenarios. They're tough to answer because you're not actually IN the situation at hand. As long as you used your common sense, kept your ABCs in mind and had safety first - this is all they're looking for. The fine-tuning can come later.

Definitely send a "Thank you very much for the opportunity .... I look forward to hearing back from you as I am eager to start my employment with you" type letter, you'll stand out even more.

Good luck and let us know how you did!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Well, I did not get the job. The NM called me and I missed his call. He left his personal cell phone number for me to call him back. He said that he chose the applicant with prior Ortho experience. He said I was the next candidate he would have chosen (hopefully that is true, for now I'll take it). He spent about 20 minutes on the phone with me giving me feedback. Such a nice person and very professional. I would have loved to work for him.

I'm so sad :crying2:. My ego has taken a beating. But, I need to brush myself off because I have about $40,000 in school loans to pay back soon. Bummer. Thank you so much for replying to my thread. It's comforting to know there are nice people out there. If I can help anyone else, please don't hesitate to ask.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I'm sorry to hear that! But it's good to hear you're staying positive despite that news. I am kind of in the same boat as you....had an interview 2 weeks ago, and i hear back in 2 days. SOO nervous. The wait seems like torture as i go back and forth between thinking I might get chosen and dreading not getting chosen. Like you, I thought my interview went pretty well, but looking back i started thinking maybe my answers to the clinical questions were not thorough enough. I wish you the best of luck, and hope that whatever happens is for the best. I, too, have a huge loan to pay back soon and it would be awesome to land a job already. With persistence, we'll have more interviews and hopefully be the "chosen ones", so to speak. Keep holding your head up!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion