Phone Interview........HELP Please!!

Just wondering if anybody had done this before? I have a phone interview on Friday and am starting to get a bit nervous. Should I expect the same types of questions as in an in person interview? I printed out the questions from the sticky and I am going to try to adapt those to a "work" type setting but any other "unusual" questions that I should expect??

Thanks for any help!! :)

[jenrninmi, MSN, RN]

Well, good luck! I would probably expect the same type of questions. Let us know how it goes!

[Nesher, BSN, RN]

Yes the questions should be the same you might expect in person - one difference - you can be in your sweats on the phone :)

Have you done your research on the institution that will be interviewing you? Do you have your questions ready to ask the interviewer? Ask questions that show you've done your research. Ask questions that the interviewer can answer. Ask questions that can prevent misinterpretations. Avoid asking dumb questions, avoid loaded questions - save probing questions for after the job has been offered.

Sometimes telephone interviews can be screening. In other words they will find out what they want to know in 5 minutes and can decide if a full interview is warranted. You don't say if this is a local call - but I assume it is - so they will most likely be screening you. I recommend a great book "Interview Power" by Tom Washington - fab resource on getting prepared for interviews.

I have posted these questions alot but here they are again - these are from the aforementioned book: outline your answers so you can answer without sounding mechanical. The second half questions need an example or story to answer. Good luck let us know how it goes!

QUESTIONS

1. Tell me about yourself.

2. What is your greatest strength?

3. What can you offer us that no one else can?

4. What are your three most important career accomplishments?

5. How would you describe yourself?

6. Why should I hire you?

7. Describe the biggest crisis in your life (career).

8. What is unique about you?

9. How would your supervisor describe you?

10. Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10.

11. Tell me a story.

12. How have you benefited from disappointment?

13. What is your greatest weakness?

14. Have you ever been fired or asked to resign?

15. Why have you changed jobs so frequently?

16. Why have you been out of work so long? What have you been doing?

17. What is the biggest mistake you ever made?

18. What are your career goals?

19. What do you want to do in life?

20. How long have you been out of work?

21. What personal, non-job related gals have you set for yourself?

22. Are you willing to relocate?

23. Are you willing to travel overnight?

24. How do you feel about overtime?

25. What have you learned from your past mistakes? What are some of them?

26. What do you think determines a person's progress with a goof company?

27. Who has exercised the greatest influence on you? How?

28. What public figure do you admire most and why?

29. What are your primary activities outside of work?

30. Would you have any concern if we did a full background check on you? What would we find?

31. What qualities do you most admire in people?

32. What have you done to increase your personal development?

33. What type of books and magazines do you read?

34. What was the last book you read (movie you saw) and how did it affect you?

35. How do you feel about your career progress?

36. Can you work well under stress?

37. Do you prefer to work as an individually or as a part of a team?

38. Are you a team player?

39. Tell me about the last incident that made you angry. How did you handle it?

40. What are the things that motivate you?

41. How do you handle people that you really don't get along with?

42. What have you done that shows initiative?

43. What personal qualities are important for success in this field?

44. Sell me this pen.

45. Are you willing to take calculated risks?

46. Describe your perfect job?

47. What is most important to you in a job?

48. Why do you want to change careers?

49. Why do you want to get into this field?

50. Why did you leave your last job?

51. How long will it take before you make a positive contribution to our organization?

52. What do you like least about this position? Most?

53. Tell me about your duties at your present job?

54. What is the most important aspect of your job?

55. Describe a time when you were criticized for your job.

56. What is the most difficult situation you have ever faced?

57. What frustrates you about your job?

58. What jobs have you enjoyed most? Least? Why?

59. What duties have you enjoyed most? Least? Why?

60. What is the worst thing your have ever heard about this organization?

61. What position do you expect to hold in five years? (similar to, Where do you expect to be in 5 years?)

62. Why would you like to work for us?

63. What is opinion of your present (or past) employer?

64. How long would you stay if we offered you this position?

65. What do you know about our company?

66. Why do you want to leave your present employer?

67. Starting with your first job out of college, tell me why you left each organization.

68. What kinds of recommendations will you get from previous employers?

69. Describe your relationship with your last three supervisors.

70. What are your supervisor's strengths and weaknesses?

71. What kind of supervisors do you like most? Least? Why?

72. How has your supervisor helped you grow?

73. What did your supervisor rate you highest on during your last review? Lowest?

74. What kind of supervisor gets the best results out of you?

75. What is your boss like?

76. What actions would you take if you came on board?

77. Can you supervise people?

78. Describe your management philosophy and management style.

79. How many people have you hired? How do you go about it? How successful have the people been?

80. How many people have you fired?

81. How would your subordinates describe you as a supervisor?

82. Some managers watch their employees closely while others use a loose rein. How do you manage?

83. How have you improved as a supervisor over the years?

84. Why did you pick your major?

85. What kind of grades did you have?

86. What course did you like the most? Least? Why?

87. How has your schooling prepared you for this job?

88. Do you feel you did the best work at school that you were capable of doing?

89. How did your summer jobs benefit you?

SOME BEHAVIOR BASED QUESTIONS

Tell me about a time when you:

1. Achieved a great deal in a short amount of time.

2. Were disappointed in your performance.

3. Made a major sacrifice to achieve a work goal.

4. Were unwilling or unable to make the necessary sacrifice to achieve a goal.

5. Worked effectively under a great deal of pressure.

6. Didn't handle a stressful situation very well.

7. Really got angry over a situation at work.

8. Felt under a great deal of pressure from an internal or external customer.

9. Were really bothered by the actions of a coworker.

10. Were especially creative in solving a problem.

11. Were not as creative as usual.

12. Organized and planned an event that was successful.

13. Planned and coordinated a project that was very successful.

14. Were unable to complete a project on schedule despite your best efforts.

15. Really had to remain flexible.

16. Had to deal with a personality conflict with a boss or coworker.

17. Were unable to sell your idea to a key person.

18. Felt really good about a decision you made and the process you went through.

19. Were very effective in your problem-solving ability.

20. Used facts and reason to persuade someone to accept your recommendation.

21. Utilized your leadership ability to gain support for what initially had been strong opposition.

22. Were able to build team spirit during a time of low morale.

23. Were able to gain commitment from others to really work as a team.

24. Used your political savvy to push through a program you believed in.

25. Were particularly perceptive regarding a person's or group's feelings and needs.

26. Were able to predict someone's behavior or response based on your assessment of him or her.

27. Were particularly supportive and reassuring to a person who needed a friend.

28. Built rapport quickly with someone under difficult conditions.

29. Wrote a report which was well received by others.

30. Were particularly effective at prioritizing tasks and completing a project on schedule.

31. Identified potential problems and resolved the situation before the problems became serious.

32. Were highly motivated and your example inspired others.

33. Found it necessary to tactfully but forcefully say things others did not want to hear.

34. Were particularly effective in a talk you gave or a seminar you taught.

35. Had to make an important decision quickly even though you did not have all the information you wanted.

36. Had to make a decision you knew would be unpopular.

Were in a situation when events and circumstances changed rapidly.

[twinmommy+2, ADN, BSN, MSN]

Try talking on the phone while having a smile on your face the whole time. Its hard to sound bad on the phone when you're smiling. Other than that, I've never done one but I wish you luck hun!

[grinnurse, RN]

Thanks so much for the questions and the recommendation on the book. Keep your fingers crossed that I get a "foot" in for a personal interview. Never really thought about the questions that I should be asking them....hmmm Have to think about that.... I have looked at the their homepage and they seem to have alot to offer employees. Have you or would you ever go to just observe the nurses in a normal day? That was something that our instructors suggested to get a feel for the hospital.

Wonder if we could make the questions that you posted a sticky since we will have so many new grads in May?????? There's a thought now.

Again, thanks so much for the info. and I will let you know how it goes!

[RainDreamer, BSN, RN]

Wow nesher, thank you for all that great info!!

So grinnurse, how'd it go today?!

[grinnurse, RN]

Thank Goodness. I got my foot in the door and have two interviews on April the first of all days. The phone interview wasn't too bad either. They had a couple of the questoins that were posted that they wanted me to answer. I think with this interview they were looking for personality fit with mgr in ER and ONC. They asked questions like what movie did you last watch and why, which was The Grudge b/c I love scary movies that aren't too gross and bloody. What did I think the Art of nursing meant, which to me is the true desire to help all kinds of people and the ability to sympothize with the dilema and to give hugs when needed and gave me a case scenario in an ER where "the family" had just lost a child to a mva, what would I do if the Mother was crying-I said that I would do whatever I could to comfort her whether it was a hug, holding her hand.........etc. They also asked where do I see myself in 5 yrs-same hospital. Why did I choose nursing at such a late stage in my life which it had always been a lifelong desire of mine and what kind of assets do I possess that would benefit the area in which I worked....flexibility, team player....it's so easy to come up with the negatives and so hard to praise one's self. But I must have something that they are looking for so I can't wait until April 1. Keep your fingers crossed that I will make it past the next two and get an offer.........Thanks for asking and have a good week

[RainDreamer, BSN, RN]

It's good to hear it went well and you got a foot in the door!! Good luck with the other interviews, you'll do great!!

So you want to work in the ER? That'd be a great place to start!

[grinnurse, RN]

I go back and forth where I want to start. I think Med-Surge one day, then I see all the others going for what they really want and I start leaning toward ER or ONC...Sometimes I feel like I want to do this-- :chair: LOL Gosh, I just don't really know-I know for sure what I don't want though :roll I would have never thought it would be such a tough decision!! Where are you going to go? ER kind of scares me at first b/c of lack of experience. I have spent about five days in ER and loved what I saw-but ONC is truly why I went to nursing school. But I have small children and don't know if I can handle the emotional side of ONC with them being so young, esp peds. I really like ER though. I don't know if watching all the trauma shows on DHC has got me leaning that way or not. My husband thinks I am an adrenaline junky. I put down ER, ICU, or psych. for preceptorship but not sure which if any I will get. Do you already have a job lined up once out? How are you deciding? Do you have any ER experience?

[Nesher, BSN, RN]

The rewards and privledge of working with real live heroes cannot be matched. Yes oncology nursing can be emotional and draining - but any kind of nursing is. The rewards balance things.

[RainDreamer, BSN, RN]

I go back and forth where I want to start. I think Med-Surge one day, then I see all the others going for what they really want and I start leaning toward ER or ONC...Sometimes I feel like I want to do this-- LOL Gosh, I just don't really know-I know for sure what I don't want though I would have never thought it would be such a tough decision!! Where are you going to go? ER kind of scares me at first b/c of lack of experience. I have spent about five days in ER and loved what I saw-but ONC is truly why I went to nursing school. But I have small children and don't know if I can handle the emotional side of ONC with them being so young, esp peds. I really like ER though. I don't know if watching all the trauma shows on DHC has got me leaning that way or not. My husband thinks I am an adrenaline junky. I put down ER, ICU, or psych. for preceptorship but not sure which if any I will get. Do you already have a job lined up once out? How are you deciding? Do you have any ER experience?

The only ER experience I have is what I did in clinicals this semester. I really did enjoy it though, I was able to do a lot!

I don't have a job lined up yet, I'm still looking around at different hospitals and seeing what kind of programs they offer for new grads. I'm doing my preceptorship this semester in the NICU, 144 hours, so I'm hoping that after graduation I'll be able to get into that area.

It really is a hard decision! There's so many areas that I'd love to go into, I'm definitely keeping my options open!