Terrible Interview

CrunchRN, ADN, RN · Oct 31, 2014

There will be more so buck up!

It happens to me to sometimes and what I do is just admit to them that I am a little nervous and it is making my mind go blank. They usually are very understanding if you just put it out there.

**NICU Guy, BSN, RN** · Oct 31, 2014

Check to see if the school you graduated from has a career center. They might be able to set up a mock interview for you. That way they can actually see how you answer questions and body language. They can give you pointers on how to answer certain questions.

13grad71 · Nov 1, 2014

Or maybe you can contact your nursing instructors for help in interviewing skills. Mock up interviews are helpful, plus your instructors know you and they can really point out where they think you are weak in interview skills.

beachybutt · Nov 2, 2014

Don't give up on this interview you just had. I actually had job offer after what I thought was the worst interview of my life!

If you feel like you can't articulate yourself well, then perhaps it would be good to practice so you don't run into the same problems. For example, write down the questions you can remember from this last interview and research other ones. Then write out your answers on paper. Then practice answering them in front of a mirror. Then get a friend or family member you're comfortable around and do a pretend interview with your list of questions. I did this before interviewing and I felt much more prepared.

RN403, BSN, RN · Nov 2, 2014

Don't be too hard on yourself, OP. We all have at least one crappy interview experience. It happens. Like other posters have said, practice interviewing in front of others, a mirror, video tape yourself, etc. The more you talk it out and practice interviewing, the more comfortable you will become, and the better you will do in actual interview scenarios.

It's okay to feel down, but, remember to pick yourself back up, brush it off, and go get em next time. Best wishes.

SoaringOwl · Nov 2, 2014

I'm also a job seeker, and haven't been proud of my interview performances yet. I'm going to try power-posing next time. I had a yoga teacher who would go on and on about it, and I thought it sounded silly until I watched a Ted Talk about how power-poses can increase your testosterone and lower your cortisol. The ted talk suggested power posing for 2 minutes prior to a job interview. Google it and try it. I'm going to try it prior to my interview tomorrow.

Additionally, I've been writing every question they ask me, writing and practicing my answer, and googling the questions to see if I can find better answers, or to see what the interviewer's trying to get out of me.

danish0914 · Nov 2, 2014

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I finally told myself to take this all in as a learning experience, and that this will help me be more prepared for my next interview :)

HopefulSRNA1234 · Nov 13, 2014

I'm also a job seeker, and haven't been proud of my interview performances yet. I'm going to try power-posing next time. I had a yoga teacher who would go on and on about it, and I thought it sounded silly until I watched a Ted Talk about how power-poses can increase your testosterone and lower your cortisol. The ted talk suggested power posing for 2 minutes prior to a job interview. Google it and try it. I'm going to try it prior to my interview tomorrow.
Additionally, I've been writing every question they ask me, writing and practicing my answer, and googling the questions to see if I can find better answers, or to see what the interviewer's trying to get out of me.

I love that TED talk! IMHO it totally works :)

I'm like op amd can't articulate myself well which is no help in interviews. But as Scorpio suggested, writing out answers to all questions really helps. It helps organize my answers and allows me to remember things I possibly wouldn't have in the fly. I also practice answering questions in front of a mirror which is incredibly awkward and hopefully prepares me for the awkwardness of the interview :).

I hope this helps but don't worry about doing bad on your first interview! Everyone has stories like these so you have plenty of company :) just keep trying to get better at it and you'll land something :)