Two different Interviews..what questions should I be asking them?

Chaoticdreams33, MSN, RN · Mar 28, 2010

Hi Lynn, and congrats on landing an interview!

I would want to know the basics, such as how many nurses are on each shift for how many inmates, what type of training do they provide, how long will your orientation be, what would your major responsibilities be, etc. Scope out the place when you're there and ask for a tour if they don't offer one. Is it clean? Well lit? Do they have adequate equipment? How are the CO's and nurses interacting?

Make sure you dress professionally and conservatively.

If they offer you a job, make sure you shadow first. Seeing how the job is and getting to talk to the nurses will be very valuable.

Good luck!!!

ScrappinSpidey · Mar 28, 2010

Well I had both interviews. Out of the two, I would prefer the Juvie facility to the adult. The atmosphere's and the personalities of the interviewers were completely different.

The interview for the adult facility was very educational. I am a new grad and very new to this type of interviewing. I read the thread here, did some studying on somethings and still wasn't close to being prepared lol. The person in charge of the adult facility is very wary of hiring a new grad and was very open and honest about her feelings. I really appreciated that. She approached the interview as more of a learning tool for me I think than an interview. We discussed the answers to the scenarios etc. It was odd but very informative and Im grateful that they interviewed me given her hesitancy to hire a new grad!

The interview with the Juvie facilitiy was made easier because I interviewed with the adults first. I will say that my impression of the facility was better than the adult facility. NOt bad, just different and for me more positive. Her interview style was kind of the same but she didn't have the reservations about new grads. The only downside is that the facility might not be there after July thanks to the economy and our governor. We shall see. Im very interested though.

I found out Thursday night that I passed the interveiw process for the Juvie facility. I had to fill out background paperwork and get fingerprinted. If those are passed, then its on to a drug screen and a physical. So Im crossing my fingers.

I did ask about training and they also have a shadow program for the first few days. They explained very well the responsibilities and boundaries of both positions. They showed me the paperwork/charting systems they use, the med pass systems. I felt like they answered the majority of my questions before I had a chance to ask.

If anyone is reading this out of curiosity for their own experience, I chose to change my interviewing outfit a tad bit. Instead of wearing my normal heels with my suit, I chose very nice low shoes. They looked fine with the suit so they were "dressy" enough, but they were rubber soled so that I wasn't slipping on the cement floors. They were also wonderful when they took me on a tour of the facilities because they are large facilities. Highly recommend thinking about your shoe choice when going on interviews with these facilities.

Lynn

Chaoticdreams33, MSN, RN · Mar 28, 2010

Sorry I was too late! but Congrats! I would love to work with the Juveniles, but that facility is way to far away from me. You never know what to expect from an interview. I have had the 2 hour interview in front of a panel of 5 people where they just grill you for the whole 2 hours, and I have had the interview where the interviewer just talks the whole time and doesn't ask any questions. (I prefer a middle ground :))

Great point about heels, I also wore very low heeled shoes which is different. I was very Happy for that choice when we walked around the whole facility!

So are you going to take it if they offer it, or do you have other interviews scheduled?

ScrappinSpidey · Mar 29, 2010

Thanks!! :) I think I will take it. Im very interested in a portion of the population and they have a need for me in that area. The interviewer and I talked a bit about it and Im very excited and hopeful. There are some downsides but at this point Im okay with them and still willing to take the job and see where it takes me. I just hope they do offer it. I have had a horrible experience with this whole job hunt/offer experience.

Lynn/BW