Unexpected phone interview...

Nurses Job Hunt

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I got a call this morning "do you have time for a brief phone interview" of course I said yes! That being said I was so unprepared and not sure I did well. What are some things that you would definitely not want to say in an interview or things that would turn them off?

flowerchild89

34 Posts

talking bad about a previous employer, talking too much about salary, asking for days off ALREADY, and use of slang language (maintain professionalism even on the phone) are some that i can think of.

llg, PhD, RN

13,469 Posts

Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

I agree with the poster above and add, "... all the same things that you would not want to say in a face-to-face interview."

Do you think you said anything that would reflect badly on you?

littlenurse23

28 Posts

I think I did ok but not great....she asked why I went into nursing and I said I wanted a challenging career that required a skill in other words something that not just anybody could do and I also talked about my poor health during high school and how I was in the hospital for two whole months (implying that I know what it's like to be the patient) but after I gave answers she was just silent. Like it was just her asking the question, writing down my response and that was it. No comment on what I said at all....it was strange.

Was it HR with a pre-interview set of questions she had to fill out?

Or was it your hiring manager?

Orange Tree

728 Posts

Specializes in Medical Surgical Orthopedic.

That's why I don't answer my phone! Well, that's one reason why...

I got a phone call from a recruiter last week who asked me 20 million questions, but at least I knew who I would be talking to when I called back and wasn't completely put on the spot.

littlenurse23

28 Posts

It was someone from HR and I could hear her typing as I spoke I guess she was typing what I said?

MrChicagoRN, RN

2,597 Posts

Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.

Next time, don't immediately say yes. Buy a few minutes to gather your thoughts, go to the bathroom, take a deep breath, whatever. "Oh, I'd love to, but I just walked in the door. Can I call you back in about 10 minutes?"

suejax

37 Posts

I had those interview before. They asked me what do you know about "adventist healthcare system". I was like.. ummmm... lol.. What kind of questions did they ask you, littlenurse23?

T-Bird78

1,007 Posts

I had a phone interview but she called and we scheduled it for the next morning so I wasn't thrown off. She did this as a pre-screening to see if I'd be worthy of having a face-to-face interview with the facility office manager. It was an outside HR agency that handles resume screenings for this smaller office. She did recommend me for a face-to-face interview which was a 3-part process. I interviewed with the manager of the location I was applying for, the manager of their other location, and the doctor I'd be directly under. They gave me the lab slip for the drug screen and broke down salary and benefit details, but I still didn't get the job.

shadowness

110 Posts

Don't look too far into it. A lot of people get all worked up over how long it will take to get a response and if the person likes them etc etc. The fact is that she was most likely concentrated on typing your answer and didn't have the mental ability to give positive reinforcement. All you can do is wait it out, continue on with other jobs and when the time comes, they will call you. There are hospitals that call back in 1 day and there are hospitals (in my experience) that may take up to 2 weeks. If you don't hear anything back in 1 week follow up and be a pain in the ass. These are busy people and have 500 other things to worry about so it may not always be that they didnt like you but more that they just forgot to get to it. In the end, what is meant to be will happen. I don't think you'd want a hospital to give you a job if they didn't like you or thought you'd be right for the position?

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