Your most thoughtful interview questions.

[24hourshift]

Tell us about the most interesting/meaningful interview questions you've been asked in an interview, or some that you ask in an interview to generate authentic conversation rather than the usual mundane dialog that goes with repetetive interviewing.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

Tell us about the most interesting/meaningful interview questions you've been asked in an interview, or some that you ask in an interview to generate authentic conversation rather than the usual mundane dialog that goes with repetetive interviewing.

My last job interview was just a conversation -- a fun, interesting conversation. I was offered the job on the spot. What did we converse about? The photographs I had in my phone, some of which were over 100 years old, my funniest moment as a nurse, the housing market in the area (the interviewer had just purchased a home), that time I knew I was in over my head and what I did about it, why I wanted to work at that particular institution and what I'd do if I didn't get the job. I actually enjoyed that interview, and I think it was all about the interviewer.

There are the typical interview questions that you get every time -- usually asked by less experienced interviewers or worse, someone that was dragged into the office to do the interview because the manager got hung up elsewhere. That's when you get the stiff, formal "tell me about your biggest weakness."

The last new grad interview I sat in on, my manager just talked to the girl about nursing school, whether she had a job during school, what was her favorite clinical, what was the worst thing that happened to her in clinicals, and what difficult personalities she had experienced. It was all very chatty, not like a formal interview at all. My manager has a great record for picking good team members, so it must work.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

My standard question to ask is "What is the last journal article you've read?"

The most unforgettable response was (in her best Valley Girl voice), "Yeah, well I don't really READ at all."

[24hourshift]

I agree, a simple conversation can tell a lot about a potential employee. Much more than simple questions. But one of our standard ones is "how many days have you missed work in the past 6 months" and "what does an employee own an employer". Interesting dialog.