How to nail Nursing Interview
INTERVIEW TIPS for New and Experienced NURSES
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what's up guys it's nurse Blake here and I just wanted to take a few moments to
share with you tips for a successful interview this is a critical part of
your nursing journey and it's always good to have some things in your back
pocket whenever it comes to interviewing
so I've been in health care since I was 17 years old I've worked as a patient
transporter that was my first job in healthcare it was so much fun being able
to really have a good time with the patients you know race him down the
hallways and I would just go all over the place I had friends throughout the
whole Hospital it was so much fun and then after that I got a job as a
surgical assistant where I helped press the bars and then also clean them up you
know after the procedure was done and then I got a job in the neuro ICU as a
patient care tech I worked along with some of the coolest nurses and it was
really good experience because I was going to nursing school and also
learning so much at the bedside graduated nursing school and then I've
held three nursing jobs since then so I've had my share of interviews at first
I was so nervous but through each and every one I've had I've gotten a lot of
practice and a lot of experience and that's what I wanted to share with you
guys today tips that I've learned failures
successes that I've had in my interviews that will help empower you when you go
in for your next nursery what's start off by being yourself this
is one of the most easiest things to say but one of the hardest things to do
because a lot of times you could be nervous in the interview feel
uncomfortable but it's all about the first five minutes kind of breaking that
ice so smile laugh tell a joke share personal story don't you talk about the
weather outside get used this time to really get yourself comfortable and it
will also help the people on the other side of the table be comfortable too and
then be yourself just be you the people who are interviewing you they were in
your shoes before so try to not let them really
timid 8u and really they're just looking for someone who's authentic and that
could be with their patients and also the team and really fit in with the
group so definitely be yourself and don't be over rehearsed or over practice
do your research and what this means is do your research on the organization and
unit you're applying for every organization has a mission goal and
vision and you guys should know these and understand these before you're going
into the interview because you could use a little bit of their mission and vision
and some of your talking points okay they may say how do you know about the
organization and you'll be able to give some feedback and share knowledge that
you've already done research on and then do research on your unit what do they
specialize in have they received any awards are they magnet accredited and
this will also help you score some brownie points so do your research on
the organization and unit that you're applying for this is the fun part and
this is something you should always have and you could really start building this
in nursing school and it is your own personal portfolio about your
experiences in school and also jobs so mine's a little boring but you could
dress yours up a little bit and really show your personality and make sure you
have a few of these because after every interview you should leave it behind and
give it to the person interviewing you so they can show their team it'll also
be something that they'll be able to remember you guys so in a portfolio
again have fun there should be a lot of fun to make one of these and you'll be
able to you're done making it you'll be able to see all the work you have
accomplished and it will help you feel more confident going into that interview
so in a portfolio always have your resume first and then have a list of
references and also throw a few recommendation letters in there that
always makes you look really good followed by that should be your
certifications so you have your nursing license in there your pals your CPR your
ACLs make sure you include those certifications in here because over
you stand out after that you should have any cool research you've done or any
papers you've written followed by community service that you've done in
school or outside of school and then show a list of any professional
organizations you've been in what's great about this is even if you forget
about one of your accomplishments you could reference it in the interview and
go through it with them you know this is what I did really cool this is I
participated in this nursing organization I volunteer here at this
point it really it should be something that showcases you and that you'll be
able to show off a little bit remember leave this with them this would be
something that they'll be able to remember you by and also reference it
back and they'll also share it with the other team members so they can get a
glimpse of what their future coworker is going to be like so have a portfolio
have about five or six of these take them to every every interview you have
so again in the portfolio should be your resume your references and
recommendation letters certification so pal CPR ACLs CCRN you should have any
cool research or papers you've written this could be things you get in school
or outside of school any volunteer service or community service you've done
and also any membership to professional organizations you're in make sure to
include those keywords remember and note some key words that you want to remember
and say and bring up during your interview and a list of my
recommendations are teamwork and collaboration because as a nurse you
have to work with different departments so definitely throw those words in
through your interview effective and efficient healthcare organizations want
to know that you're effective in your work irresponsible and you're also
efficient also mention cultural competent care and also patient-centered
care they're really really like those so any types of words that you have that
you want to remember and reference or bring out during your interview make a
list try remember them jot them down on some
notes and again my recommendations are words like cultural competent care
patient-centered care teamwork collaboration responsible
effective and efficient and just bringing those up throughout your
interview will make you sound pretty good so practice interview questions you
can check out the website nurse play comm and reference the tips for
successful interview article and you'll be able to see a list of some examples
that I have with interview questions always start at the beginning a middle
and an end and make sure you always end every answer with something positive
because you always want to leave them on a positive note and then silence is okay
it's okay to take your breath and relax and really think about your answer
before it starts coming out of your mouth so silence is okay don't be scared
of silence so I think there's three types of questions that are asked in
interviews one are pretty generic things like tell me about yourselves why did
you get into nursing and then the second type of question is a little more
specific where they want examples specific examples shared about your past
experience so that would be like describe a time when you disagreed with
your coworker and how is that issue resolved questions like this they want
specifics don't make your answer too short and then don't drag it out either
start it with the beginning middle and end and always end on a positive note
another example of these specific questions would be explain a time when
you went above and beyond your basic responsibilities another one
collaboration is key in healthcare explain the time when you collaborated
with others what was the situation and outcome and the last one for this
specific here we inspire innovation describe a time when you had to be
innovative alright so these are specific questions that really demand specific
answers and like I said silence is okay take your time to really
think about the question always beginning middle and end and always end
on a positive note the third types of questions they ask in interviews are
unit specific or specialty specific so obviously do some research on the unit
you're working on whether that be surgery OB med surg ICU neuro alright
know the content and know what types of patients those are going to be and what
types of healthcare issues this patients or your unit are going to have because
they may ask you specific questions about the care of those patients and
there's something you should know if they ask you why you're getting into
neuro you can't just say oh because I saw it online and I just apply because
any job all right know the details about the specialty
that you're applying for now it's your turn to ask questions and please do ask
questions it shows that you're interested that you want dialogue and
not that you're just out there looking for a job
all right so ask about the nurse patient ratio what is the orientation process to
look like any opportunities to participate in a unit practice counsel
and then always ask when you should expect to hear from them after the
interview and always follow-up so after you leave your interview and you get
back home and you relax don't forget to send an email to the HR coordinator and
also the people interviewing you and thank them for their time away from the
bedside or away from their office just go with you to get to know a little more
about you to see if you'd be a good fit for their team so always write a
thank-you letter if there's anything that you forgot to say or mention you
could also include this so this is kind of your second chance to be in their ear
to share with the things that you did forget that you want them to remember
and then if you were supposed to hear from them in three days but it's been
four days and you're getting anxious go ahead pick up the phone it's okay right
in my friendly email just a reminder that you wanted a staff
sub date alright it's okay to do that it's okay to follow up with them
especially if an expectation of three days was set and then practice this is
key but it also needs to be balanced don't get practice confused with
over-rehearsed because during your interview it's about being yourself
it's not about YOU sounding over rehearsed or being stiff the whole
interview is about being genuine in practice is about being able to slow
down anticipate some questions some key words you want to say practicing just
makes you reflect on your career and journey you've had so far to kind of put
all your thoughts together to go in and take to the interview so so practice
with a family member practice with a friend practice doing your introduction
answering some sample questions put together your portfolio and practice
asking someone else questions so practice is definitely key but it's also
a good balance like I said you never want to sound over rehearse so thank you
guys so much for listening you have this all right it's all about showcasing
yourself and really sharing with them your accomplishments and your goals in
life so enjoy the process you got this please share with me your experiences I
want to hear your feedback let me know how it goes
and if these tips really helped you so thank you guys so much for listening be
sure to share it with all your other nurse and friends and then don't forget
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