Tips for Interview Success as a New Grad
You have applied for positions, now it’s time to interview. Congratulations! Maybe this is your first interview, maybe you’ve worked before, but let’s focus on how you ace that nursing position you are hoping for. Do your research first! If you’re applying to a hospital, what is its mission statement? What are their views on patient care? What do reviews from the public say online? You want to go in semi-knowledgeable about what you are walking into. You can always call and speak with a nursing recruiter prior to applying. If you are unfamiliar with the institution, ask what kind of floors/patients/specialty areas are there and then you can make a better-informed decision when applying for specific openings.
Dress the part. Be the part. You are now a licensed professional. You should not go to any nursing interview wearing scrubs. While we live in our scrubs on the units, it does not send the message of “I am a nursing professional” while interviewing. You don’t need to drop hundreds of dollars on a new wardrobe, but invest in a few classic styles that you can always use for interviews down the road. Let’s be honest, nurses assess people and situations constantly. This means the person you are interviewing will be assessing you and your appearance. You only get one chance to make a first impression so make it the best.
Think thoughtfully. You should be prepared to ask a few questions of the manager you are interviewing with. Many people respond with “I don’t think I have any questions.” This may be due to nerves, due to simply blanking, but nevertheless you should always ask at least 3 questions. For example, what are the unit goals, what are the strengths and weaknesses of the unit, and what do patient satisfaction scores look like on the unit. It is imperative to ask about staffing ratios, meaning nurse to patient, and what a new nursing orientation looks like. You are a new grad, brand new. You learned what you needed to know to pass boards. You do not know everything, and it is going to take time and practice to learn the art of nursing. You should have a well-planned orientation, a seasoned preceptor (hard to come by these days), and specific goals for working towards obtaining skills and experiences on a unit. That alone should help prompt questions you may want to ask while interviewing.
Next, inquire about shadowing on the unit. This will allow you to be paired with a nurse and see how the unit flows, patient care, and ask that nurse questions about their satisfaction on the unit. You probably wouldn’t buy a brand-new car without ever test driving it right? Don’t accept a position without seeing the unit or shadowing. Most hospitals are happy to allow for shadowing and many specialty areas, like NICU, PICU, may even require this prior to offering you a position.
Be prepared to discuss your weaknesses and strengths. Think long and hard about clinical feedback you received in school. Remember those weekly evaluations? This is where they come in handy! Always acknowledge a weakness as room to grow. For example, I am a type A personality who is a perfectionist. If you were to ask me to describe one of my weaknesses I would say” I am a perfectionist, I strive to do my best, and to always meet others’ expectations. I acknowledge that I can often be very hard on myself, and I am working on giving myself a measure of grace.” True weakness is not always a bad thing, and I acknowledge how I strive to make that into a strength.
Working as a faculty member I have been on my fair share of search committees and interviews, I love those candidates who come prepared with questions and copies of their resume, cover letter, or maybe a sample of their work/feedback. It is something tangible I can look at and it usually tells me a lot about the candidate who is interviewing. Can I view these items online, sure. However, I appreciate that the candidate is thinking forward and printing them for me, handing them to me, and wants me to see in black and white their accomplishments.
Lastly, strive to make all application materials error free. I struggle when I see typos and spelling mistakes. We don’t want to work with sloppy nurses, or those who rush through tasks. Take the time to have friends or family review your materials before submitting because another set of eyes can be your best friend! Make sure if you have a generic cover letter, as many people do, it does not contain names of other institutions you have applied for. Honestly, that is just tacky! Again, proof-read and ask others to do the same. As I mentioned above if you have read the mission statement of core values of the hospital, include them in the cover letter. It doesn’t have to be anything long or complex. It shows you took the time to do your research and you are vested in this potential opportunity.
Be yourself, who you are should shine through. Make eye contact, speak clearly, be sure to thank the search committee for their time, and be present. You can do this!