Do These 3 Things In Your Nursing Interview to Set Yourself Apart from the Competition

I interview a lot of nurses. The thing is, although we're in a nursing shortage throughout the nation - depending on where you're applying at, it can still be very competitive. A unit may only have one or two openings, but many candidates apply. 

A nurse is a nurse is a nurse, right? They have similar clinicals, schooling, and degrees. 

Wrong! 

As a nurse manager who hires nurses constantly, there are specific things that set candidates apart. And it's not your GPA or how fancy your resume is. 

If you follow these three basic steps - you will be doing more than the majority of candidates who apply for the position you want.

1. PREPARE

I am always surprised when I interview a nurse who can't provide adequate responses for basic interview questions. Like -  can't articulate strengths and weaknesses. Or unable to come up with decent examples of simple behavioral-based questions. 

And I get it, interviews are very stressful and anxiety-provoking for most people. But not being able to provide a response to questions that aren't that complicated makes me feel like you're not taking this opportunity very seriously. 

This interview is my one chance to get to know you, to understand your unique experiences, to see the type of nurse and employee you're going to be. If you can't even give me a well-rounded response to the question "tell me about yourself" - how can I learn these things? 

The interview is your chance to tell me what I need to know about you. Why I should hire you. What you're going to contribute to my unit, and whether it's going to be better than the other nurse I just interviewed. If you can't tell me about yourself, who is?

2. ASK GOOD QUESTIONS

"That's all the questions I have for you, what questions do you have for me?" 

Phew. It's over. But hold up - this is NOT the time to sit back and take a breather. This is an important part of the interview that many nurses don't prepare for. 

If you get this job, you're about to spend a very large percentage of your time working on this unit. You are going to be spending hours and hours of your time working in a new environment with new coworkers that you know barely anything about. 

How don't you have any questions? This is what I always wonder. Is this person really ready to accept this position and I've told them barely anything about the unit? Aren't they curious about ANYTHING?

And yes, I understand your brain is fried from the stress and mental load of the interview. But you should have at least brought some questions with you to ask about the job.

3. FOLLOW UP

This is just a professional thing to do after the interview. Send a thank you message. A simple email will suffice. To me, this is a no-brainer way to express your gratefulness for the opportunity, and reinforce why you're a strong candidate. 

And I'd say 90% of candidates DON'T do this. And I really can't understand why! All you need to do is ask the recruiter for the manager's email if you don't already have it. 

Then, if it's been over a week and you haven't heard back - you've already established email communication and can send a short line or two to see where they're at with their decision, and if there is any other information they need from you to help them.

So there you have it - no mystical magical advice, just basic concepts that when done effectively will make you shine as a contender!