NURSING

INTERVIEWS
LOGAN WINKELMAN
PURPOSE OF AN
INTERVIEW
The purpose of an interview is to convince the employer that
you are the most qualified candidate for the job and that you
will fit in with the rest of the staff
AND evaluate whether or not this position is right for you.
PREPARING FOR THE
INTERVIEW
Besides having proper credentials in your field, preparation
is the key to interviewing success.

Before interviewing for any job, be sure to prepare

thoroughly.
PREPARING FOR THE
INTERVIEW
Know your personal and professional goals and what you
can contribute to the organization.
Research the organization.
Know your worth.
Review your resume.
Practice your responses to interview questions.
Be aware of illegal interview questions.
Prepare your own questions for the interviewer.
Know your interviewer(s) and type of interview.
YOUR PERSONAL AND
PROFESSIONAL GOALS
Complete a thorough self-assessment
You should know:
• Your strengths/weaknesses, interests, values, etc.
• How your career goals are compatible with the objectives of
the position and mission of the organization
• If this position aligns with what you are seeking in your career

The UCC offers career assessments such as the StrengthsQuest,

Meyers Briggs, and Strong Interest Inventory to help you assess
these areas!
USING STRENGTHQUEST
IN INTERVIEWING
What are your strengths?
Who are you?

What makes you unique?

Why should I hire you?

What makes you think you are a good leader?

Tell me a little bit about yourself

What are you good at?

Describe yourself.
USING STRENGTHQUEST
IN INTERVIEWING
Review your StrengthsQuest report
Pick one strength you want to focus on
Read through the paragraph under that identified strength
Highlight a sentence or phrase that “rings true for you”
Think of a time when you used that strength in a professional or
academic setting
USING STRENGTHQUEST
IN INTERVIEWING
Don’t just list off your strengths
• Many employers will not know what this means
Identify 1-3 strengths you would like to discuss
Give SPECIFIC examples that can support your answer
• Example:
One of my top strengths is that I am responsible. I take
psychological ownership of any task that I’m given. In my
current position, I am responsible for planning the Graduate &
Professional School Fair each year in which I have increased
participation by at least 15% consecutively for four years.
USING STRENGTHQUEST
IN INTERVIEWING
• The more specific your example, the more credible it
becomes
• Avoid vague or cliché responses
• Example: I am a hard worker
• Be positive and enthusiastic
• Be clear and concise (don’t talk in circles)
• The better you know yourself the better you can articulate
how your experiences align with the job
• Know the job description
RESEARCH THE
ORGANIZATION
The more you know about a potential employer, the better
Research the organization including:
• its mission
• financial stability
• recent awards and compliance record, etc.
Find out through networking, reviewing online resources,
and by reading articles in journals, newspapers, and
business periodicals.
AFTER YOUR
RESEARCH
You should be able to answer these questions after you have
completed your research:
• What is the reputation of this organization?
• Is it financially sound?
• What is its reputation with regard to treatment of nurses?
• How does it support continuing education?

Be sure to find answers to questions of your own as well.

KNOW YOUR WORTH
Before your interview, you should determine the average
salary and bonus level for the position you’re seeking and
other benefits information that can help you to negotiate
effectively.
• Find out the market value for your skills at similar-sized
organizations in the same geographic area.
• For a first position, you may not have much negotiating room,
however, it’s important to have as much information as
possible.
REVIEW YOUR
RESUME
Because a resume creates an image of who you are, it’s to
your advantage to have one that shows how your experience
makes you a suitable employee.

• Select experiences that you believe are relevant for the

position you are seeking. For example, if the position you are
seeking will include training others, be sure to be able to
discuss any training you’ve provided in the past.

• Remember, anything on your resume is fair game. Be sure

you can effectively explain any statements included and relate
them to the requirements of the position you are seeking.
PRACTICE, PRACTICE,
PRACTICE!
Prior to the interview, you should decide what you want to
communicate so that the employer understands your
capabilities, experience, achievements, and skills.
TYPES OF QUESTIONS
Overall, most interview questions come from an employer’s
concern with three basic questions:
• What can you do for us?
• Why do you want to work with us?
• What are you like once we’ve gotten to know you?
TYPICAL INTERVIEW
QUESTIONS
Tell me about yourself. How have your educational and
work experience prepared you for
Why did you select a nursing
this position?
career?
How would a supervisor describe
Why are you interested in our
you?
organization?
Describe what you feel to be an
What are your strengths?
ideal working environment.
Weaknesses?
Describe what you believe to be an
Why should I hire you?
ideal supervisor.
What are your most significant
What work experience has been
accomplishments?
the most valuable to you and why?
What are your short-term and
What has been your greatest
long-term career goals?
challenge?
What kind of compensation are
What else should I know about
you looking for?
you?
BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEW
QUESTIONS
Describe a stressful clinical situation
and how you handled it.
Tell me about a situation in which you
Describe an encounter with an angry had to work with someone with whom
or frustrated patient and family you were uncomfortable. Describe the
member and how you handled it. working relationship that developed
and your influence on this
Describe the most challenging patient relationship.
experience you’ve had. Explain why.
What is your definition of leadership,
Give me an example of how you and why do you feel it is important?
handled rapid or unexpected change. How have you demonstrated
Tell me about a time when you had to leadership? Tell me about a situation
build motivation or team spirit with in which you should have shown
members of a work group. more leadership than you did.
Tell me about a time when you Tell me about an important goal you
received difficult (or less than set for yourself and how you were
positive) feedback from your successful in achieving it.
supervisor. How did you respond to
the feedback? What changes did you
implement as a result?
BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEW
QUESTIONS: STAR METHOD
The STAR method is a structured manner of responding to a behavioral-based
interview question by discussing the specific situation, task, action, and result of
the situation you are describing.
Situation: Describe the situation that you were in or the task that you needed to
accomplish. Be sure to give enough detail for the interviewer to understand. This
situation can be from a previous job, from a volunteer experience, or any relevant
event.
Task: What goal were you working toward?
Action: Describe the actions you took to address the situation with an appropriate
amount of detail and keep the focus on YOU. What specific steps did you take and
what was your particular contribution? Be careful that you don’t describe what the
team or group did when talking about a project, but what you actually did. Use the
word “I,” not “we” when describing actions.
Result: Describe the outcome of your actions and don’t be shy about taking credit
for your behavior. What happened? How did the event end? What did you
accomplish? What did you learn? Make sure your answer contains positive results.
ILLEGAL INTERVIEW
QUESTIONS
Be aware that various federal, state, and local laws regulate
the questions prospective employers can ask.
If you are asked an illegal question, you have three options.
• First you are free to answer.
• Second, you can refuse to answer the question.
• Third, you can examine the intent behind the question and
respond with an answer as it might apply to the job.
• For instance, if your interviewer asks, “Who is going to take
care of your children when you have to travel?” You might
answer, “I can meet the travel and work schedule that this job
requires.”
EXAMPLES OF ILLEGAL
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Are you a US citizen?
Where were your parents born?
What is your native tongue?
How old are you?
What is your birth date?
What is your marital status?
With whom do you live?
Do you plan to have a family?
When?
How many kids do you have?
What are your child care
arrangements?
To what clubs or social
organizations do you belong?
How tall are you? How much do
you weigh?
Do you have any disabilities?
What is your medical history?
Have you had any recent or
past illnesses or operations?
How is your family’s health?
Have you ever been arrested?
If you have been in the military,
were you honorably
discharged?
PREPARE YOUR OWN
QUESTIONS
Even though for most of the interview you are responding to
the interviewer’s queries, keep in mind that the meeting is a
two-way street — you are also interviewing the employer.
Note that it isn’t an interrogation, but a conversation.
COMMON QUESTIONS ASKED
BY THE INTERVIEWEE
Describe a typical day on
the job.
Is there room for
advancement?—be careful
here. You don’t want to sound like you
see this position only as a stepping
stone.
Describe the ideal
candidate for this job.
To whom would I report,
and what is his/her
supervisory style?
What are the training
opportunities?
How is performance
evaluated and how often?
How does this position fit
into the organizational
structure?
What are the primary tasks
of this position?
KNOW YOUR
INTERVIEWER(S)
During the phone call to set up the interview, find out the names
and titles of all the people with whom you will be meeting.
• Get correct spelling and pronunciation

Know the type, location, and length of the interview, if possible.

TYPES OF
INTERVIEWS
Screening interview
• Typically over the phone or video interview

Selection interview
• Typically the second interview after phone interview, usually
face-to-face

Series or panel interview

• Meet with several staff members individually or in a panel

Utilize Optimal Resume, a platform to practice video

interviews
OTHER TYPES OF
INTERVIEWS
Group
• Generally includes a panel or a single interviewer meeting with a group of
interviewees in the same room
Video
• (Skype, Google Hangouts, etc.) Cost-effective way to prescreen candidates.
You may do this from home or from a company’s remote location.
Case
• Generally used by management and consulting firms. The intent is to require
interviewees to demonstrate knowledge in the subject area, analytical
abilities, and problem-solving skills.
Text-based
• Is differentiated from video-based online interviews because it uses any or all
of the text options, such as email, instant messaging, chatrooms, and
discussion boards.
Interviews over meals
• The interviewee is in a public place and must present his or her skills for the
job as well as interact socially.
REMEMBER THE
BASICS
Get a good night’s sleep and eat properly
Dress appropriately for the interview
Know where you’re going and arrive 15 minutes early
Remember to follow-up with a personalized thank you note
Be friendly, positive, and prepared
MY CONTACT INFO

Logan Winkelman, M.Ed., LPC

Logan.winkelman@ttu.edu
806-742-2210
ANSWERING THE
WEAKNESS QUESTION
Be honest, but be careful not to volunteer negative
information that could prevent you from getting the job
Discuss a non-essential skill
Emphasize how you have improved
Avoid cliché answers
• Perfectionism
• Saying “no”
ANSWERING THE
WEAKNESS QUESTION
Examples:
• Being organized wasn't my strongest point, but I implemented
a time management system that helped my organization
skills.
• Sometimes, I spend more time than necessary on a task or
take on tasks personally that could easily be delegated to
someone else. Although I've never missed a deadline, it is still
an effort for me to know when to move on to the next task,
and to be confident when assigning others work.
• I used to like to work on one project to its completion before
starting on another, but I've learned to work on many projects
at the same time, and I think it allows me to be more creative
and effective in each one.