How to Prepare for Your Job Interview

How to Prepare for Your Job Interview Most nurses change jobs 3 times during their first 7 years of working. That is a good indication that you need to keep your resume up to date. The first thing to keep in mind: Anything you achieve at your current job that is special or out of the ordinary should be documented and remembered. Keep a file of certificates, seminars attended, and awards--anything that makes you stand out from other applicants.

Organizing Prior to sending out resumes, organize your accomplishments, and combine them with the job responsibilities that you currently have. Be sure to include projects that you have assisted on, or unusual cases you have worked with. The general rule of thumb is, if you have been out of school less than 10 years, include a short paragraph of school accomplishments.

You always want to include your school and degree, however if you have been out of school over 10 years, just list the school and degree. Organize your information, starting from the most current, going back. If you are unsure of your resume writing capabilities, it may be advisable to hire a professional to prepare your resume. There are numerous programs and apps to help guide you through, so in most cases preparing it yourself should be just fine. Be sure to do a spell check and grammar check, that is the number one cause of rejection of resumes. Once prepared, it’s advisable to send 5-7 resumes out at a time, waiting 1 week for results. If no response comes, send the next set. Because nurses are in such demand, if you don’t get a response with the second set of resumes, it’s time to have someone go over the resume with you and make sure it is adequate.

Preparing for the Interview When called for an interview, if possible go with the interviewer’s schedule, as you want to be accommodating to them. Make sure you prepare for the day of the interview, allow plenty of time to get ready, and locate where you are going. It is no longer necessary for women to wear skirts, it’s now appropriate for anyone to wear a blazer, and pants with a nice shirt--male or female. Take a few copies of your resume with you just in case the person speaking with you does not have it on hand, or would like a copy for someone else.

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During the Interview First impressions are everything, and if you don’t adhere to that, you will soon realize you have made a mistake. Greet your interviewer with a smile and a firm handshake, be sure to hold any bags in your left hand, leaving your right hand free to shake. Let the interviewer take the lead, however expect them to leave an open area to describe your goals, where you see yourself in 5 years, etc. Have those answers prepared ahead of time so you can offer precise and quick answers. When they ask if you have questions, try to think of at least one, they appreciate you showing an interest. Before you visit this facility, do a little research, and that can come from you in the form of a comment, such as “I know that this is the busiest hospital in this region”. It is fairly common today to have at least two people conducting interviews. If this is the case, be sure to address both parties equally. At the end of the interview, thank the interviewer or interviewers for their time.

If the job is one you have an interest in, follow up with a small thank you card saying you appreciate their time.

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Job Offers You may not get any calls for a while, then all at once you have 4 job offers on the table. Ideally, you should ask if you can consider the offer, and then do some very involved research on the facility. How happy are the employees, check the reviews online, however keep in mind employees that are terminated may not give accurate reviews to a place that let them go.

Check multiple reviews and sites, then average them out. Compare salary, and don’t overlook benefits which is a huge portion of salary in itself.

When you decide which job to take, be respectful of the ones you turned down. Call the person that offered the job, and thank them kindly for the offer, letting them know that you have decided to accept another position.

This not only is the polite thing to do, but it also it keeps the doors open in case the job you accept does not work out.

Good luck!

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