What NOT To Do In Your Next Job Interview
You’re educated and experienced or maybe you’re just educated and looking for your first full-time job in nursing. Making the right impression is always important on any job interview. And since nursing intertwines skills and personality, that first impression is even more important.
The American Nurses Association offers five tips for what you should do on an interview. You can read those, but make sure you understand what you should NOT do as well. Those tips are listed here:
Nod your head and don’t ask questions
There is no better time to ask questions than at the job interview. If something is mentioned that you don’t quite understand fully, ask for more details. Nodding your head is usually interpreted as you understand and agree.
While showing curiosity is a positive, be careful not to feel too comfortable and begin asking questions that are premature (Is orthodontics covered by your insurance?) or truly don’t matter (What payroll system do you use?). This can be avoided by staying in the moment and exploring aspects that matter to your career or work fulfillment.
Show up in scrubs
Of course, you wouldn’t do this, but the point is that you should show up in clothes that say you respect this interview and the interviewer, and that you will bring a certain level of professionalism to the position. Forbes published an entire article about what NOT to do on a job interview, and not dressing appropriately was near the top.
The rule of thumb for interviewing is to wear clothes that are comfortable for you, but will likely fit in with what the interviewer will be wearing.
Recite pre-planned statements
It’s always good to prepare, but instead of memorizing what you think you should say, simply keep in mind the concepts you want to introduce to the interview. This will allow your personality to show through, which is very important for a nurse.
Keep in mind, they can see your credentials on a piece of paper but they conduct interviews so they can see you n action and how you communicate and relate. If you feel your nerves may get the best of you, explore ways to calm them before you enter the interview. Check out these tips on how to de-stress before a big interview.
Do you have a secret you’d like to share on how to stay focused yet relaxed during a job interview? Post a comment now to help your fellow nurse colleagues.
