Job Interviews!

sarahbums
sarahbums Posts: 1,061 Member
I'm a certified nurse assistant and I've got a job fair/hiring event coming up at one of the biggest hospitals in the city. I'm already getting nervous because I *hate* interviews and networking so much. Plus, this will be my first time seeking a "real", full-time job since I finished college 3 years ago, so I'm venturing into uncharted territory here.

Anybody got any expert tips?

or just stories of your funniest/weirdest/most embarrassing/awkward interview moments?

Replies

  • ZodFit
    ZodFit Posts: 394 Member
    I’m not sure how job interviews are in the medical field but I would definitely look up the “STAR method” for answering questions.
  • Annalee82_
    Annalee82_ Posts: 320 Member
    Try to learn as much about the company as you can.

    Have your own questions ready to ask. It's not one-sided.

    Know your strengths and convey them as confidently as you can. Also know your weaknesses and be upfront about them. No one will believe you if you say you don't have any.

    Dress professionally even if you believe the workers there don't. I once interviewed a very qualified person for a position that came in dressed in a tank top and jeans. She did not get the job. In this situation, appearances do matter.

    Be prepared to answer why you haven't had a full time job in the field you went to college for in 3 years. Have you worked within this time frame? Gaps in your resume will be questioned. Just be honest and open.

    If you have someone you can mock interview with to help build your confidence, do so. You can find common interview questions online.

    Good luck!



  • Annalee82_
    Annalee82_ Posts: 320 Member
    And the most awkward interview I ever gave was with a woman that fake broke down and cried in the middle of it. The interview wasn't going well. I knew it, she knew it. Out of no where she just faked sobbing. There were no actual tears. She started begging and telling me everything wrong with her life. I was speechless.

    Don't be that woman. No one will hire you because they won't want to work with you. Be as upbeat as you can even if you're not feeling it.
  • orangegato
    orangegato Posts: 6,570 Member
    edited May 2018
    Weird story. My best friend in college and I interviewed with the same exact person for graduate school. Both of us had pretty bad grades and had a lot of explaining to do. My interview was going terribly and I was getting quite defensive and heated. Eventually, the interview ended and I was feeling pretty bad about the whole thing. I knew I wouldn’t get in. I open the door to leave the room and just then the interviewer stopped me and told me to send him a note about my impression of the interview: good, bad or indifferent. Huh. He basically asked for a Thank You note. So I wrote him a thank you note and told him that I thought the interview went Great and that I was looking forward to being accepted and starting school. I got in, but my friend didn’t.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
    The advice from Annalee82 is on point. Definitely have your own questions to ask. If they seem put off by your questions, they are probably not a quality employer. Come to the interview with the idea that it's as much about whether this company/hospital would be a good fit for you, as whether you would be a good fit for them.

    I always like to talk to myself on the drive to an interview answering potential questions to "hear" how it sounds coming out of my mouth...I know that sounds nuts, but many times I've thought twice about an answer due to hearing that it sounded a bit awkward or inexperienced as I spoke, and changed to something better.

    Definitely be prepared for questions about what you have been doing in the past 3 years since completing your studies. I would urge you not to downplay any work you may have done during that time, but talk it up like it was important experience for you...even if it was part-time and/or volunteer. I have a 2 year gap in my long professional history and the honest answer is I was a freaking mess after some issues in my life and got/quit a bunch of jobs in quick succession and needed counseling to get past a bunch of stuff that happened. But I did have a move involved and volunteered regularly during that time so I focus solely on that stuff during the interview when they grill me about the gap, explaining I had a lot of affairs to handle with the move and that I really gained experience in x, y, and z from my volunteer work during that time. So far I've only had 3 major interviews since then but I could tell all of the interviewers were satisfied with my answer (I'm working at one of them now for the past 5 years).

  • Annalee82_
    Annalee82_ Posts: 320 Member
    One more thing. I don't know how old you are, and this should be obvious but surprisingly it's not. Do NOT have your mom call for a follow up.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
    Annalee82_ wrote: »
    One more thing. I don't know how old you are, and this should be obvious but surprisingly it's not. Do NOT have your mom call for a follow up.

    Oh my lord. Really??

    I worked in HR for a very long time and never ran across that. Actually I never came across that even when I managed retail stores and very young staff, but that was more than a decade ago, so I suppose things have changed. WOW!! Awful.

    I do think it's crazy how many women send in cover letters talking about the joys of being a stay at home mom or have an objective that is all about flexible hours to be at home with their kids, when the job posting is a standard Mon-Fri position. Not that I would condone discrimination against people with kids of course but whoa, blew my mind how often that was mentioned.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
    orangegato wrote: »
    Weird story. My best friend in college and I interviewed with the same exact person for graduate school. Both of us had pretty bad grades and had a lot of explaining to do. My interview was going terribly and I was getting quite defensive and heated. Eventually, the interview ended and I was feeling pretty bad about the whole thing. I knew I wouldn’t get in. I open the door to leave the room and just then the interviewer stopped me and told me to send him a note about my impression of the interview: good, bad or indifferent. Huh. He basically asked for a Thank You note. So I wrote him a thank you note and told him that I thought the interview went Great and that I was looking forward to being accepted and starting school. I got in, but my friend didn’t.

    That is super weird!

    My craziest interview story is when I went in for an interview immediately after college and accidentally sat down in my interviewer's chair instead of on the other side of his desk. It was confusing because it was a sparse & modern office and the desk was angled toward the door so I just couldn't tell which spot was meant for me. He let me stay there anyway. I quickly determined it was more of collections work and I sort of laughed and told him I wasn't interested at all. He thanked me for my candor, then asked me out to dinner and I agreed - there were no fireworks but we are still friends to this day.
  • Annalee82_
    Annalee82_ Posts: 320 Member
    Annalee82_ wrote: »
    One more thing. I don't know how old you are, and this should be obvious but surprisingly it's not. Do NOT have your mom call for a follow up.

    Oh my lord. Really??

    I worked in HR for a very long time and never ran across that. Actually I never came across that even when I managed retail stores and very young staff, but that was more than a decade ago, so I suppose things have changed. WOW!! Awful.

    I do think it's crazy how many women send in cover letters talking about the joys of being a stay at home mom or have an objective that is all about flexible hours to be at home with their kids, when the job posting is a standard Mon-Fri position. Not that I would condone discrimination against people with kids of course but whoa, blew my mind how often that was mentioned.

    I don't work in HR. They go through them and then to me. I think some people save their crazy until they get out of HRs way or they'd never make it any further. lol But yeah, I've had it happen a couple times. I think kids are used to their parents handling so much for them that they haven't properly learned how to do things on their own even if they're 24.
  • orangegato
    orangegato Posts: 6,570 Member
    orangegato wrote: »
    Weird story. My best friend in college and I interviewed with the same exact person for graduate school. Both of us had pretty bad grades and had a lot of explaining to do. My interview was going terribly and I was getting quite defensive and heated. Eventually, the interview ended and I was feeling pretty bad about the whole thing. I knew I wouldn’t get in. I open the door to leave the room and just then the interviewer stopped me and told me to send him a note about my impression of the interview: good, bad or indifferent. Huh. He basically asked for a Thank You note. So I wrote him a thank you note and told him that I thought the interview went Great and that I was looking forward to being accepted and starting school. I got in, but my friend didn’t.

    That is super weird!

    My craziest interview story is when I went in for an interview immediately after college and accidentally sat down in my interviewer's chair instead of on the other side of his desk. It was confusing because it was a sparse & modern office and the desk was angled toward the door so I just couldn't tell which spot was meant for me. He let me stay there anyway. I quickly determined it was more of collections work and I sort of laughed and told him I wasn't interested at all. He thanked me for my candor, then asked me out to dinner and I agreed - there were no fireworks but we are still friends to this day.

    Wow. That’s unexpected!
  • jaycanchu
    jaycanchu Posts: 265 Member
    Sell yourself! Don’t be afraid to be somewhat aggressive during the interview, ask questions, and let them know why the biggest mistake they’ll make that day is not remembering you.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
    newmeadow I think that is a little harsh but VERY helpful.

    I do not work in the medical field but I have to admit I was confused about a college degree versus CNA certificate.
  • km8907
    km8907 Posts: 3,861 Member
    newmeadow wrote: »
    newmeadow I think that is a little harsh but VERY helpful.

    I do not work in the medical field but I have to admit I was confused about a college degree versus CNA certificate.

    I didn't mean to be gratuitously harsh. It's just that I don't know if this would be the OP's first CNA job or if she's experienced already. I know she's highly educated and could definitely be doing other things because she's mentioned it in other threads.

    Healthcare work is service work, and when you're on the front lines and at the bottom of the pecking order (healthcare is very hierarchical and sorry, CNAs are at the bottom of the chain of command) it's a very cut and dry, no nonsense work culture. LPNs are the next step up on the ladder, then RNs with a non associates hospital program education, then RNs with an associates, then RNs with a bachelors, then RNs with a masters.

    Even though the front lines are the lowest in the chain of command and also pay the lowest hourly rate, for people who genuinely like direct patient care, these will be the positions such people will want to be working in anyway. They'll be the ones who will be remembered by the patient and the patient's family members as the ones who did what mattered most and who represent what "healthcare" really means in a nursing home or hospital setting.

    If she's experienced already she knows all this. If not, it's better to hear it beforehand instead of finding out the hard way.

    Maybe she just wanted to start this thread so people could talk about their job interview stories, I don't know.

    ^this. Incredibly high turnover also. My first CNA job I was hired on the spot and had to do a drug test in office and started working that night.
  • WorkerDrone83
    WorkerDrone83 Posts: 3,195 Member
    I don't know anything about CNAs, but I second the recommendation for using the STAR method. It's frustrating to hear an interviewee NOT answer a question when they're doing so well. Good luck!
  • MrSith
    MrSith Posts: 1,636 Member
    Confidence not cocky with a willingness to learn.
  • xFunctionalStrengthx
    xFunctionalStrengthx Posts: 4,928 Member
    I'm a consultant, so I'm always interviewing every 1-2 years, if not sooner. Best thing I can say is to just be yourself. Be real, and talk about what you've done, your experiences and what you can bring to the company to help them achieve their goals.

    Keep it simple.
  • RachelElser
    RachelElser Posts: 1,049 Member
    Dress to kill! (figuratively) I always feel more confident when I know I look sharp.