INTERVIEW PREPARATION

Before the Interview:

Preparation is the first essential step towards a successful interview. Here are some
pointers to help you at this stage:
Know the correct address and time of the interview, the interviewers full
name, the correct pronunciation and her/his title.
If you need to supply documents remember to double check that you have all
of them.
If you need to supply verbal referee details, please make sure you have the
name, title, address and phone number, email/fax.
Research online the hospital or health service you are being interviewed by
and ensure you have some knowledge of its size, make up and capabilities.
Read through any information sent to you by your Medacs Healthcare
consultant.
You will meet a consultant for Medacs Healthcare before your interview they
are there to help you and so please talk to them about any concerns and feel
free to ask any questions.

The Interview
You are being interviewed because the interviewer wants to hire staff - not because
they want to trip you up or embarrass you. During the interview, they will be
searching for your strong and weak points, evaluating you on your qualifications,
skills and experience and they will probably probe to determine your attitudes, skills,
stability, motivation and maturity.
Once the interview has commenced ensure you listen carefully to the
questions and if you are unsure ask the interviewer to repeat the question, or
if you don't understand the question don't be afraid of saying so.
An interview is an opportunity to sell yourself. Some people are
uncomfortable about talking about themselves - but be prepared as that is
why you are being interviewed - to find out more about you, so be persuasive!
Questions generally will be about your career background and experience,
your clinical knowledge, and the type of person you are. Areas such as
managing stress in the workplace, previous conflict with other team members
and what you do to relax can also be asked about.
An interview is also an opportunity for you to find out more about your
prospective employer, a general rule of thumb is that you should have three
or four questions prepared for the interviewers.
When the interview is drawn to an end, ensure you thank the interviewers for
their time and the opportunity of speaking with them.
Typical strengths employers look for are:

Communication - the ability to get on with a wide range of people

Team working - the ability to be an effective team leader or team member
IT skills - most jobs these days need some IT skills

Good attitude - hard worker, honest, polite, co-operative

Problem solving - using your initiative to identify solutions
Enthusiasm - employers like someone positive
Quick learner - so you can take on new tasks
Determination - shows you are focused on achieving goals
Flexibility - doing a variety of tasks to achieve a common goal.

Example Interview Questions:

Be prepared to answer questions such as:

Tell me about yourself and how you came to enter the nursing profession?
Why do you want to come and work for this hospital?
What do you want from your next career move?
What areas/specialty(ies) are you interested in working in? What do you enjoy
about it?
Where do you see yourself in five years time? Why?
What are your strengths? What are you really good at?
What are your major weaknesses? What have you done to improve them?
Would previous colleagues recommend you? What do you think they would
say?
How do you keep yourself up-to-date?
How do you deal with stress?
What research have you looked at recently and how would you apply this to
your practise?
What does teamwork mean to you?
What does accountability mean to you?
How would you describe your style of leadership?

Behavioural Questions:
Tell me about an occasion when you were in an emergency situation; what
happened, what was the outcome?
If you discovered a colleague had given the wrong type/dosage of medicine to
a patient what would you do?
You are looking to implement a change of practise or bring in a new idea.
How do you persuade your colleagues that this would be worthwhile? Do you
have an example to illustrate this?
Clinical Scenario Questions:
You may be asked to describe how you would care for a patient with a specific
medical condition for example:

Can you describe the initial nursing assessments you would make on a
patient admitted with a 6 hour history of central chest pain, who is sweating
profusely and appears to be having difficulty in breathing. From this
assessment, discuss the plan of nursing care, which you would draw up for
the next 24 hours.

What are the clinical presenting signs of sepsis?

Questions for You to Ask:

Please do think of your own questions remember we send this sheet to all the
candidates and the interview panel do not want to hear the same questions!

Specifics about the hospital and the services offered

Shift and rota patterns
Anticipated induction or orientation program
Opportunities for specialist courses and professional development

Remember BPL Healthcare are here to help you with relocation and immigration so
questions related to these subjects are best saved for the consultant you meet.
Some "Do's" and "Don'ts" Concerning Interviews

Do plan to arrive on time or a few minutes early.

Dress professionally.
If you have been sent application and occupational health forms, please
complete these neatly and completely, and take with you to your interview.
Do greet the interviewer using her/his first name.
Do shake hands firmly.
Do look the interviewer in the eye while you talk to her/him.
Dont answer questions with a "yes" or "no". Expand and explain whenever
possible giving details about yourself and your experience, which relate to the
position.
Don't bring up negative things like having a dispute with a colleague or your
boss. And don't criticise previous employers.
Do be honest and truthful.
Try hard to relax and smile!

Helpful Websites about Nursing in the UK

It is a good idea to look at some of the current issues and policies related to nursing
in the UK. Interviewers will be impressed if you can talk about research you have
read recently or you may find a question to ask the panel at the end of the interview
related to a specific policy.
www.rcn.org.uk
www.nursingtimes.net
www.nmc-uk.org
www.nursingstandard.rcnpublishing.co.uk
www.emergencynurse.rcnpublishing.co.uk
http://www.nhs.uk/aboutnhs/Pages/About.aspx