We would like to acknowledge Nicole Nash-Arnold, founder of Nurse Manager HQ for allowing us to republish her LinkedIn post about mistakes made in interviews by nurses. 

“Of the hundreds and hundreds of nursing interviews I’ve done, there are 5 top mistakes that nurses during interviews that kill their chances of securing that job. This is the only chance that the panel has an opportunity to get a sense of who you are, and if you’re making these mistakes, then there’s only one thing the panel can do: err on the safe side and look for the next candidate.

To talk through these observations of mine, I get together with career development expert, Paul Armstrong from Inner Sanctum Consulting, to find out how nurses can avoid these mistakes.

Take look at my 60 minute webinar on the Nurses For Nurses Network on how to nail that interview.”

The 5 tips are:

1. Making a remarkable first impression to show that you perfect for the role. It can be achieved by displaying confidence with good posture, eye contact, strong voice, and even engaging in small talk.
2. Answering questions with specific and concise answers, and avoid giving too much information.
3. Making a thorough preparation and never hesitate to clarify the questions.
4. Preparing the answers for particular questions like prediction of where you are in ten years.
5. When asked, “Do you have any questions for us?”, consider asking about flexibility, and even the possibility to take a day off when needed on situations related to your children. In short, try not to ask about salary or philosophical questions.

Nicole Nash-Arnold is a nursing career coach who helps great nurses transform into respected leaders. She shares her 15 years of experience in both senior and executive health leadership roles to germinate great leadership. Clinically, Nicole has over ten years perioperative experience before moving into her nurse educator and management roles. She has post-graduate qualifications in perioperative nursing and currently a Masters in Nursing. Nicole is a member of the International Coaches Federation, Australasian College of Health Services Managers as well as the Nursing Professional Association of Queensland.

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