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Look at you go, you big legend. You’ve scored an interview!
Here are some hot tips to help you feel prepared, relaxed and confident during the daunting interview process.
Note: These tips are geared towards in-person individual/group interviews but still relevant for PMCV video interviews.
Prepare
Research
Research potential future workplaces to understand the job you’re applying for. Find out the hospital’s values by reading their mission statement, latest strategic plan or annual report.
- What is it about this health service that stands out to you?
- What programs do they run?
- What new projects are they working on?
Hot tip: The health service will have specific buzzwords or key phrases you could use in your answers.
Prepare answers to common questions
Create a set of questions that you think you may be asked, for example:
- Tell us a little about yourself
- Why do you want to work here?
- What values of this hospital do you most identify with?
- Think about common clinical scenarios you will be asked about. Common themes include patient safety, deterioration, time management, conflict or challenging situations.
- You’ll likely be asked a situation-based questions about how you’ve handled them.
- Explain to us about a time you experienced a challenging clinical situation and how you managed this.
- If you were asked to complete a skill or task you hadn’t done before – what would you do?
A fantastic way to answer situation-based questions is through the STAR method. Break down the question and respond:
- SITUATION – set up your story and provide context
- TASK – talk about your role and responsibilities in this situation
- ACTION – what did you do in this situation?
- RESULT – what was the outcome?
Practice, practice, practice
Practice with a friend or family member to conduct mock interviews. The more you practice, the better prepared you’ll feel.
Dealing with nerves
- It’s ok to be nervous, nerves show you care. You can turn it around and use it as an ice-breaker – Thanks so much for this interview, I’m nervous but also excited for this opportunity to meet you…
- Take some deep breaths or take a sip of water (bring a drive bottle) if you need a moment to think about your response before answering.
- If you’ve missed something or aren’t sure, you can simply say – could you please repeat that question again? It’s always better to be confident in what you are answering rather than trying to wing it.
- If you get a little lost or feel like you haven’t quite answered the question – ask! ‘Was there any part of that question I didn’t quite answer?’
What to wear
- Smart/business casual is a good starting point, adding a touch of colour or personality is a nice idea. It’s important to feel like yourself, but don’t go overboard.
- Think comfortable, clean and presentable.
- If its in-person, check if your shoes need a clean or polish.
- If its online, still dress up top to toes, there might be a situation where you need to stand up or shut the door, don’t get caught out in your PJ bottoms.
Do you know where you’re going?
- Map out the location, how you will get there, parking etc – before interview day.
- Put in some buffer time to make sure if there are issues on the way (train delays, accidents, etc) – you won’t be stressed!
- Life happens, if there are issues or you are going to be late – have a contact number saved in your phone and let them know how late you will be
Test your tech for online interviews
Complete a technology check before your scheduled interview. We recommend jumping on a pretend video call with a friend (maybe a fellow student) to make sure that everything is working just the way you would want it to!
- Test your camera
- Check your microphone
- Make sure your device is charged
- Confirm you have a stable internet connection
- Download any required software ahead of time
- Have a backup option in case the worst happens on the day – make sure any required software/apps also ready to go on this
- Don’t rely heavily on your notes – recruiters can tell when you are reading off a screen – it’s not a good look. Having notes with you can be a comfort but keep them short and punchy and as a reminder only.
Group interviews
Recruiters often ask the group scenario-based or moral/ethical questions to learn how you’d manage the situation. They’ll be listening to not just the content of your answers but looking for an overall approach of how you work within a team.
- Introduce yourself and ask your group member’s names if you haven’t met them before.
- Be friendly, actively listen to others and speak with confidence.
- It can be a tricky balance. You don’t want to overtake the conversation or dominate discussion, but you also can’t be a wallflower.
- Communication is a key component of nursing and midwifery. Pay close attention to what others are saying, acknowledge their name, their points of view and build on their comments by adding your own thoughts.
- Look out for the ones who haven’t spoken up and ask for their thoughts e.g. Hey Maria, what do you think about this approach?
- Be aware of your body language. Make eye contact. You want to be interested, approachable, open and friendly, to encourage sparkling conversation.
- Be yourself, use appropriate humour if that is your vibe, and try to think of this awkwardly forced collaboration as a friendly chat with fellow grads in the tea room.
The idea is they want to see how you’d work on the wards with your colleagues, so approach it like a work situation.
Relax, be yourself and remember it’s also an opportunity for you to get a sense if this workplace will be right for you. Have your own questions ready for them. For instance, you could ask about career progression opportunities, support, and education.
It’s never a bad idea to follow up with an email expressing your gratitude for the opportunity to meet them and thanking them for their time.
Good luck team 😊
