Alice, your Graduate and Final Year Student Support Officer
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.
Research
Research potential future workplaces to understand the job you’re applying for. Find out the hospital’s values by reading their mission statement. What is it about this health service that stands out to you? What programs do they run?
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 scenarios you might be asked about: patient safety, deterioration, time management, conflict or challenging situations. You’ll likely be asked a situation-based questions about how you’ve handled them.
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
- Its ok to be nervous, nerves show you care about the role.
- You can mention in your interview – Thanks so much for this interview, I am very nervous but also excited for this opportunity to meet you
- Take some deep breaths – you’ve got this
- Bring a drink bottle with you and take a sip if you need a moment to think about your response before answering.
- If you missed something or aren’t sure, you can simply say – do you mind repeating that question again? It’s always better to be confident in what you are answering rather than trying to wing it.
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, just don’t go overboard.
- Think comfortable, clean and presentable.
- If its in-person, check if your shoes need a polish.
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.
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.
Group interviews
Recruiters often ask a scenario-based question or a moral/ethical question and ask the group how you’d manage this 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 their name 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. 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.
