Sample Interview Questions
- Why did you decide to become a nurse?
- Why did you choose this area of nursing?
- What do you know about our organization? Why do you want to work in our hospital and/or community?
- What qualities or skills do you possess that will be an asset to you for quickly adapting to the demands of your working environment?
- What part(s) of your nursing education did you enjoy the most? What have you learned about yourself while in nursing school?
- What have you done in nursing school that has shown initiative?
- What does professionalism mean to you?
- What nursing organizations do you belong to and how do you stay current in the profession?
- What key skills are needed to be an excellent nurse? How have you developed these skills?
- What do you value most in a job?
- Describe your relationship with your last manager or supervisor.
- What type of work environment do you thrive in and what was your best work situation and why?
- How would you describe your work ethic and approach towards nursing?
- What kinds of management style do you like the most, the least, why?
- Describe a situation where you had to work in a team. What role did you play? What were the team dynamics like?
- Tell us of a time when you had to give difficult feedback to a coworker.
- How do you ask for feedback about your performance from others?
- Describe a situation in which you had to prioritize your workload when faced with many demands.
- As a nurse you will be in contact with patients with a variety of needs and lifestyles. What kind of patients do you find difficult to work with?
- What strategies do you employ to successfully work with diverse populations?
- At times patients or their families ask us unexpected questions or make unusual requests that we haven’t dealt with before. Tell me about a time when this has happened to you.
- Describe a difficult decision you’ve made and the process you went through to reach that decision.
- How would you handle unexpected circumstances, such as being short staffed or having to perform a treatment you have not done before?
- Tell us about a difficult situation you have experienced in a clinical or work setting. How did you handle it, what did you learn from it, and how would you implement what you learned in a positive way in the future?
- Health care is a service-oriented industry. Tell us of a time you personally created good customer service experience for someone.
- Please give an example of when you have offered respect and caring to a patient or a coworker.
- How would you describe your weaknesses in terms of clinical skills, and what do you need from us to help address developing those skills?
- Tell me about a clinical mistake you made, and what you learned from the experience.
- What approach would you take in explaining a complex clinical issue with a patient who does not have a clinical background?