The day before your big nursing interview can be a stressful time. Often, you’re wondering what to expect and may be nervous about meeting the hiring manager. Some anxiety is perfectly normal, so it isn’t necessarily a sign of trouble ahead, but it’s also a signal that you should dedicate some time to getting yourself ready. Adequate preparation will allow your morning to run smoothly and help to relieve some of your concerns.
Here’s what you need to do the day before to ensure you’re ready to ace your nursing interview.
Pick Your Outfit
No one likes the panicked feeling that comes along with not knowing what to wear, and certainly not on the morning of an important interview. To ensure you aren’t scrambling to get ready before you head out the door, lay out your outfit the night before. You’ll have time to choose something appropriate and can perform a quick quality check in advance. Then, when you get up in the morning, all you’ll have to do is get dressed and be on your way.
Gather Other Essentials
After you’ve selected your attire, it’s time to pack your bag. Grab copies of your resume along with other items you may need like makeup, interview notes, a portable phone charger, and breath mints. Just like choosing your outfit in advance, this process is designed to help your morning run smoothly. You’ll know that everything is ready to go, taking some of the stress off of the day ahead.
Plan Your Transportation
Another key area to prepare is how you’re going to get to the interview site. Make sure you have the correct address and preview your route, even if you plan on using GPS. See how much time it should take to reach your destination and plan on leaving with enough time to have a suitable buffer should something unexpected occur, like a traffic jam.
You also want to review emails about your interview for information about parking, building entrances, and other important items like whether you’ll go through a security check. Add some additional time to your travel based on how long it will take you to get parked, cross the parking lot, and navigate through the building to reach your interview check in with a little time to spare.
Practice Your Interview Answers
While you’ve likely been rehearsing some of your interview answers already, now is a great time to have a quick refresher. Start with common interview questions that most hiring managers ask and then branch out into those specific to the field. The intention is to just increase your comfort level, so don’t feel like you have to be perfect with every practice question.
If you have more time, consider throwing in some additional preparation. For example, get your breakfast or lunch ready in advance if you are interviewing right after meal time, and review the name, title and department of anyone who you know will be conducting the interview. Then, set your alarm and make sure you get a good night’s rest so you can be well rested when you arrive for your nursing interview.
If you are interested in more interview tips or would like to find a new nursing position in the area, the team at CPS Recruitment® can help. Contact us today.
