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Nerve-Wrecking & Stressful Graduate Nursing Job Interview
You’re about to graduate with your nursing degree and you’re now stressed out about the graduate nursing job interviews you hopefully are going to get! Regardless of where you’re applying, you need to know how to ace both traditional, clinical and behavioural questions during a graduate nurse program.
It doesn’t matter where you apply – you’re going to get asked similar questions. The questions in our guide will prepare you to answer dozens and dozens of questions that you will almost certainly be asked in your interview. We’ve been there and done that.
Victoria through PMCV
ACT Health’s CHS Employment website
QLD using the Graduate Portal
NSW Health GradStart portal
Tasmania’s transition to practice JobsTas process
South Australia’s SA Health TPPP
Northern Territory NT Health’s graduate website
Western Australia’s WA Health GradConnect
Or any of the hundreds of private practices, small clinics, private hospitals, agencies, rural & remote services, community and primary health care jobs.
Our Graduate Nursing Job Interview Guide (for graduate enrolled and registered nurses)
The comprehensive guide gives you everything you need to know about passing your nursing interview and expands on everything here. We will walk you through an exhaustive list of behavioural and clinical scenario example questions that you’ll almost certainly be asked some of – in some way or another. You’ll get examples of how to answer them, phrase them and plan to answer them. You even get taught how to prepare Before, During & After an interview and even as a bonus are given some hard-hitting Resume and Cover Letter writing tips.
For example, get access and learn to answer 50+ questions like these. And yes there are very wrong ways to answer these and very RIGHT ways.
- A senior nurse has spoken sternly to you in front of patient and relatives. How would you respond?
- What would you do if you came on to a shift and things weren’t as recorded/stated during handover? E.g. IV wrong rate/wrong IV fluid?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- Tell us about yourself
- A client is “acting out” or displaying difficult behaviour, what will you do?
- What would you do if child is admitted into emergency with a particular condition that you have never heard of?
Our interview guide has been used by heaps of graduate nurses between 2019-2023 along with our popular cover letter and resume service that is filled with amazing testimonials. We have made it easy to turn your application from an OK or Good one to an Excellent and Stand Out one! We could have made it free, but it took so much time and drew on so much experience that we wanted to only allow those really keen on surcharging their applications to have access. Get it now here
Prepare for the Interview and what to bring
Interview questions are based around the selection criteria and follow the Standards for Practice for Registered Nurses
and Registered Midwives. Remember that you are also creating a relationship with your potential employer during the interview. Smile, be personable and relax and be you! Consider what your employer might want in a graduate nurse or midwife (the below covers this).
What do Health Services want in a graduate nurse? They want a graduate nurse who is
- Interested in patient care and welfare
- Person-centred
- Able to reflect on your clinical placements during your undergraduate program
- Knowing when and where to seek guidance at work
- Displaying professionalism
- Being a safe practitioner
- Demonstrated enthusiasm for the profession of nursing
- Indicating a commitment to life-long learning
If you aren’t 100% all over the following things then you are missing out on an opportunity to increase your chances of getting your graduate nursing job! Do you know…
What you should NEVER do in an interview? How to ensure a smooth video interview or positively stand out in a group interview? How to tactically use LinkedIn to stand out in an interview and be a step ahead of the other applicants by knowing who is going to interview you? How to use hospital values to your own advantage? Do you know how to use the STAR technique or AIDET communication? It’s ok! Our guide covers it all
These are all positive things you can do to set yourself up for success. They will help you feel comfortable prior to arriving at your interview.
Create a good impression
Using placements as an opportunity to create a healthy relationship with future employers. This will help with your interview!
Read the following:
Succeed as a Nursing Student And Make A Good Impression
5 awesome ways to make the most out of your final nursing placement!
