Interview Tips for Travel Nurses

It’s completely normal to feel nervous about a travel nursing interview, regardless of your level of experience. Fortunately, there are ways to prepare that will reduce stress and increase your chance of getting the job.

Gifted has created a list of tips to help you ace your next interview for a travel nursing assignment. Read on and get ready to ace that upcoming interview!

Always Be Positive

Never use an interview as an opportunity to complain about past jobs, coworkers, or patients. Remaining positive will show your future employer that you are a team player that encounters problems with optimism and an open mind.

From beginning to end, no matter what, stay positive.

Prepare for Frequently Asked Questions

No matter what kind of nursing job you’re interviewing for, there are several questions you’re likely to encounter. Studying these questions and preparing answers for them will make you seem confident and knowledgeable.

Practice answering these popular questions until they sound natural and conversational. If your responses seem mechanical, you may seem too calculated.

Here are some common interview questions for nursing jobs:

• Why did you become a nurse? Why do you want this job?
• What is your favorite thing about being a nurse? What is the most difficult part of being a nurse?
• What tools have you developed to manage stress?
• How do you handle patients who are unhappy with their quality of care?
• If you witnessed a coworker violating facility policies/breaking the law, how would you handle it?
• How do you handle a patient who regularly complains of pain?
• Do you prefer to work alone, or as part of a team?
• It is important to think about what each question is trying to accomplish.

General questions about your reasons for becoming a nurse, what you find difficult about the job, and your professional strengths are attempts to understand your style of nursing. Questions about specific scenarios are attempts to evaluate your sense of ethics and boundaries. Questions about your preferred clinical setting are attempts to understand your ability to adapt and collaborate.

Use Specific Examples

When answering questions about your experience, use specific examples to demonstrate your skills. Avoid general statements that do not offer any additional information.

For example, if you have strong communication skills, follow up your declaration with a specific instance in which you demonstrated this. According to Dalena Bradley, job interview coach, specific examples “help the interviewer visualize what you could do for their [facility].”

Dress for Success

Like it or not, first impressions are important. Whether your interview is in-person or over the phone, dressing the part is essential.

Make sure you are well-groomed on the day of the interview. Get a good night’s sleep (if possible) and wear an outfit that makes you feel confident. Even if the person conducting the interview can’t see you, your preparedness and confidence will be reflected in the conversation.

Be Courteous

Show up on time, be polite, and bring any necessary paperwork. Turn off your cell phone and make sure there is no chance of being interrupted.

Do whatever you can to show the interviewer that the job is your top priority.

Be Engaged & Ask Questions

Interviews are a two-way street. Allow the interviewer to guide the conversation, but take time in the end to ask questions about the job.

In addition to learning whether or not the job is the right fit for you, asking questions will show the interviewer that you are detail-oriented. Nurses need to be team players, so it’s in your interest to showcase your communication skills.

School Yourself

Are there any areas of your nursing education that are getting rusty? Preparing for an interview is the perfect time to refresh your nursing knowledge.

When in doubt, overprepare!

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