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In the Days Before the Interview

1. Draw a line down the center of a piece of paper. On the left side, make a bulleted list of what the employer is looking for based on the job posting. On the right side, make a bulleted list of the qualities you possess that fit those requirements.
2. Research the company, the industry and the competition.
3. Prepare your 60-second personal statement -- your answer to the "tell me about yourself" question.
4. Write at least five success stories to answer behavioral interview questions ("Tell me about a time when..." or "Give me an example of a time...").
5. List five questions to ask the interviewer about the job, the company and the industry.
6. Research salary data to determine your worth.
7. Determine your salary needs based on your living expenses.
8. Get permission from your references to use their names.

Before You Go to the Interview

1. Do you look professional? Check yourself in the mirror; part of your confidence will come from looking good.
2. Carry these items to the interview:
   • Several copies of your resume on quality paper.
   • A copy of your references.
   • A pad of paper on which to take notes. (Notes are optional.)
   • Directions to the interview site.
3. Prepare answers to common interview questions:
   • Tell me about yourself.
   • Why did you leave your last position, or why are you leaving your current position?
   • What do you know about this company?
   • What are your goals?
   • What are your strengths and weaknesses?
   • Why do you want to work for this company?
   • What has been your most significant achievement?
   • How would your last boss and colleagues describe you?
   • Why should we hire you?
   • What are your salary expectations?

Upon Arrival

1. Arrive early -- enter the building 10 minutes before your appointment.
2. Review your prepared stories and answers.
3. Go to the restroom and check your appearance one last time.
4. Announce yourself to the receptionist in a professional manner.
5. Stand and greet your interviewer with a hearty -- not bone-crushing -- handshake.
6. Smile and maintain eye contact.

During the Interview

1. Try to focus on the points you have prepared without sounding rehearsed or stiff.
2. Relax and enjoy the conversation. Learn what you can about the company.
3. Ask questions and listen; read between the lines.
4. At the conclusion, thank the interviewer, and determine the next steps.
5. Ask for the interviewer's business card so you can send a follow-up letter.

After the Interview

1. As soon as possible, write down what you are thinking and feeling.
2. Later in the day, review what you wrote, and assess how you did.
3. Write a follow-up thank-you letter, reminding the interviewer of your qualities.

The interview is not going well...What Now?

Don't panic. There are simple strategies you can use to turn even the most stressful interview situations around.

Keep in mind your interviewer may be deliberately trying to throw you off balance, a technique known as the stress interview.  Particularly if your prospective job involves working in a rushed environment or with the public (or both!), your interviewer may be more interested in learning how you deal with stress than he/she is in the actual answers to the queries.  He/she may shoot you a quick succession of questions without giving you sufficient time to respond adequately. He/she may make rude personal remarks. He/she may interrupt you, turn his/her back to you, fidget and sigh. Pull out his/her cell phone and punch in a number while you are talking.

Most important thing for you to remember? Keep your cool. Don't personalize. Take control of the interview if you can. Yes, this strategy can be risky, but so is leaving your interviewer with the impression that you can be trifled with.

Remember you are being evaluated on your behavior, not your answers. Be pleasant but forceful. If your interviewer is seated, don't be afraid to stand up: he/she will have to look up to you. If a white board is available, diagram your answers to the questions.  After a stress interview, reevaluate your interest in the position. Given what this company does, do you think this interview tactic was fair or merely designed to showcase the human resource director's profile analysis skills? If the latter, it may not be the environment where you can do your best work.

Occasionally you will be confronted with an interviewer who is antagonistic for no apparent reason. This is unprofessional behavior on his or her part.  Chances are the hostility has nothing to do with you! How do you differentiate this situation from a more orchestrated stress interview? Short answer: you can't. It's all about what your intuition is telling you.  If you are fairly confident you are reading the subtext correctly, again your winning strategy is to stay calm. Don't let the interviewer push your buttons. It's particularly important not to allow yourself to be baited into saying something you will later regret. When the opportunity arises, ask the interviewer some questions about his or her experiences with the company.   What position he/she started in, what he/she likes best about working there: no one can remain disdainful when they're talking about themselves, right? Try to transform the interaction so it's less of a question and answer session and more of a dialogue: it will be difficult for your interviewer to stay sullen when he/she is engaged in conversation.

Again, you will have some soul searching to do when you get home, particularly if your interviewer is someone you would have to report to in an actual job situation.

Questions to ask the Employer at your interview

·    What unique challenges has this unit faced over the last year? (i.e. successes, failures,)

·    What sets this organization apart from other facilities?

·    How long is the orientation phase and what can I expect?

·    How does the administration view CNA's in terms of importance to the agency?

·    How much independence do CNA's have in being creative problem-solvers?

·    What type of advancement / promotion is currently available to CNA's at your facility?

·    What are some of the attributes of working for your hospital / nursing home,

·    If I were to get a job offer from another hospital, why should I choose to work at your agency instead?

·    How long have you been the manager of this unit and what is your nursing background?

·    How many CNA's or nursing staff  have quit and how many hired for this unit in the past 6 months? How long have some of the nurses been working on this unit?

Questions about the following are illegal to ask at a job interview here in the U.S.:

• your personal life (married, divorced, children)
• family planning
• pregnancy
• provision for child care
• religious preference
• club memberships
• height
• weight
• dependents
• age (birth date)
• ethnic background
• maiden name
• native language
• physical problems
• psychiatric problems
• spouse's employment and/or earnings
• credit rating
• home ownership
• automobile ownership

Responding to Illegal Interview Questions

If you're ever asked anything that sounds illegal, or at the very minimum inappropriate, you really want to be as diplomatic as possible in your response. Getting all uptight and immediately pointing out that the question is illegal will probably ensure that you don't get hired. Interviewers want to see how you handle delicate situations, and this is the perfect chance for you to demonstrate your professionalism and tact.

You have a couple of other options:

·         The first one would be to answer the question, but in a brief manner. If the interviewer continues pressing you with additional inappropriate questions, you can then politely mention something to them about how you'd be happy to answer their question, but you're not sure how that relates to the job you're applying for. That gives them a chance to explain themselves.

·         Another option would be to redirect your response so that you're addressing the "question behind the question" - in other words, what you think the employer is actually trying to find out. For example, if you're asked, "Do you have any children?" you can tell the employer that there is nothing that would get in the way of you working the necessary hours in order to meet your job obligations.

Of course, if the employer asks you something that you find incredibly offensive, you may want to reconsider whether you want to work for this company at all.

Phone Interview Do's and Don'ts

Create a checklist.
Review the job posting and make a list of how your qualifications match the hiring criteria. Have the list available so you can glance at it during the interview. Also have a copy of your resume in clear view, so you don't have to remember what you did when.

Research the job and the company.
Take some time to research the job and the company. The more prepared you are for the interview, the smoother it will go.

Prepare for phone interview questions.

Use a land line. Unless your cell phone service is 100% all the time, use a land line instead of a cell phone. That way you won't have to worry about dropped calls and getting disconnected.

Turn off call waiting.
If you have call waiting turn it off. The beep of an incoming call is distracting and can make you lose your focus.

Get rid of the distractions.
Interview in a private quiet space. That means securing a babysitter if you have small children at home and kicking the dog, the cat, and the rest of the household members out of your interview space.

Have a glass of water nearby.
There isn't much worse than having a tickle in your throat or a cough starting when you need to talk on the phone. Have a glass of water handy so you can take a quick sip if your mouth gets dry or there's a catch in your throat.

Take notes.
It's hard to remember what you discussed after the fact, so take brief notes during the interview.

Focus, listen, and enunciate.
It's important to focus on the interview and that can be harder on the phone than in-person. Be sure to listen to the question, ask for clarification if you're not sure what the interviewer is asking, and speak slowly, carefully, and clearly when you respond. It's fine to take a few seconds to compose your thoughts before you answer.

Pay attention to body language.
This might sound strange, but your body language matters on the phone almost as much as it does during a face-to-face meeting. Focus on the interviewer, smile, and think positive. You'll make a better impression.

Multi-task.
This won't work for everyone, but if you can multi-task have the company's website open in your browser, so you can quickly check for company information if it comes up in the conversation.

Have questions to ask the interviewer ready.
Be prepared to respond when the interview asks whether you have any questions for him or her.

1. Failure to sell self

2. Interested only in what's in it for them

3. Lack of enthusiasm and interest

4. Poor appearance

5. Poor communication skills

6. Unrealistic job expectations

7. Negative or critical attitude

8. Disorganized (late, brought Children, etc.)