All job markets are incredibly tough these days, but none more so than the nursing sector. Here, you really have to stand out from the crowd in order to be in with a chance. The good news is you are reading this article, which means you have a) gotten through to the interview round or b) think you have a good chance based on getting an interview based on their criteria. Either way, you have the technical skills and experience needed for the job. So, how do you sell yourself well enough to be the one candidate the selection committee remembers at the end of the week?
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Read on for our top tips on how to succeed at the interview round:
Always Know Who
Most of the time, when you are invited in for an interview, the administration team will either tell you the name of the interviewers or their positions. Either way, you have the chance to do some research on the people sitting opposite you and get ahead of the others in the waiting room. By being able to do some research, whether it be on the company website, LinkedIn or Facebook, you can put yourself at a distinct advantage by finding something other than work to bond over. It could be they have children, they love bulldogs, play tennis, or grew up in the same town as you. Whatever it is, having a mutual bond will put you head and shoulders above the rest.
Solve Their Problems
Every business has problems, whether they are common knowledge or undiscovered. Your job is to find out what they are and come up with a solution or idea that could help them. The best way to do this is through intelligent questions or through industry research. Let’s say you’re applying for a nursing role in the care industry and you can point to recent media surrounding the lack of trust families have in nurses due, why not come up with suggestions to fix this? Suggest using Wonderwink scrubs to create a more personal bond through the uniforms worn by staff, or employing a freelance copywriter knowing that a blog can build value and trust. By showing this level of intuition you will be looked at very favorably. This shows the right kind of attitude and soft-skills that employers want, which we will talk about in more detail now.
Attitude Counts Most
Like we said above, you are at the interview stage, which means you have already proven you have the technical skill to do the job. You showed this on your resume. What the employer’s want to see now is that you have the right attitude and soft-skills. Why? Because skills can be taught and personality can’t. It is that simple. They want to see that you work well in a team, which can be proved with experience. They want to see that you are a good with people, which can be showed by chatting to the staff that walk past you in the waiting room; after all, you never know what influence they may have on the process. It is about showing that you are an analytical thinker, or a problem solver, or a positive person to have around, or someone that shows leadership skills. This is what more and more business leaders are looking for, so step up to the mark.