NURSING
PRACTICE &
SKILL
Authors
Eliza Schub, RN, BSN
Cinahl Information Systems, Glendale, CA
Arsi L. Karakashian, RN, BSN
Armenian American Medical Society of
California
Reviewers
Michelle Tremblay, RN, MAOM, BSN,
CCRN, PHBN, LLNC
Glendale Adventist Medical Center,
Glendale, CA
Sara Richards, MSN, RN
Cinahl Information Systems, Glendale, CA
Nursing Practice Council
Glendale Adventist Medical Center,
Glendale, CA
Editor
Diane Pravikoff, RN, PhD, FAAN
Cinahl Information Systems, Glendale, CA
August 4, 2017
Published by Cinahl Information Systems, a division of EBSCO Information Services. Copyright©2017, Cinahl Information Systems. All rights
reserved. No part of this may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by
any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Cinahl Information Systems accepts no liability for advice
or information given herein or errors/omissions in the text. It is merely intended as a general informational overview of the subject for the healthcare
professional. Cinahl Information Systems, 1509 Wilson Terrace, Glendale, CA 91206
Job Interviews: Hiring the Right Person
What is the Interview Process for Hiring the Right Person?
› Selecting a candidate to fill an open employment position is typically a three-step process
consisting of application, job interview, and reference checks. Job interviews may be
conducted in person (e.g., face-to-face) or remotely (e.g., by telephone, by Skype); the
focus of this Nursing Practice & Skill will be conducting face-to face interviews
• What: A nursing job interview typically takes the form of a face-to-face session between
a prospective member of the nursing staff and a nurse manager/supervisor. The purpose
of the job interview is to gather information about the candidate’s employment history,
clinical skills and experience, interpersonal skills, professional goals, and motivation to
perform job duties to the best of his or her ability. A successful job interview enables
the employer to make a realistic prediction about the candidate’s professional and
interpersonal fit within the unit and the healthcare organization as a whole
• How: Typically, after the human resources department has completed the prescreening
process and has provided the interviewing manager with a selection of candidates whose
qualifications meet or exceed the requirements of the position to be filled, the nurse
manager meets with each candidate individually for an interview. During the interview,
the manager asks a series of questions and listens to and records the candidate’s
responses, while observing the candidate’s body language and noting whether or not
the candidate appears genuinely interested in the job. It is generally recommended that
the manager asks the same basic questions of all candidates, and then individualizes
additional questions based on each candidate’s responses
• Where: Job interviews are conducted in all healthcare settings where nurses are
employed, including acute and long-term care facilities, outpatient facilities, homecare
agencies, and occupational healthcare settings
• Who: Nurse managers are typically responsible for conducting job interviews with
nurses and nurse assistants who apply for jobs on that unit. In many healthcare facilities,
the human resources department performs the initial review of candidates’ resumes and/
or job applications, and does a preliminary selection of candidates who are qualified for
the open position. Those candidates are then interviewed by the hiring manager
What is the Desired Outcome of Conducting a Job Interview?
› The aim of the job interview is to accurately predict whether a candidate is the right
person for the job. This extends beyond gathering information about the candidate’s
clinical skills and experience to gaining perspective about the candidate’s interpersonal
skills and organizational fit for the position
• The “right person” for a job can be described as a person whose employment
background and experience, character traits and personality, availability, and intellect
meet or exceed the requirements for the job
Why is the Job Interview Important?
› The job interview is an important component of the candidate selection process. Through
the job interview, the employer is able to
• ask questions about the candidate’s prior work experience
• verify the candidate’s competence for the job
• clarify expectations for the job
› The job interview also affords the prospective employee the opportunity to assess the job, the manager, and the organization
to evaluate whether he or she is truly interested in employment

Facts and Figures

› Selecting the wrong candidate to fill an open position can be financially detrimental to a healthcare organization. The
cost of one poor hiring decision is believed to be nearly twice the employee’s annual salary, after accounting for costs
of time, temporarily halting certain projects, advertising and recruitment, lost productivity, training, severance pay, and
unemployment insurance (Scully, 2011)
› Investigators have found that interviewers tend to favor candidates who have physical or personal characteristics similar to
their own. For example, female interviewers have been shown to prefer female candidates and interviewers of certain ethnic
backgrounds have been shown to be more inclined to hire candidates of the same ethnicity (Nazarko, 2006)

What You Need to Know Before Conducting a Job Interview to Hire the Right Person
› Hiring the right person for a job involves careful evaluation in the following categories:
• Background and experience, including
–level of education
–any certifications
–employment history
• Character traits and personality, including
–honesty
–integrity
–reliability
–communication skills
–sociability
–work ethic
–self-confidence
–reaction to stress/pressure
–adaptability
• Availability, including
–shifts that can be worked
–willingness to travel, if necessary
–desired salary
• Intellectual abilities, including
–overall intelligence
–problem solving skills
–critical thinking abilities
› Job interviews should be structured in a way such that the hiring manager obtains the best possible information about
the candidate’s ability to meet the job requirements. Traditionally, interviews were built around general questions and
statements such as, “Tell me about yourself”, or “Describe your past job experience.” Currently, behavior-based interviewing
is recommended as the most effective technique for gaining a thorough, accurate perspective about a prospective employee’s
prior professional experience and potential capabilities in successfully carrying out job responsibilities
• Behavior-based interviewing evaluates a candidate’s potential fit for a job by asking questions that relate to specific job
experiences in the past. For example,
–a nurse manager on a psychiatric unit might gain good insight into a nurse’s de-escalation skills by stating, “Describe a
situation in which you detected the early warning signs of violence in a client and were able to avert a violent outburst”
–a nurse manager on a critical care unit might gain valuable insight into a nurse’s problem solving and critical thinking
abilities by stating, “Tell me about a time when you had to make a split-second decision”
–a nurse manager on a busy medical-surgical unit might gain perspective about a nurse’s time management and
organizational skills by stating, “Describe a time when you had too many tasks to complete and had to prioritize”
–a nurse manager in a long-term care facility might evaluate a nurse’s ability to delegate responsibilities to assistive
nursing staff by asking, “Can you tell about a time when your unit was short-staffed and you had a full patient census?”
• Based on the candidate’s responses, the hiring manager might probe further by asking follow-up questions, such as, “Can
you tell a little bit more about that?” or, “How did your actions affect the patient’s wellbeing?”
 • Most experts recommend asking predominantly open-ended questions (i.e., questions that begin with phrases such as
“how,” “why,” “when,” “where,” “do you,” “describe a time when,” “tell me about a time when,” and “talk me through”)
rather than questions that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no” response
–However, totally open-ended questions (e.g., “Tell me all about your work history”) are inappropriate, because the
candidate is left to guess how concise or elaborate the response should be. Broad, totally open-ended questions often fail
to elicit useful responses
• In conjunction with behavior-based questioning, the hiring manager might gather valuable information by asking questions
regarding the care that the nurse would provide in a hypothetical patient care scenario. Examples of hypothetical questions
include
–“How would you handle a situation in which a member of a patient’s family started screaming at you because he did not
believe that the patient belonged on this unit?”
–“What would you do if you firmly believed that the physician prescribed a wrongful medication to a client?”
• The nurse manager should be sure to include at least one question involving patient safety and one about ethics
› In the United States, the hiring nurse manager should be familiar with laws that restrict the information that can be requested
during a job interview
• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, creed, sex, marital status,
and national origin
–The Equal Opportunity Act of 1972 led to better enforcement of this law
• The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 originally prohibited discrimination based on age in individuals
between 40 and 70 years of age, and has since been expanded to include individuals over the age of 70 years
• The Americans with Disabilities Act, which was largely enacted in 1992, highlights the rights of individuals with
disabilities to have equal access to employment opportunities
–Various state laws, built around Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, prohibit prospective employers from asking about
disabilities in job interviews
› Interviewing should be viewed by the nurse manager as a skill that is learned and improved over time with practice. Tips for
conducting an effective job interview include the following:
• Thoroughly prepare for the interview. Make sure you have a printed copy of the up-to-date job description, have reviewed
the candidate’s resume and application (noting any discrepancies between the two) and have taken measures to avoid
interruptions during the interview including
–making it clear to coworkers that you will be unavailable during the designated time period
–silencing or minimizing the volume on your cell phone
–turning the computer monitor off if the interview will take place in your office
• Plan on being on time for the interview
• Put the candidate at ease prior to the official start of the interview. Experts assert that the most honest information is
obtained when the candidate feels like an equal to the interviewer, rather than a subordinate
• During the interview, do more listening than talking. It is recommended that the interviewer allow the interviewee to do
80% of the talking
• Do not fear silence, and let the candidate know that silence is acceptable. Avoid demonstrating behaviors that indicate
impatience (e.g., tapping your pen on the table, looking at your watch). Allowing some silence during the interview might
actually be beneficial in getting the candidate to expound on his or her responses
• Maintain the focus of the interview. If the interview veers off into a discussion of personal matters, quickly regain the
interview’s focus
• Avoid facial expressions or other behaviors that demonstrate shock, alarm, or disapproval at the candidate’s responses
• Observe the candidate’s body language. Signs of nervousness include twitching, blushing, cold hands, dry mouth, and
fumbling during a response to a question
• Follow up on the candidate’s responses if they seem incomplete or inconsistent
• Take written notes of the candidate’s verbal responses to your questions and of the candidate’s body language during the
interview. This is especially important when interviewing multiple candidates for a job, as written notes can help with
recall and decision-making
› Tips for evaluating candidates based on the job interview and subsequently selecting the best person for the job include the
following:
• Promptly review notes taken during the interview
 • Fill out a written check sheet immediately after the interview. The check sheet should not be used alone to determine the
best candidate for the job, but it serves as a record of the manager’s overall impressions of the candidate, and can be useful
in the hiring process. It typically includes simple yes/no questions, such as
–Has the candidate demonstrated the ability to handle the technical aspects of the job?
–Do you believe the candidate will fit in with the current team?
–Did you detect any potentially problematic attitudes?
• Be realistic about the candidate selection process. Only in very rare circumstances does the “perfect” candidate for a
position report for an interview. The nurse manager should strive to select the candidate who is the best professional and
interpersonal fit for the job
› The nurse manager should have knowledge of common mistakes made by interviewers that can interfere with the success
of an interview. Mistakes that can negatively impact a potential employee’s impression of the manager, unit, and/or
organization include
• scheduling mistakes (e.g., the manager forgets about the interview; the manager and candidate have conflicting ideas about
the time of the interview); avoid mistakes in scheduling by verifying the date and time of the interview with the potential
employee and preparing for the interview well ahead of time
• leaving the candidate with too much time alone (e.g., due to gaps in time between interviews with different parties); avoid
idle time by arranging for a tour of the unit or facility and/or by providing written information for the candidate to read
during downtime
• failing to provide refreshments during the interview. Providing food and beverage can contribute to the candidate’s sense of
comfort and ease, especially if the interview is lengthy and/or involves meeting with several members of the team
• being unfocused or showing a high level of stress during the interview (e.g., due to time constraints or lack of staff on the
unit during the interview); be sure to schedule the interview at the most convenient time possible—if the interview is ridden
with stress, the candidate might wonder whether this is the normal state of affairs on the unit
• not having a follow-up plan for notifying the prospective employee of the decision to hire; interest in a candidate should
be expressed as soon as the decision to hire is made. Waiting too long (i.e., weeks after the interview) can result in the
candidate finding another job or losing interest in the position for which he or she interviewed
› The nurse manager should be aware that the job interview is not an infallible tool for predicting a candidate’s ability to
perform job duties
• Job interviews are considered by some to be more a test of a candidate’s ability to have a conversation than to fulfill job
responsibilities
• It is essential to carefully review the candidate’s resume, detect any discrepancies in verbal responses with what is written
on the resume, and take the time to complete reference checks. Also, the manager should verify license and certifications if
not done by HR
• Although the job interview is not a foolproof test of a candidate’s appropriateness for a job, it is generally considered the
best available means for assessing his or her background and capabilities
› Preliminary steps that should be performed before conducting a job interview include the following:
• Review the written job description and determine the critical competencies required
• Review the candidate’s resume and make notes
• Create a series of behavior-based questions in advance. Be sure to ask the same basic questions of all candidates, which
should relate to the job requirements. Follow-up questions can be individualized during the interview based on the
candidate’s responses
• Select a private space to conduct the interview in order to ensure confidentiality
• Set up the physical environment of the interview room so that it is neat and comfortable. Make sure the ambient
temperature is neither too warm nor too cool
• Take measures to avoid or minimize interruptions during the interview
• Plan to be on time for the interview
› Gather necessary materials, which might include:
• A printed copy of the job description
• The candidate’s resume, with any notes you added
• A written list of interview questions
• Paper and pen to record responses
• A printed check sheet to fill out after the interview
How to Conduct a Job Interview and Hire the Right Person
› Greet the candidate by his or her name
› Introduce yourself with a smile
• Note whether the candidate smiles and returns eye contact, as these behaviors are indicative of good nonverbal
communication skills
› Invite the candidate to sit, and offer something to eat and drink
› Thank the candidate for meeting with you
› Make a friendly remark that is unrelated to the purpose of the interview (e.g., “How was your trip to the facility?” or, “Did
you find the facility without difficulty?”) to help put the candidate at ease
› Provide privacy
› Provide information about the healthcare organization and the specific job opening
• Ask if the candidate has any questions about the organization or open position
› Outline the interview process by explaining that you will be asking a series of questions that will require the candidate to
recall specific instances in the past, and that you will be taking notes during the interview
• If more than one interviewer is present, explain that you will take turns asking questions
• Reassure the candidate that it is acceptable to take some time to think before providing responses
› Ask open-ended, behavior-based questions to gain insight into the candidate’s appropriateness for the job
• Be sure to ask clear, concise questions that evaluate the candidate’s background and experience, character traits and
personality, availability, and intellect
• Encourage the candidate to talk freely
• Avoid asking questions about
–age
–race/ethnicity
–birthplace
–national origin
–religion
–sexual orientation
–marital status
–disability
› Listen to the candidate’s responses carefully
› Tailor follow-up questions to clarify and expound on the candidate’s responses
› Ask hypothetical questions to evaluate how the candidate might act in a given situation
› Take written notes of the candidate’s responses
› Observe the candidate’s behavior during the interview, noting whether he or she smiles, maintains eye contact, appears
confident, and communicates effectively
› Maintain a positive demeanor during the interview; avoid
• interrogation/cross-examination
• making facial expressions and demonstrating other behaviors that can be interpreted as passing judgment
• dominating the interview
› Welcome questions from the candidate and answer them accordingly
› Thank the candidate for attending the interview and for showing interest in the job and your organization
› Explain when and how you will be in touch with the candidate regarding the decision to hire
› Escort the candidate to the lobby or other exit
› After the interview, promptly review interview notes
› Complete a written check sheet to summarize your overall impressions of the candidate
› Based on the candidate’s responses and behavior during the interview, determine whether the candidate is the right person for
the job
› Create an opportunity for the candidate to interact with at least one member of the staff they would be working with if hired,
and ask the staff for their opinions of the candidate following the interview
What to Expect After Conducting a Job Interview and Hiring the Right Person
› Following an effective job interview with the right candidate for the job, the candidate will be notified in a timely manner of
the decision to hire; additionally, if the candidate is determined to not be the right candidate for the job, the candidate will be
notified in a timely manner of the decision not to hire
› The right person for the job will feel comfortable in his or her new position, and the nurse manager will be satisfied with the
employment decision

Red Flags
› Be alert for candidates who do not ask any questions at all during the job interview, as this may indicate lack of interest in
the employment position and/or organization. Also, be alert for a candidate who
• focuses primarily on salary and benefits
• arrives late to the interview without a reasonable explanation
• voluntarily left a previous job without giving adequate notice
• dresses inappropriately for the interview
• makes poor eye contact during the interview
• has unexplained gaps in employment
• has a history of job-hopping (i.e., working for a short time at one job before switching to the next)
• has poor language or communication skills, as this can interfere with effective nurse-patient communication
• does not interact well with others in the department or section
› Avoid asking any questions that can be interpreted as biased on the grounds of ethnic background, religion, age, sexual
orientation, disability, or other protected categories

References
1. Doucette, J. N. (2016). Peer interviews: A hiring best practice. Nurse Management, 47(2), 56. doi:10.1097/01.NUMA.0000479451.27910.6d (GI)
2. Horoski, K., & Williams, A. (2017). Is candidate a gem or a disaster for patient access departments? Hospital Access Management, 36(3), 34-35. (GI)
3. Nazarko, L. (2006). Effective interviewing. Nursing & Residential Care, 8(10), 467-469. (GI)
4. Reigle, D. A. (2016). Hiring the right employee. Podiatry Management, 35(1), 97-102. (GI)
5. Scully, J. L. (2011). Interviewing techniques for successful hiring. Long-term Living: For the Continuing Care Professional, 60(4), 22-23. (GI)
6. Strout, K., Nevers, J., Bachard, D., & Varney, S. (2016, September). Evidence-based interview strategy for new nurses. American Nurse Today, 11(9), 45-46. (GI)
7. Walker, N. (2017). About to hire registrar? Ask future colleagues to weigh in first. Hospital Access Management, 36(3), 35-36. (GI)