The Interview Process

So I'll be starting my new post as a band 5 around the end of November/December time, depending on clearance times etc. But I thought I'd write down some thoughts about how I actually got the job (may be slightly useful interview prep in the future) and how it all came about. 

STEP ONE - the application form

Applying for the PICU job was a little spur of the moment. I mean, technically I spent weeks preparing what I was going to write in my statement, looking at the best things to say and thinking up cool buzzword-filled ways of saying it. But actually starting the application went like this: "oh, they're advertising. I need to apply."

It hadn't been a particularly bad day at work. It'd just had the same shit, different day vibe. I'd been thinking I wasn't being challenged enough for a while, and when I saw the job being advertising on the way home it felt like a sign. I emailed for an informal visit without a moment's hesitation. I knew then I was honesty ready to leave. I'd thought about applying before, had started applications before, but never done anything with them. For me, sending that email was a big step. 

The informal visit itself was great, and I would highly recommend going to any if applying for a job. Not only does it let you see the area, get a feel for the place and the people, but it looks so damn good that you'd done it. People had said it was a good idea, but I didn't realise just how helpful it was. The woman who showed me around told me loads of great things I could use in my personal statement to explain why I wanted to work in this particular ward, all their unique selling points, and she was actually my lead interviewer in the end, so it made me feel less nervous to know I'd already built a slight rapport with the panel. 

The statement itself was probably a pile of crap. I spent so long writing and rewriting it, thinking if I got this right all my worries would be over. I'm pretty sure I forgot there was an interview stage afterwards if I was selected. It's cause I knew there was going to be lots of competition; I had to stand out. And while I applaud myself for persevering to get it right, I did almost miss the deadline for the post as it closed a month early. So lesson: don't let fear or doubt slow you down. Anyway, I got it and I was shortlisted, so that brings us to step two.

STEP TWO - interview prep/waiting/spiraling in panic 

Due to the post closing early, it meant the interview was early too. The invitation came the day before I was going away for a week to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and that meant I had a day after I got back to do all the prep work I'd planned for the next three/four weeks. So it felt like a bad sign, but I tried to stay positive; it could have been happening the week I was away, I could have not been shortlisted. Real big attempts at staying positive that kind of worked whilst I was away. 

The panic quickly set in when I got home. I barely did anything that day except read nursing journals, testing out responses to common interview questions, thinking up scenarios where I exhibited the skills they'd said they wanted on the person specification and doing drug calculations. When it all got a bit too much, I would do the calculations. Maths is good. Maths is calming; there is a clear answer and you don't need to phrase it nicely with a buzzword. 

I haven't done many interviews, and as a nervous person my immediate response to that situation is to smile and pretend that I'm confident. Unfortunately it can come across as over-confident, borderline obnoxious. So I had this internal struggle going on as I thought of ways to explain how good I am at what I do without sounding smug. It's difficult. 

STEP THREE - interview day

Interview day came and I was shitting myself. It started at half 8, and I got there at half 7 to make sure I a) wasn't going to be late and b) wasn't going to get lost, despite already knowing where I was going cause I went for an informal visit. I'm insane, I know that. But I got there, obviously with lots of time to spare so I sat outside the hospital and read through my personal statement and interview prep. It was soothing in a way, and also just hyped me up more. Very much a catch-22. 

Turns out the interview was an assessment centre. That means not only are you going to have a question and answer session with a interview panel, before you even get to that stage you need to do a maths test and a written exam. It's becoming the new model, especially in London trusts, for interviews to take this format. I've only had one this way before, but I had half-prepared myself for it so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Thus, the maths test and written scenario care plan exam began, and together lasted an hour and a half. 

After what felt like forever for the tests to be marked we were each allocated a time for the interview panel. Four of the five of us there that day made it to the panel. I went third. Near the end, but not the last candidate, works for me. More time to prepare but not enough time to totally freak out. 

My interview went super well. Surprisingly well, considering previous experiences. They seemed to like me, and I felt less stressed about the whole thing so perhaps that came across. Either way, it went well and they offered me the job so yay. Most of the questions were scenario-based, clearly testing me on my nursing knowledge and understanding of the law and NMC codes. These are some of the questions I do remember, for future reference as much as anything else:

1. You are looking after a child and their parent comes up to you to make a complaint. What do you do? 
2. You come on shift and take over from another nurse. As you check their lines and medications, you notice the concentration of the morphine infusion is incorrect. What do you do?
3. A patient has just been admitted and you are their nurse. On your assessment you notice strange bruising. What do you do?
4. You are asked to complete a neurological assessment on a patient. How would you do it? What can hinder this assessment? 
5. Why should we hire you? Why this PICU? (the informal visit was really helpful for this question, as I said earlier cause I'd already been told their unique selling points and could list them back. They were impressed I'd looked so much into them) 
6. How have you developed yourself in the past year?
7. Name two things your current trust has implemented following the Francis Report (now this question really threw me. I know the Francis Report was a big thing and lots of bad thing were revealed about it. But it came out around 2013, so before I'd even finished university so didn't really know what my trust had done before the report. I managed to remember a couple things from the report and link them to what we do on the ward, but it could have gone wrong)

It was a long and very stressful day, but it paid off. So there is the story, future me who may have forgotten; this was the first step of the journey that you may or may not regret.