Health Care Staffing

Through Career Resources, HealthCare Staffing and HCS Travelers provide a menu of tools and resources to assist you with your professional goals as well as your HCS career. Attracting and retaining quality clinical staff is our top priority. We hope you find these resources helpful and welcome any suggestions regarding other resources that you feel would be helpful. Please email us at info@healthcare-staffing.com with your comments and suggestions.

Paving The Way

Like all good things in life, getting the position you want will require some time, energy and preparation. The first items you should have prepared are your clinical credentials. The credentials you absolutely need for your interview are as follows:

A copy of your complete resume. See the section material below for assistance in preparing a great resume.

Copies of your nursing or professional license. If your have not received your license, a copy of your notice of passing board scores or articles of application for licensure will suffice.
Two copies of a complete, typed list of all references and previous managers. You will need one copy for the HR department and one for the hiring manager. Be sure to include their complete names, titles, current addresses and telephone numbers. You may be asked to give permission for a criminal background check. Be sure to have a list of your addresses from the previous five to seven years.
If you are an unlicensed new graduate, you may also want to bring along a copy of your recent cumulative grade report to show that you are not at risk for failing the licensing exam.
A copy of all other clinical credentials such as specialty certification (ASCP, CNOR, CCRN, etc), BLS, ACLS, PALS, NRP.

Preparing a Great Resume

Whether you call it a resume or a CV (Curriculum Vitae), this document’s main purpose is to make a potential employer interested in finding out more about you. The typical resume is a summary of your professional work experience, highlighting work history, education, qualifications, and achievements.
A good resume is your invitation to interview. Healthcare facilities typically receive a large number of responses to advertised positions so it is essential that your resume presents your qualifications in a professional manner.
Hints from Professional Recruiters

Ideally keep your resume to two typewritten pages. Most potential employers are interested in ten years of work history. If you are mailing the resume, use good quality white paper and a typewritten envelope.
Make sure your resume is well spaced so that it is neat and easy to read and understand. Bullet points are useful to highlight relevant skills and experience and help break up continuous text. Use a font size and type that is easy to read.
Honesty is definitely the best policy. Resumes should be based on the truth. Do not make false claims that can’t be substantiated. Falsification of qualifications is grounds for disqualification.
Be positive. Emphasize your skills, capabilities and achievements. Use positive and decisive words such as achieved, managed, organized, supervised, performed, and excelled.
Explain any breaks in your employment such as periods of unemployment, return to school.
Use succinct sentences and avoid jargon and abbreviations. Poorly written resumes are often discarded.
Ensure all dates are accurate and up to date. Prospective employers will confirm these details.
Focus on information which is relevant to your own career goals.
If you are making a career change, stress your transferable skills to support your new career objectives.
Grammar and spelling must be correct. Proof read the resume. Ask someone else to proof read the resume again. Grammatical or spelling errors present you in a less than professional manner. Numerous errors may result in your resume being discarded.

Formatting Your Resume

There is no one single, correct format for a resume. The following are items that professional recruiters will be looking for when reviewing resumes.

Include all personal contact information including your full name, full mailing address, home phone number, cell phone number, and email address
Protect your identity. Do not put your Social Security Number on your resume or cover letter.
Highlights of qualifications. Many applicants include a brief purpose or profile in their resume. Be sure that this is applicable to the position to which you are applying. This should be a short description of your experience and skills and future career goals. Include who you are, what you have done, what you want to do. This is your opening sales point. Be specific.

Example – Confident and compassionate Registered Nurse with ten years of clinical experience in cardiac rehabilitation. Excellent clinical background in cardiac nursing including open heart, progressive care and rehabilitation. Proven leadership skills as a relief charge nurse and team leader. Seeking Charge role in a challenging environment.

Professional experience is described in the main section of your resume. This section should begin with your current position including the name of the employer, your job title and dates of employment. Recruiters will specifically look for size of hospital, size of unit, patient ratios. Write a concise description of your duties and include any achievements such as committee work, promotions, contributions, awards. The description of your role and responsibilities is critically important.

Continue with descriptions of your previous jobs in reverse chronological order including at least ten years of employment history, if applicable.

If you are a recent graduate, include the type of clinical placements, hours for the placement and any accomplishments within the placement.

The next section of your resume should include professional qualifications and training/seminars/continuing education that you have completed. List the most relevant qualification first that are required for the position for which you are applying.

Example:
ACLS Provider – Expires 12/2009
CCRN – Expires 6/2010

List any memberships in Professional Associations. List Professional licensures.
List your educational history, most recent degree first. Include dates, name of institution, location of institution, major and degree attained.
Other relevant skills may be summarized such as experience with computer charting systems
Note any activities that are relevant to the position. Include leadership, organizational or team work skills that are applicable.
References may be included with a resume. Include a minimum of two current, work related references including the references name, work address and contact number and their relationship to you. It is acceptable to state “References available upon request.” Make sure that each reference is aware that you are using them as an employment reference and that they are willing to provide a reference for you.

Interview Preparation

A great resume has gotten you an interview. The first step in securing the job is to research the company and the position.

If you have gotten the interview through an intermediary such as an agency like HCS, we will provide you with as much information as possible concerning the healthcare facility, surrounding community, and the position responsibilities and criteria. We ask that you review this information prior to your interview with the employer.

If you are not using an intermediary, it is important that you do your homework. The internet provides an abundance of information on individual healthcare facilities. If you know someone currently employed there, ask them questions. If you live near by, visit the facility and collect brochures. Educate yourself. The more you know about the facility and the job you are applying for will result in you giving a confident, informed professional interview. Your interest and motivation will impress an interviewer and you can explain how you can contribute to the facility.

Telephone Interviews

Many facilities currently screen applicants initially by telephone. In the case of a travel contract or if the employer is not local, the telephone interview will take the place of a face to face interview. The telephone interview is actually the most difficult interview of all. Since you are unable to read the facial expressions and body language of the interviewer, you must rely on good listening skills and selling yourself by your tone of voice and well thought out responses to the interviewer’s questions. Below are some tips for successful telephone interviews.

If the telephone interview is scheduled, plan accordingly. Be ready for the call, without distractions. Prepare a file with your resume, position and facility details and any questions you would like to ask and place it by the telephone for quick reference.
If the interview is not scheduled, always treat the call as a proper interview. It should not be treated as an informal conversation. Quite often you will have a call when you least expect it and it can be during an awkward moment.

Keep your composure. If you are able to take the call, ask if the caller can hold for a moment while you take the call in another room. This will give you an opportunity to turn off the radio or TV, get the children otherwise occupied, grab your file of information and take a moment to compose yourself before beginning the interview.

You should be asked if it is convenient to talk and if not, say so. While not ideal, you can agree on an alternative time and day.

You can turn this into a positive by saying that you are glad they called, you are very interested in the position/facility and would be delighted to talk further, that you are for example about to make a presentation, close a meeting, finish with a client etc.

Smile! Believe it or not, smiling while you are talking will actually help you sound friendlier and more positive.
Speak slowly and clearly.
Do not eat, drink, smoke or chew gum. The sound will be magnified by your telephone and will be heard by the interviewer. This is a formal interview situation. Do not engage in any activity that you would not be comfortable doing in a face to face interview situation.
Sit up in your chair or stand during your conversation. All of these will boost the energy in your voice and transmit your enthusiasm over the telephone.
Have your resume in front of you to answer any specific questions the interviewer may have.
Use the person’s name and title. Only use first names during a telephone interview if they ask you to call them by their first name. Use of a title shows respect.
Have a list of questions prepared to ask during the interview to demonstrate your interest in the position.
Give specific examples relating your past work experience to this current job opportunity.
Be self-confident. You will be judged by the same criteria used in an in-person interview - confidence. On the phone, you'll be judged by a much more subtle set of factors such as the sound of your voice, your level of friendliness and enthusiasm.
Get to the point. The ability to speak succinctly is critical.
Take your time before answering. It is acceptable to take some time to think over a response before answering.
Listen and have conversation. A skilled interviewer will generally ask open ended questions, not just those questions requiring a yes or no answer. You should give detailed and factual answers to the questions asked.
Take notes during the interview. If you expect to have another interview, this will help you remember what was discussed and help you frame questions for the next interview session.
Prepare for awkward silence. Have a list of questions prepared about the company and the opportunity that you can ask the interviewer.
Since this is an initial interview, do not discuss potential compensation, company benefits or problems at your current employer. If you are working with HCS, you will discuss compensation and benefits with your recruiter.

Interview Questions

The interview is an opportunity for you to clearly communicate your skills and abilities to an employer. Being prepared is essential.

By rehearsing interview questions in advance, you'll become more familiar with your own qualifications and will be well prepared to demonstrate how you can benefit an employer. Rehearse questions with a friend and solicit their feedback to improve your skills.

This section will give you a number of questions that are asked in healthcare interviews. Included are questions that you may want to ask during an interview as well. Remember, the interview is a sales presentation. You are selling yourself to the facility and they must sell you on what they have to offer as an employer.

Behavioral Interviews

Behavioral interviewing is based on the premise that the best predictor of future performance is past performance in similar situations. The interviewer will identify the skills necessary for the particular job opening and then ask you to give examples of when you used those skills in previous work situations. Open ended questions are asked to give you the opportunity to describe your experience. The purpose of a behavioral interview is to allow the employer to determine whether you possess the competencies to perform your particular job. The key to succeeding in these types of interviews is to thoroughly research the employer, and to completely understand the competencies of the position.

Because this type of interview asks you to relate specific situations, the following are some tips for handling a behavioral interview.

Tips for Answering Behavioral Interview Questions:

Employers expect your responses to be specific and detailed. Answer using specific anecdotes and examples. The easiest way to do this is to use the STAR format.
Give the specific Situation or Task
Give the Action that you took to deal with that situation or task
Give the Result you achieved by taking that action.
The interviewer is seeking information about your critical thinking abilities and how you came to certain decision or actions.
If you are not sure what the employer is asking, restate the question or ask for clarification. (Can you be more specific? I am not sure what you are asking for.) Do not attempt to answer a question if you are unclear.
Prepare ahead of time by reviewing your own resume. Often interviewers will pull some detail from your resume and ask you to describe a particular situation. If you put experience or events in your resume or cover letter, be prepared to discuss them in detail.
Develop short stories that highlight the skills you possess. Draw upon examples from work experiences in order to describe your skills.
You may find one story fits a variety of different questions. Don’t overuse an example, but it is all right to reuse one if a different skill can be highlighted.
If your answers include any negatives, make sure to explain what you learned from the experience and how you have been able to change that behavior or response.
If asked a question about which you have no experience to recount, tell the interviewer just that. Don’t make up an example to fit a situation. You are not expected to have experienced every possible scenario.

Behavioral Interview Questions

Generally behavior interview questions begin with one of these phrases:

Tell me about the time when you…
Provide an example of when you…
Describe a time when you…

Samples of Behavioral Questions would include:

Tell me about a time when you had to deal with two co-workers who didn't get along with one another.
Describe a situation when you had to get a job done in spite of an unforeseen problem.
Discuss a time when you had to use your powers of persuasion to get someone to do something.
Describe working on a project with a team of people who didn't always see eye to eye.
Give an example of a time you had to make a decision quickly.
Tell me about a time you did not properly handle a disagreement with a co-worker well.

Other scenarios:

Made a major sacrifice to achieve an important goal
Worked effectively under a great deal of pressure or stress
Were really bothered by the actions of another coworker
Were especially creative in solving a problem
Had to deal with a personality conflict with a boss or coworker
Felt really good about a decision you made and the process you went through
Used facts and reason to persuade someone to accept your recommendation
Utilized your leadership ability to gain support for what initially had strong opposition
Were able to gain commitment from others to really work well as a team
Built rapport quickly with someone under difficult conditions
Found it necessary to tactfully but forcefully say things that others did not want to hear
Had to make a decision you knew would be unpopular
Made a mistake and learned from it; failed at something and had to deal with it
Were disappointed in your performance
Made an intentional effort to get to know someone from another culture
Set an important goal and were successful in reaching it
Were able to successfully communicate with another person, even when that individual may not have personally liked you
Conformed to a policy with which you did not agree
Had to deal with an irate family member
Made a poor decision

Examples of Conventional Interview Questions:

Tell me about yourself
Why did you become a nurse/therapist/tech?
How many years of experience do you have?
Where did you get your training?
What certifications do you have?
How long has it been since you worked in (ER, OR, ICU, or particular specialty area)?
What are your strengths?
What is your greatest weakness?
How do you handle stress?
Why did you choose this particular specialty area?
What do you know about our hospital?
What do you know about our community?
Why would you like to work for us?
Describe your perfect job.
What is most important to you in a job?
What would you like to be doing in five years?
Have you ever been fired or asked to resign?
Would you have any concerns if we did a background check on you?
Why did you leave your last job?
What have you been doing since you've been out of work?
Are you prepared to relocate?
What kind of recommendations will you get from previous employers?
Describe your relationship with your last three managers or administrators.
What qualities do you admire most in people?
What kinds of managers do you like the most? The least? Why?
Tell me about a time in which you had to handle an irate physician, co-worker, or patient. How did you handle it and what were the results?
What are your most important career accomplishments?
Describe a difficult decision you've made and the process you went through to reach that decision.
Why should I hire you?
What can you offer us that someone else can't?
How long would you stay if we offered you this position?
What nursing organizations do you belong to?
What journals do you read?
How do you stay current in your practice?
How would you describe your skills as a team player?
How will you deal with difficult doctors?
How will you deal with difficult patients and/or their families?
How will you handle unexpected circumstances, such as being short staffed and having to perform a treatment you have not done before?
What qualities do you have that will benefit this organization?
What area would you prefer to work?
How do you feel about shift work?
What have you done that shows initiative?
How do you feel about taking orders from another person?
What type of person do you find difficult to get along with?
What is your personal philosophy about patient care?
What qualifications do you have that relate to the position?
What new skills or capabilities have you developed recently?
Give me an example from a previous job where you've shown initiative.
What have been your greatest accomplishments recently?
What is important to you in a job?
What motivates you in your work?
What qualities do you find important in a coworker?
Why would you like to work for us?
How will you judge yourself successful? How will you achieve success?
What type of position are you interested in?
How will this job fit in your career plans?
What do you expect from this job?
What hours can you work?
When could you start?
What have you learned from your past jobs?
What were your biggest responsibilities?
What specific skills acquired or used in previous jobs relate to this position?
How does your previous experience relate to this position?
What did you like most/least about your last job?
Whom may we contact for references?
How do you think your education has prepared you for this position?
Do you prefer to work by yourself or with others?

Questions to Ask Employers during Interview:

What is your nurse/patient ratio?
Do you have support staff on the unit to assist nurses?
In what ways are nurses held accountable for high quality of practice?
How much input do nurses have regarding systems, equipment and care environment?
What professional development opportunities are there?
Do you have 8/10/12 hour shifts?
Can you explain the scheduling process?
Do you have self scheduling or how is the scheduling done for the unit?
Do you offer a Baylor program?
What are the current challenges that your unit faces?
Why did the last person leave the position?
How long has the position been vacant?
What were the results of the last survey?
Is call required for this position? If so, what are the call requirements?
What would be my primary challenges if I were selected for this position?
What is your management style?
How often is a performance review conducted?
How does this organization feel about continuing education?
How does the administration view nursing in terms of importance to the hospital?
How much independence do nurses have in being creative problem-solvers?
Can you give me an example of something you like, and dislike about working for this hospital?
What sets this organization apart from its competitors?
How long is the orientation to the unit? What can I expect in unit orientation?
What unique challenges has this unit faced over the last year?
Will I work with one preceptor throughout or will I have several different preceptors?
Can the orientation phase be lengthened if I feel I need more time? If my preceptor feels I need more time?
How much of the orientation phase will be spent on the shift I will be working?
Is management centralized or decentralized?
How would you describe your nursing philosophy?
How much individual responsibility and autonomy do nurses have on nursing procedures?
What types of care delivery system do you use--team, primary, modular, or case management? On all shifts?
Do you often promote from within?
Do you pay extra for specialty certification and education?
Is certification recommended or required for advancement?
How often are nurses expected to float?
How often is overtime necessary?
How many week-ends a month do most nurses work?
What measures are taken when a unit is short-staffed?

Inappropriate Interview Questions

What types of questions are appropriate for the employer to ask you in an interview, and how should you handle yourself if an interviewer asks an inappropriate question?

Questions that employers ask during a job interview should be directly related to your ability to perform the job you are seeking. The employer's focus must be on how to determine if you can perform the specific functions of the job.

Federal, state, and local laws are in place regulating questions that an employer may ask during the interview process. Laws may vary depending upon the state in which you reside. Employers should not be asking questions in the following categories:

Race
Color
Sex
Religion
National origin
Age
Disability

Under the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, questions regarding a candidate's race, color, age, sex, religion and national origin are illegal. The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities and The Employment Act protects against discrimination based on a person's age.

Examples of inappropriate questions include:

What church do you attend?
What religious holidays do you observe?
What year did you graduate from high school?
How old are you?
Are you pregnant?
Are you married?
What provisions have you made for childcare?
Are there problems with your credit rating?
Have you ever had trouble with bills or collection agencies?
What clubs or organizations do you belong?
Are you healthy?
How many days were you absent from work last year?
Have you ever been hospitalized?
Have you been treated for alcohol or drug abuse?
Have you ever filed for Worker's Compensation?
Are you a US citizen?

There are three ways that you may address an inappropriate or illegal question.

1. You may choose to go ahead and answer the question. However, keep in mind that when you provide information to a potential employer that is not job-related, you may in fact be giving an answer that could potentially prevent yourself from getting the job.

2. Refusing to answer the question is an option, but the manner in which you phrase your refusal is of utmost importance. An outright refusal to answer a question on the part of a job candidate, even though it may be well within your rights to do so, may not be the most tactful way of handling an inappropriate question.

3. The third choice involves your probing for the intent of the employer in asking the question and responding with an answer that is appropriate. For example, the employer asks you, “Who will care for your children when you are on call at the hospital?” You might reply, "I am able to fully meet the on-call and schedule requirements that this job requires." Another sample response you may give is: "I'd like to help you learn more about my particular skills and qualifications for this position, however, I'm having some difficulty in understanding how (name the particular issue: age, marital status, religion, etc) questions relate to my ability to perform this job.

Remain professional at all times, and remember that the interviewer may very likely be impressed by your ability to gracefully handle an inappropriate question. The interviewer probably does not intend to offend you, and inexperienced or untrained interviewers may unintentionally ask questions that are inappropriate. Hopefully, you will never be asked an inappropriate question, but knowing in advance how to handle these types of situations, will make you more prepared on your next job interview.

We hope that you have found these resources to be helpful. If you have suggestions or comments, please .