You are going to be interviewed for a travel nurse job! Now What?

Your Consultant has submitted your employment application to several different facilities. What do you need to do to ace the interview?

First and most important- you may think that this is obvious…. ANSWER THE PHONE EVERY TIME IT RINGS!!! Keep it glued to your side! Take it with you everywhere you go! Nurse Managers are very busy and call when it is convenient for them. Don’t miss the call! They may go on to the next candidate and offer them the job.

If you do miss the call, call back immediately. If you get their voice mail, leave a message that you are very interested in speaking with them and will also try to call back again. Leave your phone number too. Once you have the manager’s phone number keep trying them back throughout the day until you get them. Do not leave more than one message in the same day. Remember to always get the full name of the manager and the manager’s phone number when you speak with them. That way you will be able to contact them in the future. Always let your recruiter know that you have been contacted by the manager. Your recruiter can let the hospital know that you are trying to contact them.

Prepare for the interview- Write down the details about the travel nurse job. Your Consultant should tell you in advance all the information that the hospital has provided on this position . Be sure to tout your experience in what the position requires. Be prepared to tell them what type of hospitals that you have worked in. If you have had trauma experience let them know, if you have floated to different units let them know. This is your time to “brag” about yourself. Let the manager know what a great travel nursing candidate you are.

During the interview you should also ask questions about the assignment and the unit you will be working on. We want you to be confident that you know what is expected of you on the travel assignment. Some suggestions for questions to ask are:

- What shift is available?
- What is the nurse to patient ratio?
- What units will I be expected to float to? How often will I float?
- Any scheduling questions you may have

Be sure to ask clinical questions. I had one traveler who was surprised that she would be expected to administer meds. She didn’t have to do that at her own hospital!

Remember to ask for the job! At the end of the interview let the manager know you want the job. If they are not able to offer you the job immediately ask for the time frame when they will be making the decision. Also ask if they will be contacting you directly or the travel agency. Let your Consultant know immediately when you have interviewed and the specifics of what you talked about. They will follow up on your behalf to help secure the job for you.

Happy Traveling!

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For more information about travel nursing jobs email us at info@americantraveler.com or Apply Online