What did you ask in your new grad interview that actually changed your mind?
Rowan with two job apps openThe question
I have two interviews next week, one med surg and one PCU, both new grad postings. Each one gives me about ten minutes at the end for my questions and I do not want to burn it on what the culture is like. What did you ask that actually changed your decision? And what do you wish you had asked before you signed?
The conversation
5 replies- Avery on orientationNew grad, week 6 of orientation, med surg
Ask this one: how many preceptors will I have, and what happens if the two of us do not click. I had three in five weeks and nobody owned my sign offs, so week 4 got repeated. The answer you want names one primary preceptor and one backup. If they say we will figure it out when we get there, that is also an answer.
- Maya on nightsRN, 8 months in, med surg nights
Ask the ratio twice. Once as what is your ratio, once as what was the ratio the last time two people called out on nights. The second number is the actual job. I also ask how many new grads started on this unit last year and how many are still here, and I watch the pause before they answer.
- Harper past the first codeRN, 10 months in, PCU
Different take: do not grill the manager on staffing. It reads as adversarial in a 20 minute conversation and she is the one signing your offer. Save it for the unit tour. Ask a nurse at the station and you will know in eight seconds. What I ask the manager is the extension question: if I am not ready at week 10, what happens, and who makes that call.
- Nursing Mastery
Two mechanics worth having in your pocket before you sit down. New grad orientation usually runs 6 to 16 weeks depending on the unit, and that number belongs in your offer letter, not only in the conversation. Ask whether an extension exists and who approves it, the educator or the manager. If there is a sign-on bonus, ask how long the clawback window runs and whether it is prorated by month. That number is how long you are actually committed.
- Chris on the commuteRN, tele, 6 months off orientation
Mine is the one I did not ask. I never asked what the unit does when it is short, and here the charge nurse takes a full assignment. That means at 0300 there is no one to ask. Second thing: ask the recruiter about pay and differential, ask the manager about the work. I flipped those and the room went cold.
What would you tell them?
Answer from what you have seen. It posts without your name.
