Behavioral interviewing is based on a relatively simple principle. According to Pam Callaway, RN, employment manager at St. Joseph’s-Baptist Healthcare in Tampa, FL, “The best indicator of future performance is past performance, skills, and life experiences.” Instead of opinions, behavioral interviewing gives the recruiter tangible information with which to compare candidates.

Callaway starts by examining the requirements of the position. “You need to look at what kind of skills are required and ask behavioral questions about those skills,” she says. The most important part of the interview is identifying what skill set is needed for the job and planning applicable questions. “Planning is the most important part of the interview to identify the skill set that’s need. Then I’m consistent with all candidates.”

Behavioral interviews can include a variety of different kinds of questions and activities. Many employers give candidates written tests to assess their clinical knowledge. Medication and IV calculation tests are the most common, but some employers also test for basic knowledge of intensive care or home healthcare concepts. Often candidates are asked to comment on clinical scenarios or case studies that include technical information, such as ECGs or lab values. Recruiters will ask a series of open-ended questions that require the candidate to respond with long answers, rather than just “yes” or “no.” The recruiter then probes for the candidate’s thinking behind the answer. Besides checking the nurse’s clinical judgement, the recruiter also evaluates communication skills and work-related attitudes.

Regardless of the technique used, behavioral interviewing is designed to uncover the candidate’s genuine experiences, skills, and professional values. “Nurses can’t use answers straight from the book,” explains Remy Maceda, RN, staffing specialist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, IL.

Jackie Wilhelm, RN, BSN, also a staff specialist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, looks for detailed answers during an interview, in part, because it gives the candidate credibility, but she is also looking for a desirable practice trait. “To be detailed in an interview also means that the candidate will be detailed in delivering care and charting.”

When evaluating a candidate’s answers, Callaway looks for “teamwork, critical thinking, and personal values – if you can screen for those three things, you are way ahead in finding a successful candidate.” She also expects nurses to convey what attracts them to a particular position. “Nurse need to say why they want to work in this setting and that they want to do this kind of work with these kinds of patients,” she says.

How to Give an Example

Examples are the best way to illustrate your accomplishments as a nurse. When giving examples, always include information that answers the following questions:

• What happened? Include enough details to allow the listener to put him or herself into the story. Use pertinent examples from your recent experience that also relate to the position you are applying for. Include your feelings about the situation.
• How did you work with a team? Give credit to the other people who helped solve the problem, but avoid criticizing team members. Criticism always backfires by portraying you as a difficult employee. Explain how your actions were influenced by others and helped others to contribute to the solution. Also include how you communicated.
• What did you think about the situation? Each example can have many possible lessons. Clearly state how you evaluated the situation, identified the problem, and decided what to do. Your judgments may be the most important parts of the example. Don’t assume that after hearing the story the listener will come to the same conclusions that you did. Succinctly present your professional judgments and how they made a difference.
• What were your specific contributions? Use clear “I” messages, instead of “we” messages, to differentiate your unique contributions to solving the problem. Be specific and identify how your contributions represented expert nursing care, rather than novice care.
• What were the outcomes? Make sure to tell the end of the story. If possible, explain how your nursing care reduced suffering, promoted health, avoided waste, or saved money. Did the outcome have any implications for your future practice or the practice of nursing in your area? What did you learn from this situation?

Showcase Your Expertise

Regardless of your clinical specialty, review your experience and prepare examples demonstrating the professional characteristics that nurse recruiters seek most. Make sure that your examples stem from recent practice and highlight clinical skills related to the kind of unit where you hope to work. Experienced nurses who have thoroughly incorporated these traits into their practice may need to carefully reflect on their experiences to draw out examples. Or it may help to discuss your practice with a friend or colleague to clearly identify these traits.

• Caring or Compassion: Give instances when you developed a therapeutic and caring relationship with the patient and family based on an empathetic understanding of the patient’s experience of health, illness, and treatment. Show how you modified your care in order to respect the patient’s personal beliefs and values.
• Customer Service: Describe ways in which you “went the extra mile” or “put the customer first.” Before going to an interview, clearly determine how you define customer service in your day-to-day practice.
• Clinical Expertise: Include information that demonstrates your understanding of underlying physiologic and emotional concepts, rather than just relying on following doctor’s orders, standing protocols, or tradition. Show how you individualized your nursing care based on the patient’s needs
• Critical Thinking: Think out loud as you work through clinical scenarios or case studies. Different nurses may come to the same conclusions, but for entirely different reasons. Give enough information to help the recruiter identify how you exercise critical thinking to make sound clinical judgements.
• Collaboration: Highlight ways you participated in teams, especially instances when you facilitated teamwork, provided support for colleagues, or contributed to the stability and emotional health of your work group.
• Commitment: Show how you have grown professionally by furthering your education, attending continuing education programs, joining professional organizations, and by facilitating the practice of nursing through committee work. Make sure your resume includes this information.

Jeffrey Zurlinden, RN, MS, ACRN, is a frequent contributor to Nursing Spectrum.