Tell me about a time you were trying to get a new job and had no clue how to respond to the behavioral interview questions.
Behavioral interview questions are designed to gauge how you react to various situations, how well you work with others and how you conduct yourself in the workplace.
Nurse.org recommends you answer behavioral questions using the STAR format., which stands for Situation, Task, Action/steps, Results.
To help you prepare for future interviews, here are four examples of behavioral questions that deal with teamwork, and how you might answer them.
Describe a situation when you had to work closely with a difficult co-worker
How did you handle the situation? Were you able to build a relationship with this person?
First and foremost, never talk badly about anyone during an interview. It makes the potential employer wonder if that’s how you’ll talk about them. It’s better to simply explain the situation and why the person was difficult. How did you handle the situation. Try to turn anything negative into a positive. What might you do differently now? What was the “silver lining”? Were you able to talk through your differences? Did you become friends?
Working closely with difficult coworkers can be challenging but it is important to remember the patient and their care are the most important thing. Not everyone will become friends in the workplace, but working together is key for the successful care of the patients.
Talk about a conflict within your team
Who was involved? What was your role? Did anything positive come from this? What did you learn? Those are a few questions Nurse.org said you should answer during your response. Because conflict can happen not only between nurses but between a doctors and nurses, employers want to know how you’ll react and solve the situation.
An example given: “One specific time, there was concern from a parent that a newer nurse was not monitoring a patient’s breathing postoperatively as closely as she would have liked. I was covering the nurse for lunch and the mother brought her concerns to me. I discussed and validated her concerns. Once the nurse was back from lunch, I spoke with her regarding the mother’s concerns. The nurse was very upset and felt it was not my place to say anything to her regarding this. A parent or patient’s concerns should never be dismissed. I spoke to the nurse educator on the unit to use the opportunity as a teaching moment.”
Describe a time when you were proud of your team
Lay out the circumstances and actions step by step, including your role in the situation. What happened to make you feel proud? Who was involved? What was the result?
The nursing profession provides numerous situations you can be proud of. With this question, employers are looking for not only for your role in this moment, but how well you share the glory and work as a team.
Tell me about a time you stepped into a leadership role
Interviewers aren’t necessarily looking for a promotion you might have received. Think about a time you spearheaded a project, took a young nurse under your wing or represented your team to an outside group. Be sure to talk about what the circumstance was, what made you take the lead, who was involved and any opportunities that arose from this situation.
For more content like this, sign up for the Pulse newsletter here.
About the Author
