The 7 Most-Asked Nursing Phone Interview Questions

Common travel nurse interview questions

By Anita Wong, contributor

Job interviews often spark a mixture of excitement and anxiety. You've made it to the top of the candidate list for a travel assignment, but now you have to impress the hiring manager. Many people dread this part of the job search, but with a little preparation, you can confidently answer the most common travel nurse interview questions and demonstrate that you're the right person for the job.

Most travel nurse interviews are done by telephone. This means you could do an interview in your yoga pants, but you might feel more professional, and reflect it in your tone, if you dress up. If you're scheduled for a video interview, practice looking into a webcam and find a quiet, uncluttered background for the meeting.

Take some time to prepare for your interview by considering how your skills and experience match the job. It's also a good idea to jot down questions to ask about the position to make sure it's a good fit.

Are you ready to work as a travel nurse? Find a job that's right for you at TravelNursing.com.

Here's how to shine while answering some of the most common nursing phone interview questions.

1. Tell me about yourself.

This open-ended question gives employers a sense of how well you communicate and how you might interact with other staff and patients. Be pleasant and friendly but concise and professional.

The interviewer doesn't want to know about your dog or hobbies, but a quick overview of where you went to school, how long you've been an RN and how your recent experience has led you to this position is a good bet.

2. Why did you become a nurse?

Use this question to show your interest in the profession, whether you come from a family of nurses or have found your calling after a career change. You don't need to go overboard with excitement, but your answer should show passion for your work, a commitment to patient care and, above all, that you want to be there every shift.

3. Give me an example of how you handled conflict in the past.

This travel nurse interview question helps to get a sense of how you handle confrontation and get along with people, whether it's a patient, patient's family or colleague. Wendy Preston of the Royal College of Nursing, who was interviewed in The Guardian, says employers want to know that you can de-escalate a situation and apply conflict resolution techniques.

4. What's a challenging situation that you've faced?

It's helpful to come ready to talk about a time that you were in a stressful situation, whether it was related to a specific case, poor teamwork or a mistake. You want to show that you handled the problem calmly under pressure and used skills such as critical thinking, collaboration and resilience.

5. Why do you want to work for us?

You may have chosen the assignment because you want to surf in Florida or check out Mardi Gras in New Orleans, but your answer needs to be specific to the facility where you'd be working. Spend some time researching the institution. Is this a unique chance to work in a teaching hospital or a cancer treatment facility? Think about what you'd gain working at this particular facility or position.

6. What are your career goals?

Here's where you demonstrate you're interested in growing your nursing career and excelling at patient care. Is there a unit you want to eventually work in, or do you have your sights set on a leadership role? If you don't have specific long-term plans, you can also discuss acquiring new skills or earning a specialty certification.

7. Why should we hire you?

This is your time to truly sparkle. This travel nurse interview question lets you make a strong, final impression of why you're the ideal candidate for the job. Touch on your clinical expertise and soft skills, and reflect a positive attitude. You can also clarify anything you feel hasn't been adequately covered.

Spending time preparing for common nursing phone interview questions can pay off with an exciting travel assignment. For more tips on landing your dream job, download a copy of TravelNursing.com's free e-book, The Travel Nurse's Guide to Interviewing.