ICU RN looking to move into leadership. What's the best way to prepare for Nurse Manager interviews?
List all your clinical experience/ and how it relates to interfacing with ICU personnel. Speak about what leadership positions you have experienced in other jobs you have worked at. Speak regarding you plan to further your nursing education (BSN, MSN, NP, DNP, etc)
Prepare to discuss how you plan to lead a team under your direction.
Please include on your resume if you have been a charge nurse. Includes process that you have improved.
Are you an effective communicator?
If do not have any management experience, apply for a assistance nurse position.
If your facility do not have assistance nurse position or charge nurse position. Make a suggestion or recommendation. Have job description for both. Contact other hospital and get their job description.
Take several leadership classes; to include conflict resolution
Read article on different type of leadership style.
Take a test to determine what type of leader that you are. All great leaders are not awesome nurse manager.
You need to build your resume:
1. Start taking Leadership CEUs.
2. As your Nurse Manager if there are any of their duties you could take on as a staff nurse to assist.
3. Ask if you can shadow any Nurse Managers...will probably be on your own time and unpaid.
4. Do you have an MSN yet? If your facility will cover part or all of the tuition I would start looking.
5. There are online sites that you can access that will display various types of questions that are asked in a manager interview...start prepping for your answers.
The more you build your resume to show you are dedicated to this goal the better.
Good Luck.
Focus on leadership skills acquired, knowledge of operations, professional development of other nurses, mentoring, and interprofessional collaboration. Your experience as a charge nurse, preceptor and participation leading quality initiatives through Shared Governance, Magnet, or other performance improvement activity will be particularly useful. Prepare in advance by talking with other nurse managers or directors on other units to understand what they do on a daily basis and be able to articulate in a positive way what you see some of the challenges are on the unit and how you might work with the leadership team to resolve them. If you would be managing people you work with, be able to articulate what changes you might have to make to manage the same people you worked with.
sell your soul and integrity to Satan
Be honest and don’t downplay what you are bringing to the table. If they appreciate you and what you bring. If not, it’s their loss. Keep moving until you find someone or organization that values who you are!
Make sure you discuss what you have done as a nurse on the unit. Did you lead a project? How did you improve Service in your department?, is a good question to prepare for. Or how did you improve quality on your unit?
First I would get a copy of the job description and study it well. Then from the job description explain how you are prepared for the role of Nurse manager. The interviewee has to in essence sell how she/he can meet the objectives and what has prepared she/he in her experience to do so.
When looking for nurse leaders, the following qualities are important:
Cover letter, thank you email after interview, during the interview ask the right questions:
1. How would a nurse in your ICU describe the culture on the unit?
2. What are the biggest challenges your staff are facing at this time, aside from COVID?
3. Tell me about training that is available to new nurse leaders in your organization?
Be prepared to discuss any process changes you were involved in.
Research leadership styles and be able to talk to which style represents you.
Hiring managers for leadership want to hear about how you develop, grow and maintain relationships, so have examples of mentorship, coaching conversations, building teams, and professionalism.
Last, but not least, breathe and know that even if you do not get the job, every interview is practice for the next!
