Why Should We Hire You?

Directions: ​These are sample questions that could appear in your mock interview rounds towards the
end of the semester. Please take time to answer each of the questions below ​thoroughly ​just as if you
were in an interview for your dream job.

Tell me about a time when...

● You took the initiative to get something done.

The best example of a time when I took the initiative to get something done would be in my second week
of working at Dove Estates when I led my coworkers to finishing a large task in late July of 2019. I was
still not completely familiar with the system that was used at Dove Estates, but my charge nurse
approached me during my shift and asked me to do a full vitals report on 60 residents for her, as well as
my normal nursing tasks, all within my 8 hour shift. Instead of dreading this work or procrastinating, I
quickly formulated a plan to split the work among the 2 other nurse aides working on my shift, and we
easily met our deadlines. By planning out how we were going to get the work done, I eliminated a lot of
my own stress as well as the stress of the other nurse aides, medication aides, and the charge nurse.

● You changed someone’s mind.

One particular story stands out to me when you ask this question. When I was first hired at Dove Estates,
I found that a lot of my coworkers had already formed their first impressions of me before I walked
through the door. They had heard that I was 16 years old and had assumed that I would be a bad nursing
assistant. Even though it was a tough situation, I went into the new job with a positive mindset and I
ended up proving to my coworkers that I am in fact a very hardworking and efficient CNA. I am no longer
seen as a young, uneducated nurse aide, but as an essential part of the nursing team at Dove because of
the impact that I have had through my work.

● You worked as a team to get something done.

I have worked as a team to get something done on many different occasions in my life, but I am most
proud of the time that I worked with health professionals at Wesley and other interns to successfully
teach 200 kids (ages 3-7) about how their surgery stay at the hospital will go. We hosted a clinic day for
kids with scheduled surgeries. Instead of just focusing on the parents ́ understanding of the surgery and
what the day entails, we also focused on the confidence levels of the kids. In just 2 hours, about 20
nurses, doctors, and child life specialists, and interns helped improve the understanding and comfort of
approximately 200 kids who had a surgery scheduled within the next month. These clinics are now
hosted on a monthly basis because of how successful it was.
 ● You had to re-prioritize.

I think the best example of re-prioritizing would be my choice to move from Student Council to National
Honor Society at Andale High School. It was a very hard decision for me because I do not like letting
activities go, but I felt that the limited free time that I had would best be spent with National Honor
Society. This is because it promotes community service and leadership, both of which are qualities that I
value a lot. I hope to strengthen these qualities by spending my free time in National Honor Society,
because both are qualities that help me do my best work, and are the reason that I am a good candidate
for this position.

● You felt you were treated unfairly.

I very rarely feel that I am treated unfairly, but I vividly remember one occasion when I was treated
unfairly a few years ago. In my first month as an intern at Wesley Medical Center, I was sent to an ICU
unit to sit with a patient. I arrived at the unit, and asked which room this patient was in. The nursing staff
immediately noticed that I was young and treated me very unprofessionally. They had made remarks
about my age, my lack of education, and the fact that there was not very much that I could do in their
unit. Instead of getting angry or discouraged, I simply stated that I was there to sit with a patient, per the
family ́s request. I made it a goal to remain calm, respectful, and positive. After I left the unit, my boss
was told by other nursing staff that I handled the situation correctly, and that I am always welcome back
into their unit.