How to: Grad School interview
10 TIPS TO ACE A GRAD SCHOOL INTERVIEW
Hello lovelies! Happy Thursday and hope you guys have been well! I feel so compelled to gather my thoughts together into a single list to discuss how to nail a grad school interview especially for the future Nurse Practitioner. For those who may not know, I am an ICU nurse of almost 4 years and I am nearing completion of my first year in graduate school at UConn here in Connecticut. Grad school is so different from undergrad in that the learning is very self-directed! You are the motivation and sole owner of your success and with good use of resources and a good school support group, you CAN DO IT!!! Scroll down for more...
10 TIPS TO ACE A GRAD SCHOOL INTERVIEW
1. Do your thorough research about the program and the intended course of study. - My first interview I totally completely bombed because I didn't know the scope of a Family Nurse Practitioner vs. an Acute Care Nurse Practioner.
2. Dress well and get to the interview on time. - Anything you can do to ease some of the anxiety of being in an interview will help you. Timeliness is an absolute must because it speaks loudly to your professionalism.
3. Be prepared to answer why you want to get into the program. - One of the first questions I was asked is why I wanted to be a Nurse Practitioner and why Acute Care NP vs other tracks. Luckily, I had had practice with one other interview before and now I could easily answer it.
4. Take your time to answer questions. - I am notorious for saying, please give me one minute to think about that question and answer you. There is no shame in needing to gather your thoughts!
5. Do you due diligence about the school you are interviewing at. - I was so proud to know that many of the graduates of the program find jobs after completion and greater than 95% f the previous class had passed boards with no issue.
6. Learn about your interviewer and bring up those points in the interview. - My interviewer who is also my advisor now, is amazing especially on paper. She is highly involved in research and is such an awesome professor with incredible ratings. These are things I brought up.
7. Know your resume and bring up highlight points from it. - Its an interview, you are selling yourself. Find a way to not boast about yourself, but casually but assertively speak on your strengths.
8. What is your five year plan? - Every interview I go to, I am always asked this same question. Develop a solid plan of how you see yourself utilizing the degree you will get.
9. Know your strengths and also know your weakness. - Every interviewer wants to know this. Pick 2-3 strengths and discuss them at brief length and how they relate to your intended course of study. Pick 1-2 weaknesses, describe why they are weaknesses and discuss ways you overcome them or plan to overcome them.
10. SMILE and maintain good EYE CONTACT. - You are in the interview, you are nervous, and pretty much scared. You got this far babe, you are already killing it! Smile often and always look people in the eye. It says you are friendly and you are confident!
Thank you so much and I hope that this list is helpful for you! If you have any questions at all about anything especially grad school, feel free to email me at * hello@noneesworld.com * Big Bisous!
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