I overheard one nurse giving the other nurse advice. I knew the nurse asking for job interview advice. She is quite a confident woman who knew what she wanted from her career. But no matter the confidence level, all of us need a second opinion.

The two were talking and my friend said, “I have an interview, but I’m so nervous!” The other nurse immediately started offering help and gave her a series of well thought out responses:

1) “You have great ideas as a result of a variety of experiences. You don’t have to mention that you have X amount of years of experience.”

2) “You are great at your profession because you anticipate what your team needs, and not just fulfilling a role. People will say that they are a team player only to get a job, and not to become what the team needs. Fairness is not going to be 50-50. Fairness sometimes is 80-20 with your role being 80. You were more than willing to give 80 percent during those times because you saw the need.”

3) “You anticipate problems with readied solutions. Very few nurses can say it with conviction. You can say it with meaning without faking it. You listen, understand, research, or through experience understand the next actions and solutions.”

Job seekers need to have conversations with co-workers and supervisors like the one above. Too many job seekers think it’s silly to ask for job interview advice.

Another take-a-way was that we need people to shed light on our best qualities. We are not objective about ourselves, even when we have positive attributes that stand out to others.

Finally, the issue of fairness. Nurses and doctors take an oath, and both understand that life saving is not one to be measured. The rewards are rarely “thank-you!”

By the way, the nurse that asked advice…got the job. Apply this advice to your career. Would this advice work for you? Why? Why not?