Posted On Jan 9, 2018
As a PN, clinical knowledge and practical proficiency will help you get your resume noticed; however, today’s employers are looking for individuals with the personal and interpersonal know-how required to excel while working with people.
Cultivating these skills in your line of work is important, and you need to be able to show an interview panel that you have what it takes to thrive as a caregiver.
Soft skills can make a difference between you getting a callback or being offered a job on the spot versus getting an email that says they went with someone else.
Communication Skills
Your ability to communicate with your patients and your colleagues is crucial to your success as a PN. You must have the oral and written skills required to share information with the patient, alert doctors when there is a problem and calm down relatives and friends when they are worried about their loved one.
Communication skills also help you collaborate with other caregivers, allowing you to grow and enjoy practicing as a PN.
Professionalism
Employers are looking for PNs who are willing to behave professionally in the workplace. In the medical field, professionalism means taking responsibility, acting with integrity, being accountable and giving the best quality care at all times.
Interviewers will judge your professionalism with the first impression you make during an interview with your dressing and your resume. Make sure your resume is error free and dress appropriately for the interview; a job at a teaching and referral hospital will have a more formal dress code than a job at a nursing home.
Leadership Skills
Employers value PNs who show leadership whether they are looking for an entry-level nurse or a senior level nurse. Leadership skills mean that you are able to take initiative, offer creative solutions, advocate for your patients and organize others to accomplish a set objective together.
While preparing for the interview, make a list of incidents where you were able to solve a problem creatively, stand up for something you believe in or organize a team towards a common goal.
If you are interviewing for an entry-level position, you can use an example from a non-medical setting such as your experience as a student leader or your achievements as a volunteer.
Team Work
The medical industry thrives on collaboration and exchange of ideas. Many healthcare professionals are moving towards value-based care to improve the quality of care they provide and overall patient outcomes.
Interviews will, therefore, favor individuals who show that they thrive within a team and can work well with others. Make sure you have instances you can share where you were able to work within a team whether in your experience as a PN or in your other professional experiences.
Self-Confidence
Believing in yourself can help you go a long way in the medical industry. Self-confidence in a PN is admirable and inspirational. It begins with your presentation in the interview; beginning with your dress code, how you shake hands and your facial expressions. Confidence takes time to develop; start by practicing your voice, your walk, your handshake and your answers.
Once you walk into the interview, assume a power position and relax: you will trick your brain into feeling confident.
Soft skills will help you ace your interview and improve your success on the job. Once you join Athena Careers Academy, you will find mentors and a faculty team that will help you identify the soft skills you need to work on the most to excel as a PN.
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Accrediting Agencies
Athena Career Academy is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education. The school is registered with the Ohio Board of Career Colleges and Schools; State of Ohio – School Registration Number – 10-09-1943T and operates under the authority of the Ohio Board of Nursing. Please contact the Student Operations Manager for more information.