Job hunting is not easy, especially for those in the healthcare industry that frequently have to care for human lives, while running around the hospital, while also doing paperwork, while also assisting the doctors with their tasks—you get the idea. Regardless of the task, it’s likely that, as a nurse, you will be in charge of helping to save human lives. So, it’s understandable that, when it comes to interviewing new potential candidates, the questions will be tough and to-the-point. Some interview questions may also potentially catch newcomers off guard.

Regardless, landing an initial interview is the very first step in securing your dream job, and good for you if you managed to pull it off. However, this first meeting with your potential employer is also the most important when it comes to making your first impression. In this sense, you wouldn’t want to panic and freeze or forget even the most basic knowledge out of nervousness and give the interviewer the wrong impression. It certainly doesn’t help that some questions are also very open-ended. Open-ended questions can leave a lot to your interpretation, which can also lead to a lot of misunderstandings.

No matter how you slice it, interviews are tough and nerve-wracking. Because of this, we have listed some of the most common interview questions you’d come across, along with some potential answers:

What interests you most about nursing?

Usually, this is one of the first questions that an interviewer would ask you, right after initial introductions. The idea behind this question is not to actually learn what drew you to the profession (though a good, short story goes a long way), but to gauge your moral compass, and to shed light on your motivators. For this, you should try to avoid overused answers, such as “I want to help people,” which borders on stereotyping and doesn’t actually say anything about yourself.

It’s likely that you will have to answer this or something similar. So, it’s recommended that you rehearse a short answer that will speak about your motivators, without sounding overly cliche nor extensive.

What are your weaknesses and strengths?

It’s not easy to talk about shortcomings and strengths. If you play your cards wrong, you end up coming off as arrogant, flawed, or even worrisome. There is no easy way to go about this question without getting judged by the interviewer—the question is very judgmental by design!

Your best bet here is to word your response in a way that you state your most prominent flaws, but also spinning them to look like a positive. You can shed light on things that you could improve on, while using these very shortcomings as motivation for improving them. If all else fails, just say that you’re aware of your weaknesses and are working on getting better.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

This one is designed to dig into your career goals and to inquire about your personal goals in the long-run. This question sheds light on your strengths and motivations by asking whether you have a plan for the future, or are just content with landing this job for the time being. Both answers are fine, and shouldn’t detract from the impression that you make, but those who have a goal to work for are usually perceived as the better candidate. Try to think about where you want to go with your nursing degree. Maybe you want to work in a certain department or get a specialization down the line; anything that says that you want to work towards something and not rest on your laurels is fair game.

What can you bring to the table?

This one is similar to the strengths/weaknesses question but allows you to go into more detail on your strengths. However, it’s important to not focus exclusively on opinions and to link some of your personal strengths with events that have happened during your career. For example, you could talk about the time when your strengths helped you to deliver positive results in the past. For example, if your proactiveness allowed you to discover an error in one of the patient’s medications during a routine inspection, saving their life in the process, it’s very possible that retelling this experience will net you extra points with your interviewer.

Do you have any questions for us?

This is the time to prove that you’re truly interested in the job and workplace. By inquiring about team dynamics, work environment, and other questions related to your employers, you not only gain better insight on your potential workplace, but you also show interest in how things work in the hospital.

In every occasion, your potential employers will assume that you’ve done your research about the facility. So, the interview process is supposed to be both giving and taking. By answering the questions appropriately, and reciprocating with interest and curiosity, you’ll create a positive impression, and increase your odds of landing the job.

Good luck!