You’ve earned your certification, created a comprehensive resume, and were selected to interview for a clinical position. You’ve reached the end of the interviewer’s list of questions. The hiring manager asks the customary, “do you have any questions for me?”. It’s crucial to provide eloquent, thoughtful responses to queries from an interviewer, but it’s also important to ask some compelling questions of your own. Not only will a solid selection of questions help impress your potential new supervisor, it will also shed some light on key details of this specific position and workplace. Here, we provide inspiration for some questions you can ask at the end of an NP job interview to get hired and become acquainted with your new employer before onboarding begins.
What should I keep in mind when asking questions at the end of my interview?
The questions a candidate asks at the end of a nurse practitioner job interview can be organized into two boxes. Some questions should show your interest in the position and demonstrate that you were listening to the interviewer’s words. Other questions should encourage the interviewer to share important details about this position’s workload, expectations, and company culture. By asking the right questions, you can learn:
- What types of traits and skills are needed to succeed in this workplace
- What the hiring manager is looking for in a candidate
- The interviewer’s management style
- The pros and cons of working at this particular organization
Related: Employment Search & Interview Strategies
Examples of questions a candidate can ask at the end of an interview
While it’s best to tailor the questions you ask to the specific job, here are some themes that can be used as a starting point when you develop your question list.
Staff and workflow
- Can you tell me about the team I would be working with (physicians, other NPs, nurses, support staff)?
- How would you describe the culture between members of this team?
- How are tasks delegated between members of this team?
Onboarding and evaluation
- What does the orientation process look like for new NPs?
- How is my success evaluated in this position, and how often will I be evaluated?
- Are there specific goals I am expected to meet at various milestones of my employment?
Practice management
- What is this organization’s approach to work-life balance and managing provider burnout?
- What is the policy on documentation and charting time?
- What kind of electronic health record (EHR) system do you use?
Company values
- What qualities have made previous NPs successful in this position?
- Are there particular habits or approaches that help an NP succeed here?
- How do successful NPs typically build relationships with the team and patients here?
Related: Maximize Your Career Growth: Seize Professional Opportunities
What questions should I NOT ask at the end of an NP interview?
In an interview, certain questions asked by a candidate can come across as rude, or suggest that you are interviewing for a job for the wrong reasons. Some inappropriate questions can include:
- Basic questions: Do not ask any questions that were answered in the job description or explained by the hiring manager during the interview itself. This will suggest that you are not a careful reader or were not listening when the interviewer was speaking to you.
- Personal questions: Keep it professional. Do not ask the interviewer invasive questions about private matters, or any other topic that does not directly relate to the job itself.
- Salary and other perks: Unless the interviewer brings this topic up first, it’s best to steer clear from questions about benefits. This may indicate that you are only interviewing for the job because the salary and benefits package are competitive. Instead, demonstrate genuine interest in what the workplace has to offer, and show that you want to learn how you can contribute to the success of the organization.