Interview Tips for CNA position

Students must take a state designated examine to qualify for a CNA Certificate and with every state there are different examination requirements. Most states require a completion of an approved nursing course in order to qualify for the exam.

Which states offer the best jobs for a CNA?
New York has the highest salary at $114,000.00; Montana has the next highest at $97,000.00. California has the next highest at $95,000.00 and Texas has the lowest at $92,000.00.

Tips for interviewing for a CNA position

• Dress appropriately. This seems like a no brainer, but it can’t be overstated. Your appearance is the first view the employer will have of you, and it will stay with them as they consider whether to invite you back for a second interview. A CNA job may be fairly entry level as far as the medical profession is concerned, but that’s not a reason to show up looking entry level. Jeans, T-shirts, sneakers and the like are all out. They’re just not appropriate for this type of interview.
• The best bet is to dress “business casual.” For men this would be dress slacks, dress shoes, and a button down shirt and sweater on top. A tie is optional. For women, conservative skirts or slacks and a blouse is fine.
• Above all your clothes need to be clean and well ironed. Even nice clothes can work against you if they are wrinkled or badly laundered. Make sure you look generally as sharp as if you were going to a fancy party or a wedding and you’ll do fine.
• Get there early. Again, fairly obvious advice, but it’s important to stress because often the anxiety of an interview leads to forgetfulness. The best way to avoid any hassles is to leave well early, even an hour earlier than you think you need to, arrive early, and wait. You never know what might hap-pen – difficulty finding the hospital or nursing facility, accidents, flat tires, difficulty finding the inter-view area once you have arrived, and so on. All of these can make you late and there goes your reputation of being punctual.
• Be friendly. There is no better way to turn off a potential employer than to seem combative and de-fensive. Emphasize friendliness. This automatically gives the interviewers the sense that you will be easy to work with, and indeed a pleasure to be around.
• Be Confident. Confidence is also important. You need to give the employer the sense that you be-lieve in your abilities. Some people feel that since they are applying for a position like a CNA, they should be self deprecating and deferential to the more “highly skilled” medical professionals they are dealing with. This is almost always the wrong approach. Consider your part of the medical team as important as any other, because it is. Taking care of patients is a team effort, and doctors, nurses, and patients would have a really tough time without your expertise, so let your attitude re-flect that.
• You are interviewing the employer as much as they are interviewing you. Indeed, this is true. Many times in job interviews people lose sight of this. Institutions seeking CNA’s vary just like anything else does, and you need to evaluate their qualities just as they need to evaluate yours. Do they seem to value their employees? Do they answer your questions with friendliness and straightfor-wardness?  Do they seem reasonable and easy to work with? What is the reputation of the hospital or other interviewing institution like? You can ask the interviewer a number of questions about their facility, the querying doesn’t need to be only going in one direction. Sometimes it helps to come up with a list of questions before hand and either memorize them or have them written on a sheet of paper that you can glance at. You can ask questions about workplace values, organizational struc-ture, the role of the CNA as the company sees it, CAN turnover rate at the institution, workplace ha-rassment, opportunities for advancement and education, and so on. You can even ask them why they work for the facility and why you should accept the offer of a job from them.
• It even pays to do a fairly thorough internet search and find out as much as you can about the insti-tution before arriving. This all has the added advantage of making you seem more knowledgeable and discriminating rather than someone who will just be robotic and not take initiative.
• Use good question response techniques. The main point here is to be truthful while always empha-sizing your positive traits and experience. Make sure you understand the question and take a mo-ment to consider your answer before replying. Then reply in a positive way that puts you in a good light. Avoid rambling – keep your answers on the topic. There is no need to offer more information than the interviewer asks for. Keep it brief, to the point, and positive.
• You can expect to be asked questions such as reasons you’re seeking a job at the facility, your length of time at the last job and the reasons it ended, why they should hire you, whether you like to work independently, whether you think you’re qualified for the position, what hours, you prefer and so on. Don’t let these questions phase you. You can almost always answer a question in a way that somehow highlights your strengths, even while talking about a reason you were terminated or couldn’t find work. It’s mainly a question of attitude.