How to prepare for your next aged care nursing interview

Preparing for a nursing interview at a local aged care facility? We know it can be a bit daunting, but one of the best ways to overcome these jitters and ace any interview is to go in with a plan. 

These are some of the top strategies to help you get ready, and the common questions you’re likely to be asked.  

Need specific help? We’re just a phone call away. 

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Strategies to help you prepare for your aged care nursing interview

Good preparation is key to success in any job interview, and aged care in particular. You’re likely to be asked for a lot of detail regarding your experience, including specific scenarios that you’ve encountered in the past, as the interviewer will be looking to determine if you’re qualified, safe and friendly. 

These strategies should help to ensure that you have all your basics sorted, you’re ready to answer questions in a clear and constructive way, and that you can adapt to the unexpected. 

1. Do your research

Before arriving at your interview, re-read the job description, the job ad (if separate) and the aged care facility’s website.  

It’s important that you’re crystal clear on the specific requirements of the role, as well as the mission and values of the organisation. That way you can tailor your responses to ensure the interviewer knows your values align with theirs, you know the size of the facility, and you fully understand what role you’re interviewing for. 

Additionally, go over the Aged Care Quality Standards to ensure you’re familiar and comfortable with them. 

2. Bring all of your documents

The interviewer will already have some of your key documents, but just in case they don’t, or someone else attends that would be interested to see them, bring everything important to the interview. That includes: 

• Your CV 
• Any letters of recommendation 
• Relevant certificates 
• Identification documents 
• Anything else you think might be relevant and helpful 

3. Practice the STAR model of answering questions

The STAR technique is a useful model for helping you answer questions in a clear, structured way, hitting all the right points to explain what you did in a situation, and how it worked out. 

STAR is… 

• Situation: Set the context of the situation. What happened? How did it start? 
• Task: Explain what you were required to do. Talk about the role you took in the situation. 
• Action: Detail specific action steps you took to achieve your goal, making sure to reference not just physical things but emotional ones too – like the empathy you used, or the way you communicated. 
• Result: Talk about what happened afterwards, how it went. Was it a success? If so, why? 

4. Prepare to explain why you love aged care

Most interviewers in an aged care context will want to know: 

• What makes you passionate about aged care. 
• Why you chose to get into this role. 
• Where you want to go next in your career. 

These should all be fairly easy to answer, but it doesn’t hurt to practice in case you feel nervous on the day. 

5. Prepare to talk about your history

Similarly to the above, the interviewer will undoubtedly quiz you on your past experiences, and anything they’re not sure about on your CV. As such, prepare to talk about: 

• Your past work experience. 
• Your qualifications and areas of either specialty or particular interest. 
• Any extra education you’ve sought out, or been provided by a previous employer. 
• Any oddities on your CV, for example gap years, extended periods between roles, changes in career, etc. 

6. Practice turning soft skills into stories

In aged care, soft skills really matter: empathy, people management, conflict management, prioritisation, and so on. But these aren’t always easy to ‘prove’ in an interview – you can tell someone you’re empathetic, but it’s better to put it into a story. 

Using the list of soft skills below, consider what experiences you’ve had in the past where you’ve utilised them. Put those into a story (remember STAR), practice those stories, and you’ll be ready for a variety of question in the interview. 

Most important soft skills in aged care

• Empathy/EQ 
• Communication 
• Adaptability/flexibility 
• Patience 
• Teamwork 
• Problem solving 
• Emotional resilience 

7. Come up with questions of your own

What do you want to know about the role, or the facility? What’s important to you in a job? 

Write down a few questions of your own. Asking questions shows the interviewer you’re interested and eager, and that you take your profession seriously. 

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Common aged care specific job interview questions

These are the common questions you’re likely to be asked by interviewers, plus scenarios designed to test how you would act in certain situations. 

Practice your answers and rehearse key details about your experience to ensure you’re ready for anything. 

Aged care interview questions

1. Why do you want to work in aged care? 
2. Tell us about your experience in this industry, plus your qualifications. 
3. What do you want next out of your career? 
4. What is your understanding of <specific illness or disease>, and how do you care for someone with that condition? 
5. What is your approach to talking about end-of-life care with a resident or their family? 
6. What would you do if a resident fell? 
7. How would you handle a situation where a resident refuses care? 
8. What do you know about the Australian Aged Care Quality Standards and Code of Conduct? 

Scenario-based questions

1. You are working with a resident who has a complex care plan due to multiple health conditions. The family has requested a specific treatment for their loved one that conflicts with the residents expressed goals of care. How would you approach this situation?   
2. A resident under your care is showing signs of mental confusion and is refusing a prescribed pain medication. They express that they do not wish to take the medication, but their family insists they should. What steps would you take? 
3. During a shift, you notice that another RN is administering medication to a resident without following the correct procedure. What would you do to address this situation? 

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Common generic job interview questions you’re likely to be asked

Additionally, these are a few more general job interview questions which you’ll probably face: 

1. What are your salary expectations? 
2. What are your strengths and weaknesses? 
3. Explain a time you overcame a challenge, and how you overcame it. 
4. Explain a time you made a mistake, and what you did about it. 
5. Please provide some examples of when you’ve worked as a team. 
6. Please provide examples of a time where you had to juggle multiple priorities at once. 
7. How do you manage stress and burnout? 

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What if you can’t think of an answer to a question?

Even with all the best prep in the world, there may come a time where you just can’t think of an answer. There are two solutions to try in this situation: 

1. Take a moment to answer. Pause, think, and see if that gives you a chance to come up with something. This may even benefit you, as it’ll look like you’ve taken the question seriously and you’re giving it due consideration. 
2. Be honest. Most interviewers really respect when someone is honest with them. It’s OK to say, “I don’t have an answer for that question right now, but I can find out for you after this interview.” Or, “I’m not sure what I would do in that situation as it hasn’t come up in my career yet. But, when I’m not sure about something, the first thing I would do is ask someone who does know.”  

Just don’t say “I don’t know” on its own – try to offer some kind of alternative solution. 

Need assistance navigating your aged care career? We can help you find the perfect nursing position, prepare for your interview and ace the recruitment process. Learn more about how we help nurses, or contact us to talk about your career.