Answering the 'Tell Me About Yourself' Nursing Interview Question

“Tell me about yourself” is a tricky question to prepare for because it’s so open-ended. However, that also makes it an excellent opportunity. You can talk about anything you want to — which means you can talk about why you’re the ideal nurse for the job.

When interviewers ask this question, what they really want to know is what kind of nurse and coworker you’ll be. By asking you a more open-ended question, they hope to see what sets you apart from other candidates.

Meanwhile, you can use this question to not only demonstrate that you’re an excellent nurse but also double-check that the medical center is a good fit for you.

Let’s dive in and explore how to answer the “tell me about yourself” nursing interview question.

How to Answer “Tell Me About Yourself” in a Nursing Interview

There’s no one right answer to this question. Although interviewers want to see that you’re a good fit for the role, they also want an authentic answer. You should be honest about who you are and what you value.

Plus, by answering truthfully, you’re more likely to receive offers from healthcare centers that you will enjoy working in.

So, when preparing to answer this question, think about what’s important to you. Here are some things you can talk about:

Professional Background

How many years of experience do you have? What are your qualifications? While all this information is on your resume, it’s worth briefly recapping it. Highlight anything that’s particularly relevant for the role, such as a placement in a similar medical center.

Why You’re Applying for This Role

When touching on this, you need to explain not just why you’re applying for nursing roles but why you’re applying for this particular healthcare center, department and specialism. The more specific you can be, the better.

If you don’t feel like you have a good reason, a little research will help you out. Review the center’s website and social media pages to help you better understand the place you’ll hopefully be working. Pay particular attention to the about us, mission, and news pages.

Your Motivation

What drives you to be a good nurse? Whether it’s past experiences, management styles or learning opportunities, mentioning it will show that you’re self-aware. Plus, it will help make sure that the medical center really is a good fit for you. After all, you want to be motivated at work — and the interviewers want to know that they can keep you motivated, too.

Just make sure to keep this part positive. Focus on what motivates you rather than what demotivates you.

Your Working Style

Do you prefer working in small teams or big ones? Do you enjoy high-pressured environments or do you prefer working long-term with the same patients so you can build a stronger relationship? Do you like doing similar tasks every day, or does variety energize you?

Whatever your preferred working style is, it’s worth mentioning it. Just remember to (again) keep it positive. Focus on what you appreciate and don’t rule out working in other environments. Use phrases like “I enjoy” or “I appreciate” rather than “I need” so that you appear self-aware rather than inflexible.

You might be wary of expressing your preferences at this stage of the interview, but it benefits both you and the interviewer. If your working style aligns well with the workplace, they’ll notice and appreciate it. If it doesn’t match at all, you probably wouldn’t be happy working there anyway.

Career Goals

How do you see yourself developing your career at this medical center? Do you want to pursue a particular specialism? Are you hoping to undergo specific training in the near to medium future? Whatever your career goals are, if you hope to pursue them in this role, you should share them with the interviewer. That way, they’ll know that you’re interested in a long-term career, and you’ll know if your goals are achievable here.

Your Values

Sharing your values gives interviewers a strong idea of who you really are, and it allows you to double-check that you’re a good fit. For example, you could mention providing compassionate care or working in a collaborative team.

Remember, most medical centers will share their organization’s values on their webpage. Before the interview, you can check to see how well they align with yours. You might also choose to rephrase your answer slightly based on this. For example, if the center values empathetic care, you could change your answer to that instead of saying “compassionate care”. Just make sure you’re still being genuine.

“Tell Me About Yourself”: Nursing Interview Example Answer

Although you should draft your own answer to this question, using the six factors above, reading an example answer can help you see if you’re on the right track. So, here are two examples you can draw inspiration from.

“I’m a recent graduate who decided to pursue nursing after volunteering at my local hospital. I was touched by the difference the nurses made to the patients’ quality of care. In my studies, I specialized in pediatrics, and I’m particularly drawn to pediatric oncology as an area where nurses can really support children through long-term illnesses. In fact, that’s what led me to apply for a role here: I know that your hospital invests in the latest oncology technology. I like working in cooperative environments and, as a new starter, am eager to develop my skills through working alongside more experienced nurses.”

“I have six years of experience as an emergency room nurse, but now that my partner and I have children, I am looking to switch to being a physical therapy nurse so that I can have more regular hours and get to see patients’ conditions improve. I’m applying for a role here because I like that you work primarily with the elderly, who I think particularly benefit from patient and empathetic support. I value providing compassionate and respectful care, so I think this role would be a great fit for me.”

Create a Nursing Resume that Shows Off Your Best Features

The first step to showing interviewers who you are, and why they should hire you, is creating a stellar resume. It will be the first thing interviewers see of you. It’s also often the last thing they see before making a salary offer. So, it’s important to get it right.

Your resume should highlight your skills and experience, while being customized to the role in question. It also needs to be machine-readable and have an attractive layout.

Here at Rocket Resume, we have millions of nurse resume templates that will help you get started. What’s more, our resume builder will recommend the ideal structure based on your experience and qualifications, and suggest recruiter-approved phrasing.

Our resume builder takes just 10 minutes to use, so create your resume now.