Staffing Specialist

Jennifer Schilbe

What characteristics do you look for when hiring interns?  We like to have someone who is well rounded, and someone who has previous clinical experience, but we also look for soft skills like customer services, communication, and teamwork - all the different attributes  that add up to giving good care to our patients.

What can an intern candidate do to impress you?  Typically when I am speaking with applicants, I ask them to think about experiences they have had in nursing, volunteering, or in unrelated past work experiences, and to think about how all these different things will add value to our staff. I’m looking for what they  see as their role in these activities because that is an indicator of how they will be with us.

What is the worst thing an intern candidate can do during the interview process?  Something that has turned me off in the past has been negativity, or someone who doesn't display accountability when things go wrong. I ask behavioral interview questions like, “Tell me about a time you were working in a team and the results did not come out as planned.” Yes, we’ve all been in situations where, maybe the results were someone else’s fault. But the interviewer needs to describe to me their role, and their accountability, not just blame everyone else or talk bad about others. We work in teams here. That the approach we're coming with every day, and I need to know they can take accountability.

Do you have any resume tips for intern candidates?  If you on your resume have schooling and nothing else, we will probably pass on you. We are always on the look out for well-rounded individuals. We want people who have worked in teams, who have extracurricular activities, and who have shown they have developed traits through other experiences that will add to our value as care givers.

What is your advice to intern candidates who are trying to work for you? My main piece of advice would be to do good in school, get that well-rounded clinical experience, but also expose yourself to other leadership and extracurricular activities, because it is those things that are going to make you stand out and be a strong candidate in the recruiter’s mind.