St. Louis Children's Hospital Interview Questions
& Process

Several interviews with my supervisor, manager, and other team members. It was a straightforward process, no assignments needed. All interviews were online and under 45 minutes.

The hiring process included two interviews. First, there was a recruiter chat covering basic info like your education, previous work history, and salary expectations. The recruiter also answered questions about standard benefits and job requirements. Second, I met with the hiring manager and some current team members who have the same job title. They asked straightforward questions about my experience with managing data, my data analysis skills, and typical questions about working styles, like how I work alone or with others.

I met with several people at different levels of the company. The interviews involved a mix of standard HR questions and more informal conversations. Occasionally, I received last-minute calls for additional interviews. The company seemed more focused on assessing candidates for staff roles and making a hire rather than conducting a rigorous examination.

So, I want to preface this by saying I'm not trying to bash the interview process or discourage anyone, I just want to share my experience so others can be ready for something similar. I still love Children's and want to work there, but maybe not on that specific unit because of how they handled things. My interview on one unit was really odd and unprofessional. You apply online, and a recruiter will reach out quickly to talk about the job and unit. They'll offer a virtual or in-person interview, but will push for in-person because the managers prefer it. They also require a 'mandatory shadow' before or after the interview, calling it an 'additional interview' for management to assess you. This is tough because legally you can't do much as a non-employee during a shadow, units can be slow so you might not see much to prove yourself, and management relies on other staff feedback instead of observing you directly. My advice is to really watch how management acts and note what they ask and what you ask. Try to be outgoing, professional, and proactive during the shadow, and ask questions to the unit staff and your shadow partner. It gives you a good feel for the unit's culture and how things work, and most employees are pretty honest if you ask the right things. I had two interviews for two different units. Both times I shadowed first and didn't get an offer. The first interview was with a panel of 3 (2 managers, 1 educator) and it totally threw me off. After I shadowed and met them, they suggested a virtual interview, which I did. They didn't ask me any questions; I ended up asking them. They mentioned they would 'talk to the nurse you shadowed with' for more feedback. It felt unprofessional because they said no questions were needed since I'd already shadowed and talked with them. They tried to reassure me that not getting questions wasn't necessarily bad, which made me wonder if I'd get the job. It didn't feel fair since I didn't get to show my skills. Then, the recruiter gave me conflicting and confusing feedback that didn't match what happened. I've never had an interview like that; it was shocking and disreputable. The second interview (panel of 2 managers, in-person) went great. I thought I nailed it. They asked standard questions and went over scheduling and an orientation booklet. The next day, the recruiter called and said I didn't get the job, giving vague reasons. I suspect both units had already chosen their candidates and just needed to interview more people to meet quotas. It felt like they wasted my time and gas money. However, the second interview panel was more professional, and the managers seemed like good people to work with during the interview and shadow.