Kaiser Permanente HireVue Interview: Questions, Format, and a Worked Answer

Kaiser Permanente sends a HireVue link to many applicants after the online application. Most reports come from nurses and other clinical applicants. Candidates report about 8 questions, about 1 minute to prepare, and up to 3 minutes to answer. Most report one take per question, so treat each answer as final.

Most of the questions start with "Tell me about a time." Candidates report questions about conflict, working on a diverse team, and caring for patients. If you pass, talent acquisition sets up a virtual interview with the manager and team members. This page lists the reported questions, what each one tests, and a worked answer.

Want a run-through first? HireVue practice gives you the same timed format with your answers scored, free.

The clock and the format are the same HireVue product every employer uses. The timing guide covers what happens when the timer runs out, and how HireVue scoring works covers what the recording is scored on.

Kaiser Permanente's published mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of its members and the communities it serves. Its code of conduct, the Principles of Responsibility, asks every employee to act with integrity, protect patient privacy, and speak up when something does not feel right. The reported questions test these through patient, conflict, and team stories.

• Patient care. A time you helped a patient or customer in a specific way.
• Handling conflict. A disagreement with a coworker, patient, or family member, and how you settled it.
• Working with different people. Your role on a team where people came from different backgrounds.
• Speaking up. A time you raised a concern about safety or quality.
• Fit with the mission. A reason for Kaiser tied to its focus on keeping members healthy.

Build one story for each line above. Every question below is asking for one of them.

These are the questions candidates report from recent Kaiser Permanente screens, with the competency each one is built to test. Your set will be a mix of these and close variants.

1. Tell me about a time you had a conflict at work. What did you do? (Conflict, communication)
2. How do you handle conflict with staff or patients? (Composure, respect)
3. Tell me about a time you worked on a diverse team. What role did you play? (Teamwork, inclusion)
4. Tell me about a time you advocated for a patient. (Patient care, speaking up)
5. Tell me about a time you went above and beyond for a patient. (Patient care)
6. Why do you want to work at Kaiser Permanente? (Motivation)
7. How would you fit with the values and the diverse team at Kaiser Permanente? (Fit)

For the shape of each answer type, see HireVue interview questions by format. For the answer structure itself, the STAR method guide has worked examples.

Question: "Tell me about a time you advocated for a patient."

"During my last clinical rotation on a medical floor, I cared for an 82-year-old patient after hip surgery. On my second day she was more confused than the day before, and she would not eat. The team thought it was normal confusion after surgery. Her daughter told me her mom was sharp at home. I checked her vitals and saw her urine output had dropped over 12 hours. I told my preceptor what I saw and what the daughter said, and we called the provider together. I used SBAR so the call was short and clear. The provider ordered labs, and they showed a urinary tract infection. She started antibiotics that night, and two days later she was eating and talking with her daughter again. What I took from it is that family members know the patient's normal. When something does not match, I say it out loud and bring the facts."

Why it scores: It shows the candidate noticed a change, brought facts, used the chain of command, and got a clear result. It ends with a lesson the candidate still uses. About 60 seconds spoken.

Specific to Kaiser Permanente:

• Plan for one take. Most candidates report a single chance at each answer, so outline each story before you press record.
• Have three patient or customer stories ready: one where you advocated, one where you went past the basics, and one with a conflict.
• Use clinical rotations, internships, or past jobs as examples. Retail and front-desk work count for conflict and teamwork stories.

For any HireVue:

1. Day 1. Write one story per competency in the list above. Two or three sentences each: the situation, what you decided, what happened.
2. Day 2. Say each story out loud on a two-minute timer. Most people run long the first time. Cut until each one ends on the result with time to spare.
3. Day 3. Run the reported questions cold, in one sitting, no notes. Then set up the room: quiet, camera at eye level, light on your face, wired internet if you have it.

The full setup checklist and a five-day version of this plan are in the free HireVue practice guide.

After you submit, results often take a week or more. Here is how to follow up after an interview if the window passes, and a salary negotiation email for when the offer comes. Applying for a move up where you already work? See promotion interview questions.

Company guides in this series, each with the reported questions and a worked answer:

• Goldman Sachs HireVue (investment banking)
• JPMorgan Chase HireVue (investment banking)
• Morgan Stanley HireVue (investment banking)
• Citi HireVue (banking)
• Bank of America HireVue (banking)
• Barclays HireVue (banking)
• Deutsche Bank HireVue (banking)
• Bain & Company HireVue (consulting)
• Boston Consulting Group HireVue (consulting)
• Deloitte HireVue (consulting and professional services)
• EY HireVue (professional services)
• Unilever HireVue (consumer goods)
• PepsiCo HireVue (consumer goods)
• Amazon HireVue (technology and operations)
• IBM HireVue (technology)
• Boeing HireVue (aerospace and engineering)
• Hilton HireVue (hospitality)
• Delta Air Lines HireVue (airlines)
• McDonald's HireVue (restaurants)
• Shell HireVue (energy)
• PwC HireVue (accounting and professional services)
• Accenture HireVue (consulting and technology services)
• Vodafone HireVue (telecommunications)
• Kraft Heinz HireVue (consumer packaged goods)
• Wells Fargo HireVue (banking)
• BlackRock HireVue (asset management)
• UBS HireVue (banking)
• United Airlines HireVue (airlines)
• Emirates HireVue (airlines)
• Marriott HireVue (hospitality)
• Johnson & Johnson HireVue (health care)
• PNC HireVue (banking)
• KKR HireVue (private equity)
• Keurig Dr Pepper HireVue (consumer goods)
• Target HireVue (retail)
• Walmart HireVue (retail)
• Nike HireVue (sportswear)
• Macy's HireVue (retail)