Operators hire for judgment under pressure. Prepare three stories: a compliance problem you caught, a staffing crisis you solved, and a conflict you handled badly and learned from.
Ask about census, payer mix, turnover and the last survey outcome. Candidates who do not ask look like they have not run a building's numbers.
Salary conversations go better when you anchor to responsibility — bed count, star rating, and whether you inherit an open DON position.
Walk the building before you accept. Smell, noise and the way staff greet residents tell you more than the financials.