Need some advice?!?!?!?!?!NEW GRAD<----desperate

Nurses General Nursing

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Hello boy's and girl's,

I am a new grad who just passed my boards last week! The problem is that I having one hell of a time finding a job. I am presently in Montana, but am moving to Boise here in a week and a half. I have absolutely zero experience in Nursing never being a CNA or anything. I have always been a BARTENDER which I have been doing at various dance clubs and restaurants for the last ten years. Can you my fellow RN's give me any advice concerning my job hunt. Like what I am doing wrong, what I can do to make myself more employable??!?!?! Or anything?!?!

XOXO

PSPS I also cut and pasted my resume and cover letter for any advice that you'all could give me

July 19th, 2010

Address details

To whom it may concern:

I am seeking a nursing postion that could utilize my education and many years of customer service experience.

Prior to receiving my nursing degree and RN, I worked as a waiter and bartender in order to fund my education. My experience in working with a culturally diverse environment of coworkers and the public has proved invaluable experience which should serve me well in my new career in nursing.

It is my hope that upon review of my resume, you will find in keeping with your standards. I would really love to start my new career with you.

Should you have any additional questions or like to schedule an interview you may contact me at insert phone number.

Warmest regards,

Insert Personal details

Certificates:

Montana: Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)

Idaho:Registered Nurse (RN)

Objective:

Utilize my training and experience in customer relations for a nursing position.

Profile:

Motivated, detailed oriented, energetic, industrious, professional, and personable team player with diverse previous experience interfacing with a wide variety of personalities and cultures.

Skills Summary:

Experience with diversity

Good humored

Ability to multi-task

Used to working odd hours

Team player

Tenacious worker

Critical Thinking skills

Detailed

Able to work with multiple supervisors

Consistent & dependable

Industrious

Computer literate

Compassionate

Training Summary:

Customer relations training

Clinical : Holy Rosary Health Center & Veterans Hospital –MontanaLegal aspects of adoptionsClinical training: pediatrics, geriatrics, medical & surgical nursing

Pre-professional Employment History:

2008-Present Rib & ChopServer & Bartender

•Customer service: ensured prompt food and beverage service, anticipated customer needs as well as alcoholic beverage preparation and delivery

•Utilized multi-taking abilities to ensure customer satisfaction

May 2005- July 2008 AZ

Server & Bartender

•Customer service: ensured prompt food service, anticipated customer needs as well as alcoholic beverage preparation and delivery

•Utilized multi-taking abilities to ensure customer satisfaction

2004- June 2005 AZ

Server

•Customer service: ensure prompt food service, anticipate customer needs

•Trained new employees to meet corporate standards for customer service

2002- 2004 Fine Foods, AZ

Barista

•Customer service: Barista

•Assisted baker in pastry preparation and decoration.

1998- 2002

Server & Bartender

•Customer service: ensured prompt food and beverage service, anticipated customer needs as well as alcoholic beverage preparation and delivery

•Utilized multi-taking abilities to ensure customer satisfaction

OK. Well I just deleted the post I wrote so I'll do it again.

You seem to have put a lot of thought into what you have to offer in terms of your customer service skills, however, you have not stated the reason that you want to be a nurse. it really is important to do that, we all may take for granted that we are nurses because we want to help people and are compassionate, but you can't take for granted that the HR person who is sifting through a hundred resumes knows that.

Compassion and the desire to help others are of fundamental importance in this field and you need to find a way to look at your own life and skills and come up with a summary of what you've done and what you want to accomplish that addresses that. Why did you go into nursing? Start there.

Think it through, write it down, edit, rewrite, re-edit (this is very important -- you will need to be able to know this about yourself for the rest of your career), rewrite, re-edit, think, think. Once you can do that you may find yourself rewriting your resume and cover letter. Remember, you are competing with a lot of people, and that HR person is going to devote about 10 seconds to your resume -- if it even makes it into the pile to begin with.

Oh, and yeah, always look for and follow the instructions.:clown:

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Specializes in Psychiatric, Corrections.

The administrator was nice enough to delete my personal info, Lol. Thanks for the advice guy's...

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I definitely agree that you need to tailor your resume and cover letter to the position that you are applying for. Each resume you send out will need to be tweaked. Also whenever you are applying for a position try to find out the nurse recruiter's name. That could be as simple as just calling up the hospital (or whereever) and asking.

Second, I know you want to play up your customer service skills but I think you are putting a bit too much emphasis on your previous employment. See if you can simplify that part to maybe just job title, company and dates of employment. When you interview you can stress your people skills.

If you got any awards in nursing school or have a good gpa that could go on there as well. I would focus more on your clinical rotations. Talk about what you did during clinicals. Employers know that not all GNs have extensive hospital experience and that's why they train you.

Good Luck!!!!!

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Specializes in Pulmonary, Cardiac.

I found my job posted on craigslist!

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Specializes in ICU.

I'm sure your already searching the web....

sarmc.org

stlukesonline.com lots of campus' (Boise, Meridian, Wood River....)

Elmore Medical Center

West Valley Medical Center

Mercy Medical Center

there are also some long term acute care places like South West Advanced Care or something like that and Complex Care. lots of 'doc in the box' type places (Primary Health and the like) ... oh and PLENTY of bars.... :)

Good luck!!

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Specializes in Legal, Ortho, Rehab.

Here's my constructive criticism:

Am I reading a bartender's resume or a nurse's resume? That's what an employer will think.

I'm gonna be real honest with you. Buy a resume guide book.

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Specializes in Pulmonary, Cardiac.

try Google "new grad RN resume" there are all sorts of tips online. We actually did resumes in one of our nursing classes. When you list your bartending job you need to think "how will that experience help me in nursing" great customer service under pressure? Did you manage other personnel like a barback or waitress? listing duties like pouring drinks probably doesn't help much, but spotlighting customer service, or personel mamngment is better.

try gloogle. I got lots of good ideas.

New grad RN resume

RN resume

or whatever your target is:

RN ob resume

RN hospice resume ect...

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Specializes in Operating Room.

Hi there, have you started applying to jobs in Boise? I spoke to a new RN a couple months ago working on a telemetry floor at either Luke's or Al's (I can't recall) and she said that they've hired 10+ new grads on her floor alone since she started working there less than a year ago. She told me not to worry about the job hunt as the hospitals here are good to new grads, I hope that is true when I grad next year ;) Also look on craigslist, there are so many health care postings.

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