Re: Do recruiters actually read cover letters?

As far as having the nurse recruiter read it.....this may be a dumb question.....BUT is it better to e-mail them or hand it to them?!?!?! I'm actually planning on hitting up SEVERAL hospitals and giving my "portfolio" to a nurse recruiter, and was wondering what i should say....
Also for the cover letter, am i supposed to put the recruiters name, hospital name, address, and phone # at the top to make it look professional???? What if i don't know the recruiter's name??? Can i just put" nurse recruiter" and then "To Whom it May Concern?" ANY ADVICE?!?!?!?!? THANKS!!!

Re: Do recruiters actually read cover letters?

XNurse415...

No one can really say whether email is better than an inpromptu visit. Some facilities only allow for email applications (to make sure you are in their "system")while others have no set stipulation. But, sometimes it is good to call ahead to find out the name of the nurse recuriter that handles new grads. Recruiters are very busy and you may find that you are arriving at a time when they are conducting interviews, attending meetings, etc. Keep in mind, that many facilities have more than one recruiter (new grads, critical care, etc.). If you can determine the name of the recruiter for your specific area, it would be good to place his/her name on the cover letter. Otherwise, I would say to create/type a letter to the medical facility with an Attention Line: Nurse Recuriter - New Graduate RNs (something like that). The letter should be the same as other letters you prepare (identify yourself, highlight yourself/background using appropriate descriptives, identify your areas (units) of interest, etc.) while leaving a contact phone number/email address for yourself. If you are able to speak directly to a recruiter (sometimes HR reps are available also), in person, be prepared to really "sell yourself" in order to stand out ahead of others. Get a business card from the recruiter and remember to keep in touch (weekly, bi-weekly, etc.) regarding possible job openings.

You're on the right track because you are taking extra steps--going the extra mile to show how eager you are to work.

Good Luck!!

Re: Do recruiters actually read cover letters?

Originally Posted by smn2009

XNurse415...

No one can really say whether email is better than an inpromptu visit. Some facilities only allow for email applications (to make sure you are in their "system")while others have no set stipulation. But, sometimes it is good to call ahead to find out the name of the nurse recuriter that handles new grads. Recruiters are very busy and you may find that you are arriving at a time when they are conducting interviews, attending meetings, etc. Keep in mind, that many facilities have more than one recruiter (new grads, critical care, etc.). If you can determine the name of the recruiter for your specific area, it would be good to place his/her name on the cover letter. Otherwise, I would say to create/type a letter to the medical facility with an Attention Line: Nurse Recuriter - New Graduate RNs (something like that). The letter should be the same as other letters you prepare (identify yourself, highlight yourself/background using appropriate descriptives, identify your areas (units) of interest, etc.) while leaving a contact phone number/email address for yourself. If you are able to speak directly to a recruiter (sometimes HR reps are available also), in person, be prepared to really "sell yourself" in order to stand out ahead of others. Get a business card from the recruiter and remember to keep in touch (weekly, bi-weekly, etc.) regarding possible job openings.

You're on the right track because you are taking extra steps--going the extra mile to show how eager you are to work.

Good Luck!!

Hey smn2009,
Thanks for the advice!!!! I'm still kinda nervous as to what to say when I go ask to meet the nurse recruiter. Should i just let them know that i'm interested in working for their organization??? I mean that's basically what my cover letter says. What if i do go, and they're unavailable??? Should i offer to wait??? Some of these hospitals i'm planning on hitting up are like 1-1.5 hours away. Luckily, i have friends and family that live in those areas so i can always go to their houses if i need to. I'm REALLY eager to start working b/c everyday i feel like i'm losing the skills i worked so hard to learn....

Re: Do recruiters actually read cover letters?

xNurse....
I'll send you a PM message so we don't take up space on the thread....okay...

Re: Do recruiters actually read cover letters?

Just for the record, I don't intend on sending any applications without a cover letter. I can't afford to "experiment" with my future and risk losing even a single interview. I'll leave that to someone else who has plenty of opportunities to waste. I was really wondering if anyone reads them, or just skips to the resume. The resume seems to me to be easier to read, so they can find out I am a new grad and then send me my newest decline letter. I think my sense of humor isn't coming across on this thread.

Re: Do recruiters actually read cover letters?

My friend is a human resources manager (not in a hospital though). She told me that when potential employees don't send a cover letter, it comes across as though the person does not care enough about the job to put in the effort.

She also mentioned that it is easy to tell when people are applying for a lot of jobs at the same time......apparently it is common for people to forget to change the first line of the cover letter (where the position of interest is listed)! For example, person fills out application for sales position but first line of cover letter reads something like "I am applying for the janitorial staff position...." So make sure to double check before sending!!!

Re: Do recruiters actually read cover letters?

The HR rep mentioned my cover letter in my interview, so I know it was read and made an impact.

Hang in there. These are tough times.

Re: Do recruiters actually read cover letters?

When hiring, I absolutely require and read cover letters. I won't even bother reading the resume if the cover letter is awful. Make sure you have excellent spelling and grammar in the cover letter - it's a brief opportunity to impress and summarize your suitability for the job.

Re: Do recruiters actually read cover letters?

Originally Posted by ghillbert

When hiring, I absolutely require and read cover letters. I won't even bother reading the resume if the cover letter is awful. Make sure you have excellent spelling and grammar in the cover letter - it's a brief opportunity to impress and summarize your suitability for the job.

Wold you recommend to personally give the cover letter & resume to the unit applied for or just attach it in the online application?

Re: Do recruiters actually read cover letters?

Originally Posted by xNurse415X

Wold you recommend to personally give the cover letter & resume to the unit applied for or just attach it in the online application?

"WOULD"