Relocation job search

Specialties NP

Published

Hello, I'm an NP relocating from Massachusetts to Oregon in Feb 2016. I've got a dual degree in Geriatric and Adult Nursing, and have worked for the last 7 years in different settings: long term care, orthopedics, and occupational (employee) health. I'm up for working in any of those areas again. I used to live in Oregon before I was an RN/NP and have some non-nursing references there.

Since I'm not local again yet, I have been looking on indeed.com and applying to some jobs but I've read on allnurses that no one looks at out of state resumes. And many of these don't allow you to add a cover letter to explain the move.

Has anyone tried to use a national recruiter? Have you put a local address on your resume to boost the response? (That just feels wrong!) Any tips that worked for you would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Specializes in ER/Tele, Med-Surg, Faculty, Urgent Care.

I am on indeed/glassdoor/nursing cafe & I don't know which others. I recently saw one for Eugene Oregon. I get emails & recruiters call all the time for all states. Just got a post card for Alaska starting pay $135K. Where did you read that no one looks at out of state resumes? I know NP that moved here from Tennessee, Houston etc. If you google NP jobs oregon you will get hits. Heck, even try craigslist, I have seen NP/PA jobs listed there. Leave no stone unturned. Keep current address for now. Are you licensed in Oregon? If so, do list that on your resume. For example, My CV/resume lists both states I am licensed in. Good Luck, keep us posted. There is also a Jobs section on the yellow tool bar, on the far right.

Thank you very much! I'm going to try all of your suggestions. Yes I'm officially licensed in both states (MA and OR). I have not given notice at my current job in the Boston area yet, so I'm struggling with putting myself out there in case someone I know/work with discovers my updated resume. So I'm trying to find ways to do it under the radar.

Thank you again!

Specializes in ICU.

Are you acute care or primary care? Have you tried calling some of the hospitals and/or clinics? Maybe talking to the places you've submitted resumes to might help.

At the aanp conference this past summer, I talked with quite a few recruiters across the country. They all essentially told me they would not consider my resume unless I had a local address or other ties to the area (explained in the cover letter that not every future employer accepts). Which was very disappointing to me, because I was ready to up and move to experience the other side of america!

I did get a job out of state by using a family members address on my resume. It took a little coordination of my fibs and they (potentially illegally?) asked me where i lived in my interview. I told them I recently moved to the area and was staying w family until I settled in. If it is a phone interview since an in person interview wouldn't be as feasible for you right now, saying something like you are in the process of moving, i think would be okay.

I'm primary care, and I've been looking at the hospitals in Portland. It's a good tip to follow up via phone - thanks.

Thanks for the info about addresses. I was able to put Portland, OR on my Indeed profile but then did add in the "about me" section that I'm moving in early 2016. It's helped to do that because I just received 2 targeted emails from recruiters in Oregon. Before I did that change, I was getting Boston area job offers.

I wanted to give an update for anyone else considering relocation to Portland. They have an NP shortage there, so they are actively seeking job seekers and definitely it did not seem to matter that my address was not local. Still, I did emphasize that I was moving there in every available opportunity (cover letter, etc).

I found that setting up an account with the local hospitals and medical centers and applying for jobs on their websites was the best approach. You can get ready by adding your resume and cover letter to your account and when you find a job, you can just apply easily using your stored information. I feel like Indeed.com only showed second-tier jobs and the hospitals didn't use those sites very much but I kept an active profile on there anyway to increase my job chances. You could find yourself registering on a million nursing job search sites so I'd stick to Indeed only to simplify.

I was in Portland for 5 days in mid-November. I applied for jobs about 3-4 weeks before my trip and when I was contacted by recruiters, I was able to schedule interviews for the dates that I was in the city. It helped move things along when they realized I was going to be around in person. I did accept a position as of last week and will start in early February. So it was certainly not easy setting up accounts with each hospital, etc but very worth it. There were a few places that I never heard from after applying for relevant jobs (Legacy and Kaiser) and maybe they just take longer to process applications.

Best of luck to all and thank you to those that offered suggestions to me! I really appreciate it.

Now to find an apartment in PDX!! That's a whole other problem. LOL

Specializes in ICU.

Congratulations!!! That's exciting!! Can I ask where you ended up accepting a position (you can PM if you'd rather)? If you don't want to be right in the city- there are lots of smaller areas (suburbs, so to speak) around Portland that are nice places to live! We've been here a year and love it!! I'm excited for you!!

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