Is it bad to apply online?

Nurses Job Hunt

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Hello my fellow nurses,

I am applying for jobs after having recently graduated/become licensed. I was told in school that it is always better to apply in person due to the benefit of having them see your face/know who you are etc. But in this day and age it is so convenient and tempting to just apply online and save yourself the trip to 10 different places around town! What do you all think, are you increasing your chances of getting hired by applying in person as opposed to online?

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I think it depends on each hiring person individually. Where I work, when people come in with an application my supervisor tells us to take it, say thank you and just turn the resume into a folder in the main office. If they ask to speak to the HR person or someone similar, we are told to say they are in a meeting =S

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Depends on the area of the country and the facility. In my area only certain LTC's who have HR on site will even consider accepting a hand delivered resume and if they do, you had better be dressed professionally and present yourself the same. Other facilities, especially those that are hospital based or affiliated have no HR on site and there is no one to accept your application/resume. If you walked in dressed to the nines with your resume you won't get very far even if you knew the name of the DoN or nurse manager as that is not who makes the hiring decisions. In these facilities only resumes & applications submitted online are accepted without exception. They also use the online application system to filter out criteria--for example if the job requires 2-3 years acute care experience and your resume/application has no nursing experience your application is automatically rejected. Active license required and you enter "license/NCLEX results pending" again rejected. HR filters the applications for the nurse recruiters/managers to determine who to interview and recommend for hire. HR handles the background and employment history checks to determine if the candidate is eligible for hire.

So in summary, in my area at least, making a trip around town will not get you any more interviews (if any) than following company protocol and applying online. With the current job market be prepared to submit many applications (sometimes 50-100 or more) over an extended period of time before being offered interviews/jobs.

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Specializes in Oncology.

I got my first job (not in nursing) through an in person application, then my second job (not in nursing) through online. I got my next job by applying in person (nursing), then 2 more jobs applying online. (both in nursing, one of which I am contingency/PRN and the other fulltime.)

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I think that it really just depends. I have seen listings that have said "apply online or in a person". With that, I would apply in person. Basically, if you have the chance to apply in person- take it! I have gotten about 80% of the jobs I applied to in person. I have also gotten lots of jobs by mailing my resume in to an actual address. As for as online? Sometimes I feel like I'm sending my resume to Mars, never to be seen again.

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Many places will ONLY accept apps online. If it says you can apply in personI would. I would ask if anyone from HR is available. I would make sure you are dressed professionally.

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Specializes in Clinical Documentation Specialist, LTC.

Agreed. If you can apply in person, do so and be sure to put forth a professional appearance. I call around and ask if the facility or hospital has any openings and if they do, they will generally tell me to either submit my resume' online, fax it or come in and fill out an application in person. Personally I prefer the "in person" option since I like to look people in the eye as I am very good at reading people a majority of the time.

If I was in the position of hiring I would personally prefer a face to face interview with applicants.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
Hello my fellow nurses,

I am applying for jobs after having recently graduated/become licensed. I was told in school that it is always better to apply in person due to the benefit of having them see your face/know who you are etc. But in this day and age it is so convenient and tempting to just apply online and save yourself the trip to 10 different places around town! What do you all think, are you increasing your chances of getting hired by applying in person as opposed to online?

There's mixed feelings/results about storming hospitals in person, both from jobseekers as well as nurse managers, and there's tons of threads in the job hunt assistance forums if you want to read about these experiences. I personally won't tell you "do it" or "don't do it" but I will say that if you decide to "do it" you must be willing to accept the real risk that you and your resume may not be warmly welcomed.

To be honest, with some facilities you may not have a choice but to apply online: try to mail/drop off your resume, and you'll be told "please use our website" at best and have your resume dropped in the trash at worst.

As much as possible, I'd try to stick with the facility's preferences regarding job applications. If they specifically indicate "applications accepted online only," that shouldn't be read as "applications accepted online only...except for YOU." You are no exception to the rule and trying to be one may do you more harm than good. But you're an adult so if you decide to buck this, that's your decision.

Now if they don't specifically state anything, then it's your call as to whether to go in person...the odds may be better in this case for you to go and put a face to the resume. But again, keep in mind the risk I mentioned.

Best of luck in your job hunt!

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It probably depends on where you are and the facility. I'm in MN and have worked as an HR assistant. We actually didn't accept paper copies of resumes. Everything was done online including resume submission. When people would show up to discuss a position we had posted on our website it was usually more disruptive to our workday than it was beneficial to the applicant. But that all depends on the facility and the HR people.

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Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.

When I was at a major academic medical center, I'd occasionally have a new grad from the outside show up with their resume. We'd chat politely for a few minutes at the desk, and then I'd remind them to be sure to apply formally if they already done so. There was no advantage to showing up unannounced.

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Specializes in Operating Room, LTAC.

Hey

I recently graduated and I applied online for all positions. But, I also went to job fairs which is how I received an offer. I must say it is definitely difficult to pull a job applying online because there are hundreds if not thousands of applicants competing for such a small amount of positions. What I did was applied online and kept in touch with HR/nurse recruiters - I then got invited to a job fair, met some managers and received an offer. If possible, attend some job fairs/open houses to meet face to face with hiring managers. Also, be prepared for an on-the-spot interview, dress professional, and have a resume (some people like to make portfolios - I only brought a resume). Good Luck!

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I just call ahead first. Most of the places i've called said they prefer online applications, and a hand full even said they won't accept an in- person resume.

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