Getting Hired as a new grad

Nurses New Nurse

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Good afternoon fellow nurses,

I am in my last year of nursing school, and wondered if anyone had any tips into getting hired as a new grad nurse? I start volunteering in the ED(Where I would like to work) at one NJ's best hospitals in October, who would you guys suggest I speak with?

Thanks For the feedback much appreciated.

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Specializes in ICU.

I would start with speaking to any nursing professors you have a good relationship with and who you earned good grades with. You'll need references/recommendations.

At the ED you'll be volunteering at, bust your butt and make a great impression. Think of your volunteering time as an extended job interview. Once you get to know more people, ask some nurses whom you trust about how they got hired and what their thoughts and recommendations are for how you can better prepare yourself to be a good fit for the unit. These are some of your best allies in getting hired if they think you'll be a good addition to the crew, especially since a lot of work places are starting to include peer interviews as part of the hiring process. Their recommendation also carries a lot of weight if they go to the higher ups to say they think you should be hired.

Also, once people get to know you through your volunteer work, you could talk to the charge nurse/supervisor/manager about how you're really enjoying volunteering at the unit, you'd love to work there for X, Y, and Z reasons, and you think you'd be a good candidate for A, B, and C reasons. Ask if there are any job openings coming up and what their usual hiring procedure is.

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That sounds like a great plan. I will do exactly what you said lol.

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Specializes in Tele, ICU, Staff Development.

I have SO many tips for you and others that I wrote a book!

"Your Last Nursing Class: How to Land Your First Nursing Job"

You did well by volunteering. Now you are visible and on the nurse manager's radar. Let them know you are interested in a job once you graduate.

Here's an excerpt from my book:

The job market has shifted dramatically from the time when new grads could pick and choose. Some nurses still remember the time when new grads can get a job whenever and wherever they want. As a result of our history an entire generation of nurses has never had to learn the job-seeking skills that most college graduates must learn. They never learned how to create resumes, cover letters, or how to interview. The old joke in nursing was If you had a pulse, you were hired.' New grads are for the most part not prepared to compete for jobs.

There are many, many qualified applicants for each new grad position. In fact, your best friends and classmates Ashley and Kim ... are now competing with you for the same job.

"My application was for the (Cedar Sinai) new grad program. Most of us didn't have experience. They only took 60 of the 485 applicants to interview with HR then they narrowed it down to 40 for the group interview then 20 before the day was over and now we are waiting to hear if we got one of the 8-10 positions they have available"

Tiffany

The 8 to 10 candidates who landed a position at this prestigious hospital in Los Angeles understood how to set themselves apart from the other 475 applicants. You will now learn how to do that as well.

Getting a job is your full time job right now. Applying for a job requires new skills. And skills can be learned. But even with skills you have to strategize in order to stand out.

By the end of this book, you will have what it takes. Despite the competition, new graduates and experienced nurses are landing the jobs they want every day-and you can be one of them!

Best wishes

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Beth thank you for your insight, as a nursing student we are always concerned with material and learning as much as possible. But I have to make sure I am opening the right doors, to get a job after school. I am glad I will have an opportunity to put my best foot forward and show the staff I have what it takes.

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Specializes in 15 years in ICU, 22 years in PACU.

Well you haven't taken the time to read the TOS if you are using the term Nurse in your user name and are not a nurse yet.

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My username does not say Rn, how do you know I am not LPN/LVN you TROLL?

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My username does not say Rn, how do you know I am not LPN/LVN you TROLL?

So, are you an LPN? If not, you're violating the site's TOS. The mods can help you change your username. And pointing that out hardly qualifies as trolling.

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Specializes in Telemetry, Case Management.

Really? Peddling a book...is that even allowed? You spam every thread.

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