Calling/Walking into HR while job searching?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Nov 21, 2014

Visiting HR in person has worked for a small handful of people, but it will get the vast majority of applicants escorted out of that area.

In my experience, knowing someone on the inside of the company is the greatest asset you can have in the job search. Your application moves to the top of the list if you know an internal employee who will put in a good word for you and mention your name to the HR assistant or unit manager.

Networking is key. It's less about what you know. It's more about who you know.

WookieeRN, BSN, MSN, RN · Nov 21, 2014

I work in HR.

Nothing is more aggravating than someone walking in without an appointment expecting to be seen about their application. We receive, at times, hundreds of applications to weed through. It takes a while to go through all of those applications because it can take me hours just to go through a preliminary scan of the application (checking if they have the qualifications to apply for the position) and a short glance of their resume.

I do not discuss applications with applicants as a rule. The receptionist is told to turn them right around and wait for a phone call if we find their qualifications fit what we are looking for. It stinks, I understand, but I have SO MUCH going on and I am not just hiring for one position half the time. It's usually more than 5-10. To be put bluntly, I just don't have the time to deal with you when I am going to give you the same answer my receptionist did.

The thing is, half the time, I have other responsibilities than filling the position as well. I have responsibilities that have nothing to do with hiring whatsoever that need to get done.

We have a lot of people just "pop in" so they get their name hopefully recognized in the pile of all the others. I could not tell you how many people come in with food trying to grease the axles, or the one guy that thought flirting with the receptionist was going to get him in to speak with me. People from other departments always come to our department for snacks and food, because we always have applicants dropping off cookies, etc to try to get noticed. We actually set up a table in the front reception area certain times of the year because we get so much!

I tend to get a lot of people who did not fit the qualifications of the position coming in who are trying to make their case, so to speak, about what they have to offer that makes it up. That belongs in the cover letter, but that is besides the point.

It is not endearing. It is annoying.

I also cannot tell you how valuable it is to know someone on the inside, or who has any pull whatsoever. Hours of my work can be undone when a higher-up decides that we should just hire so-and-so's cousin's niece's daughter, or their daughter's roommate from college, etc. My biggest advice is to network, network, network. I deal with a lot of the people that will be dealing with those I may be hiring, so if they give me a name (and it's in my pile) I will definitely pay more attention to it.

Sorry for this long post, I swear it didn't turn out that way! I think sometimes it's just good to have the insight of someone that actually deals with this on a daily basis.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Nov 21, 2014

in my facility it is not HR that makes the hiring decision, it is the Director of that department. Directors sift thru the online apps and then notify HR if they are intereseted in someone. HR does their thing, then gets the candidate in to meet the Director and later, the staff. If a recommendation to hire comes from the Director then HR completes background checks and drug screens and moves forward. But HR is not the people to talk to so it is a waste of time to visit them. May be ok in small facilities.

scaredsilly, BSN, RN · Nov 22, 2014

Walking into HR in general doesn't work well. Unfortunately for new grads, online applications don't work well either. The computers are programmed with filters that reject applications without experience without a human ever seeing them. If you know someone in the facility or on the unit where you are trying to get a job, talk to them. Preceptors from past clinicals are often very helpful if they liked you. In my area of the country taking a resume directly to a nurse manager on a unit where you know they are hiring is effective in many cases. Lots of us got our first job that way, bypassing HR completely does seem to work, however I have been told that this does not work in NYC and other places in the east.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Nov 22, 2014

How has your experience with calling or walking directly into HR to check up on your application during job search?
I heard mostly negative things such as it gives an impression of being overly eager or even disruptive since hundreds of other applicants are probably wondering about their own application status as well. And of course HR can't do this for hundreds of people a day.
But then again, do we just submit our application online and just wait for HR to contact or in some unfortunate cases, never contact us back?
What are your experiences?
THank you, guys!

Yes that is exactly what you do. Harassing HR is not going to benefit you and may harm you.

Some jobs you apply to will never call you. That's just the way the cookie crumbles. There are MANY applicants for every job posted. HR/The Hiring Manager have no reason to waste your time and theirs by bringing you in for an interview if they can tell from the other applications that others are better candidates or if you don't have the qualifications that they are looking for.

Summers3 · Nov 26, 2014

Thank you very much for your reply, BeachyRN2be!

I appreciate you taking the time and effort to write out your experience for me, thank you!

Since you have so much experience with this, when you said network anyone on the inside of the job you are applying to, how much influence does a say, regular employee from a different unit have on an applicant?

Of course, the direct unit or direct nursing director will have the most influence on who they may want HR to contact and interview. But say, a regular employee from another unit or volunteer coordinator or even nurse from a different unit, recommends an applicant, do you or HR in general think that has some positive influence on their application?

(like can you have an inside employee from say, oncology dept, calls HR for you and recommends you for applying to a job in ER?) Or is their influence too minimal to have an impact since they are completely different depts. despite being in the same hospital? So therefore the networking must be from the direct unit you are applying to or else it's useless?

Also, beachyrn2be, may I please ask how long is too long to wait for a reply? Some places never even call you back but what if you apply to your first choice (somewhere you really really want) but they are taking long with your application. Would it be okay just to email or call ONCE to check up? Or how long is too long to wait and therefore you should look elsewhere?

Thank you so so so much again for your insight. I understand much better what you and your coworkers go through each time there is an application process, thank you for sharing! :)

zzbxdo · Nov 26, 2014

You're gonna have 27462 facilities that work in 27463 different ways. You're over thinking it much more than you need to, take a breath or 2 and take take some baby steps. From your previous posts you aren't in a rn program yet. Don't let your brain explode prematurely. Just use your common sense at this point. Assume that the worse case scenario is you're going to to get rejected but you're never gonna have an objective answer to any of your questions cause there is no general answer which may apply to every facility. When the time comes apply without attachments and expectations.

Summers3 · Nov 26, 2014

Dear zzbxdo,

Thanks for your reply. Yes, worrying about the unknown future is unfortunately one of my worst habits and as such, I plan for things which will not occur for a long time....... like looking for a job when i'm not even graduated yet. Lol.

Thank you for bringing me back to reality a bit and for your consideration. I'll try my best to take it one step at a time.:)