Contact nurse manager directly - a good idea??

[bm.walker]

Hi, I am a new grad looking at out of state of jobs (moving to Texas), and without prior connections to hospitals I want to ensure that my interest in these positions are clear.

I have done research with mixed results as far as contacting the nursing manager of the unit of your interest directly. At this point I have submitted my application and its current status is: "Your application has been submitted for consideration. If the hiring manager selects you as a top candidate, we will contact you to schedule an interview."

I was able to get a phone number for the nurse manager of the unit of my interest, should I call? Suggestions on what to say?

Thank you!!

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Tough call because it can go either way. Sometimes directly contacting managers is the best way to get their attention...and sometimes managers get annoyed because you're circumventing HR's hiring process. So there's some risk there if you decide to do it.

You may have better luck if you know (or get to know) someone working on the unit who knows the manager and can feel things out and let you know if contacting the manager would go over well. That person might also be able to put in a good word for you as well.