October grad- when do I start applying?

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi all,

I will (fingers crossed) graduate this October. When should I start applying for jobs? I am inclined to start now but I don't know if they will take me seriously. The way I see it though is that these next 3 months will fly by pretty fast and I know it is rough out there!

Thanks in advance for any input.

Specializes in ER.

Ya it's not gonna hurt to start applying now..you're gonna graduate either way!

Ya it's not gonna hurt to start applying now..you're gonna graduate either way!

Yeah, I know. I worry that if I apply now, they will toss my app aside. Then it takes me out of the running for applying again later since they have my name in their heads as a "no". I guess it never hurts to try!

Specializes in ER.

Why would they have it in their heads and you being a "no"...they might like you soo mcuh that they don't bother interviewing anyone else..unless they need the position filled right away that is..but I'm sure they will tell you that in the interview. I have many friends in nursing school who started applying for jobs 2-3 months in advance.

I suppose I am just paranoid/nervous. Now that I think about it, when I was about to graduate college for my first career, I started applying like 6 months in advance...and it payed off well. I guess this whole "new career" thing has me second guessing everything.

Thanks.

Specializes in Emergency.

I think it's okay to apply now, for sure start applying in August though. I graduate at the end of this month and I started applying at the beginning of June, had a job offer by the end of June. So I have a job lined up already and I think that's good. You don't want to have to stress during finals week thinking omg, I don't have a job and it's the last week of school. Good Luck!

I agree with the above posters. If you apply to the Federal government for nursing jobs, it take about 6 months to get hired. There are positions in the Native American Indian Health service. A local job in a hospital might wait until you pass boards to consider you. However, getting the interview even though it would still be a while gets that much of the process out of the way. Dont be surprised if you dont have an offer the first 6 months. Just keeping showing up in their resource department once a month. Persistance gets attention and notice. It gets the employer's office talking.

Specializes in new to NICU.

Here is my 2 cents:

Call the nurse recruiter for every hospital you would like to work. Tell them you will graduate in October and what type of nursing you are most interested in. Let the recruiter know that you really want to work at that hospital. Then ask what steps you should take to apply and how competitive the new grad positions are.

Find out if you need to pass boards by a certain date and ask any other questions you may have.

If it is extremely competitive, you might ask which certifications (BLS, ACLS, PALS, NRP, etc.) will be beneficial for you to have for the area you want to work.

If you are looking at hospitals outside your area, make sure the recruiter knows that you are looking to relocate.

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