Getting a job without connections

tentay87 · May 11, 2011

if anyone is interested on an update, i have one interview so far....

icechick, RN · May 13, 2011

I just graduated last week & was wondering the same thing. I have a few connections, but not in the places where I really want to work. I am just applying to jobs that I am interested in & hope that my resume stands out.

Bells23 · May 14, 2011

I was hired without any connections. It was difficult, but not impossible. I made sure my resume and cover letter was as impressive as possible. Try to get some volunteer nursing experience, or a vaccine job. Also try to get as many certifications as possible. Also, walk onto a floor and deliver your resume to a manager or cc if you can. I have heard of some getting an interview on the spot with this technique.

Congrats on the interview. Don't forget to write a thank you note. If you don't get the job, call the manager and ask why. She/he might be able to give you some ideas for improvement.

TeleMeMore · May 15, 2011

I was also hired without connections and I also graduated that dreadful year when NO ONE was hiring - May of 2009. I had classmates that accelerated to graduate just one semester before me (December 2008) and ALL of them (even the iffy ones) found jobs straight away. Where as my class (even the connected ones) had trouble.

I started on the bottom of the totem pole, working as a flu nurse, then in an outpatient OR setting (private free standing surgi center run by a psycho surgeon), then doctor's office, then small community hospital, now FINALLY working at a hospital that I initially applied to when I had NO experience and they wouldn't even consider me. It is a community hospital, but a great one and ranks very well and is a great place to work so finally, I'm where I wanted to be. But it takes the acquisition of experience, slowly but surely. Not that I recommend Job Hopping as much as I did, I surely didn't plan to as much but things got better, I got better offers and now I want to stick to this place for good!!

Pixiesmom, BSN, RN · May 15, 2011

I chose not to use my connections to get my foot in the door. Instead I filled out my application online and attached my resume. I proceeded with a follow up call to the nursing recruiter approximately 1 week later and let her know how much I enjoyed my clinical time at their hospital.

One thing that I think helped me out the most was being excited about the job, knowing the hospitals core values as well as the services it provides to the community.

Good luck with your interview!

HickoryRN · May 27, 2011

did that surgical center happen to be in Chicago? I worked for one in Chicago after my flu shots that hired new grads and he was completely out of his mind! Just wondering if it was prob the same one. He likes to hire new grads.

TeleMeMore · May 27, 2011

^ Yes. He was legitimately scary. I'm sure we're talking about the same one.

netglow, ASN, RN · May 27, 2011

FYI, Weiss in Chicago is sending out notice today re their NG program. Supposedly there was a specific post for the position that was up for a an hour or two on the 16th and then taken down. The main website job section instructs you all to apply to "any" job to be considered. So, what you take from this is that often these residencies are pretty much filled before they announce. I've been told that it is common at many facilities to comply with EEOC to annouce an open call, but to notify tbose who are preselected to log on at a specific hour and apply to a specific posting so that HR can easily grab certain "in the know applicants" and exclude all others - but still appear to give all a chance. So, take from this that it's not that you weren't good enough, it's that you simply were never considered.

Aongroup1990, CNA · May 17, 2012

whats a vaccinne job?