I am a Stranger, in a Strange Land...Can You Help?

[Fannie'sMom, BSN, RN]

BLESSINGS UPON YOU for reading this!!!

I am hoping my fellow Illinois Nurses could share with me some of their wisdom, knowledge, experiences, and suggestions/tips regarding how the nursing hiring process actually works at hospitals, and how one goes about getting their first nursing position.

You see, I am a second-career, new nurse graduate and the last time I searched for a job we used newspapers (an ancient form of one-way communication), we applied for positions in person (yes, they actually use to let you enter a business and speak to another human being regarding employment), and if you were rejected, you were given the courtesy of a letter or a telephone call to inform you that the position was filled (it was slower, more genteel period in history). This new world I now find myself in is somewhat perplexing, scary, and downright disheartening, so I am hoping those of you "in the know" would be kind enough to help me.

While I am looking for ANY HELPFUL INFORMATION anyone would care to share, I do have a couple of specific questions, if you happen to know the answer:

1. Does Rush hire New Nurse Grads (NNG) to any area besides the OR?

1a. Is there anyone who was hired to Rush as a NNG who did not have an inside connection?

2. Does University of Illinois Health (formerly UIC) actually do anything with the resumes I keep sending and will I ONLY hear something from them if they are interested?

2a. When I am sending U of I Health my resume, is it considered bad manners to send a couple of letters of recommendation along with it?

3. Is what they told me in nursing school accurate, about a resume being an absolute maximum of two pages long? (As I have 20 years of work experience, most of which correlates to the nursing profession, I am concerned about chopping too much off)

THANK YOU SO MUCH for any assistance and/or encouragement you may provide; it is GREATLY appreciated!!!

Warmly,

Kimberly BSN, RN

P.s. Does is ever get old putting that behind your name, or am I just a dork because it is so new and cool?

[CheesePotato, BSN, RN]

Greetings, Kimberly.

First of all, congratulations on graduation and successful completion of the NCLEX. Sadly, it has been....well..years since I applied at both Rush Memorial as well as what was formally UIC; therefore I am unable to supply you with any information that is both relevant to their current practices as well as the overall current socio-economic conditions.

Digress.

"2a. When I am sending U of I Health my resume, is it considered bad manners to send a couple of letters of recommendation along with it?"

First of all, the fact you labeled your question "2a" is just ridiculously adorable. Perhaps it is the lack of sleep or decent coffee, but I giggled like a fool and pointed at my computer screen. I suppose this is as good a time as any to note that there is no one else around. hmmmm. ::cough::

The thing to remember is HR is inundated with resumes, CV's, inquiries, etc. Therefore, as much as you want to tout your excellence, sending anything additional without having it requested is more than likely not going to earn the attention you desire. As always, offer to enclose letters of recommendation upon request. I have found it is much more effective to have a strong cover letter, well phrased resume and a politely worded phone call to the HR office offering them any additional information when they review my resume.

"3. Is what they told me in nursing school accurate, about a resume being an absolute maximum of two pages long? (As I have 20 years of work experience, most of which correlates to the nursing profession, I am concerned about chopping too much off)"

Yes, it is very true. In fact, ideally the resume should truly be no longer than a single page though sometimes the length simply cannot be helped. Now, I understand your concerns regarding your work history, however, each job truly only needs three or so concise bullet points with active tense wording (as an aside, jobs at which you stayed for considerable length tend to have more bullet points--that is both expected and acceptable). Be sure to highlight traits of your previous jobs which can apply to nursing. As a sub-point, keep in mind that potential employers do not want your complete work history. ::arches eyebrow:: After all, what could my first job waiting tables at the tender age of sixteen possibly tell them?

Re: Signing your name with an RN: That "new car smell" will wear off after a while. Embrace the newness and all the glorious dorkiness that goes along with it.

I'm not sure I was much help, regardless, here are my ramblings.

Kindest regards,

~~CP~~

　

[Jax8]

Heard through the grapevine that UIH is currently on a hiring freeze so don't be discouraged if you don't get a response. I think a lot of the jobs that were posted on their job board were taken down and never filled.