Job Hunting - I don't understand

[Pupnshnooter]

I am just curious and I don't want to sound evil, but recently I have had nurses come into my facility in jeans and t-shirts asking if we have any jobs available and then want to interview immediately.

I also receive calls from individuals looking for jobs who often speak to me in a rude manner as if I owed them something.

Keep in mind I try to be as pleasant as possible - REALLY! But is this something that a nurse, or any professional is now doing? I understand that there may be a shortage, but professionalism still counts for something, doesn't it?

Please help me to help you.

Thanks.

P.S. I have been recruiting for 9 years now, but mostly corporate, this is my first time in healthcare.

[nuangel1, BSN, RN]

i guess i am old fashioned .i was taught to look professional when going in for application,interview etc.minimal makeup low heeled shoes suit or dress with minimal jewelry ,no open toed shoes etc .i almost always wear a suit or blouse and shirt .i believe in speaking in business manner polite etc send thankyou note after .i have not been offered and or accepted all job offers but i feel i have presented myself in a professional manner .i have done many interviews in 20 yrs .i have also experienced many issues r/t recruitment they send a post card they received your resume but then don't get back to me in any way ,don't return messages .i even had one place that kept requesting a resume for reveiw because they kept losing it i sent them 5 .last few jobs i went thru a recruitment company this company sends the resume sets up interview answers questions for both job and me and i usually get a interview very quickly as oppesed to when i sent them in it takes weeks to here form recruiter.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Sure hospitals need nurses, but mabe they don't need you in particular.

lmao ... Oh, I love that line! I'll probably quote it in some future post someday. So, I am apologize in advance if I don't give you the proper credit when I do.

[nyforlove]

Please don't take offense. I did not mean to insult you, however you would be incredibly surprised at what I see on resumes and applications. It would make your mind spin.

I think in ALL industries have a lot of incompetance and it is sad. If your treatment was so horrible, and it sounds like it was, I would recommend you send a letter to the head of Human Resources describing what you had to go through as this is unacceptable.

Again, I do make it a point to be professional from my side, return calls the day I receive them (I swear I do) and even remember names of people who I have been playing phone tag with so they know that they are just as important to me as I should be to them.

All I ask is for the same respect.

I could guarantee if you ever called me at my office - you would be pleasantly surprised.

Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences here--it seems you clearly are NOT the source of job-hunting frustration some of us have experienced....Indeed, the type of "bad" recruiter that we're complaining about likely wouldn't be as conscientious/concerned as you are to take the time to raise the issue here...As a new grad, I CAN say that there does seem to be--in my experience--a lot of sub-par recruiters in the NYC area----perhaps they can afford to be with all the new grads pouring out of schools (and foreign countries), but in 2-3 years when we newbies have our solid hospital experience, the tables will be turned and the "recruiters" will then be reaping what they've sown....My goal is always to dress/act professionally and courteously, but some recruiters seem to play by different ethics and then complain when it comes back to bite them...Just my 2 cents...

[BabyRN2Be]

Maybe it's because of the way I was brought up, but I always wore my best clothing even when doing nothing but INQUIRING about jobs. It never hurts to be prepared to interview, and that's happened more than once when I've gone into a business to pick up an application........not only got interviewed, but hired on the spot!

This last summer, I had to work out a problem with the MPOA papers at the nh were my husband's grandmother is living. I never thought about picking up an application because I knew I didn't have a chance at the nh - they only hire people w/experience, and they pay their people well and treat them right. I went up to the administration window and asked to speak with the DON about the POA problems. Since I had previously met the DON I knew her name, so I asked for her. The woman at a desk just said to me, "Just fill out an application and we'll send it over." Keep in mind, this was mid-summer in Oklahoma, so I'm dressed very casually. When she said to just fill out an application I thought, was she nuts? Me? Dressed like this?? Well, after reading this thread, I can see that some people do show up very casually dressed looking for applications.

I was taught that whenever job hunting, dress as if you could be interviewed immediately. I still hold to that this day and if I am job hunting, I will be dressed nicely just to pick up an application.

[MultipurposeRN]

My opinion is that if you just drop in to pick up an application because you happen to be in town, it shouldn't really matter what you're wearing as long as you're clean. If they choose to interview you right then, a person could certainly tell them 'I'm not really dressed for an interview right now, can I set up another time with you?' then if they don't care, go ahead with it. I would wanted to be dressed neatly if I was actually going to interview but if I'm just inquiring about an application it shouldn't really matter.

[777RNThatsMe]

Well, all I can say is, I've worked in a variety of jobs from the age of 15 on..and I have dressed differently for every venue depending on a number of things (I'm talking about on the job and, for the interview). Not all employers care about open toed shoes in fact, some that are more 'hip' you will find many employees wearing such even in interviews. I have always been offered about 99 percent of whatever job I have applied for from professional office to retail to sales to nursing. Once I have been in an interview, I mean. So I guess I rather do "get it." Not every employer is stuffy. So long as you look clean, who cares if your shoes are open or not. What matters is you feel a sense of self when you go in there - that you are comfortable in your own skin when you are in there; that you feel you look nice. I would imagine that you would also (if you were smart) guaged the environment you are applying for and decided if you fit in before you applied and that goes for how they dress as well. If your employer doesn't like your choice of dress (given this consideration aforementioned) then perhaps it's not the employer for you; likewise if you don't care for the information that you hear in an interview (presuming you ask them), or what you find on the job, you leave/don't take the job. Just because someone wears what they feel are fashionable "open toed shoes" or whatever and don't dress "stuffy" doesn't mean they won't dress to conform to whatever written dress code there is nor that they will not do a good job/work hard. Like I said before, some folks need to just lighten up. We can be professional and clean, and up to date (i.e fashionable) and not in the dark ages all at the same time.

Just my 2 cents. And considering my track record, well, I must be doin' something right - thank God!!

[maryshome8]

I'm 37...not an oldie by any means, but I wouldn't be caught dead even showing up in person to even ask about a job wearing anything less than a suit....you never knew whem they might interview you.

How someone dresses, shows how much they want the job and what kind of employee they will be.

Would you believe when I was in high school, our business teachers (who were "old school"...thank God) taught us everything about how to conduct ourselves at work from carrying an extra pair of pantyhose, to taking off your nail polish altogether if you had a bad chip, to how to deal with a boss who is cheating on his wife!

Nobody ever taught us that in college!

[maryshome8]

I can see now that some just don't get it.

It is not to the prospective employer to "loosen" up...the onus is on the prospective employee to "tighten up" their behavior/attire.

Nurses are not "Hollywood Stars" nor should we try to be like them. Quite frankly, given the poor work attitudes, street language, and pathetic morals, why anyone would seek to dress like them, believing that they are professional, escapes me.

I look at the way that many "stars" dress is laughable and pathetic, and not something to copy.

Job interviews (barring "The Devil Wears Prada") is not about being "fashionable", it is about being hirable. This are frequently two very different things.

That said, attire does not mean that you are a good or a bad nurse. But it may indicate whether you seek to fit in with certain standards. If you are hiring for a workplace, with a certain dress code, chances are some who at least appears to obey the standards of proper dress/behavior for an interview, has demonstrated that they are more likely to conform to proper behavior/dress for work.

A job interview is not a time for your average behavior, it is a time for your best behavior.

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And some people use the, "Well, the interviewer was messy/slow/busy" excuse. Well the interviewer is already working there and has the rights, you are NOT working there.

They are doing YOU the favor, not you doing them one.

Now you can believe that you are doing them the favor by deigning to interview with them, but you will find quickly that attitude burns bridges.

You can hold all the opinions that you want about how "dress shouldn't matter" that you want - it does not change the fact that how you present yourself is the first impression that the interviewer gets. And most people form their opinion as to whether you are hired within 5-10 minutes of meeting you.

Yes, the person interviewing you should be neat/tidy/organized/polite/etc. However, they already have the job, you don't. You do not like the way an interviewer portrays the company or themselves, fine. Don't take the job. If they were truly offensive, complain. But don't be surprised if that lands your job prospects in the circular file.

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As a further note as a general rule:

People that I have seen come to interviews dressed properly, ARE generally the better workers. Those that cannot be bothered to change out of their jeans and at least put on dress pants, frequently are a bit slovenly in other work habits.

Don't shoot the messenger, I just call it as I see it after 27 years of working.

AMEN SISTER!

[maryshome8]

the nurse recruiter doesn't get back to you, you have to hound the recruiter to get offered an interview and then a position

you are on time for your interview, the unit manager keeps you waiting

the nurse recruiter sends in info with the info (ie address) incorrect (this is after you get hired) to HR

I always dress neatly and conservatively but am not going to go out and buy an expensive suit for example for a bedside nurse position, after all I am going to be wearing a uniform.

I totally agree that your clothes do not have to be expensive at all...but the EFFORT should show. I understand that some people flat-out don't have the money.

[maryshome8]

"Professionals" should go to an interview dressed as a professional in my opinion. This is part of what makes nursing look bad, sorry to say.

I agree...I know that the vast majority of law schools and medical schools require their students to "dress' for class...they don't have to wear a suit, but it's business casual at minimum.

They want their students to start acting the part, from the start.

Nursing used to be seen as an alternative as to what women did when they didn't get married and they didn't want to teach...."Old timers" have worked their a$$ses off to increase the prestige of the position and it needs to be preserved at all costs....that is ALSO what protects salaries.

[angel337, MSN, RN]

i recently interviewed for a job and i could not believe how many nurses were in the HR waiting room with scrubs/jeans/khaki's. i think some nurses take for granted that they are a nurse and that employers are desperate to hire. i always wear dress pants and a blouse or a pants suit. even if i am interviewing after work i take a change of clothes.

[mysticalwaters1]

My first hospital job I'd been sitting in the ICU waiting room all night with my husband when his sister was gravely ill.

About 10 am I said to him that I thought I'd go pick up an application. I was tired, tear stained, hair a mess etc. The DON asked me where I had been, was I sick?

I told her what was going on and she said let's talk. Bottom line I got the job. First find out if the applicant has a reason for their appearance. Sometimes there is more to the story. OTOH rudeness is NEVER appropriate.

That was awesome! I mean not your situation but how you were hired there under the circumstances!