This is really long because I tend to really ramble when I get excited about something, but I think worth the read so stay with me. I was going to wait to post this until after I officially had a job, but after my Lasik tomorrow I might be blind, so figured I should get it out there now. lol 
So I know I have posted about this in many different threads, but I wanted to make a thread about my story to give a little inspiration and hope and advice for the soon to be new graduates about my story. It’s easy to come online and vent, but I think it’s important for you guys to here good stories too and to see there is absolutely hope about your future in Nursing if you are willing to work for it and go out there and take it.
So we all know the woes of new Grad Jobs. Very few areas have a good amount of new grad jobs. Most of the areas there are 3-4 times as many new grads as there are actual jobs so it is extremely competitive out there. So I wanted to share with y’all my story and how I got noticed and how I got a shot. I also want to share some wonderful interviewing tips I received. I am posting this here because to do what I did, you have to have a plan right before you graduate so you can get a jump start on everyone else. You will not realize the difference 2 weeks can make.
So first while you are still in school, remember if you want to work in a hospital, clinicals are where you need to get remembered and noticed. You will be amazed about how much a small connection can go. If you can somehow meet the Nurse Managers on the units, do it, and leave the impression with them of what a hard worker you are. Get in good with the nurses. Show them what a great co-nurse you would be on the unit. Do this without telling them, show them. Get to know them. Leave a good impression. Not only does it look good on your school, but you leave and they are left saying “wow, what a great student that was, they are going to make a great nurse” You don’t think they will remember you? They will, they will remember a student that made a negative impression and they will remember the student that made a really good impression. They won’t remember the students that just blended in and did what they had to and nothing more.
My story:
We have been warned and prepared for months that our chances of working in a hospital were pretty much null. We had 10 students in our semester on contracts. We have 2 health systems in the area with a total of 2 hospitals each. So 4 hospitals. 1 of the systems is extremely hard to get into and is the one everyone wants. The other health system has a very large teaching hospital and also has a smaller hospital in the area. They are more open to new grads but jobs are still limited. (for example, there were 16 jobs on their website where experience was preferred not required, so New Grads could apply) There are 3 local nursing programs. 2 are associates and one is a BSN. That isn’t counting UOP and schools like that but those are primarily once you have your RN. We also have a couple schools in WY that do their clinicals here at these 4 hospitals and I have even seen a few Denver nursing students doing clinicals here. So there is a LOT of new grads in the area.
So the harder to get into hospital hired the 10 contracted students and 2 in house students that worked for them for years. They had NO new grad jobs posted on their website; they also stopped contracts because the jobs weren’t there. In my area they tell you to NOT apply for any jobs until you have your License. You need to have the actual license number. So I had it in my head right away I would focus on the Health System that is more open to new grads, it’s a little further (40 mins) but a job is a job. I would also right away put my resume up on all the career sites and I sent my resume to the Jail where I did some clinicals and really enjoyed. They also are open to new grads.
Ok so FF to graduation. My Nursing School director has something worked out with admissions and records that we get our official transcripts the day official grades are due. The nursing staff gets the grades turned in early so that they can be ready. So we had commencement ceremony on Tuesday the 10th and we were able to pick up our transcripts on Thursday the 12th. We were told to register on Pearson a few days before we planned to apply because it affects getting your ATT. So Thursday morning my 2 best friends and I picked up our transcripts and drove to Denver to hand deliver them to the State office. As did 98% of our class. Some people started getting their ATT that afternoon and the rest of us got it the next morning, Friday the 13th (lucky right K) So got the ATT and went to look at testing dates, a couple friends and I were willing to do a road trip to test sooner.
First local date was June 6th. Well that wasn’t going to work. I planned a vacation from June1st – June 9th because we were under the impression we would be able to test the 3rd week of May. There were 2 closer dates on May 16th, one in Nebraska (4.5 hr drive) and one in Casper, WY (3.5 hr drive) Well that would mean I would have 1 ½ days to study NCLEX, They say not to do any questions the day before so I would have Friday afternoon and Sat. Sunday I would have to drive to Casper since it was closer and stay the night in a hotel to test at 8:30 that morning. Well my friends were like NO WAY, they didn’t feel comfortable going that soon. No one did. Shoot I didn’t either. But it was either take it first and hope I pass, or take it last and all my classmates would have a jump start on jobs.
So I registered to take it. After I did locally on May 31st opened up and a lot of students were able to switch to that. So my classmates are all taking it the soonest May 31st and then June 6th and beyond. Well I didn’t really want to change to May 31st because it would be the day before my trip and I would also be getting my Lasik on the 26th with the temporary contact coming off that day. So I might not be able to see. So I decided to suck it up and take it on the 16th. I realized if I did I would have a 2 week jump start on the jobs, not to mention all the other new grads that didn’t have jobs yet from previous semesters out there looking. It might not seem like 2 weeks is a big deal, but when there are 16 jobs and hundreds of new grads, every day is crucial.
I reviewed my day and a half. I took it hat Monday morning. I was in and out in under an hour and of course just like everyone says, I was sure I failed it, it shut off at 75 and I about had a panic attack. I came home and did the PVT and got the good pop up and felt relief but still had a small fear that I might not have passed.
So after that I just had to wait 48 hrs for quick results but more importantly my Lic. Number so I could apply for jobs. I kept reminding myself, even if it took a week, that it will take everyone else that long as well so I still have a 2 week head start. I made sure my resume was ready and all I had to do was enter my Lic. #. I checked out all the job listings, had all my account stuff updated on the hospital sites so applying would go really smoothly. The next day I checked the state website on my application process and it said APPROVED. This got me super excited because it meant they got my results from Pearson and I passed. I still couldn’t view quick results for another day so I just kept checking my states verification website with hopes my lic. Might appear since the state had been really fast on everything thus far. Sure enough, within a few hours and about 28 hrs after taking NCLEX my lic was posted online with my lic. Number. I fixed my resume to include that and I went to the Hospital website and I applied for all 16 of those jobs. I noticed one of them was for a unit I had a clinical on, my CI was in charge of that unit. Well that clinical was only 3 days, 1 of those days I spent in the ER because census was low. The clinical was a year and a half ago. I knew there was no way she would remember me. Not with all the people she sees and students and I was only there for a couple days. But in my eval that clinical she told me that if I ever had an interest in working on that unit to look her up after I graduate and get my lic. So I emailed her. I told her she probably wouldn’t remember me but that she told me to look her up and that I graduated. I told her I applied online but I also wanted to touch bases with her as well and that I would really appreciate the opportunity to interview for the job and that she would not be disappointed.
So the next day I had not gotten the normal canned denial emails for the hospital. I was a little hopeful but just kept focusing on applying for non-hospital jobs and anything else I could find. A previous CI of mine had a meeting for a small group of us that evening; her daughter does a lot of hiring and wanted to give us interviewing tips and stuff. So I went to that, the next day it was late afternoon and I was starting to get discouraged, still didn’t have denial emails yet but I am an inpatient person. That afternoon I got an email back from my old CI. She said they were conducting interviews the next week and she would pull my file from HR and call me to set up an interview. I was OVER THE MOON. I totally did not expect that and I was going to be given a chance. I didn’t even have time to stop smiling when my phone rang. It was the HR lady for this company and she said she saw that I applied for numerous jobs and she wanted to schedule a pre-screening interview with me for the next time. DOUBLE BONUS! I just couldn’t believe it. I had graduated not even a week prior and now I had 2 interviews for acute care positions for a hospital. The meeting for interview advice could not come at a better time. My pre-screening interview the next day was a slam dunk. At the end of the interview I asked the lady if there was any advice she could give me for my in person interviews, she told me that there is nothing she could offer me because I blew her away. She said she got chills from some of my replies because she could really feel and hear my passion for nursing even over the phone and that prior to calling me she interviewed a women with 10 years’ experience and she couldn’t hold a candle to me. The things she was most impressed with:
- My enthusiasm. So remember why you went this path if it was because you have a real passion for nursing and to help others. Let that show in your interviews. Be passionate and excited and positive and HUMBLE.
- She said my willingness to work any position and any shift was huge. She said she is always amazed at how picky some new grads will be when as a new grad you take whatever you can. It’s about getting your foot in the door and getting your experience so that once you aren’t considered a new grad you can then be picky.
- I knew the companies mission statement and I found a way to bring it into my interview before she even had a chance to bring it up. She said knowing the mission statement was huge.
- Showing my personality, not just sounding like I was reading a PSA on a radio. She said after my interview she was soo excited for me.
- A few more tips for in person interviews; DRESS PROFESSIONALY, invest in a suit with a jacket, pants or skirt (for females obviously) no cleavage showing at ALL and skirt must come to your knees. Have hair brushed and neat, don’t overdue your makeup. Be clean and avoid perfumes or cologne. SMILE and give a firm handshake. Not to aggressive and no to light. I was told the handshake is huge and making that contact between the thumb and pointer finger with the other person adds a personal connection subconsciously. Invest in a black portfolio (about 16 dollars) to keep extra resumes in and take notes. Needs to be professional looking. Pre make out thank you cards so after your interview you can get names and personalize them and mail them right away. Many managers have said they gave a job to someone that had sent Thank You cards. Watch your body language and fidgeting. If you keep playing with your hair it distracts them. Be confident but not cocky.
So these are all pointers I was given. Also ask them for feedback after if they choose another candidate. Tell them you would appreciate some constructive criticism on how you can improve future interviews and make sure you ask them questions about the company at the end when they ask if you questions for them. It doesn’t matter if you already know the answers. You can ask “what do you like most about working for XXXX” “What kind of new graduate orientation does your company have”
The HR lady was so impressed with my interview that she told me if I don’t get the position with my previous CI for whatever reason, that she will help me to obtain more interviews with other managers. So that is where I am at today. I had the in person interview with my previous CI yesterday. I have no idea how it went because I have the habit of convincing myself I did terrible when I didn’t. But there are 27 people interviewing for that position. If I don’t get it I still got a good feel for the kinds of questions I will get on future interviews and it was good practice. I also haven’t lost hope because of the way things went with the HR lady. (Which I sent her a Thank you card too even though it was only a phone prescreening interview. After all, it’s up to her if my applications and resumes make it to the nurse managers) I emailed her to let her know I did the email and she had great things to say to me.
So what was the point of this 4 chapter book???? STAY POSITIVE! Be determined, be motivated, be enthusiastic and realize you are in control of your future. TAKE NCLEX AS SOON AS YOU CAN! Even if you have to take a road trip. Trust you have been taught well and will pass. Spend a day or two doing practice questions to refresh your memory on some things and read the rationales, but if you score badly on it, realize it doesn’t matter because now you know the stuff. You got the part of your brain refreshed. If your school has a good program and good NCLEX rate and you made it through, then you should be fine. The NCLEX itself isn’t that difficult, it wasn’t any harder than the tests I had in school. It’s the mental aspect that takes over. Realize that every day you put it off because you “aren’t ready” is a day you are giving someone else the first jump at that job. Here I am already have my RN Lic. Have the paper copy too, have gone on interviews and have more lined up and none of my classmates have even taken their boards yet. My 2 friends are kicking themselves now and said they wished they would have just gone with me. Oh and that other hospital that is very hard to get into and rarely has jobs, I was checking postings today as I do every day and I clicked on 2 regular experience required jobs, well inside the posting they were edited yesterday and in bold underlined words it said NEW GRADS MAY APPLY. The posting closes tomorrow. So I was able to apply and the postings will be closed again before the rest of my class even takes their boards.
If you want that edge on jobs do what you can do get that license ASAP and be proactive. I wish everyone lots of luck and success. If you read this whole thing, you get Kudos!!!!!
