new cover letter/resume after termination

[Iwander]

Hi everyone,

I was recently terminated from my first nursing job as a new grad, right after orientation. If you look at my profile you can see some of my background. I was not on bad terms at all with the unit or hospital, I just was not competent enough in nursing skills, able to keep up with the fast-paced high acuity environment (ICU), and had anxiety issues.

Now I am getting ready to send mass applications online to many local hospitals and will try also to find non-hospital jobs. I worked on getting transferred to a different job in my original hospital of employment but I haven't been getting jobs there so it's time to move on. I can keep trying but, I need to branch out and should have branched out at the beginning.

So the question is, how do I rewrite my cover letter for these other hospitals who don't know me? How do I revise my resume with this recent termination in mind. Do I word my cover letter the same way I did as a new grad and leave out the termination part? I didn't apply to these other hospitals yet as a new grad so it is a clean slate. Any advice is appreciated. I understand there are numerous resources on this website for resumes and cover letters, but how do you sell yourself in your cover letter when you have been fired so quickly?

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

You're still considered a new grad for at least one year. I would tailor the cover letter for each position. Tell them about your termination in the interview, but not before. You need to get an interview first.