New RN job search

ackbar · Aug 6, 2014

If you are not getting call backs in response to your resume/cover letter, it may mean you need to revamp them. I had this problem when I first started looking. I had no healthcare experience and was told by a recruiter to leave the clinical rotation experience off my resume "because everyone has that." After a month or two of no call backs in response to my resume, I met with the career services dept at my university, and they told me to add in all of my clinical experience in detail because the recruiters she works with wanted to see it. Once I did that, I started getting calls for interviews. Many hospitals use automated systems that scan your resume/application for keywords. If you do not have those keywords in your resume, you will be skipped over. Look over the job descriptions of positions your are interested in and make sure keywords from the job description are incorporated into your resume and cover letter.

There are a lot of great resources out there. Start with your career services dept. and have someone there critically review your resume and cover letter. You may have spelling or grammar errors you might have missed. Join groups on Facebook and LinkedIn. Do as much networking as possible. I searched LinkedIn for managers and recruiters at the hospitals where I wanted to work, contacted them, and got a couple interviews that way. If you get an interview but are not selected, call back the recruiter or hiring manager and ask for feedback. They can give you valuable information on your interviewing skills and areas for improvement. Thank them for their time and ask them if they know of any other positions where you might be a good fit. This is how I got my first job. I turned a rejection into an interview opportunity and ultimately into a new job at the hospital, unit and shift I really wanted!

While you are sending out resumes, be sure you are thinking about questions you might be asked during an interview and practice responding in front of a mirror. Most questions are behavioral based ... for example, tell me a time when... Questions will focus on teamwork, patient safety, problem resolution, and decision making. Here are some resources I found helpful:

- New Grad Nurses Support Group on Facebook (Do a search to find it. Be sure to check out the "files" section which has lots sample resumes, cover letters and interview questions.)

- Great article on formatting your resume for the automated screening programs used by hospital HR departments: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=730422127024009&set=gm.267728256750591&type=1&theater

Good luck!