New Grad applicant walked on a unit today...

[BotoxBaby]

I'm a new grad RN-ADN and in attempt to stand out from the gazillion applicants for the 1 new grad position, I walked on to a unit in attempt to simply introduce myself to the manager. I just wanted 2 seconds of her time. I completely understand how swamped with work they are, but I didn't even get those 2 seconds. All I wanted was to introduce myself, possibly hand over a resume, and merely express my interest in the position and hospital. That's all and I would walk away and she could throw my resume away the second I walked away if she wanted, but at least I tried my very best. Well that's what I was thinking may happen. I was trying to go the "extra mile" and have her put a face to the name.

Instead, her door opened and she said she was in the middle of something and that if I wanted to schedule something I should have called then the door was literally shut on my face. Now I completely understand that in general if you want to set up a meeting, then you call and schedule, but in reality, what were the chances of me calling and her saying "sure come in on this day at this time" I doubt it. She seemed irritated with me just knocking on her door! Either way, I feel cut down in size after it took so much for me to muster up the courage to go through with it.

I have heard of success stories where new grads get at least an interview from doing this and it is even on some of the articles posted here telling us how to get our first position, but today I feel discouraged to even try that again.

What are your thoughts?

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

You never know unless you try. Sometimes, people have been successful with this approach, but it can go either way. If the NM was that short with you, OP, then perhaps it's a blessing. She could have been more diplomatic. Perhaps you don't want to work for her after all.

[wish_me_luck, BSN, RN]

I can see both sides. I do understand that if the door is closed, then it must be for a reason. But, that being said, I wish the older, experienced nurses realize that sometimes this is the only way to land an interview. I must 100% agree with the people who said that this is a sign that you may not want to work there. If that's how she treats people she doesn't know, how do you think she treats people who work for her?

I know that this is not the spirituality section; but I am a FIRM believer God will put you where you need to be and apparently, that floor was not it. It's a blessing, believe me.

I wish you nothing but the best in your job hunt!!!

[HM-8404, BSN, RN]

I also don't understand the poster who assumes everyone should know that a hospital unit is private, for families and friends only. If that is the case, the entrances should be clearly posted as such, or security personnel available to instruct the uninitiated. And for a would-be applicant to be labeled "no interview/no hire" for an innocent mistake? That's cold.

This wasn't just anybody. The OP is a new grad nurse who I assume has had clinicals in a hospital. I have not seen a NM office that had an, anyone pop in anytime you feel like it, policy. Most are not easily accessible to the general public. In the ICU's I have been in a person would have to pass through a security door to gain entry to the unit where the NM office is located. On the med-surg floors I have been the office is located in an area that is not designed for the general public.

As far as the "no interview/no hire" I would consider what the person actually did. Did they pass through a security door they had no business passing through? Did they enter an area that is obviously not intended for the general public? If they did either of these that would tell me a great deal about their ability to follow simple rules.

[Guest343211]

I bet your husband, being a successful manager, gets both sides of a story before passing judgment.

I put the effort into being balanced by acknowledging the NM had some serious stuff going on. .. still, unless the place is burning down, it doesn't quite get a pass--for the reasons I have already stated, which were either not read or "gotten."

How long does it take to not be curt or rude? Not very. People can read the non-verbal and a simple, yet polite statement, and each person can move on.

So to my previous point, which has been twisted, NM still didn't need to be rude to the person. It goes to seeing people as, well, people. And if mger had taken just a sec to think about it, she could have said, please let me finish this phone call first. . .wow, there are a ton of better ways she could have handled it

Have you considered that her behavior may have been (possibly--as possibly as any other scenario for her busyness that was previously suggested), that she just didn't want to deal with the person?

By that I mean, she could have said, "If you let me finish this phone, I will speak with you?" And she then could have explained, in a warmer tone, why it isn't her policy to accept resumes in this fashion. But it's easier to slam the door. You know, it can be just as easy to open a door as it can be to close one.

I don't know her deal, and already suggested that she may have been dealing with an important issue. FINE. It takes a few seconds to say, "I'm sorry. I can't talk now, but feel free to submit the resume through HR." A simple softened look on her face, with "Excuse me, this is important" (referring to the phone call), would have been sufficient.

Sure the way the OP approached this thing didn't seem well-thought out. Even if it had been, it may well have been a long shot; b/c that is how cold-calling rolls. And yes, HR are the gatekeepers, and most hospitals want you to go directly through them. I don't think the whole thing is a huge deal; it just could have been approached differently. Plus you have to know going in that it's risky when you speak with people (unknown quantities and unknown variables)--without them getting a heads up, or being in an environment or moment that is less demanding, such as a fair, or some particular event.

It's ideal, however, to meet with someone in person, rather than hoping an application and/or resume will get through to a NM. Some HR people are excellent, and some are stone walls--so that part of it is a crap shoot too.

We accept that she may have been having a bad or super busy day. We've all had those days. Unless there is an emergency, brief, yet polite responses are possible. People make excuses for what is simply bad behavior. Some people just get away w/ bad behavior b/c, well, they think that "they can."

So excuse me if I believe that while NM could have been up to her eyeballs in alligators, she could have avoided being curt.

The truth is, she may have just not wanted to be bothered--she could have been putting out a fire, or she could have been in the middle of making a salon appointment, or making dinner plans. Who the heck knows! It doesn't excuse people from not striving to be human--especially if they are in a caring profession and in a role of leadership.

Like I said, I am reasonably sure there would be "select others" than would not have been treated impolitely.

Cold-calling mger in the way the OP has described doesn't often work for a good many reasons. But I would discuss this w/ OP directly, rather than further discussing this here. I am glad that the OP started this thread. It gives me validation regarding how nurses can be.

I know plenty of managers, and I have managed and taught. I wouldn't have felt good about being curt to the person. It's about treating others the way you'd want to be treated. Yes the NM wants to be treated with respect for her/his time, by appointment and the right HR protocol. That's fine. But in the same token, treat the person that approached you in the wrong manner at the wrong time as how you would want to be treated in her shoes. It's called the Golden Rule, and it's a rule worth following.

[Flatlander]

This wasn't just anybody. The OP is a new grad nurse who I assume has had clinicals in a hospital. I have not seen a NM office that had an, anyone pop in anytime you feel like it, policy. Most are not easily accessible to the general public. In the ICU's I have been in a person would have to pass through a security door to gain entry to the unit where the NM office is located. On the med-surg floors I have been the office is located in an area that is not designed for the general public.

As far as the "no interview/no hire" I would consider what the person actually did. Did they pass through a security door they had no business passing through? Did they enter an area that is obviously not intended for the general public? If they did either of these that would tell me a great deal about their ability to follow simple rules.

Let's be reasonable. This OP new grad no doubt had hospital clinical experience in school, but as others have noted, some instructors and an article on this very website have advocated for the exact same tactics the OP employed. I guess only the OP knows if she breached security to find the NM's office. I rather doubt she did. I think it is assuming a great deal to think this behavior is evidence of a general lack of regard for the rules. I still think the judgment is too harsh, but respect your right to your opinion based on your own experience and sense of what is correct in this instance. This has been a very spirited discussion and I'm learning much from this forum.

[HM-8404, BSN, RN]

Let's be reasonable. This OP new grad no doubt had hospital clinical experience in school, but as others have noted, some instructors and an article on this very website have advocated for the exact same tactics the OP employed. I guess only the OP knows if she breached security to find the NM's office. I rather doubt she did. I think it is assuming a great deal to think this behavior is evidence of a general lack of regard for the rules. I still think the judgment is too harsh, but respect your right to your opinion based on your own experience and sense of what is correct in this instance. This has been a very spirited discussion and I'm learning much from this forum.

I was going by what was in the OP's opening sentence, "I walked onto a unit". That made me think, who should be walking onto a unit, patient, family, friends, staff, uninvited job applicant. One of those just does not seem to fit.

Was the NM rude to the OP? Who knows? Perhaps the NM was abrupt because the Joint Commission was there and the OP is overly sensitive. Maybe the OP thought the NM was going to take her by the hand and lead her to a comfy chair to chat before offering her a job, but was shattered when it didn't happen. Again, who knows?

As my dad used to tell me, be careful when you only hear one side of a story, because you will only get the parts that makes the teller sound good.

The most constructive advice everyone should have given the OP was... Now you know that is not the way to apply for a job on that unit or perhaps with that employer.

[Flatlander]

I see your point about the uninvited walking onto the unit. And it's true we only get one side of the story. The cool thing about this forum is that many people will try to fill in the blanks so that we can look at the issues from all possible vantage points. That's what's so instructive about sharing experiences with each other. Thanks for sharing yours!

[BotoxBaby]

It seems people may need a few more details regarding what happened...

Well, I did not sneak onto the unit in any way. I approached security on the lower level and advised them where I wanted to go and they asked me if I had an appointment, I was completely honest and said no, but they still gave me a badge with "meeting" checked. Once on the floor, I went to the station and asked one of the nurses. She also asked me if the NM was expecting me and I again said no. It appeared she sent the NM a quick message (on a phone) and walked me to the NM's door. I thanked her and she walked off. After the NM opened the door I said, "Mrs. X?" and that's when she said she was in the middle of something and if I wanted to schedule something then I should have called and shut the door. To be honest, I never said my name or what I was there for, although I'm sure she knew, but I could have been there for another reason.

Going into this today, I was completely prepared for one of two things: either the NM was going to give me the 2 secs that I was hoping for or not. I was not EXPECTING hand holding, comfy chairs or a job offer in any way. I was simply taking a chance on something. So it didn't work out for me, no big deal, I'll move forward. It has worked for others and I think that's awesome!

Also to clarify, my world was not shattered in any way by this. It was a learning experience. There are different opinions on what I did today and not everyone will agree, but something that I thought everyone should agree on is that kindness can go a long way. There was definitely another way she could have said "get outta here" and being in the nursing profession I guess I expected a little more of a respectful interaction. Yes, maybe she had a million things going on, but either way, she opened the door and chose to speak to me, so why not be a little more friendly? Do I not deserve that just because I didn't call beforehand?

Now some will say that this is one sided or that I am telling this in a way to make me seem good and her bad, but I am not. I am just giving the simple story of what happened and I was just asking for people's thoughts on the event since this was the first time I have even tried something this out of the norm. What would I gain by not telling the actual chain of events? I am seeking advice and in order to get honest advice from this community, I must be upfront otherwise the advice is useless.

[KaeliF]

Just call ahead next time! There are some days that people literally do NOT have the 2 minutes it would take to say hi and be cordial and get your resume and all that. Not to be rude or discourage you from trying again, just make sure to call and set something up ahead of time so that way whoever you're meeting can plan accordingly, otherwise it comes across that you are self absorbed and have no courtesy (even though I'm sure that's not the case) it reflects poorly on you and gives the employer a bad taste before they even get to look at your resume.

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

You assumed the nurse manager knew you were there to apply for a job. Maybe you looked like a catheter salesperson. I get on average 20 calls a week from random salespeople. The first time they call, I am polite and ask them to make an appointment or to call back in a week or so. If they call the next day, I am still polite but not as polite as I was the first day.We have many nurses walking in to apply for jobs. IF I have time or if one of the unit managers has time, we'll interview them on the spot. But most of the time we have the receptionist take the application and tell the apllicant we'll call them.As an extra bit of advice: be respectful. My receptionist is the first person who sees you. If she gives me your application and tells me you were rude or fresh or smelled bad or looked messy, you WON'T be getting a call.

[sauconyrunner]

I think you are especially disappointed that the NM was not very welcoming. She was probably especially irritated at having whatever she was doing interrupted unexpectedly by you. This just is not a good tactic. Making an appointment is the way to go. You can always call, leave a message, (Call late so a message can be left rather than a cold call...in the message say you are really interested in her floor (if you have a reason, give it- ie: I worked on your floor in my clinicals, and I really loved the team work demonstrated, and that you see she has New Grad positions available (If not, well too bad) ANd could you set up an appointment?

Me personally, I dislike surprises at work- there is so much going on in a NM day...that I can see how this backfired on you. I also see why you would try it as people HAVE mentioned here that this has worked for them. My advice, don't do this again...

[Jolie, BSN]

This wasn't just anybody. The OP is a new grad nurse who I assume has had clinicals in a hospital. I have not seen a NM office that had an, anyone pop in anytime you feel like it, policy. Most are not easily accessible to the general public. In the ICU's I have been in a person would have to pass through a security door to gain entry to the unit where the NM office is located. On the med-surg floors I have been the office is located in an area that is not designed for the general public.

As far as the "no interview/no hire" I would consider what the person actually did. Did they pass through a security door they had no business passing through? Yes

Did they enter an area that is obviously not intended for the general public? Yes

If they did either of these that would tell me a great deal about their ability to follow simple rules.

Absolutely! In over 2 years of business, I have never had a customer or vendor "accidentally" wander into the secure back area of our building. For an applicant to do so indicates to me that she was completely oblivious of her surroundings, ignored the requests of staff members to wait for assistance, or was not the least bit interested in following social customs. None of those attributes are desirable in nursing or my current profession.