Poll to " former" new grads. How did you land that 1st job?

Nurses Job Hunt

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Poll: to those of u "former" new grads- How did you get that first new grad job? Walk- ins, online applications, through networking/ someone u know helped you, etc. Thanks for any future replies! Im interested to see who was most successful and looking to apply it to my current job hunt as a recent graduate. Thanks guys!!!

I stood out in school. Did my clinicals at the hospital and on the unit for which I was eventually hired. Had been selected for a student externship the summer prior to graduation. I knew where I wanted to work and did my preceptorship on that unit -- and blatantly told the manager I hoped to work there. Started applying two months before graduation. Sent a note to the manager one month before. Two weeks later, I was interviewed and offered a job. It did help that I went to a small school, in a small town, and it was a small hospital.

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

Seriously newbies if you are reading this. Start looking for the job while in school. That means networking and kicking butt at clinicals. Get your name known!

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I started applying about 6 months before my graduation. I knew I wanted peds and nothing else so I literally applied to every major children's hospital/hospital system with pediatrics across the country (in alphabetical order by state haha). I made it about through the K's when I received an interview offer from an early in the alphabet state. I interviewed, was offered the job on the spot and accepted about a week later, all before starting my last semester of nursing school. I did end up relocating about 9 hours from home which isn't too bad, I was prepared to be going across country. I now have three years experience, in two different units, am planning on one more year then traveling for a year before hopefully finding a permanent job in my home state.

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My first job. A part time job, got an interview due to networking. I didn't stay there very long though because shortly thereafter, I got a position at my current job. For this job, I went to their website and filled out the online application. It took about 2 mths for them to call me for an interview but I was hired on the spot when I interviewed.

All the other interviews and call backs I've gotten were through the same process. Filling out an application online. I'm realizing that the wheels turn slowly when it comes to the nursing hiring process sometimes. I graduated in May, filled out about 50 applications online. Very few calls in the beginning but lately, quite a few of those places have been calling. I'm happy with my current job so I won't be going on any more interviews for now. Anyway, my point is don't get overly anxious if you don't get a response immediately.

Good luck in your Job Search!

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Thanks to all for this great information.

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.

I'd heard from a family friend that a remote, rural hospital needed a nurse so I cold-called the DON which led to the interview and hire.

After a couple of years I added a per diem gig at a less-remote rural hospital by means of a former colleague from the first job who'd started working there.

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Specializes in none yet!.

I started applying for jobs about a month before I graduated. I applied online to several hospitals. The nurse recruiter from one of the hospitals emailed me and asked that I have two professors fill out new graduate references. I did the very same day. About a week later the nurse recruiter called me and said that they didn't hire new grads for the position I applied for, but asked if I would be interested in another area. I said I would, and later that day a hiring manager called me and set up an interview on a cardiac floor that I had done clinicals on and really liked. I made sure I told the nurse manager that interviewed how much I liked the floor and she invited me back for a peer interview the next week. I guess I did well on that because I was hired three days later :-). I think the key is applying before everyone else does, because I have already started my job while many of my classmates are still in the applying/interviewing phase.

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Specializes in Med-Surg Telemetry.

Worked an externship for a very large hospital system for my whole senior year. Didn't stay with the particular hospital but was able to get a position with another one within the system because of that externship.

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Specializes in ER, progressive care.

I just kept applying to places and eventually got a call back for an interview. For awhile I wasn't receiving any calls...so I kept tweaking my resume. Good luck!

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Seriously newbies if you are reading this. Start looking for the job while in school. That means networking and kicking butt at clinicals. Get your name known!

Completely agree!!!!

** I applied for 88 positions online at MANY different hospitals spanning over 50 miles from my house.** i knew that there might be some compromise and sacrifice in accepting my first job including a long commute. It's really tough for new grads. I secured a job with a hospital in which I had done clinicals. I smiled a lot while in the clinical setting and kicked butt! Networking is huge. With online applying, your resume looks just like anybody else who just graduated nursing school (for the most part). I went to a job fair. I was finally able to put a face to my resume. One of the hiring managers remembered my smile, and this was from 2 years ago! :-). I had 2 interviews that day, had to do a personality/psych test online, and then I had a panel interview w/ 7 people asking me questions. Anyway, I got the job. However you can do it, get your face in front of the hiring managers. Career fair-- networking!

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

If I'd have to give advice, I'd say this: don't count on just one thing to land you the job. Don't depend solely on the CNA job that you're working to pan out into a RN job at graduation because in this job market, that's no longer the guarantee that it used to be. Same thing with clincals: don't think that a stellar performance at your senior preceptorship will always result in a job offer at the end. And just because your friend/family member works at the hospital, don't think you have an easy in and not bother to do anything else, because someone else may have an easier in than you.

So do everything that people have suggested in this thread: network while in school, try to work/volunteer, do the best that you can in both class and at clinicals, keep developing your skills, hit all the job/career fairs, never pass up an opportunity to interview, AND find other ways to stand out from the rest. Doing one or two isn't always going to be enough. And be flexible and apply for as much as you can because you never know where you will strike gold.

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I'd made a list of the top children's hospitals in the US and periodically went to each of their job sites. I applied to jobs that were eligible to hire new grads. I applied for a CVICU job at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) despite my interest being in PICU. But it was the only job that allowed new grads to apply! It was a miracle that whoever saw my resume forwarded it to the PICU talent strategist who called me to see if I was interested in scheduling an interview.

I flew out to PA on my own dime and endured a nerve-wrecking 7 hour interview. They called me a week and a half later to offer me the job. No prior connections, simply an online application from their website.

Anything can happen!

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