tokyoROSE BSN, RN

I posted this two years ago and I apologize for not returning any sooner to answer questions. Life as a new grad definitely kept me busy! Anyway, I'm so glad to hear that my story is still helping you guys in your job hunt. :) Everyone who has asked for my DON letter: It is an ATTACHMENT at the end of my very first post. It gets lost in there because things are all jumbled, but I swear it's there. @ nc12: Complete your application with HR, then send the email to the DON. @ Loque: YES email the floors you're interested in. This is exactly what I did since my hospital has the nurse residency for new grads. I don't know if it is annoying to them to get emails on top of hundreds of new grad apps, but clearly it didn't matter because I got responses the next business day! That is better than sitting around waiting...and waiting...and waiting. @ Maddox: I did not apply to any hospitals with no active job listing. If you're actively job hunting, I don't see why you should limit yourself only to organizations with active job listings. I wouldn't say that I would focus on it, but I wouldn't give up hope either. If a manager is impressed with what they see, they may keep you in mind for future positions. @ Mr Cooper: YES!! Email your DONs ASAP no matter the deadline!! It does not hurt to show them your qualifications ahead of the game.

panpan, I am a minority and I wouldn't be surprised if that article was on to something... unfortunately, racism is well and alive today. Thankfully my director gave me a chance and I was able to show them what I was capable of bringing to the table. To other minorities looking for a job, don't take no for an answer. Keep kicking those doors down and you will get what you want. movingforward12, You can read the email I sent to directors attached to my first post. Introduce yourself, show that you have researched the job/organization and tell them how you can contribute. If that still doesn't make sense, look up cover letters. Essentially, this is a cover letter. lifeisgood2012, Please read my first post again. I touched base on this. I had trouble with smaller facilities so in this case you would have to call. Read what I had to go through to get the name, and it wasn't even the director's name but I got lucky anyway. The hospital that released nursing reports is the largest organization in my state, hence they have the funds and need for them. Smaller facilities do not. Everyone, I have enjoyed reading your comments and answering questions. However, I noticed I had to repeat myself a few times... please read my first post over before asking a question. There really is a lot of info in there. :)

I took a position in telemetry with the largest healthcare organization in my state and I LOVE IT!! :heartbeat

PedsNP2013, that email is attached to my first post. Look for it, it's easy to miss. I suppose it would not hurt to email the nurse recruiter, but aim high and go for the nurse manager. I did state in my post to email nurse managers of every floor in every hospital you want a job at. So yes, I emailed 6 DONs in the same hospital because they all make hiring decisions separately.

mo2rn, Thank you, this is the least I can do to give back to the AN community for being a great resource for me through nursing school, NCLEX, and landing a job. I am sorry you haven't had much luck. Aside from sending in resumes, what else have you done? I do recommend that you volunteer, perhaps at a hospital where you would like to land a job, or somewhere that you can be hands-on (think free clinic). It makes a huge difference. If you want to take it a step further, be active in a nursing organization by being on a committee or running for office. You can also get ACLS certified if you see positions that require it.

I wouldn't email them back. I feel that DONs are not procrastinators, they tend to stick to their word. So let things fall into place. The reason I say this is because I got a call last week for an interview for a job I applied to in December. Go ahead and keep emailing other DONs. I've had a full week of orientation, it is a lot to take in, and I'm excited to be on the floor next week. Everyone has been so wonderful and the more I learn about the organization, the more I'm reassured that I made the right decision. Thanks for asking and I hope that you get that call soon!

How long has it been?

Sh0rtyking, yes, I did. I also went into more detail about how I did it here:

j9jensen, link's in the article but here it is again.

Thank you Franemtnurse

There is a section for those looking for help with resumes and cover letters on AN. People requesting a copy of my resume and cover letter reminded me too much of how my "friend" from nursing school wanted me to spoon feed her everything. Even if I take out my personal information, I do not like the idea that someone could just "fill in the blank" and use my resume and cover letter at will. It is too effortless. I spent hours on those two documents and would like to keep it to myself (being selfish, I know, I'm sorry).

It depends on the organization. Some will interview and hire new grads before they even graduate and get their license, some will not. I would call or email HR about it. If they indeed hire new grads before graduation, they yes jump on it. There were at least 10 classmates of mine that got hired before graduation.

It is worth a shot! I don't want to sound like a witch but I will not PM anyone my resume or cover letter. I feel as if I've shared enough tips and advice in the article that the rest is up to you all to do. There are plenty of resumes and cover letters online to look at. I looked at dozens before I wrote mine and I continually updated it to fit each job prospect. I do not like the idea that someone could copy my work. I was being generous when I was PM'ing my email to the DONs. Since it is already out there, I will add it to my article so everyone can see it. (Here's another hint- this email resembles my cover letter. I guess you could take it from there.) I will continue to answer specific questions if you all have any.

Nursing Annual Reports were all published online. If the organization is large, chances are they would do the same. I did not have any luck of finding these reports with the smaller organizations. I've sent PMs to those who asked for my letter to DONs.

Because of you, I got three job offers and landed my dream job. I am so thankful to you. I hope that many more read this because it is simply the most helpful job hunting advice I have ever encountered. Thank you again :heartbeat