Recent grad, passed NCLEX, now what?

roser13, ASN, RN · May 17, 2016

Where do you want to work? Go to their websites and find out how to apply.

Google resume help and find tips & tricks on the internet. (I think you should do this part yourself.)

Where do you kinda not want to work? Go to their websites and find out how to apply.

Make contact with anyone who might be in a hiring capacity or who knows someone who is in a hiring capacity.

Where do you really not want to work? Go to their websites and find out how to apply.

Look online at cities and towns around you. Apply to hospitals, clinics, LTC's and rehab facilities via their websites.

This is your full time job now. The step by step process is:

Find a target.

Write the appropriate cover letter.

Apply.

Apply everywhere that you can. This is no time to be picky.

ValhallaRN · May 17, 2016

Thanks for the advice. Straight forward approach. Very helpful.

chare · May 17, 2016

[...]
This is your full time job now. The step by step process is:
Find a target.
Write the appropriate cover letter.
Apply.
Apply everywhere that you can. This is no time to be picky.

I can't agree with, or like this enough. This is so important, and unfortunately, so many don't get this.

Best of luck in your job search.

johsonmichelle · May 19, 2016

I think you have been given some solid advice , before you apply for jobs make sure you research the unit and facility your applying to. There are so many posts on here regretting taking the job because they didn't do they're research. The feeling of having a new job wears off very quickly and may you have a tough time if your in a unit or facility that you don't care for.

barcode120x, RN, NP · May 19, 2016

Yup, the peeps above gave you good advice. The advice I'll give to you is to enjoy your time off and enjoy it to the max! Once you start working, even though it'll only be 3 days a week (if you get a 12 hour shift job), you'll be burned out on your days off as well as stressed out to even relax. Take time to de-stress and have fun after you do your daily work of sending out applications, calls, emails, etc. I took 1 month off after graduation, the next 2 months were on and off studying for NCLEX yet still had free time/enjoyed my break, and once I got my license I took another 2 months off before actually looking for a job.

I also had some friends that completed other certifications to help make their resume look better such as getting your basic EKG, ACLS, PALs, etc; however, it does depend on where you are looking to work AND those cost money. Fortunately for me, I got in right away and I didn't have to pay out of pocket for the certs, it was included in my orientation.

khaleesi123 · May 21, 2016

It's been 4 months since I passed and I still haven't found a job.

EdRnhere · May 22, 2016

A lot of places hire most of their new grads in July so maybe something will turn up!

Apply to new grad residency programs! If you aren't getting any calls back to interview you need to refine your resume and cover letter. They need to be clear concise and free of grammatical or spelling errors. You should highlight what makes you special because 100 other people are sending in apps too. You have 10 seconds to catch the attention of the recruiter or manager who is reading your information so hook them early.

If you are getting interviews but no jobs then you need to examine what you are doing in the interviews. You need to be confident but not cocky. Smart but not a know it all. You need to ask pertinent questions about the unit and hospital. Such questions might be about shares governance since that's a big trend now, especially in magnet facilities.