Sidestepping HR to get my own RN job - I am not wrong to network on my own, right?

[New RN Grad 2008]

I am a newly graduate nurse that need your advice. I think I am in a delicate situation here. I have been working as a Nursing Aide in a hospital for the past year or so. Few weeks ago I just graduated from nursing school and then my RN license. I went to HR to interview for an RN position. The HR sent me to interview with a Nurse Manager. However, I did not think that the interview went well with the NM. It has been 10 days since the NM interview. I sent 2 follow-up thank you emails to the NM, thanking her for the interview but received no reply. I called up the HR and the HR told me that as soon as HR hears back from NM, I will then be contacted by HR.

Well, 10 days into waiting, I started to make some phone calls myself in the hospital and I was able to speak to a NM that is currently hiring on her floor. When I dropped my resume off to her, it quickly became an informal interview. The interview seemed went well, and the NM said that since I have already interviewed with the HR, she will call HR to see WHAT THE NEXT STEP SHOULD BE. Now, it is crucial that the nurse recruiter in HR does not get offended that I went around on my own and basically kind of bag a job on my own. I get the feeling from the NM that if HR gives the OK, then I will get hired by the NM. My question is this:

1. Since I was already working as a Nursing Aide for over a year or so, I am right to take a pro-active approach and basically use my networking skills to find a job, right?

2. The HR recruiter would not get angry that I went to speak to NM on my own, right? I know the HR is very busy, so I kind of did the leg work for them.

3. In case the HR recruiter feels "slighted", what do I say to her to make it right so that she'd "okay" the go-ahead for the NM to hire me.

4. Since I was already an employee (Nursing Aide) in the hospital, I felt this "obligation" to network and find the RN job on my own by talking to people and stuff. I did not know how to do that in the first place, so I had gone to HR to seek help. HR helped me to set up an interview. The interview did not go well. So, I got very worried and tracked down some leads about other openings and went to an informal interview myself, and the interview went well. Now the NM just want to see if HR okay for me to get hired. (The HR nurse recruiter is a veteran employee so she has a lot of power.) The NM even commended my pro-active approach and thanked me for finding her. So, please let me know of your opinion and how to "make up" this thing to HR, in the rare chance that the HR recruiter feels that I over-stepped my boundary.

Thank you.

[Turk1822]

I just finished reading your post, and as a nurse manager, I don't see any problem.

If you have not heard from the Nurse Manager you "officially" interviewed with, even after sending follow up thank you notes, assuming the nurse manager is not on vacation or out sick that long, I would say that the nurse manager probably shares your view with the interview not going so well. I do think the nurse manager should have definitely gotten back in touch with you either way though.

Not only do I not see a problem, if I was the Nurse Recruitor, I would be asking the nurse manager why they hadn't responded to you either way.

You took an active role in securing a nursing position instead of sitting back and letting someone else do the work. To be honest, I don't see the real point of a nurse recruitor since rarely are they actually a nurse who has ever worked in the position they are trying to hook you up with.

As a nurse manager, I would rather have you on my team than someone who waited for a recruitor to set everything up. You're the person who will advocate for the patient, and not sit back and say "Well I tried....they never called back" etc.

If you should receive any flak over this, I would encourage you to let the offended parties know you're intention wasn't to step on toes or go behind backs, but to start your nursing career as soon as possible, in an environment that gels well with your "take charge" personality.

Good luck and I hope you love nursing !

[New RN Grad 2008]

Thank you for your reply. I got the job that I went for! The offer came one business day later! Thank you again!!!

Newbie .

[caliotter3]

You don't owe anyone in HR anything. People who need jobs get them by any means possible. If nobody went around HR, there would be a lot of people unemployed for greater lengths of time. The NM who commended you for being proactive hit the nail on the head. She will be very happy to have such a go-getter working for her. Congratulations on your new position!:wink2: