What to say to a nurse manager....

[aellisrn]

Ok, so I applied for a position at a hospital on a telemetry floor. I absolutely LOVED telemetry in clinicals during school. I was told by a friend at the hospital where I applied that I should call the nurse manager. I have no idea what to say to him.

I spoke with a nurse manager at another hospital to which I applied for a job, but I precepted on that floor, so I knew the manager, and alot of the nurses and other personnel on that floor. I felt more comfortable speaking with her, and actually got an interview. Didn't get that job, I was their "2nd choice"

Please advise! I've been out of school since May with NOOOO job!! and like a previous thread said, I'm afraid of becoming an "old, new grad"

Thanks!

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

Do you mean that you will be "cold calling" him? Are you not confident in your interviewing skills?

This is what I would do:

"Hello Mr. X. My name is Best Nurse, and I graduated in XYZ. I understand that you have a position open on your tele floor, and I have submitted an application. I wanted to touch base with you to see if the position was still open, and if so, when you will begin interviewing for the position. I am very interested in working for your facility and would like to meet with you to discuss this."

The manager may tell you that HR has to first review your application and that the interview must then be set up by HR. HOWEVER, the fact that you sought this manager out to express your interest will make him remember you when your application comes across his desk. You may think that this is pushy or inappropriate, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with showing interest, especially in these tight economic times. Be assertive. Be confident. Do your homework on the facility. Have your resume in front of you when you are on the phone with him.

Good luck to you! I sincerely hope you get this position.

[aellisrn]

Do you mean that you will be "cold calling" him? Are you not confident in your interviewing skills?

This is what I would do:

"Hello Mr. X. My name is Best Nurse, and I graduated in XYZ. I understand that you have a position open on your tele floor, and I have submitted an application. I wanted to touch base with you to see if the position was still open, and if so, when you will begin interviewing for the position. I am very interested in working for your facility and would like to meet with you to discuss this."

The manager may tell you that HR has to first review your application and that the interview must then be set up by HR. HOWEVER, the fact that you sought this manager out to express your interest will make him remember you when your application comes across his desk. You may think that this is pushy or inappropriate, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with showing interest, especially in these tight economic times. Be assertive. Be confident. Do your homework on the facility. Have your resume in front of you when you are on the phone with him.

Good luck to you! I sincerely hope you get this position.

Thanks for your input! And no honestly I'm not 100% confident in my interview skills. I feel like the last interview I did, they seemed very impressed, I could tell the manager and care coordinator would look at each other with approving eyes when I said something they liked, which seemed like alot. But I didn't get that job. However the manager did tell me she was looking for an experienced nurse, but a new nurse wasn't out of the question. And I when she called to let me know I didn't get the position, she told me I was their 2nd choice, they were very impressed with me and she would recommend me to another manager at the same hospital that may be hiring in the future. I never heard from that manager.

I'm trying to be as proactive as I can with out being pushy or over assertive. I WANT a nursing job so bad! I just can't find one. Its shameful that so many nurses are unhappy with being a nurse, and there are people like me who are just eager to get out and utilize my skills!!

[SnowShoeRN]

A few more tips for you, if you're interested:

Most jobs come about from networking so if you feel brave enough I would highly suggest just setting up meetings with different managers or nurses to "just touch base" or introduce yourself even if a position may not be open at that time. That way, while you're waiting for something to open up, you may still be on the mind of some of the other managers/staff that you meet. Keeping in touch with people, sending them interesting articles you find, saying hello, telling them about something you saw or read that reminded you of their specialty, whatever, makes a good impression.

I work on a tele floor now and I'm pretty convinced that part of the reason I got the job is because (when I was working on another floor) I just called the manager and asked if I could come in and meet her "to talk." I loved cardiac stuff at the time (still do!) but couldn't figure out how to break into it. I didn't ask for a job, I didn't ask for a reference, I just told her how INCREDIBLY excited I was over the prospect of maybe someday working on that floor, how much I LOVED tele, and how much I liked the hospital. When a position finally did open up, she remembered me.

Sometimes people are just flattered to talk to you and give you advice. "As someone who is just starting out as a nurse, I really respect your experience and would appreciate any advice or insight you could give me in regards to getting started." Little paragraphs like that have worked wonders for me. :)

And never be afraid to follow up with a phone-call if it's been a week or more since you've heard from someone. I've gotten a lot of good advice by respectfully asking "why" or "how do you think I could improve my chances next time" when turned down for a position.

Goodluck! And keep us posted! It sounds like you're moving in the right direction.

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

A few more tips for you, if you're interested:

Most jobs come about from networking so if you feel brave enough I would highly suggest just setting up meetings with different managers or nurses to "just touch base" or introduce yourself even if a position may not be open at that time. That way, while you're waiting for something to open up, you may still be on the mind of some of the other managers/staff that you meet. Keeping in touch with people, sending them interesting articles you find, saying hello, telling them about something you saw or read that reminded you of their specialty, whatever, makes a good impression.

I work on a tele floor now and I'm pretty convinced that part of the reason I got the job is because (when I was working on another floor) I just called the manager and asked if I could come in and meet her "to talk." I loved cardiac stuff at the time (still do!) but couldn't figure out how to break into it. I didn't ask for a job, I didn't ask for a reference, I just told her how INCREDIBLY excited I was over the prospect of maybe someday working on that floor, how much I LOVED tele, and how much I liked the hospital. When a position finally did open up, she remembered me.

Sometimes people are just flattered to talk to you and give you advice. "As someone who is just starting out as a nurse, I really respect your experience and would appreciate any advice or insight you could give me in regards to getting started." Little paragraphs like that have worked wonders for me. :)

And never be afraid to follow up with a phone-call if it's been a week or more since you've heard from someone. I've gotten a lot of good advice by respectfully asking "why" or "how do you think I could improve my chances next time" when turned down for a position.

Goodluck! And keep us posted! It sounds like you're moving in the right direction.

This is GREAT advice. I would definitely call the manager. If you feel uncomfortable about it, practice on one of your friends. EVERYONE feels uncomfortable during an interview, but the trick is to "not let them see you sweat". Tell the NM how excited you were when you did your rotation on the tele floor. Be confident, although your knees are knocking together! You know that old saying, "Dress for the job that you want"? This time, you must reach way down and picture yourself already on the unit, dressed in hospital issued scrubs, and doing pt care. REALLY feel yourself already having the job. This will represent "dressing for the job" and will give you a boost of confidence. Make the call. Be proactive. What do you have to lose? NOTHING. But you have EVERYTHING to gain, and when (yes, I said WHEN) you get the job, you will be doing a little victory dance and all of your friends will be celebrating with you! It is a big step, I know. Have confidence. You have worked hard, and you deserve this. Make it happen. You can do it!

[kayern]

As a manager, I don't accept calls from candidates. At the end of an interview I state very clearly that "I will process your paperwork and you will hear from the Recruitment Department". I give the applicant my card and on the back I put the Recruitment Department number. Every institution does it differently.

[aellisrn]

Thanks so much for the GREAT advice! I love this board, and value the opinions of all the various nursing specialties, and varied years of experience of the nurses that visit this board!

Ya'll are GREAT!

Anymore advice is greatly welcomed! :)

[j621d]

In the past, if I wanted something, I would call the appropriate person, and in this case it would be the NM, on a weekly basis. It doesn't have to be a long phone call, just a "Hi, just checking to see if any thing has become available." Your persistence will wear them down ; -) and hopefully they will remember you. Keep it light and friendly!