When to start looking for a job?

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I am in my last semester of nursing school and I was wondering when should I start applying for jobs. I live in NC and we were told that the local hospitals aren't hiring many new grads, except I already work in one so I think I have a good chance of getting a job at the hospital I work at. Some of my instructors have said you should be looking now and some say wait. We finish in May and they said we won't be able to take the NCLEX until June.

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Start looking for a job right now. Speak with the managers of various units and ask if you can capstone there.

That will allow for doors to open to you if you make a good impression. You can also Google "New grad nurse residency programs in NC" and see what that yields. I think the more you network the better results you'll have.

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Start looking for jobs NOW. My last semester of nursing I applied to over 8 different GN programs. I landed a few interviews but I didn't receive any job offers while in my last semester. A lot of my classmates had job offers before our pinning ceremony. I wasn't too worried about getting a job right away since my family is very supported in everyway. While I looked for a job after graduation I studied for the NCLEX. A month after graduation, I received three job offers.

Try your best to land as many interviews! I think being a tons of interviews helped me refine my interview skills, also don't settle for a job position you aren't interested in. Good Luck!

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.

I agree about looking now. I'm where you are, graduating in May, and I'm looking now. I'm making connections and reaching out to my resources/network to find positions. Couple of good leads so far!

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Specializes in Emergency.

NOW! I graduated in June '08. I started sending out queries in Dec '07, interviewing in Feb '08 and had written offer, contingent on passing boards, by mid-March '08. Get it done now and take a lot of pressure off. And even if you don't nail something down, you've gotten an early start in the hunt.

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