Wondering why you can't get hired or promoted? Resume + Interview hints!
I've been reviewing resumes for open positions in my department and can't believe the resumes I've received: misspelling, words crossed off, no cover letter, including personal information about family life.
Look at your resume! Please don't send a resume if you have none of the job qualifications, unless your cover letter has explanation. eg. enrolled in education program etc.
I was taught in LPN and BSN program how to prepare a resume. Is this a lost art being skipped??
Also agree with our BB members that calling facility and finding out who is department manager, then forwarding your resume to them along with hr is great idea.
I work in smaller organization than hospital but has taken me over two months to get open positions advertised and three weeks to get resumes sent to me...those that sent to me directly have interview same week.
Questions during the job interview should be related to the job you are inquiring about. The following questions is illegal to ask during a job interview here in the U.S.:
Your personal life (married, divorced, children)
Pregnancy
Provision for child care
Religion
Club Memberships
Dependents
Ethnic background
Native Language
Physical Problems
Psychiatric Problems
Spouse's Employment
Credit Rating
Home Ownership
Questions You Should Ask (From Hospital Soup)
How long is the orientation phase and what can I expect?
If for any reason it seems that orientation is just not going well for me what will happen and who should I talk to about it?
Will I work with one preceptor throughout or will I have several different preceptors?
Who will be precepting me? Can you tell me something about them? Will I always have the same preceptor or will there be more than one?
What kind of professional advancement is available to nurses here?
What are some of the attributes of working for your hospital?
If I were to get a job offer from another hospital, why would I want to work for this one?
What is the criterion you will use to select the person you are looking for?
What kind of support can I expect from the nursing educators and preceptors?
What unique challenges has this unit faced over the last year? (I.e. successes, failures, etc.)
How much independence do nurses have in being creative problem-solvers?
Resigning From A Position
Check your facilities policy and procedures--most require that you give notice equal to amount of vacation provided, often 2-3 weeks; long term employed RNs can be 4-5 weeks.
Managers often need 1-3 months notice to be eligible for rehire --don't burn your bridges.
Yes, and I have been through quite a few interviews where it was blatantly obvious that the recruiter had already made up his/her mind as to who they were going to hire...before I even arrived. Grrrrr.....!
I know this sucks. My mum works in HR at a major university and she told me some institutions are bound by rules that they have to interview a certain number of applicants, especially if the person they already want comes from inside. It's stupid, but it's not always the recruiter's fault.
Thank you so much for all of this information. I have just graduated and I have been going crazy looking for information about resumes for the new graduate nurse. I do have one question though. Can anyone tell me if I should start sending out my resume before or after taking state boards. I'm beginning to get worried because I keep reading that so many of you have jobs already by the time you are graduating. Also, can anyone tell me should I or shouldn't I include an objective on my resume. Once again, thanks so much for all of this info. You have all been heaven sent!!
I've been reviewing resume's for open positions in my department and can't believe the resumes I've received: misspelling, words crossed off, no cover letter, including personal information about family life. Please don't send a resume if you have NONE of the job qualifications, unless your cover letter has explanation eg enrolled in education program etc.
In my program, in our Nursing Trends class, we had to do a unit on resumes and cover letters, as well as interviewing-we had several HR nurses come in and review our resumes-we actually got a grade on our resume and cover letter...
Quick question about a convo I overheard...you say that you review resumes and such, well I was wondering if a new graduate fails the NCLEX in one state right after graduating can they get a job in another state and start working as a GN even though they failed the NCLEX in a different state???
Actually no I don't wonder, when i see some of the people who are interviewing for positions I am seeking come in dressed down, not in their best. I further wonder why a nurse recruiter wants an interview then you never hear from them nor do they check your references
I was taught in LPN and BSN program how to prepare a resume. Is this a lost art being skipped??
Wasn't skipped in my class. We had a project for it, actually. It was an EXCELLENT project. Our instructor for it was a nurse manager at a nursing home and had plenty of experience with this.
First thing we had to do was call the instructor at home lol. Yes, and leave a message on her answering machine (pretend it's voicemail), like we were responding to a job posting with a phone number. "Hello, my name is Marie, i'm...." She graded that message, and gave pointers on how to improve (some people didn't speak clearly or had their mouth too close to the phone, some even forgot a number to be contacted at).
THEN we had to submit a resumé with a cover letter. Spelling counted of course, but one of the things i got good marks on was using a nice cream-colored semi-thick paper instead of copy paper to print it on.
Next was a "thank you" acceptance letter, then a resignation letter.
This was one of the most valuable things i learned in school. And i credit it with getting the job i have now.
Thanks! That gives me hope. I fell in love with the NICU during my preceptorship and cried on the last day because I was so sad it was over. I would love to be able to get into this new grad program and work in the NICU. The only thing I'm worried about is my GPA not meeting their requirements. I had 1 bad semester during my prereqs and it hurt my GPA, so it's not quite up to par for their requirements, but I'm going to apply anyway.
Thanks for the encouragement!
GPA not meeting requirements????? I've never heard of a hospital wanting to know your GPA. Good Lord!!! I thought that once you're an RN that would be it; no more school stuff. Yikes.
GPA not meeting requirements????? I've never heard of a hospital wanting to know your GPA. Good Lord!!! I thought that once you're an RN that would be it; no more school stuff. Yikes.
Yep, I didn't meet their GPA requirements, they never called back or anything. But that's ok. I'm applying at another hospital that has a great new grad program in the NICU, I asked if they had any GPA requirements and they said NOPE, I'm working on my resume and application this week and hopefully can get it sent in by next week. I really hope I get this one.
elizabells, BSN, RN
2,094 Posts
I know this sucks. My mum works in HR at a major university and she told me some institutions are bound by rules that they have to interview a certain number of applicants, especially if the person they already want comes from inside. It's stupid, but it's not always the recruiter's fault.