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.
Hmm, we were told to list our clinical experience on our resume, and only put jobs down if they were relevant to nursing. Do employers want to know that I worked childcare from 1997-2000 and then at Albertson's in the deli for 2 months then got laid off? It's all confusing. And I think my resume is good, and being a new grad I interviewed for a clinic position, sent a thank you letter and got a letter saying they hired someone more qualified. And I just graduated in may. So what good was my resume? And I settled now as a new grad for a job in LTC where I'd rather not work until I find a position where I DO want to work...and they didn't interview me, they told me about the job, gave me a tour of the facility, explained wages and benefits, and said "You have the job if you want it." Is that professional?
That is pretty much how all of my jobs have been since getting my LVN. My references are good, so there is sometimes a medication test, or a background check or drug screen, and then I am hired. I haven't really had a formal interview.
With a nursing shortage that is 'real', wouldn't one would think recruitors would be less picky? Just another reason to doubt the hoopla about a 'nursing shortage', and see it for what it really is: an excuse for understaffing.
I'm not sure about other states but mine offers all kinds of resource information/labor stats through the department of labor and training
I think my biggest hinderance is my license is on probation. I only need four more months of work to work that off. I am finding it very hard to get in anyehere. I could use some advice on that problem.:stone
Hmm, we were told to list our clinical experience on our resume, and only put jobs down if they were relevant to nursing. Do employers want to know that I worked childcare from 1997-2000 and then at Albertson's in the deli for 2 months then got laid off? It's all confusing. And I think my resume is good, and being a new grad I interviewed for a clinic position, sent a thank you letter and got a letter saying they hired someone more qualified. And I just graduated in may. So what good was my resume? And I settled now as a new grad for a job in LTC where I'd rather not work until I find a position where I DO want to work...and they didn't interview me, they told me about the job, gave me a tour of the facility, explained wages and benefits, and said "You have the job if you want it." Is that professional?
Professional? Dunno. It's certainly scary. Let us know what that job is like. I fear the worst. Keep looking for something better. In all of your spare time. I'm serious.:uhoh21:
What are they teaching in college these days? It is not restricted to nurses. My sister works in a non-medical field, & one of the top administrative persons, a woman of 22, signs ALL her business correspondence with "love" !! This is a large nationwide company, and the "bigwigs" think this person is some kind of "prodigy" & have given her free reign!
Quick question. How big are her breasts? I had to ask.:rotfl: :uhoh21:
Thank you so much for all of the advice! I have copied the typical interview questions to review. I found quite a bit of relief in knowing that my resume is comparible to the examples. I also put together a portfolio with all of the information listed. This has been very helpful! Thank you!
1)You thank them for the time they took to interview you.
2)Nothing is expected. But it is considered good form to ALWAYS give a thank you note for the opportunity to interview,
3)This varies. Forget hours unless they are especially desperate for help, in which case you probably would not want to work there any way. Be very careful!
So sweet and polite!
I had never thought about that, writing thanks-letter after the interviews, but it sounds really polite.
I'm glad I came across this thread. We're being pushed to put our resume's together and some of my classmates have already lined up jobs! I feel so left behind and very overwhelmed. There's one hospital I REALLY want to work at and would be pretty dissapointed if I didn't get hired there, but I've got 2nd, 3rd, 4th choices as well.
I have my resume done, but I have read on a couple of sites that you should not fold your resume. What are your thoughts on this? If I do not fold it, what type of envelope should I put it into and it still look professional? Also, what should be mailed with my resume? Hospital application, cover letter and references all at the same time?
Kim O'Therapy, BSN, RN
773 Posts
Thanks for the great tips.