Finally, after all the years of hard work in college, you are now excited to step into the outside world and clinch that first nursing job. Looking for that dream nursing job is no easy feat especially when you’re just fresh out of college and with no experience to show off. Searching for a job can be such an overwhelming task especially when things don’t happen as you expected them to be. Finding your first nursing job just isn’t vital in starting your career but it’s also a period of exploring the working environment and going to the next step in the learning process, this time outside of the confines of the classroom and in the actual setting. In spite of the tough times you will undergo, there are some things you can do to improve your search and hopefully secure a job right away.

Here are some pointers on how to maximize your chances of landing your first nursing job.

1. Create a nursing-oriented resume. Create resume as a licensed registered nurse that is focused on aspects of your nursing-related education and work history.  

2. Dress appropriately for job interviews. Nurses are professionals who are going to work in professional environments. Keep your hair pulled back as if you are ready to report for duty. Every detail can count when you are up against a hundred more applicants dying to have the position you’re applying for.

3. Keep an open mind to opportunities. Your first nursing job will most likely not be your dream job. First jobs are usually for the experience. As you gain experience you can make changes based on your personal goals and preferences

4. Find a way to be easily differentiated. There will be hundreds of gradates at the end of the year seeking employment in similar positions so position yourself that you will easily be distinguished from other applicants.

5. Apply everywhere. Submit your application forms in local hospitals, doctor’s offices, assisted living facilities and long term care centers. As a fresh graduate you cannot be very choosy. The more applications you send out, the more chances of getting your first job.

6. Be positive. Among hundreds of applications you send out, you’ll be lucky to be hired in one. Don’t get easily discouraged and continue to search.

7. Show eagerness, not a know-it-all.  Not having the experience can be your biggest turn-off but some employers want to hire new nurses to be trained so show the willingness to learn.

8. Highlight your achievements. Having achievements boosts our chances of finding a job. Indicate if you have a bachelor’s degree in nursing or a master’s degree.

9. Contact nurse recruitment programs or staffing agencies. It is advantageous not to look for jobs directly with hospitals as these agencies most usually already have a working relationship with hospitals and might have better offers.

10. Be patient. Results may not always be favorable to you but continue tot hink of motivational factors to keep you going.

11. Tailor your applications on the job offer. Employers get frustrated by applicants who don’t read an advertisement carefully and can not show the connection with what the job wants and what they can offer. If applying for a surgical position, they want to know about experience in surgical care.

12. Use emotive words. Using “passionate” or “caring” is your chance to sell yourself and indicate what type of nurse you are.

13. Before an interview, find out everything possible about the organisation and the job.  This shows your interviewer that you have keen interest about the company

14. Being well organised on the day of the interview. A relaxed pace will clear your thoughts and help you think clearly of the answers to questions thrown at you.

15. Be confident. Interviewers understand you can become nervous but you shouldn’t be too obvious about it and don’t rub it in in the interview. Act like a professional.

16. Be Proactive. Put some leg work and show enthusisam while still in nursing school. Many hospitals will grant scholarships to students who agree to work for them after they graduate.

17. Act the part. Show confidence but not arrogance. Show an aura of professionalism, and always carry a smile and walk to your interview with your head held high.

18. Establish your network. Tell everyone you get to talk to that you are hunting for your first job. You’ll never know where the story reaches so a friend of a friend may know of job vacancies.

19. Do some personal application. If you can get the opportunity to be assessed there and then, give it your shortest, but best sellout of why you should be hired.

20. Thank you’s and follow up. Always say thank you at the end of the interview and try to follow up after a week if they allow.

21. The Waiting Game. Write down your contacts and organize your list of people you have talked to while waiting for the call for an interview to avoid costly mistakes of referring to another person in your follow up conversations.

22. Meet and Exceed Your Requirements. Take classes such as disaster response training and first aid classes outside of the nursing curriculum to further enhance your nursing resume. 

23. Be Open to Opportunities. Follow all leads or hints of any available jobs to see where it will take you. Attend interviews even if you don’t like the job because you might meet people who can give information on other nursing jobs. 

24. Seek your referees’ approval before putting them on your application form. Prospective employers usually ask whether the referee is in the know of your application for the post. An answer in the negative shows a lack of preparation on your part.
    
    
25. On the day of interview make sure you arrive in plenty of time.  This allows you some moments to sit and gather your thoughts and calm down.

26. Listen carefully to the questions that the interview panel asks. Don’t answer hastily. Think about the question and collect your thoughts before answering. If you don’t understand, ask for the question to be repeated.

26. Ensure that you present a positive body language to the panel. Maintain eye contact; ensure an open posture and avoid crossed arms/legs. Look straight at the person asking the question.

28. Make sure that you have got some questions to ask the panel. This will show that you are actually interested in the job that you have applied for and have made an effort to do some research into the post.

29. Ask for feedback if not considered for the position. This will help you to become better prepared next time and hopefully successful.

30. Be ready to accept relocations if your first job calls for it. First time nurses cannot be very choosy where they want to work. Accept whatever is available, even if that means moving to an area where there is a better demand for nurses.

31. Start applying while still in school in case it takes some time to get a job. Even if the job outlook is positive, it doesn’t always mean a position is immediately available. Give yourself some time to find a job.  

32. Be innovative.  Consider alternative paths leading to your dream job.

33. Carefully weigh your options. Sometimes you’d be lucky enough to receive multiple job offers. Weigh the decision carefully, keep an open mind and don’t just take money into consideration.

34. Consider a nationwide search. Some states have more vacancies than others.  California may not be so welcoming but just beyond the border in Arizona and New Mexico are better opportunities. Check occupation lists on states needing most nurses.

35. If you are still in school, try to get into a hospital or nursing home that you would be interested in working at as a Medical Secretary or Certified Nursing Assistant. The skills that you develop from these trainings could translate directly into nursing and you make yourself seen by doing these jobs.

36. Consider enlisting in the military. Nurses usually get very good compensation packages and benefits in this field but take note that they prefer BSN nurses.

37. Find the best position you can for your first job. The nursing shortage may push hospitals to hire more.

38. Go to nursing events.  Try to establish contacts with the head nurse of an area that interests you directly and try even as a volunteer first.

39. A good CV is a good advertisement. Don’t put so much info into a CV. Smallest font in the sixe of 10, and be simple. The fancier the font, the worse it becomes.  Do away with typing in bold letters.

40. Don’t give up! Every nurse had to start somewhere and you will have your chance one day.

Just keep going, and keep the options above in mind. Efforts and persistence will eventually pay off and you will soon find yourself reporting for your very first nursing job. Also see best ways of getting a nursing job.

For a list of employers that offer new nursing job vacancies, visit http://www.nursingjobworld.com/nursing-home.htm.

It is in everybody’s, yourself and your patient’s, best interest to find out what a nurse really does before you jump into the real world. While you are still in nursing school, you might think nursing is what you really want but you find yourself leaving the job after a year or so because it didn’t meet your expectations or, worse, you had a different idea of what nursing was.

There’s no way of knowing what it’s truly like and if it’s right for you unless you get involved in some of the work. This is called “shadowing”, when you spend the whole day with a nurse to get a feel of what it’s like being a nurse.

Think of a particular field in the hospital that you’re interested in and check your local hospital’s requirements on how you can go about to “shadow” a nurse in this area. This will help you a lot in being exposed to the duties and responsibilities that the nurse does on the floor.

Typically, the day of a floor nurse involves patient assignments at the start of the day, checking reports of these patients and review of charts. Then a nurse’s day will never be complete without doing assessments and documentations and for some, medications. At the end of the shift, a report should be ready for the incoming nurse.

One will never stay long enough in this occupation if only for financial considerations. Yes, the job offers financial security that’s difficult to find nowadays, but, it won’t make one last long. Money will not be enough to motivate you when your heart isn’t in it.

Nursing can be very stressful, especially, if you’re assigned in bedside, which is usually the starting position of every nurse in the hospital. Even nurses who can handle stress find themselves feeling overwhelmed at times. That’s not to say that the situations are just too much to handle but one has got to be ready to deal with stressful situations at all times. Nursing is also, not just emotionally stressful, but, physically tough, as well. If you don’t have the passion for a nursing job, you are going to burn out very quickly.

Nursing is a highly trained & skilled profession which requires critical thinking and judgement. There will be times that you have to make decisions based on your own knowledge and will require quick, decisive but critical thinking.

Nursing may require a lot from nurses but the gratifying feeling that you are able make someone’s life better, even only in a small way, is utmost fulfillment.