So you graduated, reviewed for the licensure exam, took it, and got your license. What's next now?
They say that the toughest part of a nurse's life is passing the licensure exam, but if we take into account the sentiments of most nurses today, it is the job hunting part that is giving thousands and thousands of nurses a hard time.
How do we beat this? Let me share with you some of the things that I have done.
There are so many variables to consider--training, experience, skills, salary, benefits, job location and many others. There are really no clear-cut steps that will lead you to landing the job you want, or in most cases, the job you need. But there sure are many ways to look for opportunities and pitch in your self!
While job advertisements on paper are not outdated yet, job openings or job ad postings on the web now abound. The internet is most likely a part of your life now so you might as well use it for your professional advantage. But before you start hunting, make sure you have your most important tool--your resume or curriculum vitae. Make one and make sure that it has all the necessary details about you. (There are many resources on how to make an outstanding resume that you can check out.)
Oh, and one thing important thing, it helps to add a photo. Pick a neat and professional looking one. (I have gone through so many resumes and believe me, there are still many applicants who use photos taken from mobile phones and taken from top or side view, if you know what I mean. There are also those who photos show them and some unneatly cropped out body parts of who ever they were sitting with when the photo was taken. I also got this photo of a guy wearing shorts and sitting on a couch. I almost didn't want to read their resumes! So please, do pick a decent photo to put on your resumes.)
When your resume's ready, then you can start the search! Here are some suggestions:
1. Visit the website of the company you would like to work for or any other company that you could possibly work for. Most of them would have a 'Careers' of 'Jobs' section where they post their job openings. Check them out and see if they have any job offerings where you can fit in. Some websites have RSS feeds or Content subscription. You might want to sign up for those to be able to receive updates notifications on new job openings .
2. Sign up at job sites. There are various job repositories where you can create an account and apply to job openings. Some of these include jobstreet.com and jobsdb.com. These two allow you to create your jobseeker's profile which would become your digital resume and then search and apply for job openings. Some of these sites also offer jobseeker-job opening matching, where your skills are matched to the requirements of some job openings. You might want to sign up for those, too. You will get notifications on available job openings that you might be interested in.
3. Signup at linkedin.com. Build your profile, post your resume and add a cover letter. There are many head hunters as well as job ad postings on linkedin that you can checkout. Follow relevant people to get updates on what they post. If would also be good to widen your network, join groups and add your two-cents worth in group discussions. You may also want to take this opportunity to learn from seasoned professionals about certain topics that you are probably interested in. I heavily use linkedin and it helps me a lot. Take a break from other social networking sites and spend some time on this professional networking site. It is doing me good. I hope it helps you too.
3. On Facebook, many companies have fan pages. You may want to like the pages of those you are interested in working for as some of them post job ads there. Plus, it also keeps you updated on the activities of the company. But you also have to be careful here. Post responsibly and check your security settings to filter who can see your posts. You don't want to scare potential employers with your nude photos, or heart broken posts, right?
4. Join twitter and follow the twitter accounts of companies you are interested in working for. Many companies explore all social media networks. you wouldn't want to miss tweets about new jobs. While you are at it, there are many professionals who post great tips and new articles on twitter. You might also want to follow them and learn from their posts.
5. Google plus is a growing network. As far as I know, they are still working on something that can be used by businesses. It wouldn't hurt to join though as some are ready using it to make some announcements. There are also many CEOs and top management people in this network and some of them share great information.
That end's my list for now. I hope these suggestions can help you in your job hunting feat and good luck!
PS: Want an invite to Google+? ;)
https://plus.google.com/_/notifications/ngemlink?path=%2F%3Fgpinv%3DhpYw8TULHv4%3ApDj8YmhzzI8
No comments:
Post a Comment