Related: Career, Job Search, New Nurse Tips

Recently, Jessica inquired about advice for new nurses seeking jobs.

I’d recommend a few steps:

1. Take a personal inventory of your needs, wants, and desires to determine the kind of community that’s going to be a fit for you. Quality-of-life should play a role in your career search. There are lots of ‘best-places-to-live’ lists on the Internet that can help narrow the field. Here are some [...]

Related: Career, Confidence, Fear, Feelings, Job Search, Quitting, Seasoned Nurses, Stress

So I have a question for you. When is the right time to quit your job? When do you just take a deep breath and start the process of moving on?

I was never one of those people who kept one eye on the want ads. Maybe you're one of those who do. I've always been content with where I am; I'm not fond [...]

Related: Career, Interview, Job Search, Nurse Recruiter, Professionalism, Resume

It’s not about what you would do, it’s about what you did do.

That’s the essence of behavioral-based interviewing, which aims to discover how the interviewee acted in specific employment-related situations.

Why is behavioral-based interviewing so popular? Because, according to Carolyn Steffel, a recruiter at Edward Hospital, a magnet hospital in Naperville, IL, “You can teach someone skills, but you cannot easily teach someone a behavior. Despite [...]

Related: Career, Interview, Job Search, New Grad, New Nurse, New Nurse Tips, Non-Verbal Language, Nurse Recruiter, Nursing Jobs, Nursing Shortage, Professionalism, Recruiters, Resume, Truth

With the touted nursing shortage, you’d think you could bomb an interview and still land any job you want. Think again. Hospitals—especially, reputable ones—are selective. Recruiters use the interview to predict your performance and if you’ll be a good fit. Based on interviews, nurses are often rejected. That’s why Carolyn Steffel, a nurse recruiter at Edward Hospital, a magnet hospital in Naperville, IL, says to [...]

Related: Career, Job Search, Learning, New Nurse Tips, Nursing Jobs, Second Career Nursing, Student Nurse, Success

We’re all eager to land our first jobs once we finish nursing school. Maybe too eager.

Last year, when I was a student, we were given the option of working at a variety of hospitals during our clinical rotation. Many students stayed in the same hospital to get familiar with the people and the program. Ultimately, they had their hearts set on working there and there [...]

Related: Confidence, Expectations, Job Search, NCLEX, New Grad, New Nurse, Orientee, Stress, Student Nurse, Time

Dearest Friends and Family,

I thought I'd take this opportunity to catch you up on what my life looked like in 2007.

January through May was spent finishing up Nursing School. Clinicals, papers, tests, studying and looking forward to the day I would finally start my new career and the freedom that comes with a paycheck. I couldn't wait for the next step.

May through July [...]

Related: Career, Conflict, Education, Feelings, Interview, Job Search, Nursing Jobs, Quitting, Success

Stuck. You’re in a position that just doesn’t feel right and doesn’t work, period. You feel paralyzed, petrified of looking for something new. You think, Will a new position make a difference? Will I be able to find a place where I’m respected? Will I be able to find a job that works with my schedule? What if it takes a long time?

You’re not alone. [...]

Related: Career, Job Search, New Grad, New Nurse, Quitting, Success

“I knew something wasn’t right when I wasn’t enjoying it.”

So says oncology nurse Melissa Granger of her first position working nights on a general medical floor. A self-proclaimed optimist who dreamed of being a nurse since the age of five, Melissa never expected to dread going to work.

Melissa now knows she should not have waited to pursue the job that fit her personality.

“I always wanted [...]