ANA\C The Nursing Voice Spring 2019

12  . The Nursing Voice . Spring 2019 The New-Graduate Job Search: What I Know Now I graduated from a BSN program in September 2018. After six months on the job hunt, I am very excited to be joining the Med/Surg team at Adventist Health Saint Helena as a New Grad RN! I share my experience here in the hope that it will help New Grads feel hopeful. My advice on the job search: Firstly, ask all the nurses you know for help. Reach out, even if it’s uncomfortable, and ask if they will help to get your resume in front of their nurse manager. I was terrified of doing this and, to a degree, I felt like it was cheating—I wanted to get my job the “right way,” by being picked out of a lineup and then acing the interview. But truthfully, there is no right way. All it takes is for one person to take a chance on you. To prepare for interviews, practice telling your story. Most managers ask similar questions (how you work under pressure, how you manage conflict, etc). Build your answers so that they hold as much information about you as possible. Go beyond your clinical My advice on the job search. Gabriela Smith Tan BSN, RN rotations, because every new nurse has done clinicals. If you can, inject more of your unique experience into them. For example, I talked about managing a service business I started or resolving issues within student-run leadership groups. Show them who you are away from the bedside, too. Finally, the new grad search is cyclical. If you graduate at an odd time of the year like me, use that time before the next cycle to do your research and prepare your portfolio, but don’t stress yourself out. Breathe! I let this process get on top of me, and I hope that you don’t. I felt like a failure because I hadn’t landed a job within a month of graduation and I questioned myself every day. I almost turned away from nursing entirely. I wish I had known that come February, I be choosing between residency programs. Believe me— your hard work will be recognized, and your time will come. So, reach out to your network even if it is uncomfortable, prepare for an interview, include something about yourself away from the bedside. Overall, stay healthy and positive. Your time will come! New Grad Corner