10 Steps to Getting Hired as a New Grad Nurse

Embarking on a new journey as a freshly minted nursing graduate can be both exciting and nerve-wracking. In this blog post, “10 Steps to Getting Hired as a New Graduate Nurse,” we aim to provide you with the essential tips and strategies to navigate the job market and land your dream nursing position. From polishing your resume to acing the interview, this guide will walk you through each step of the process, ensuring that you stand out from the crowd and make a lasting impression on potential employers. Whether you’re preparing to enter the workforce or simply seeking advice on refining your job search, this post will equip you with the tools and confidence you need to launch a successful nursing career.

This post was originally written in 2015 by Beth Hawkes, MSN RN-BC and updated in 2023 by Kati Kleber MSN, RN.

1. You Need a Strategy as a New Graduate Nurse

Many new grads are discouraged and panic once they discover it’s not easy to get hired. At every contact point with your prospective employer, you have to stand out from the hundreds of other applicants. This isn’t something that just unfolds organically. People who land fantastic jobs have put a lot of work into doing so.

2. Job-Seeking is Your New Job

Let me ask: Is job seeking your full-time job?

• Have you studied and rehearsed your interviewing skills as much as you’ve studied for anything in school?
• Have you gone outside of your comfort zone in your job seeking endeavors? Yes? When? What did you do? See, I’m tough 🙂
• Do you get up early Monday through Friday, dress in business casual, and devote eight hours to getting a job?

Once job-seeking becomes your full-time job, you will see results.

3. Beware These Easily Avoidable Mistakes

Here are some basic easy fixes.

• Having an unprofessional email contact easily remedied
• Having grammatical errors anywhere on application no excuse
• Failing to follow application instructions to the letter fastest way to the shredder
• Not smiling during an interview confident candidates project warmth and openness 
• Offering a weak handshake at interview passive and insecure
• Not making eye contact during interview confident candidates get the job
• Not having knowledge of the company at the time of interview savvy candidates are prepared 

4. Smart Resumes Stand Out

Stop them cold with your savvy resume. If your resume doesn’t stand out, it doesn’t matter how perfect you are for the job. You won’t get an interview. Wow them even though you are a new grad with limited experience.

• Customize. If you are applying to five different employers, you need five different resumes.  Target to each employer by modeling the language of the job description using their keywords 
• Visually appealing layout and use of white space. One page long, mistake-free. Clean, neat, easy to read format.
• Highlight relevant accomplishments, volunteer work, projects, honors, that illustrate how your skills match their needs.
• Avoid cliches. Everyone is self-motivated and detail-oriented. Instead, give examples “Led senior class in a community project to educate the public on handwashing”

5. Creative Cover Letters Stand Out

Your cover letter lures them in. Captivate them with a creative headline, make them nod at a personal story, and make them want to reach for the phone to call you in for an interview.

Are you finishing nursing school and worried about how you’ll land that first job? Not sure what to put on the resume, what to wear to the interview, or what kinds of questions to expect? In this course you will learn how to write a resume, market yourself, finding jobs, interviewing and more.

6. Interview to Win

If you are interviewing but not getting called back, the problem is most likely your interviewing skills. Interviewing is a learned skill.

Many new nurses mistakenly believe that if they have a Tele interview, they should review Arrhythmia. Or to prepare for an Oncology interview, cram the night before on chemo medications. Wrong. They are not looking to see if you have in-depth knowledge of a specialty. They know you’re new.

Interviews are often panel interviews consisting of the Nurse Manager, Clinical coordinators, and staff RNs. After the interview, the Nurse Manager will turn to them and say “Well, what did you think? Will he/she fit in?”

Nursing units are a group, a family if you will, and Nurse Managers want to make sure you’re a good fit. Fitting in is about projecting warmth, openness, and learnability.

Clinical Scenarios During an Interview

They’re not going to trick you with clinical questions. Commonly they will describe a patient scenario where the patient is in some kind of distress. No matter what the clinical details, they are really looking for responses that show you are competent and safe. Here’s what to say:

• You stay with the patient shows a safe nurse who doesn’t panic
• You call for help shows you know your limitations (rated most important by many interviewers)
• You initiate any basic interventions (example, apply o2, re-position: cue from the scenario) shows basic clinical competence
• Bonus points: You anticipate what the provider will order (EKG, labs) shows critical thinking

Prepare for Behavioral Interview Questions

Anticipate that the bulk of the interview will be spent on behavioral questions. Prepared candidates will not say “I’m a perfectionist” when asked, “What is your greatest weakness?” It’s a cliché and a cop-out. A prepared candidate will be ready with a valid weakness that is not a core skill for the job and quickly segue into the positive.

Are you prepared for “Tell me about yourself?” Use the Present/Past/Future model. Tell them where you are now, mention your previous positions, and close by saying you’d like to work for them in the future. Not rambling takes practice.

Within twenty-four hours after the interview, send a handwritten thank-you note. This common courtesy is not so common and will make you stand out.

(We have word-for-word scripts for thank you notes in our course, Hired!)

7. Networking Nets Jobs

Networking is one of the best ways to get a job. Contact clinical instructors. Clinical instructors are well connected and have Nurse Manager friends. Contact classmates who graduated before you or with you and have a job.

Reach out at church or the gym to find other nurses and start talking. Join a professional nurses’ organization. Volunteer and make contacts.

8. Risk-Takers Stand Out

Some of these are risky, and only you can weigh the personal risk/benefit. Ask yourself: “What do I have to lose?”

• Consider relocating as the nursing need is geographical.
• Cold call a nurse manager. Respectfully, with resume in hand, “I just wanted to drop this off in person.”
• Call HR. Applications get lost, it happens.
• If you’ve had interviews and not been selected, call and ask for feedback on your interviewing skills.

9. If You Are a Nursing Student – Even Better

Work as a PCA in the hospital you want to get hired as an RN. You almost certainly will get hired with your home-field advantage. Smart nursing students understand that clinical rotations are a time to be seen, make contacts, and stand out.

For some inspiration on high-impact jobs for nursing students, click here.

10. Never Ever Ever Give Up

Tolerate this uncomfortable and ambivalent stage in your life with patience and grace. This too shall pass. Remain hopeful-you didn’t come this far to fail. You will succeed! Remember, new grads get hired every day – and with a solid hiring strategy, you will, too!

More Resources on Getting Hired as a New Nurse

• Resume Tips for Nurses
• Nursing Interview Questions: The Good, Bad, and Ugly
• Nursing Interview Questions and Answers
• When You Don’t Land Your Dream Job
• What to Wear to a Nursing Interview

Are you done with the guess-work of applying and interviewing for nursing jobs?

Hired from FreshRN is a self-paced, online course for ambitious nurses who want to be the ideal candidate for their dream job. Amber Nibling, MSN RN-BC, and Kati Kleber, MSN RN have interviewed hundreds of nurse applicants and they give you the inside scoop of what interviewers are thinking. Learn everything you need to know to impress potential employers (and yourself) by learning what the hiring team expects from you, so you can not only meet, but exceed those expectations.