S2E19: Tips for New Grad Nurses on Resumes, Applications, and Interviews

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Kati Kleber, MSN RN – Nurse educator, former cardiac med-surg/stepdown and neurocritical care nurse, author, and speaker.

Melissa Stafford, BSN RN CCRN SCRN – highly experienced and currently practicing nationally certified neurocritical care nurse.

Elizabeth Mills, BSN RN CCRN – highly experienced neurocritical care nurse, current Stroke Navigator for a Primary Stroke Center.

Perfect, no typographical errors
Don’t put all of your clinical experience
- Put things that are relevant to this job
Put people other than your clinical instructors; nurses on the unit, MD’s, manager
- Get a team of cheerleaders – people who will vouch for you
Networking begins in nursing school
- Make a good impression EVERYWHERE
Don’t think only clinical people can write resumes
- Volunteers, administrators, administrative assistants, leadership

Don’t wait until graduation to apply
- Do this way before graduation
- Look at the websites of prospective facilities
HR departments are slow
- Give it a few weeks before calling about the status of an application
- Many won’t even let you call them; they just update online portals
Video interview tips
- Don’t look at the floor
- Look at what’s behind you – remember they are seeing that!
- Don’t wait until the last day

First impression begins with scheduling the interview
- Don’t be difficult to schedule because it looks bad
Look up information on the facility, work into the conversation
Questions beforehand
- Go over them at home, with others – even if it looks silly!
Strike the balance between confident and cocky
Handwritten thank you note post-interview – looks awesome
Make sure you’re speaking positively about yourself and not negatively about others to make yourself to look good

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