OK, it’s game time. Pomp and circumstance is approaching fast, which means, you are now about to start your post-school career. A whirlwind of questions and decisions will be coming your way, but no fear, help is definitely here.
First and foremost, preparation! You wouldn’t walk into boards without cracking a book so why would you start your career without first doing some basic homework. Preparation starts with you and that means knowing all about what you have to offer your potential employer. What are your strengths? What do you bring to the table? Being a new graduate doesn’t mean you come empty-handed, absolutely not! You may need to develop and hone the skills you acquired seeking your degree, but you also have some natural-born talent that can be put to good use. Start with your peers, co-workers or clinical supervisors. What compliments do they give you i.e. self-starter, congeniality, etc? Those are all great assets to add to your repertoire. Make sure to think of how they can be useful in your future role. For example, if everyone complimented you on being sociable and friendly, then your strength can be: “My ability to build rapport quickly allows me to gain confidence from patients and their caregivers. Nurturing those relationships help in the progression of care I provide.” Wow! You didn’t know how important rapport building is in patient care, did you? Of course, you did! You just have to learn to identify your strengths and put them to good use.
Don’t be afraid of what you need to improve on either. Everyone has had that dreaded interview question, “list a weakness…” I may be crazy but I love that question, it’s my favorite. For me, it’s delegation. I can’t say “no”, I always tell people that I can handle this task or that favor. When starting your career, you should always be aware of what you need to work on because you want to make sure you put yourself in situations that will help you IMPROVE on them. Be ready to ask for feedback and during interviews, turn that “weakness” into a soon-to-be strength. Such as, “Because I have a strong desire to please others, I may not delegate when necessary. I’m working on this by increasing communication with those around me, thus allowing others to take part in what needs to be accomplished and also take ownership.” By being ready to identify an area of improvement, you show your potential employer that you are coachable and approachable.
Next, make sure your resume strongly reflects what you have acquired thus far. List what you have done in your clinical fieldwork and what your accomplishments are in the field you are going into. Don’t clutter your resume with fluff especially in healthcare. Hiring managers need to see what you were exposed too quickly because they need to be back out on the floor. If resumes aren’t your strong suit, enlist the help of a career counselor or resume writer. If using a recruiter, make sure he/she is talking to you because they can’t represent you, if they don’t know you!
Research is a key component in jumpstarting your career. It’s hard to get started in a job market that doesn’t need your services. Yes, that’s right folks, you may not be needed and a degree, no matter how much you invested, doesn’t guarantee you a job. So, find out what the market is like in your geographical area. If not there, where are the jobs and are they in areas you are willing to relocate? Your university career center will be helpful in this or can direct you. If not, use a recruiter. Their services are free to you and they are the subject matter experts so pick their brains! A good one will tell you what you need to know, the good and the bad. Let them do the work so that you can redirect your focus to other things. In addition, and this is very important, join a social network or group. There are plenty of social media networks out there that will have hundreds of people willing to jump in with advice or opinions. It never hurts to build that network because you will use it for a very long time.
Starting your post-school career is a fantastic and overwhelming time. Make sure to do your prep work and you will be absolutely fine. Always feel free to contact me on LinkedIn or Facebook under Sunny Snook! I’m always willing to help in some way.
Sun Hui (Sunny) Snook graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Truman State University and received a Master’s in Human Services from Bellevue University. She has been in the healthcare staffing field for 11 years, first working with nurses before moving to a nationwide work strategies consultant where her key responsibilities were to coach staffers and hospital managers on effective staffing. In 2009, Sunny started with Aureus Medical as an Account Manager in the Rehab Therapy division, working with both clients and prospective employees. Most recently, she moved to Student Outreach Coordinator. Prior to working in healthcare staffing, she served as an addictions therapist and residential treatment coordinator for five years.
Sunny Snook / 800.456.5857 ext 6578 / ssnook@aureusmedical.com
nice
Saunder’s Comprehensive Review book for NCLEX exam written by Silvestri was what I used. For me, it was pecefrt for brushing up nursing knowledge stocked up in my head for quit sometime. And then, after I finished that book, I grabbed a Kaplan book on strategies on taking the NCLEX exam. It helped me a lot by giving me an idea how to answer the questions using all those things I gained by reading the saunders book those were my winning formula =)