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Advice for Nursing Graduates: What to do to Secure a Job

Advice for Nursing Graduates: What to do to Secure a Job

If you've just graduated but are unsure as to the next steps that you should take, read our useful guide to finding that perfect job in nursing.

Imagine the following scenario: you’ve worked incredibly hard over the last few years on the subject you’re passionate about to achieve the nursing degree or diploma you’ve always wanted, but now you feel a little lost as to what to do. If this sounds familiar, you can take comfort in the fact that you’re not alone, as many of us feel the same way when we graduate.

While there are a few people who are lucky enough to walk straight into a nursing role, on the most part, finding the right nursing job can be a little more difficult for the rest of us. This is where this post can help, as here you’ll find the advice you need to help you land the role you really want and get your medical career off to the best possible start.

Set your Targets

First and foremost you need to set yourself targets in terms of:

  • What position you want to work in (based on your specialism)
  • Where you ideal or preferred location is
  • Where you want to be in five years’ time
  • Whether you intend to move elsewhere within this time period

This way you can help narrow your job search.

Assess yourself

You should also take the time to assess your own strengths and weaknesses to find out what areas you can use to sell yourself in an interview and what you need to work on. It can be difficult to be your own critic, so you can ask your former tutors or student friends for constructive criticism if you’re struggling with this.

Create an Impressive CV

Next, you need to be thinking about your CV, this document needs to demonstrate to prospective employers that you are the candidate they’re looking for. This will showcase your qualifications, but with other very important areas like your work experience and other relevant skills, you can explain and give further details. These added details could be the pivotal factor in an employer’s decision to choose you over the other applicants.

You can find useful advice on how to create your CV here from the Government’s National Career Service.

Scour the Online World

With a simple internet search you can find lots of job sites that you can register with and use to find roles that interest you. Equally, look through medical and nursing forums where you can learn about upcoming jobs and get insider tips from other people in the same boat as you.

Consider an Agency

You also have the straightforward option to register with an agency who can help find you work placements in the areas and niches you want.

Don’t beat yourself Up

Like the old proverb goes ‘if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again’ and this couldn’t be more appropriate for job hunters. Nursing is a competitive industry and you may well get rejection letters or have to attend several interviews with no positive results. Try not to get to disheartened though, treat every experience as a learning curve for your next application and don’t be scared to ask for feedback.

Naturally, with all of the above points, you do of course have the option to use the ones that are applicable to your specific needs, say for instance you already have a completed CV. A final point to consider though is that nursing is one of the toughest yet most rewarding careers to follow, but like any job you’ll want to be working in a place where you will be happy. So be sure to use some of this advice to find yourself the right role – good luck.

VERCIDA works with over one hundred clients who are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. If you are an employer and interested in working with VERCIDA to promote your diversity and inclusion initiatives and attract the best candidates, please call 02037405973 or email [email protected] for more information.

We are also officially recommended by Disability Confident as a step on achieving Employer status, please click here for more information.

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VERCIDA works with over one hundred clients who are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. If you are an employer and interested in working with VERCIDA to promote your diversity and inclusion initiatives and attract the best candidates, please email [email protected] for more information.

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