A recent report by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation said that the International Council of Nurses stated that COVID has put nurses under enormous pressure and there has been a huge increase in the number intending to leave the profession. Even if governments invest in training more new nurses now, it will take at least three years for them to become registered nurses, and they will be novices who will need time to be able to step into the shoes of their more experienced colleagues who are leaving right now. But what if you are a graduate nurse looking for your first nursing role. How do you navigate the industry and find the role that suits your skills?

One way to approach the task is to work backwards. Chart the course from where you want to be, back to where you are now. Recognise that you may need to take multiple steps. For example, if you want to work in a hospital, try a higher acuity long-term care facility with a rehab or sub-acute unit if all the jobs in your area require experience. Or, if you want to go into critical care, try a medical-surgical unit or higher acuity long-term care facility with a rehab or sub-acute unit. If you want to work in labour and delivery, try post-natal nursing or a medical-surgical floor in a rural hospital.

But remember, don’t over-reach. If the job posting states ‘Two years experience required,’ and you don’t have that, then just don’t apply.  Not only does it waste the recruiter’s time, it puts your attention to detail into question. Recruiters would much rather spend their time setting up interviews and extending job offers than sifting through unqualified applications. Furthermore, you don’t want to waste your time applying for jobs that you aren’t suited for. Go after the right jobs to see results.

You may only have your placement experience to note on your resume as your nursing experience. That’s OK, HR departments realise this is the case much of the time and allow for this. Beyond that, look at your transferable skills. Look at things from the hiring manager’s perspective. Make a list of the skills that are needed and look for other positions that might help you gain them. Therapeutic communication, for example, is a skill that you could gain from work in mental health nursing and later transfer to any number of other specialities. Have you had experience in the voluntary sector? This will invariably assist you in terms of demonstrating your empathy and compassion.  

Use your network.  This part is probably the most important step of all. In fact, it is so important that we’re planning an entire blog all about networking. It’s time to go from a piece of paper to a person. Use the connections you’ve made. Use your references. Call on those who you met throughout your educational journey. Just know that there are people you will meet on your journey who are willing to help you with introductions as you go after your dream job. Hopefully, you compile a strong contact list as you go, and you remember to send personal notes of thank you to those who have helped you along the way. Reach out to those people, outline your goals and ask them for any help they can give as you look for a job.

Remember, in most cases, getting the wrong job can be worse than not having a job at all. For example, most recent graduates are too impatient to get a nursing job that they just end up toiling away in a clerical position or in a job that doesn’t really make use of their degree. It might be a good decision if you only do it temporarily, however, if you accept a long-term job out of desperation, then you’re doing yourself more harm than good.

This is also true when you’re searching for an actual nursing job. If a position consistently shows vacancies for a long period of time, do some background checks right away. It may be due to poor management skills or something more terrible. Either way, always bring your common sense and instinct with you during your job search.

Finally, remember that your resume and cover letter are two of the most crucial tools in your arsenal. So don’t ever take them for granted.

Make sure you update all the relevant information as often as you can. You can showcase your skills by putting in your most important achievements in your nursing studies. It will also benefit your chances of getting hired by customising your resume and cover letter based on the health care setting you’re applying to. If you’re a great graduate nurse but a lousy resume writer, it only takes one call to www.nursingresumes.com.au to put you on the right track!