Applying and interviewing for a job as a new grad NP (part 1)

As a new grad nurse practitioner, I had no idea what I wanted to do for my first NP job. I had experience in oncology and stem cell transplant but after going to school and doing clinical rotations in different areas, my views on certain career paths had changed. As soon as I graduated (even before I took my certification exam), I sat down at my computer and started submitting applications.

I started with updating my CV (Curriculum Vitae), which is a long resume that highlights all your accomplishments and your previous job experience. You can put everything on it including clinical rotations, publications, honors and awards, and conference presentations or attendances. Being fairly young in my career, mine was only about two pages long. Next, I created a basic cover letter that I could customize for each position if they requested it. A cover letter should highlight your skills and how you can bring value to the company. You MUST tailor it to each job you apply for. One cover letter will not work for every organization. I also asked five of my coworkers/former coworkers if I could use them as professional references. I had both peers and supervisors on my reference list. Some I had known for five years and some I knew for only a couple of years. It is important to choose people who know your work ethic and think highly of you. Make sure you ask them before putting them on your list because you don’t want a potential employer contacting someone who has no idea the call is coming. You want them prepared to answer questions and present you in the best light possible.

Next, I created accounts for Indeed, ZipRecruiter, LinkedIn, and Career Builder to find the smaller organizations and searched for any jobs near me that sounded even a little bit interesting. I also applied to the big hospital and healthcare systems directly for many different positions. I applied for jobs in the hospital (even though my certification was family nurse practitioner), urgent care, primary care, dermatology, oncology, medically underserved clinics, palliative care, home health, hospice, and probably more that I can’t remember. I worked at a hospital that was part of a very large healthcare organization but it was a lot harder to even get an interview than I thought it would be. I had sent emails directly to supervisors, knew the physicians in the specialty that I applied for, and I even emailed back and forth with a recruiter for six months about three different positions. I spent a few minutes to a few hours every day looking at jobs and submitting applications for many months before landing my current position.

I submitted over 300 (yes, I mean 300!) applications over about seven months. I submitted twenty-six applications just within my former healthcare organization. I spent hundreds of hours searching for positions and completing applications. It took a LOT of time and energy and some days I was so burnt out from looking for jobs that I nearly gave up hope of finding a job that I would enjoy. I didn’t want to waste time at a job that I would hate but just a few extra days and a little more hope allowed me to find a job that I love.

Part 2 will go into more detail about the interview process. Stay tuned!