Graduation: closer than you think

Twenty to forty million Americans change jobs each year, and due to a struggling economy and increased competition for jobs, the process has not gotten easier (Levinson and Perry, 2009). That said, you are to be congratulated for having chosen to become a licensed practical nurse! In general, health care is expected to be a hot growth area for years to come as baby boomers age. This was recognized as early as 2006 when Business Week magazine concluded, “Since 2001, the health care industry has added 1.7 million jobs, while the private sector has added none” (Levinson and Perry, 2009).

According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook 2010–11 Edition, “Employment is projected to grow much faster than average, with the best job opportunities in nursing care facilities and home health care services. Employment of LPNs is expected to grow by 21 percent between 2008 and 2018 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011). With respect to where newly licensed LPNs are being hired, the 2009 LPN/VN Practice Analysis: Linking the NCLEX® Practice Examination to Practice provided the following: 52.1% nursing home, skilled or intermediate care; 14.4% rehabilitation; 11.6% residential care or developmental disability; 10.2% medical-surgical units; 8.6% assisted living; 6.9% home health, including visiting nurses associations; 5.2% hospice care; and 3.2% critical care and emergency departments (NCSBN Research Brief, 2010). Nurses who have had active military combat training may have an edge over other candidates applying for emergency room jobs at hospitals due to already having been acclimatized to the environment (Levinson and Perry, 2009).

What do i want to do?

You have a distinct advantage if your educational program included clinical (hands-on) nursing experience in the areas in which you are most interested. These nursing experiences include clinical rotations, special projects, computer work, or work with a temporary permit before taking the NCLEX-PN® examination. If the program did not, it is never too late to contact employers to see about job shadowing their staff members and the work they do, or asking about volunteer opportunities or part-time work in areas you are interested in learning about.

Also, seriously consider taking additional coursework or obtaining certifications to enhance your employability in the areas of basic life support, intravenous therapy, phlebotomy, advanced cardiac life support, behavioral management, and rehabilitation (NCSBN Research Brief, 2009).

Using interpersonal styles to your benefit

Tony Beshara (2008) suggested that by recognizing your personality type and that of your interviewer, it may be easier to answer questions as well as pose your own. With that, it was noted that in 370 BC, Hippocrates defined four basic personality types:

An easier way to remember the four types is to associate them with characters from Charles Schultz’s Peanuts comic strip: Linus, who is the analytical type; Lucy, who is the driver type; Charlie Brown, who is the amiable type; and Snoopy, who is the expressive type (Personality Types, 2011).

Being able to recognize different personality types around you is a plus. It is recommended that you practice this identification skill with other students and friends so recognizing personality type comes quickly to you. Some examples of conversation responses to individuals with these types of interpersonal styles can be found in Box 22-1.

Potential references

Take a moment to consider who has seen you work and might be willing to confirm in writing and verbally that you are someone employers should hire. Instructors, unit managers, supervisors, team leaders, staff registered nurses (RNs), and LPNs/LVNs are potential sources of references and job openings. With respect to references, ask them in person for permission to use their name as a reference. Do not assume an instructor or anyone will give you a positive reference. Specifically ask, “May I list your name for a positive reference?” If yes, write down the nurse’s name (spelled correctly), job title, work address, and work telephone number. Also, take the initiative and ask for a letter of recommendation. Be sure to acknowledge their busy schedule and ask if they’d prefer you to draft a possible letter for their use (see Boxes 22-2 and 22-3). Also consider using managers and employees with whom you have worked as a volunteer or health care worker.

Networking your way to success

Smart networking of influential people can lead to finding new jobs, better pay, faster promotions, and greater job satisfaction.

That said, LPNs/LVNs should consider LinkedIn as an investment site like a 401(k) retirement plan. What you do to invest in the plan now (i.e., making sure your profile is 100% complete; adding LPNs/LVNs, nurse managers, recruiters, short- and long-term disability case managers, and any contacts made through active networking with health care and insurance company staff) will help you later in your career when you are looking for new, higher-paying opportunities.

Social media sites like Twitter (twitter.com) and Facebook (www.facebook.com) can be used to expand your job search network. For a Twitter profile, you should list only the basics about who you are because your online “biography” is limited to 160 characters. Twitter will load your address book and show you which of your contacts are already using the site. And, with that, Twitter will give you the option of inviting people in your address book who are not yet registered to join Twitter. Facebook can be used to access the job sites Simply Hired (www.simplyhired.com) and Careerbuilder (www.careerbuilder.com) to search for job openings. Additionally, it can be used for those who want to post their own ads on a daily basis or on specified dates at a nominal rate.

However, because these sites are primarily for social networking, it is first important to find common experiences to talk about with the contact. From there, when talking about yourself, ease into letting them know what job you are seeking and that any assistance they or others can provide would be appreciated. Just a warning: Using LinkedIn’s “InMail” system to contact people who are not part of your network can cost you money. Try contacting these individuals via Facebook because you can do that free of charge.

Here are some tips whether you are using professional or social media sites:

General Internet career search sites should be explored to seek job opportunities. Box 22-4 lists several Internet sites for careers that will prove useful.

Locally, check company websites to find current job openings, the facility’s mission statement, any specialties, and locations. You can also Google the name of a nursing home, clinic, assisted-living facility, and so on to get their URL. When using the Internet, it often takes a while to locate job and career opportunity links. After entering the career/job area, try using the “search box” and type in “licensed nurse” or “vocational nurse” as a possible shortcut. The beauty of the Internet is that you can search your local area by individual state and in different countries.

Skype Webcam (www.skype.com) consists of free computer software used in conjunction with a webcam (cameras are relatively cheap) in which families and businesses may communicate with one another via voice or video anywhere in the world. It is also a useful tool for interviewing when travel or associated costs are not practical to meet with the employer. For example, the author once met a woman who had been living in Norway and had now found a job in the United States. She explained that when she decided to move to the United States, she contacted several prospective employers. One was willing to download the software, purchase a $50 web camera, and conduct the interview via Skype. Because the Internet is essentially free, she found a job with minimal out-of-pocket expense. In addition to the computer, Skype can be used on an iPhone, an iPod Touch, or an iPad.

Another good way to find employment is to attend professional conferences or training sessions and “work the room.” To do this, introduce yourself to someone you don’t know or a group of people, learn something about them in 5-10 minutes of time, and then move on to the next new person or group. With this in mind, understand that although these are not formal interview situations, the people you are meeting for the first time are “sizing you up,” just as you are doing to them. As such, it is recommended that you wear the same type of clothes that you would to an interview.

Here are some more tips for job hunting:

Networking should be a never-ending process whether you are happily employed or looking for another job. The successful person makes a point of meeting someone new each day, knowing there will be openings if they lose their job to downsizing or are looking for an opportunity to increase earnings or advance their position. When doing so, focus on the following:

Informational interviews to create future expectations

Chances are, sometime during your educational program you will be asked to visit community health facilities. Your instructor will provide objectives to help make the experience worthwhile. Focus your objectives or questions on the following areas:

Viewing this assignment as an informational interview allows you to find out how the facility works firsthand, assists you in determining whether you would want to work there, and allows you to meet the employer before you actually seek a job.

To obtain an informational interview with an employer, it is important to practice with another individual prior to making that telephone call. It may be tempting to use the example script without practicing in advance, but if you do, remember that this is exactly how you will sound: as though you are reading a script! The following is an example of a telephone request:

Voice control is important as you will be judged on how you sound to others on the telephone and at the interview. It is important to understand that spoken English is broken down into five areas:

Your friends can help you gain control over your voice by modulating with you, or you can find voice self-help books and/or companies that can help you to speak more clearly and pleasantly.

You should not encounter any difficulties when you speak directly to top nursing management to request an informational interview. Management wants to “get the word out” about their facility and will often give tours and let you meet the training staff. However, do not make the mistake of turning this into a job interview. No one likes to be tricked and management tends to have a long memory about such things.

Arrive looking sharp! This is not a T-shirt, shorts, jeans, and sandals casual meeting. Consider the interview as an opportunity to get insider information about what employers are looking for in potential employees. Keep a copy of the information you obtained with the name, address, and phone number in a safe place (ask for their business card) for the time when your job search begins. Follow up the informational interview with a thank you letter, and mention the staff you met by name. Employers will sometimes share letters like this with their staff, which will bring a smile to their face. Who knows—this may gain you allies should you apply for a job there (Box 22-5).

Searching for employment openings

If you expect to work shortly after graduation, it is important to apply for employment approximately 2 months before that date. Obtain a telephone answering machine, use a telephone “voice mailbox” service, or use your cell phone so you do not miss any calls from potential employers. Record a professional-sounding message, such as the following:

“Hi, this is ____________ (first name), and I am not available right now. Please leave your name, telephone number TWICE, and the reason for your call. I will return your call as soon as possible.”

If you are not going to graduate until December, do not fret. It is a myth that the November–December holiday season is the worst time to look for a job. Actually, it can be one of the best times. Employers are usually looking at staffing patterns for the new year.

You need to do some homework in preparation for seeking employment. Find out all you can about the facility where you would like to work. Facilities often provide websites or give out free pamphlets as part of their advertising. An easy way to locate company websites is to use search engines like Google, Yahoo!, or MSN and type in the company name. Look for the facility’s “mission statement”; determine the number of people they employ and annual profits earned.

Use the Internet to search for news stories/releases so you can work current events into your interview and talk about how your skills relate. A good site is www.healthcarefinancenews.com, which addresses health care business issues that are of interest to employers. Or if considering a move to another community, check into www.abyznewslinks.com, which enables you to visit hometown newspapers for local stories throughout the world.

It is generally accepted that 75% to 85% of all available jobs are not advertised. Do not wait for an ad to appear before seeking employment. Here are some ways to tap the “hidden job market”:

• Get assistance from family and friends.

• Get employee/staff recommendations from your school clinical site(s).

• Submit direct applications to employers.

• Do internal job searches. For example, depending on your skills, you could obtain less skilled employment with a health care provider in a different job that would allow you to post for jobs internally before they are released to the public. Jobs might include sterile service technician (process/package surgical instruments), certified nursing assistant, health care coder (ICD-10), or physician’s e-scribe (person who follows the doctor to patients’ rooms and charts the doctor’s notes so the physician is free to serve more patients and make money for the hospital).

• Search company websites, using terms such as “careers,” “employment,” “jobs,” and so on.

• Use State Job Service/Workforce Centers.

• Use Internet job sites (i.e., Careerbuilder.com, Indeed.com).

• Find out about your school’s social alumni network sites, or if they don’t have one, try Twitter.com to see who may be alumni and then throw out an icebreaker to get the conversation rolling (i.e., “What dorm did you live in the first year?” or “Was instructor _____ there when you were there, and what did you think about her class?”).

• Use private employment or recruiter companies (i.e., type “practical nurse recruiters” into your search engine).

• Search state or federal government websites.

• Read school placement office postings/e-newsletters.

• Do volunteer work, and read professional association newsletters.

• Contact the state’s nurses’ union and ask about employers who are hiring.

• Use recruiting services. The three types of staffing services are temporary or contract, in which employees work for a specified period of time; temp-to-hire, which allows employees to work with an employer on a trial basis, and if it is a “good fit,” they may be offered a permanent job; and direct hire, where the employee is recruited by a staffing service and then hired by the client. Determine which service will best meet your needs.

• Job fairs are typically advertised 2 to 3 weeks before the event, so visit the companies’ websites and find out all you can about the companies. You can forward your resume to the fair producers both before and after the event. The producers frequently forward resumes to participating employers at no cost to you. If you attend a job fair, go prepared with a high-energy, 30-second pitch or elevator speech that covers your key skills, your passion for that type of work, and how it’s related to the needs and goals of the recruiter’s company. Since most applicants don’t have a prepared speech, your presentation will make you stand out.

• Participate in virtual job fairs, such as through www.employmentguide.com/browse-jobfairs.html.

• Beware of scam job ads. Since 2006, phony job ads have increased by 345%. With such a tough job market, people’s eagerness to find any job until the right one comes along sometimes overrules their common sense. If you see jobs that include home money transfers (convinces the person to open a bank account as a payment representative and then promises a percentage of the money that comes in), an unidentified employer (only willing to discuss the job in an individual or group presentation), requests for personal information via telephone or website, such as a Social Security number, address, and driver’s license, to “run a background check” before the interview, or promises of high salaries for “simple” work, it is best to avoid them. At worst, you may become a victim of identity theft (Pyrtle, 2009).

It is standard practice to apply directly to employers using website job applications, emails, or cover letters and resumes. Often, a traditional brief, to-the-point cover letter, accompanied by a resume addressed to the director of nursing or nursing recruiter at the facility is best. Box 22-6 provides an example cover letter. Do not include a personal reference list or a photograph of yourself with it. Retain the reference list for your interview and provide it only on request. Follow through on the cover letter by calling the employer for an interview on the day stated in your letter.

Box 22-6   Sample Cover Letter for Employment

April 14, 2014

Ms. Cheryl Krutchen

Human Resources Director

Columbus Hospital & Clinics

2031 Lakeside Drive

Columbus, MN 55025

Re: LPN Staff Nurse Position

Dear Ms. Krutchen:

I will graduate from the Rainy Lakes Technical College practical nursing program this June. While doing a medical nursing rotation at your hospital, I was impressed by the quality of client care, staff professionalism, and learning opportunities.

In addition to this rotation, my work experiences have included a focus on electronic patient documentation, care coordination under a multidisciplinary approach, follow-through on individualized patient/family plans, working with a diverse population, patient advocacy, and participation in the evaluation process toward achievement of outcomes.

I am interested in obtaining employment at your hospital and being able to work with your staff again. I will contact you on Tuesday, April 21, to see whether you have received my resume and to determine when we might arrange an interview. Should you wish to contact me before then, I can be reached weekdays after 3:30 PM. I look forward to speaking with you.

Cordially,

Katelyn Bieser

2001 Putt Drive

Cottage Grove, MN 55016

612-555-2728 or ktbieser@star.com

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