Alyssa
When nursing school and NCLEX is all said and done, looking for a job is one daunting task that many people may not know where to start with. Employment events, such as the Job and Internship Fairs and NYC Treks through the Fleishman Center can be very helpful in connecting with employers, making sure you are making those connections to help with job search. Who you know and what you know are both so important!
I have attended employment fairs since I was a sophomore in the program. As a sophomore, I was pretty intimidated, as I had not had any clinical experience yet, and wouldn’t be looking for a job for a few years. However, it was a great opportunity to get my feet wet and understand what it was like to be comfortable with simply speaking to employers and learning about what each hospital offers. This is also the year I decided to make a LinkedIn, and focused on making connections with people who work at potential hospitals I would want to work at after graduation.
Moving into my junior year, I attended the NYC Treks at NYU Langone Medical Center and Lenox Hill Hospital, as well as the Northwell Golden Ticket Event. These were huge networking opportunities for nursing students, and I think my sophomore year “practice round” prepared me for being comfortable with talking to recruiters and knowing what questions I wanted to ask to learn more about each hospital. These were all incredible hospitals that I was interested in potentially working at. Specifically, after the NYU Langone trek, I connected with some recruiters I had met with on LinkedIn, which served as points of contact for me when I applied to the Student Nurse Extern program that summer. I also connected with Decker School of Nursing alumni on LinkedIn who worked at NYU to see what their experience was like there. I applied and interviewed twice, and months later, I accepted a Student Nurse Extern position at NYU Langone in their Pediatric ICU. I had the most incredible learning experience there, and I think the NYC Trek and LinkedIn both made it easier to have all of the information I wanted to know about each hospital involving their values, culture, and opportunities.
Now that I’m a senior, it’s time to start thinking about job search. Personally, I know I have my heart set on getting a job in pediatrics. I am thinking along the lines of pediatric emergency nursing, but am also interested in general pediatrics, pediatric intensive care, pediatric cardiac intensive care, and emergency room nursing. I attended the Virtual Job and Internship fair this past fall, and met with NYU Langone, Northwell, Upstate Medical University Hospital, Garnet Health, and Cleveland Clinic. Although virtual, it was still an awesome opportunity to learn more about employers and what they offer. I will also be attending the Northwell Golden Ticket event again this coming winter, which will be another exciting employer event!
These events make it a lot more clear to me what I am looking for in an employer, as you are interviewing them just as much as they are getting to know you.
My tips are as follows:
1. Make a LinkedIn. Connect with recruiters, as well as Decker School of Nursing alumni! You never know what you could learn from all of these people.
2. Have questions prepared ahead of time, but tailor them to each recruiter and the flow of the conversation.
3.Have a polished resume. Go to the Fleishman Center and have someone edit your resume, and make sure it is in the nursing format.
4. Make sure you get contact information at the end of the conversation, and write a thank you email to recruiters and people you talk to! It is important to thank these people for taking the time to speak with you.
Don’t forget the importance of your networking skills, and attend employer events as early as you can! They are valuable opportunities to meet people, get to know different institutions, and learn more about what you are looking for in an employer.
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