1. What are three questions you should ask yourself when you begin your job search?
2. What are the most common mistakes people make in preparing their résumés?
3. What should you know about your prospective employer before the job interview?
4. What should the interviewee try to achieve during a job interview? What should you look for? What red flags should you watch for?
5. What can you do in advance to prepare for the changes during the first year of employment?
6. Create your own SWOT analysis. How would you respond to your personal strengths and weaknesses if you were a prospective employer? How can you enhance your strengths and improve in areas of weakness?
7. Draw a career path for yourself, beginning with the present year and extending to the age of retirement. Be sure to include any “twists and turns” of the path you expect to experience along the way and any barriers you expect to encounter. How will you handle these experiences?
Do an online nationwide search for information about current job prospects in nursing.Compare opportunities in various regions of the country. Why do you think these opportunities are the same or different?
5. Develop a list of questions that you should ask a potential employer. What “homework” will you need to do to prepare for an interview?
Chapter 12
Your Nursing Career
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SWOT Analysis
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Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
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MBTI
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Extroversion (E) or Introversion (I)
Sensing (S) or Intuition (N)
Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)
Judging (J) or Perceiving (P)
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Beginning the Job Search
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Be psychologically self-employed.
Learn for employability.
Plan for your financial future.
Develop multiple options.
Build a safety net.
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Ask Yourself…
• What oral and written communication skills do I
have?
• Where should I begin looking for a position?
• What “pearls of wisdom” can I glean from other
career nurses?
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The Potential Employer
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Ownership
Mission statement
Core values
WWW
Current and past employees
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The Initial Interview
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Review SWOT analysis.
Review requirements for position.
Professional appearance
Background questions
Professional questions
Personal questions
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Asking Questions
• What other opportunities for professional growth
are available?
• How are promotion and advancement handled?
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Additional Question Tips
• Do not begin with questions about vacation,
benefits, or sick leave.
• Begin with questions about the employer’s
expectations of you.
• Be sure you know enough about the position to
make a reasonable decision.
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Additional Question Tips (cont’d)
• Ask questions about the organization as a whole.
• Bring a list of important points to discuss to help
you if you are nervous.
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The Second Interview
• Dress professionally.
• Be professional and pleasant.
• Do not smoke.
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The Second Interview (cont’d)
• Remember “table manners.”
• Avoid controversial topics for small talk.
• Obtain answers to questions you might have
developed since the last visit.
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Making the Right Choice
• Job content
• Development
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Making the Right Choice (cont’d)
• Direction
• Work climate
• Compensation
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The Critical First Year
• Adopt the right attitudes and adjust
your expectations.
• Manage a good impression and build
effective relationships.
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The Critical First Year (cont’d)
• Develop organizational savvy.
• Master the skills and knowledge of the position.
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Conclusion
• Finding your first position is
– More than being in the right place at the right time
– A complex combination of learning about yourself
and the organizations in which you are interested
– Presenting your strengths and weaknesses in the
most positive manner possible
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Conclusion (cont’d)
• Remember
– Recognize that the independence and the ability
to “do your own thing” may not be the skills you
need to keep you in your first position.
– Be a team player.
– Learn about organizational politics.
– Find a mentor.
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