Your Image and Landing Your First Job

July 20, 2010 · Category: Message

Author: Kimberly Vaughan, SN, BSN, CNSA Image of Nursing Committee Chair, iondir@cnsa.org

During Joanne Kingsbury’s keynote address at the June 12, 2010 Council of Chapter Representatives Meeting about how to land your first job, many times I caught myself nodding my head in agreement because she talked about numerous topics that correlate to the image of nursing.
Some of the key points of her talk were: your appearance, accomplishments/weaknesses, resume, and the interview. What stood out to me the most was appearance. Appearance is very important when it comes to landing any job, not just a job in the nursing profession.

The way you dress and the way you present yourself helps your interviewers (and hopefully future employers) judge what kind of employee you might be. If you dress appropriately and professionally, then hopefully they will see you that way. If you dress or look sloppy, not put together, or come off as frantic and rushed then they may get the perception that you will reflect the same trend in your work ethics.

First impressions and the handshake are crucial in guiding the rest of the interview. Present yourself, greet your interviewers and anyone else in the room and give them a firm, confident handshake while looking them in the eye. This initial presentation sets the baseline of the interview. When walking into an interview, always make sure you are holding your resume in your left hand so your right hand is free. Also, do not bring in coffee, food, or chew gum! These may seem like common sense, but Kingsbury says that interviewers see it all the time.

In these harsh economic times everyone keeps hearing how difficult it is to get a job as a nurse, let alone as a new graduate from a nursing program searching for your first job. While it may be true that the job market is tight out there, there are always things that you can do on your part to present yourself as the competent, and well-educated students and future nurses that you are. Remember to assess the image you are portraying to your future employers before you go into an interview. Make sure it is a positive image of not only you, but of the nursing profession as a whole. Good luck searching for that first job! You will do great!

Kimberly Vaughan
Ad-Hoc Image of Nursing Committee Chair