Here’s a question that gets bantered around often:
HOW TO FIND NON-CLINICAL NURSING JOBS?
During the course of a nurses career, a nurse expresses interest in non-clinical jobs for a variety of reasons. Maybe you’re starting to feel bedside burnout or you’ve realized you have a penchant for research?Or you may realize you have an uncanny knack for sales or perhaps you’re a closet tech junkie? Maybe you simply want a 9-5 job and reclaim the holidays with your loved ones? Whatever your motivation, there are so many options with your RN license beyond bedside nursing roles. Guess what? It’s okay if you decide to expand your career horizons despite what you’ve been told during your associate/diploma degree program or even during your BSN program. It’s up to you to design your nursing career journey and if you want to explore non-clinical nurse jobs–go for it!
Once you’re ready to take the plunge, here’s how you can organize your search.
1. Determine Transferable skills:
Take a look at your current skill sets and see which of those skills are transferable into non-clinical nursing jobs? For example, let’s say you have a telemetry background working 3 shifts and clocking in 12 hr days (or 14 hr shifts) at a hospital, then you can consider employment in a Cardiology office, Cardiology centers, associations, clinics or a cardiac cath lab. Now, really spend time thinking about what you do on a daily basis where those skills might be transferrable to those settings.
2. Google search: Once you’ve figured out all the different types of “job titles” and your skills, run a search with specific keys words.
For example: start by conducting a variation of those key words–Cardiac RN nurse in clinics,
Cardiac RN in health facilities, Cardiac RN nurse in Cath Lab, and so forth
Naturally don’t limit yourself, you might even broaden your search with Telehealth monitoring RN roles for the manufacturer. Think outside of the box!
3. Write it out: Organize the non-clinical nursing jobs by listing those companies on a spreadsheet. Remember to save the websites, contact address, contact phone number/fax/email, and hiring manager. Here’s where organization is key as it helps you keep track of your search, application submittal and response
4. Apply: Send resume/cover letter/recommendation letter if possible as a PDF–try to tailor the cover letter to be specific to the company. A great tip here is to extract key words from the job description onto your resume. However, be sure you’ve garnered that experience vs. just writing in those key words! Please place some thought in your cover letter, exercise brevity and individualize it! There’s nothing worse then a canned resume pulled off the internet–YAWN and not original. Put the work in and then move on to the next steps.
5. Follow up and more follow up! Some companies have HR recruiting departments that will contact you for an interview if there’s a match. However, remember many companies are inundated with a flood of applicants and waiting for the recruiter may have you waiting for months! Consider being proactive and call to introduce yourself by following up with your application. If time permits, ask for the interview.
MORE TECHNIQUES!!
6. Linked In: This is the best kept secret when searching for non-clinical nursing jobs! Head over to your linkedin account and if you don’t have one go get linked in! If you do a search, you’ll find mutual acquaintances with 1st, 2nd or even 3rd degree connections linked to a recruiter in the company you’re interested in. Better yet, post a brief update in the newsfeed alerting your network that you’re in the market. If you’re currently employed and need to exercise discretion, try sending an INmail to your network directly and privately.
7. Informational interviews: Think of the interview as getting to learn more about the company that you’re really interested in and as an opportunity to meet the hiring manager. You have nothing to lose, if there’s no job posting send a note to whomever you’re interested in speaking with and follow-up with a call. Ask for 5 minutes of their time either on the phone or in person. Remember, their time may be limited so be prepared with specific questions and get their feedback. Recognize THEY may not have openings, BUT ask if they know someone that might be hiring OR another recruiter that you can talk to. ASK for 2 names and their permission to contact them. Eureka! That’s a new connection(s) you’ve made.
8. Health networking groups: No matter where you reside, there are a multitude of health and nursing networking groups. Some that you many have heard of American Nursing Association: http://www.nursingworld.org
and Sigma Theta Tau International http://www.nursingsociety.org
Invest in yourself and be part of a community and join them just as you’ve joined our community!
9. Meetup.com: Another great tool, you may meet health care people on that group and meet new nursing friends and even things to do!
10. Craigslist: Yes Really. A bunch of small and midsized health facilities simply don’t have the additional advertising budget to post their job on http://www.monster.com or http://www.indeed.com
Head over to the careers and health section and run a search for cardiac nursing and VOILA non-clinical jobs listings will populate.
11. Network: Be out there and network because sitting home won’t work! Talk to others (non-current) colleagues, external peers and simply get to know people.
12. Volunteer! This should’ve been #1 on our list. It’s surprising how fruitful it is when you volunteer! As in this example, if you’re interested in Cardiac nursing but in a non-clinical nursing role why not join the American Heart Association http://www.heart.org
Another great organization we love is http://www.nursewithoutborders.org What you’ll find when you volunteer your time and services in anything in life is the sense of altruism that you’ll feel. Here you’ll meet likeminded people making a difference and who knows whom you might meet? Think long term and giving versus short time gains.
Go on now get out and do it! Do you have other tips and ideas? We’d love to hear what works for you!
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