5 Reasons Why Graduate Nurses Need to Start Prepping for Grad Programs Now!
Graduating from university as a nurse is an incredible achievement, and congratulations are in order!
However, if you're a graduate nurse in Australia finishing your degree this year, it's essential to start preparing and applying for your dream graduate roles now in order to succeed.
The nursing job market in Australia is highly competitive, and getting your foot in the door can be a challenging task with the way in which graduate programs are run and managed.
Based on my experience helping hundreds of graduates over the last 3 years, here are my reasons why graduate nurses must start preparing and applying for their dream graduate roles as soon as possible:
1. High Competition for Graduate Nursing Roles
The nursing profession in Australia is one of the most competitive, with more and more students graduating every year, and despite our workforce shortfalls, getting a graduate position has never been more complex. There is fierce competition for graduate nursing positions, and the earlier you start preparing and applying for these roles, the better your chances of landing your dream job. Employers actively review applications as they come in, so it's important to not delay in getting your application looking smart ahead of time!
2. Developing Your Resume, Cover Letter, and Selection Criteria
One of the key components of landing a graduate nursing position is having an exceptional Resume, cover letter, and selection criteria document. These documents need to highlight your strengths and show your potential employers that you are the BEST fit for the job. Starting early gives you the time to tailor your resume, cover letter, and selection criteria to the specific requirements of the roles you're applying for, giving you a better chance of standing out from the crowd.
3. Building Your Network and Understanding of options
Most graduate nurses don't know where they want to work and what options are available to them. Graduates who start early and ahead of programs opening can begin to network with graduate panels, and nurses who work in these organizations and even call the programs ahead of time to find out all the information they need to make an informed decision and impress them before everyone else has even started.
4. Alleviate future stress and worry
As a student nurse, you are probably well versed in last-minute deadline rushes and the fear/worry, and stress that comes along with that! Starting early, getting your applications to a point where they are 90% done ahead of time, will alleviate your fears and stress and gift you the time and space to really tailor you applications as the programs/jobs open.
5. You are going to get SUPER busy
Last year in our 2022 Graduate Nurse Career Launch program, ALL of our grads around the time grad programs opened were on internships, working part-time and they were SOOOO busy. Luckily for them, we had already done their applications with them. So when the programs opened, my team and I got to work tailoring their applications whilst they studied for exams, finished internships and made some income without stress, worry, and fear of missing deadlines. You will get VERY busy and the timing is terrible but you can make it much easier for yourself by prepping ahead of time.
In conclusion, starting early is crucial for graduate nurses in Australia to succeed in landing their dream graduate roles. The nursing job market in Australia is highly competitive, and it takes time, effort, and planning to stand out from the crowd. So, start preparing now, build your network, improve your skills and knowledge, gain valuable work experience, and land your dream job!
Start now, and Succeed Quicker!
See you in the GCLP!
About the author.
Liam is an ex-Nurse Unit Manager, who has sat on graduate nurse panels across Australia and knows what panels are looking for! My vision is to make sure NO graduate nurse is without a job in 2023!
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