Re: Ask a Recruiter
msweezer wrote:
Hello,
I would like to relocate to San Francisco, CA area. I am a recent grad - no experience.
Is there any feedback you can provide on landing a position? So far, it seems that in CA, many of the new grads are only hired for a training program which is run two or three times a year... as opposed to having orientation scheduled once a month as with many other hospitals. At this point, I am trying to understand how things work in Cali. I love the idea of a training program, but would like a job soon. Are there certain hospitals that may be better to work for than others? Can I expect help with relocating? Also, I am going to be doing an RN to BSN program and because of that I am interested in tuition reimbursement. As a recruiter, does it bother you when candidates ask about these things up front? Is there a certain way to go about it?
thanks very much for any assistance
Yes. There is a trick. Call directly into the units of the hospital that you want to work in, and try to speak with the manager. At most hospitals, when you send your resume in an HR person sits on your resume. Think of this person as the gate keeper. They don't know how to think outside of the box, and they are confined to the rules given to them.
In many instances the unit manager will have a pressing need, and they may be willing to deviate from their standard hiring proceedures to fill that need.
Make sure you don't do this if you have already submitted your resume to Human Resources. HR people get a little bent out of shape if you go around them, and they have already said no. If you haven't submitted your resume than you can call into the unit and play stupid, acting like you don't know who you should talk to about inquiring about a job.
Another thing you can do is what I call a referral interview. Call up the unit managers, and explain that you are a new graduate. Explain your situation, and ask if they have any suggestions or referrals for you to get you working sooner. In many cases, managers talk to other managers at other nearby facilities. You might find that the manager you are talking to knows someone who can help you.
The morale of this story is that you should always look at the human resources department as a last resort rather than the first place you send your resume. You can get in line like everyone else, but from my experience it never hurts to atleast pretend that you didn't see the line at first.
I have a few questions ...