Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Hiring new employees

Some time ago I was sitting in with my hospital's Director of Nursing for my daily chat and ventilation (a funny word we use in psychiatry to mean, "blow off steam") I noticed quite a large pile of applications for employment. Almost absentmindedly I started flipping through them when the DON said he was in a rush to go to a meeting and would I look through them and give them a rating from one to three. The "ones" would get interviews, the "twos" re-evaluated at a later time, and the "threes" would get round-filed (a funny term we use in business to mean toss into the great wastebasket of no return).

In my previous incarnation as a Clinical Nurse Manager I have seen a lot of job applications. I was still surprised by the quite hefty pile he had though, until I remembered that when I was hiring there was 1.4 unemployed persons for every open job in the US. The most recent stat is 6.7. There are a lot of people looking for solid work with benefits, hospitals offer that. If you ever wondered why some applications get to the front of the pile while others are dismissed outright - read on.

Always use a cover letter.

This shouldn't be more than two paragraphs or so but should clearly show exactly what kind of work you are looking for as well as your qualifications. I won't immediately toss an application without a cover letter but I hate rifling through an application to see what position you are applying from and whether or not you have any previous employment or education to back it up. If you are not applying for a specific job you will not be considered for any job. Always check to see what is available; the position doesn't necessarily have to be open (we rarely "save" CVs but often there are opportunities in organizations that are available but not posted for some internal reason) but make sure it at least exists.

Nothing beats a clear, typed resumé or CV

If you show up to an organization they will often ask you to fill out an application. By all means obey but attach your printed CV to it. No fancy colors, no bizarre graphics. It's probably going to be photocopied anyway so ensure it looks good in black and white. Your contact information should be clear and "normal" - if your email address is "sexygrrlll69@hotmail.com" I will giggle briefly before tossing it. Lie about anything and I will find out during the background check. It's an instant blacklist then toss. Use a diploma mill (I look up every institution I do not know) and you will get my derision then blacklist then toss.

Unless you are applying for an academic or executive level job, two pages is the maximum.

Handwriting counts

Anything that you can type should be typed. Perfectly, no spelling or grammatical errors. That which you must write should be neat and similarly free of errors. While many health care organizations are switching to electronic records there are many more that rely on paper and pen for communication. If your application looks like crap I know your work will be even worse. If it asks for a criminal history then again, be honest. It will turn up in the background check and even the smallest employers use online services that cost nearly nothing but find everything. I read today someone wrote under criminal history, "I have a misdemeanor, I don't remember when." Seriously, do you really think I believe you forgot the time you were arrested, tried, and convicted of a crime? Please.

So, what happened to the pile of applications? Out of the twenty-odd applications, four received "ones". Five failed one or more of the above and received "threes". The balance went into a pile to be looked at another day...

1 comment:

  1. Tom,
    Great recommendations! I had to create a resume post-KP abd looked to Monster.com for assistance. Head or 'Med' Hunters are on the loose for experienced employees. I receive up to 5 calls or emails a day. I keep a differing Cover Letter for varied positions. Works for someone like myself who's worn a few 'hats' as we say in the business.
    Knowledge unshared goes to waste-glad you share.
    Thanks,Sabrina
    Sabrinadrn@gmail,com

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