When looking for a nursing job, there are many ways to locate a great position. But to find a great job that also pays really well can be a challenge. Hospitals and medical practices all around the country are looking for registered nurses, but not all of them pay above average wages. Yet as the economy continues to improve, many recruiters now have a larger budget to pay for exactly the talent they hope to attract.
Here are a few suggestions to help you find a position that matches your skills and interests and pays better than you might expect:
Stay Flexible
The biggest problem facing nurses is that they limit themselves to a specific location and focus only on that location. While you likely can find an opportunity in your local market, the best opportunity may be a few towns or state away.
Nursing job candidates, especially recent graduates, should consider nursing jobs anywhere and everywhere. Although it may require new certification from a different state, many companies looking to hire are willing to pay for the certification, as long as you're qualified. Some areas of the country have a significant lack of qualified and skilled nurses, making it necessary for them to hire from across the U.S. and pay higher than average salaries and relocation costs.
Recruitment Agencies
Cold calling hospitals and visiting medical facility websites for new jobs can be a difficult and time consuming process. Contacting recruitment agencies that specialize in nursing can be a valuable way to cut the time you'll need to find a job.
Nursing recruitment agencies work in several different ways. Some allow job seekers to simply upload their information online to register themselves, and the agency then tries its best to place you in a new job, with the cost being covered by the hiring company. The problem with this approach, however, is that the agency often has tens of thousands of candidates using their service, which means it only spends a limited amount of time working with a particular nurse.
However, better recruitment agency services create a database of their candidates, and then market that database to hospitals and medical centers, which allows them to find you quickly and easily. The other advantage is that the employer knows you're qualified, since the agency has already pre-qualified you.
Start Now
Possibly the best piece of advice is to start looking for a job now, and don't wait until you think you have every duck in a row. The economy is improving, but there's no telling where we may be in six months. Also, early in the year is the best time to job hunt because employers have new budgets to work with, and those budgets may dry up or disappear over time. Trying to start out ahead of your competition is the very best way to land a great nursing job quickly.