Nurses Tell All: @Tahmina.RN’s 4 Insider Tips to Land Your Dream Job

At SimpleNursing, we are absolutely thrilled to announce our newest must-watch series: “Nurses Tell All.” In this episode, Nurse Mike chats with Nurse Tahmina (@Tahmina.RN) about being a new graduate, crafting her perfect resume, and what exactly you should do in the last semester of nursing school in order to get the job of your dreams. Trust us, you’re gonna want to hear this!

#1. Seek out hands-on learning experiences.

In nursing school, Tahmina was in a little bit of an unusual situation, because the COVID-19 pandemic hit right when she was due to start her clinicals. Of course, everything got shut down, which meant she wouldn’t have any live, hands-on experience by the time she graduated and started looking for employment. But Tahmina did not give up. As soon as it was safe to do so, she looked for (and found) an external internship that provided her with that absolutely critical hands-on training. 

Tahmina says that this move was particularly impactful for her later down the road, when she was applying for her dream job. She named that, during her interview, she made sure to explain how she had taken the initiative to seek out an internship on her own, one that would fully prepare her to be a nurse. That kind of investment in her own skillset really impressed her interviewers, who would turn out to be her future employers!

#2. Apply early. 

Another hot interviewing tip from Tahmina is this: apply early if you really want to get hired by your #1 choice. And when she says early, she means really early. In Tahmina’s case, she applied in February, even though she wasn’t going to graduate until May and hadn’t even passed her tests yet! But that’s the kind of energy you need to bring if you really want to dazzle your top pick and land the job. 

#3: Time management and organization are your two new BFFs. 

To make that happen, Tahmina says, you’ll want to plan ahead and ensure you stay organized, because your final semester is going to be rough. For one, nursing school generally saves the most difficult material for last, so that students are able to put what they’ve learned to the test before they graduate. Additionally, your schedule might be insanely busy! Juggling clinical rotations, exams, and a job search, all at the same time?! If the very thought of senior year is enough to make you stressed, Tahmina can relate. “It was a lot of pressure,” she admits, “but it works out. You just have to believe in yourself.” 

#4. Believe in yourself. (so corny, we know!)

In the end, maybe that’s the most important piece of advice that Tahmina.RN gave us. Nursing is a demanding profession, and it takes a special person to succeed as a nurse. Self-doubt can be a nurse’s worst enemy. You will face challenges in nursing school and in your career, challenges that may make you question yourself and what you’re doing, but it is possible to overcome them all. Start by believing in yourself. It will make all the difference in your career.