Leadership and Management - Career Planning

Career Planning

strategy a person uses to determine their career goals and the path to take to achieve those goals

Linear Career Path

requires nurses to a follow a sequential series of steps

Linear Career Path

applies to nurses who like structure and meeting designated deadlines

Nonlinear Career Path

relies on life circumstances and critical incidents that result in career changes

Nonlinear Career Path

nurses have better chance at professional survival

Career planning is a process for:

1. Finding what you are good at

2. Knowing how your skills, talents, interests, and values translate into a job

3. Matching career goals to financial needs

4. Making good decisions for yourself

5. Meeting educational and financial needs on your schedule

Career Mapping

a continuous process of nursing career development brought about by engaging in professional practice and lifelong learning

What is the significance of identifying your values?

by determining the importance of each value, you can then envision your future

What does it mean to make good decisions for yourself?

1. Ensure job safety

2. Ensure financial stability

3. To choose a career that gives you peace of mind

Reasons to make a Nursing career change

1. Pursuit of part-time employment to spend more time with family or pursue outside interests

2. Experiencing intense value conflicts with employer

3. Following a partner or spouse when their employment situation changes

4. Losing job as result of economic downturn

5. Those with advanced degrees frequently change jobs

6. Boredom or burnt out with current job or position

Beginning a Job Search

1. Requires focused effort

2. Requires preparation

3. May take time

4. Dependent on overall market and local conditions

5. Establish clinical area of interest and long-term goals

Job Leads

1. Information about a job opening

2. Networking

3. A way of making and using contacts to get job info and advice

Job Lead Sources (from like a billion years ago)

• Newspapers

• Bulletin boards, employment telephone lines

• Job fairs

• Electronic media, internet

How to track job leads

use a simple Excel sheet or Work document table with headers

Headers used to organize Job Lead Excel

1. Date

2. Job Lead (site, referral, etc)

3. Company Name

4. Position Title/Description

5. Actions (applied, emailed, etc)

6. Notes

7. Response (been called, rejected, etc)

Resume (“Biodata”)

brief summary of your background, training, experience, and qualifications for a position

Critical Areas in a Resume

• education

• work experience

• special qualifications

Components of a Good Resume

1. Gets employer’s interest

2. Creates favorable first impression

3. Identifies critical areas (education, work experience, special qualifications)

4. Communicates that applicant is a good fit for the position

5. Tailored to the employer’s needs

6. Visually appealing

7. No longer than 1-2 pages

Elements of a Resume

1. Identifying information

2. Career objective

3. Employment data/professional experience

4. Formal education/specialized training

5. Professional organizations/memberships

6. Awards/honors

7. References (Max 3, Min 2)

Reverse Chronological Resume

lists jobs in reverse chronological order with latest experience first

Advantages: Reverse Chronological Resume

1. Most common type

2. Good for those with steady work history

3. Good for new graduates without significant employment history

4. Preferred format for applicant-tracking systems

5. Easier to write

Disadvantages: Reverse Chronological Resume

1. Prioritizes when and where over the skills

2. Gaps in work history are obvious to hiring manager

3. Highlights gaps in employment

4. Harder to spot special qualifications, skills, and talents

5. When career-switching, may not easily illustrate fit between careers

6. If returning to work after several years’ absence, does not show applicable experiences

Functional Resume

• puts greater emphasis on skills and qualifications rather than chronology

• most applicable to new grads

• uses one reference

Advantages: Functional Resume

1. Good for de-emphasizing job titles or issues with consistent employment

2. For people with multiple career or want to dramatically emphasize skills and abilities

3. Helps hide gaps in work history

4. Shows what one can do instead of what they did and where

Disadvantages: Functional Resume

1. Less familiar to employers

2. Harder to write

3. Difficult to see promotions

4. More personalized, so needs to be adjusted for each application

Combination Resume

splits resume into two parts: top and bottom halves

Top Half: Combo Resume

devoted to skills, accomplishments, and certifications

Bottom Half: Combo Resume

describes work history

Electronic Resume

resume submitted to potential employer electronically

Benefit for Employers

allows access to host of possible applicants based on specific search criteria 

Two methods to applying online

1. email

2. internet thru webpage

Tips in Writing Electronic Resume

1. Pull words directly from job ad

2. Research employer

3. Pay attention to format

4. Use standard headers

5. Keep it simple

6. Use standard fonts

7. Use standard file formats

Cover Letter

the summary of a resume in sentences and the first thing an employer sees

First paragraph: Cover Letter

1. Who you are

2. What position youre applying for

3. How you found out about the position

4. Why you are interested in working there

Second paragraph: Cover Letter

summarizes your qualifications for the position you are seeking (AKA where you sell yourself) 

Last paragraph: Cover Letter

repeat interest in job and request interview

Nursing Portfolio “Brag Book”

organized collection of documents demonstrating career experiences, skills, and talents