Ways Your Nurse Brand Makes You Look Smarter

Back when I decided to leave bedside nursing for a career in health IT (information technology), there was no clearly defined career path or mentor that had done what I was trying to do.  With each job opportunity, work project and college course, I added to my repertoire a unique set of skills and experiences which became my nurse brand. 

With your own skills and experiences, you must intentionally piece together what will become your own professional nurse brand.  You've got to market and fine tune your unique value proposition (UVP) while your competition uses outdated traditional job hunting techniques. 

Like so many other industries, times have changed and the traditional methods of finding a job are no longer effective.  Be SMARTER.  Define a nurse brand to become the most marketable nurse in a pool of applicants. 

Check out the ways having a nurse brand makes you one smart cookie:

Your education, work history and personal characteristics swirled together could make you a fantastic candidate to your future employer.   

Make a list of your work history in great detail.  More detail than you would include on your resume.  Be sure to include everything, including projects you worked on, task force or committees you were a part of.   

Include in-services and training that you attended along with certifications you obtained.   List out your strengths, things you do well and even anything people who know you well have said you're good at.  All these combined will make up your nurse brand which you'll leverage to switch nursing careers.     

Today more than ever, it's easy to market yourself as the nursing candidate your potential employer needs.  Imagine a time not too long ago, nurses applied for jobs advertised in the classified section or completed a paper job application. 

Those days are over.  With LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and others,  being “found” by recruiters and hiring managers on social media gives you an edge more than any other time in the history of nursing profession.     

 

Being the mom of two elementary age kids, I was drawn to companies that allowed me to work from home and a flexible work schedule.   Informational interviews and networking are both ways to learn about companies you might want to work for. 

Most organizations have a presence on social media, so it's easy to learn about companies you might want to work for.   Do some research to find a good fit. You want to determine the must-have expectations for your future employer.  Go after a job that's fulfilling AND a good fit with your lifestyle. 

Nurses never settle.  Switching nursing careers could be the next great decision you make.  Once you're ready to take the plunge, download your Roadmap to Changing Nursing Careers.