Feb 12 2009

75% luck and 25% hard-headed determination

Published by nurseSF at under So this is nursing...

By my l’il sisterThe economic recession has become palpable as friends both within and outside of nursing have been unemployed for months now. Soon-to-be RNs are beginning to ask, “How did you find your job?,” but I’m afraid the answer isn’t helpful: It was 75% luck and 25% hard-headed determination (I’ve changed these percentages after protests about not giving ourselves more credit), because last year the job hunt was already frustrating. For every one new-grad position in the Bay area, we were told there were 200-plus applicants.

Looking back, I can’t find my story of how I found my acute care job. I thought I wrote about it, but I seemed to have left off at the tiresome job search. As I said, “For two weeks I gradually descended into an unnatural, feverish state as I churned out letters, e-mailed connections from two years ago, hovered around nurse manager’s offices, and called managers until someone picked up.”

Well, one day a manager did pick up her phone. I asked her if she had any positions for new grads.

Manager: “I actually do have one position open for 24 hours a week.”
Me (tone is ecstatic): “Can I please fax you my resume directly?”
Manager: “You should fax it to HR.”
Me (tone is urgent): “I have already, several times, but they keep telling me there aren’t any positions and you know how online applications just get lost in the shuffle. Can I please send it directly to you today?”
Manager (hesitates): Hmm, um, what school did you go to?”
Me: UCSF.
Manager: UCSF? Hm, OK. Fax it to me.

Within one week, I interviewed, and in the second week, got the offer. Did my nursing school make any difference? Perhaps. Was my urgency and persistence a factor? Probably. Did I happen to call the right person at the right time? Definitely.

Here’s another story that underscores the theory that this process is 75% luck and 25% hard-headed determination. During lunch today, a friend, who was in my MEPN class, retold how she found her job in pediatrics at UCSF. I’ve paraphrased her story here:

    [My husband] says it wasn’t luck; he says I fought for the job, but I think it was mostly luck. I remember I’d already applied to many new grad (Peds) programs as early as December, but I hadn’t heard back from anyone. Then I heard that [classmate A, B, and C] all had interviews for the Peds program at UCSF. I was really baffled because none of them were going to specialize in Peds, but I am, and I applied early, online, because they [HR] said it was first come first served… More time passed and I learned that the classmates who got interviews all went to the managers’ offices.
    I started to feel upset and frustrated because I’d done everything the recruiter assured me was the right thing to do, and I didn’t go to the managers because I was trying to respect their time, but still I wasn’t getting called. I wrote a long and up-front email to the recruiter bringing up this matter and the contradictions.I also went to see my advisor, who is a head person in the Peds units. I told her everything and asked her, ‘What is going on? What is the real process?’ I must have been really worked up because she immediately picked up the phone and called a Peds manager and said, ‘You have a couple positions coming up right? I have a student here and she is smart, committed …” etc. The positions had not been posted yet, but my advisor said I could arrange to see the manager.
    Right after I left her office I decided to drop in on the manager, because I was determined. I happened to be in the elevator with her! Right away she said we could have a quick interview. After 10 minutes she said, ‘I like you. Come back for a formal interview.’ Within 10 days, I had my job. I couldn’t believe it.

Viewing 4 Comments

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    @ Buzz, former MEPN & Sitaro: Thanks for all your kind words and perspectives. Yeah, I didn't try very hard to get the percentages exactly right. I agree with you that Connections, Persistence and Optimism are all in the mix, although in my case there were no Connections, unless you count the UCSF brand name. It's safe to say that the job hunt will be different for everyone...the best we can do is to embrace every situation, with or without a job!

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    This an interesting blog entry. Thanks for your insight. It affirms not only my life philosophy of take advantage of every opportunity no matter how small and try to be the best version of you in every relationship no matter who it's with. But, it also affirms my gut feeling about choosing UCSF (I'm waiting to hear if I am accepted to the MEPN). In these hard economic times, connections do matter as does the quality/name of the school you graduate from. I do, however, disagree with your theory about luck - which is how you explained calling "the right person at the right time". I think these kinds of opportunities are swimming around us all the time and they will remain invisible unless you have the ambition and persistence to see it. Many people just decide (too early) that opportunities they don't even see are not worth the time or effort. I re-read your stories and it seems to me that you both had the drive to spot/create these opportunities and the stuff to back it up (social skills, good history as a student, good relationships, intelligence, etc.).

    Thanks again for the affirmation that if I find myself in a similar situation with job hunting as a nurse, I will do my best to remain optimistic and maintain my persistence.

    Cheers!
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    Interesting POV, nurseSF. I'm in your cohort and STILL looking for a job. A huge percentage should also be attributed to the "who you know" syndrome ... so much so that it's 60% connections/20% determination/20% luck. I don't know of any working nurses from our class who were able to secure work without their "connections." Echoing your friend's words, it is indeed unfair for those of us who are trying to get a position - what I affectionately call - "the honest way." Of all the professions, nursing should not be about preferential treatment; yet sadly and unfortunately, it is. Thank you for this post.
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    Sure luck... but let's not discount charm & pure intelligence mixed with the determination here. Both nurses in this post have charm in droves, both smart as hell, and not just on paper, but in person. I think the 90/10 ratio is off. I'd say more of a 25/25/25/25 ratio maybe. Sure it seemed lucky in one instance or another but it was bound to happen, no doubt of that.
 
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