January…the month following December graduation. It’s a joyous time, and you absolutely should be celebrating. But what comes next? What I see across the nurse practitioner forums and social media are two big concerns: board exams and job acquisition. I wrote about board certification and how to prep for this a few weeks ago; today I’d like to focus on a topic that I think half the people are getting wrong. That is timing for job application. Many NP students ask when is the right time and the responses are mixed. On a recent post I tallied it was completely split 50/50. Half the people felt you should apply while in school and half felt you should wait until exam and licensing is complete. My argument is that if you are waiting until the latter you are behind the eight ball. Statistically speaking, I know this is likely to stress out half of you and that is not my goal. Hear me out, there are many reasons why I advocate for earlier efforts. Let’s talk about job applications.

The thing is, I know you are are overwhelmed. The last semester of school gets real crazy. It’s like the teachers unanimously decide to schedule the most challenging assignments, papers, and tests at the end. Throw in the looming board certification exam for which you need to prepare. Now I’m telling you to start seeking a job as well?! I hear your questions already. How does that even work if I need the certification in order to apply for a license in order to become credentialed in order to start a job? Why would someone hire me and why would I add that stress into an already packed out time frame? All valid concerns.

Let me start by illustrating why a company would want to hire you before graduation.

• They know how long the time frame is to recruit, interview, offer, negotiate, then contract with a nurse practitioner.

• They also know how long it then takes to get you licensed, credentialed, and approved by the organizational board (maybe meets monthly) before you can actually step foot in the doors.

• They know it will then take you weeks to months to be trained in order to then begin contributing.

• They know all this will take 3-9 months (not including the interview/candidate selection period).

• They need help, like yesterday. So lets get the ball rolling.

• They already know they want to hire you because you did a rotation with them.

• Red flags are raised the longer out from graduation you are. Is this person not hire-able? Have they forgotten all they were taught?

  • You know what it's like when you're dating your 30’s? The selection pool is basically the leftovers. That’s harsh and not the truth, but the illustration is what I’m after. Perception is often reality. Excellent candidates that have been in the right location at the right time are often offered jobs during rotations. Even when the time is not yet right - I was offered a job for a position they were going to create as a temporary FTE for one year, because they knew the NP there was retiring the following year.

  • There are AI programs developed by HR, hiring teams that can be customized to eliminate certain applications. There is a very real chance some of them have set limits on factors such as this and your resume could never be seen by human eyes.

To answer your question how does this work (the whole I’m not even licensed part), the answer is simple. They will hire you on a provisional basis. They want to do this to scoop you off the market, to help expedite your licensing and credentialing - yes many places will do this for you or at least help you. They are also likely to pay for your DEA licensing, assuming you need this, so that alone is an ~ 800 dollar reason to apply early. They can be helping you gather all those clinical requirements while simultaneously working on all the other organizational requirements - of which there are many. Background check, educational verification, insurance claims investigation (yes, even if you’ve never worked before as a NP they may still pay a company to investigate if you have ever been involved in a medical liability case) to name a few. There will be forms to get notarized, physicals to complete, drug testing. Y’all the list goes on and on. It will be one of the most frustrating periods of your whole career. Most new grads have no idea how long it can take.

So I’ve heard the arguments against applying early:

• I need to focus on finishing school.

• I need to focus on studying for boards.

• I’m not entirely sure where I want to work or what I want to do yet.

• I’ve spent the last few years stressed out and I need a break before I start this process.

  And that’s fine, I have no issues with any of that. But realize that while you find it overwhelming, your competition does not.

So when is the ideal time to start the job hunt? Honestly from the moment you start clinicals. Start networking with every single person you meet. Tell people what you want to do, even if it’s not in that specialty. If they like you they will refer you to people in that field you want. They will help you get a job. They will connect you with people that are hiring. Save names. Collect references as you go along.

If you are in your final semester and do not yet have something lined up this is go time for you. Update your resume, see the blog I wrote about that here. Send them out, cold call, network, educate yourself on how to interview and get on the interview circuit. Now is the time to get busy. I know you are already swamped - but if you don’t have a job to show for all the hard work what’s the point of everything you just did. It’s like giving up in the final quarter of the game. Is it possible to get a job after graduation, absolutely. And depending on the region and market where you are job seeking it may be a piece of cake. This advise is for the masses, but that does not mean it’s for all.

Good luck friends! I know that dream job is waiting for you…