So, you’ve just graduated as a CNA. Congratulations! Now the fun can begin. You must now put your efforts towards getting a job as a CNA Nurse. Finding CNA work is not that difficult if you have your qualifications all ready and organize your job search methods.
The time to find CNA work is now. Don’t let the ink dry on your CNA nursing certificate! Get busy and send out resumes now. The longer you wait to get going on this task, the harder it will become. It may appear to prospective employers that you are not the first choice from the graduating class if you wait for several months before beginning your CNA job search. If you do have reasons to wait before you begin the application process, then be sure you have good reasons that you can explain easily should the subject come up.
First steps in looking for CNA work should be by preparing your resume. State your goals, skills, qualifications, education and past work. Have copies of your CNA certificate handy should you be asked for a copy. Gather together references from people you can trust to speak well of you. Have these at the ready for when you are asked for references.
Now that you have all your paperwork in order, finding CNA work should go much smoother. You can now begin the exciting journey into looking for a job that you will be happy and succeed in.
As you look for CNA work, keep track of everything that you apply for. If you are searching for CNA jobs online, be sure and save all jobs you find in a bookmark. If you are using various sites to find jobs, you will need to track these yourself, otherwise the site may help you by keeping track of favorited jobs and jobs applied for. To track online jobs quickly and easily, a good idea is to keep two specific bookmark folders. One for CNA jobs you are interested in applying for and one for CNA jobs that you have already applied for. You can easily move a link from one to the other, once you have applied for the job. When saving the link in a folder for a job that you have applied for, add the date to the link so you know at a glance when you applied. Keep this folder so that you can easily refresh your memory of a particular job should you get called for an interview.
For the resume application process, if you are using email exclusively, then save each emailed application in a folder for easy reference. You may need these for a follow-up email or if you are called for an interview, you will want to refresh your memory on details of the specific job you are interviewing for.
Some jobs will prefer that you fax or mail in your application. If this is the case, keep the paperwork in a paper folder for referencing. If you find CNA work listed in the want ads of a newspaper or periodical, then you can also keep these original clippings in the same folder. Make note of how you sent in your application (i.e. mail, email, fax) and the date as well.
If possible, you can also make an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of all jobs you’ve applied for. This may sound a little like a make-work project, but trust me, it will pay off in the long run. If you are applying for jobs from a variety of methods, then you will be better on top of things had you not done this. When sending in cold call job applications, you will want to keep track of those as well. To make up an easy spreadsheet, put columns across the top listing the following: Company (if known), Job Title, Where Found (i.e. URL, newspaper name & date, cold call, etc.), Application Deadline, Date Sent in, Method (email, mail, fax), Contact Name/Number. Then in each row, keep track of each and every job that you’ve applied for. If you hear back a “No” from one, then you can highlight that row grey. If you do a follow-up call about the job, then add another column in for that.
Keeping track of your CNA job process will help you from duplicating any efforts (some companies will list their want ad both onlie and in the newspaper!) and make you be much more prepared for an interview. Not only will you feel more prepared for the interview, but it will also come through to the person interviewing you that you are very organized and possibly a step ahead another person in the running for the same job!
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