When job searching as a travel nurse, you might wonder how you’re going to stand out from the competition. How do you land your dream assignment other travelers might be applying for? You learn how to market yourself as the best travel nurse for the job. Here are four easy steps to get you started.
Step one: Dream Job Checklist
The first step is to figure out what you want from an assignment. Are you more interested in the job’s location, or getting the highest pay possible? Do you hate working night shifts, or do you actually prefer the midnight scene? Knowing what you want, and communicating this effectively with your recruiter, will help you narrow down your job options.
Step two: Self-Analyze with SWOT
So now that you know what you’re looking for, you can market yourself as the best travel nurse for the job. But how? It’s time to do some self-inspection. A great way to do this is by using the SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Strengths
Determine your best strengths, and compile them with examples of how you’ve used them. Record the skills you believe you have better than others, and how you’ve been able to use or improve these skills. Having this list can help you market yourself as a valuable asset to future employers.
Weaknesses
Now, write down all the skills you think others do better than you. What can you improve on? Feel free to reach out to old co-workers and employers if you’re unsure what knowledge you may be lacking. Then ask yourself, what’s stopping you from getting better? Try to think of ways to show future employers how you’re actively working on improving in these areas.
Opportunities
Speaking of improving, brainstorm what sort of opportunities you have to do so. Can you take a class to develop any skills you might be missing? Can you extend your contract to grow more within your current facility? Understanding your available opportunities, you can take advantage of them, and grow more as a travel nurse.
Threats
Lastly, think of anything that may threaten your job search. This can be anything external – like maybe other candidates who have more years of experience, or internal – like maybe you’re lacking certifications or industry knowledge. Being aware of these threats can help you create a game plan to minimize them.
Now that you understand a bit more about what skills you have, and which you’re lacking, you can start to build your brand.
Step Three: Use Your Personal Brand for a Perfect Resume
Your personal brand is how the world sees you. It’s a combination of your values, skills, and experience. When finding your brand, you’ll want to use your identified strengths and opportunities to establish a mission statement. Being able to communicate your goals will help you stand out from your competition and create the perfect resume – one which markets your personality and qualifications.
Personality
To feature your personality, write an introductory summary which exemplifies your mission statement. In one to two sentences, explain your values, passions, and achievements to give hiring managers a good look at who you are.
Qualifications
To highlight your qualifications, list your best skills, highest education, and work experience. As a travel nurse, you may have a lot of job assignments you can list – but don’t list them all! Just match your qualifications to the job position you’re currently after. For example, if you’re applying for a night shift position, list your experiences working the night shift with complementary skills.
Step Four: Self-Advocate
In the end, you are your best marketing tool. Even with a killer resume and solid personal brand, employers still may not know that you’re the best travel nurse for the job. For them to understand that, you must self-advocate. LinkedIn suggests three ways to navigate this conversation:
- Be credible
- Ask questions
- Understand other perspectives
Being willing to advocate for yourself shows employers your confidence in your skills. Furthermore, it ensures that you’ve communicated what you want, and why you deserve it.
In today’s competitive market, being confident in yourself and your goals will help you land your dream assignment. Understanding your strengths, knowing your personal brand, having a tailored resume, and speaking up for what you want are how you market yourself as the best travel nurse for the job.
Navigate your job search with Ethos. Apply today!
