With the right strategies you can still find the job of your dreams (even in today’s tight nursing job market). Here are some proven tips for success:

• Sell yourself as a problem solver. Take a marketing approach to your career by thinking of yourself both as the sales person and as the product. Find out what problems you can help solve for a potential employer. Prepare yourself ahead of time so that at every appropriate opportunity you can give your sales presentation or sales pitch. For example, when you network with other professionals, develop your sales tools (resume and cover letters), and during interviews, focus on your qualifications, strengths, achievements, and career goals.
• Don’t mention your limitations, inconveniences, challenges, or substance problem in your resume, cover letters, interviews, or applications. When you’re asked if you can perform the duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation, state what you need. Otherwise, focus on what you can do versus what you can’t.
• Mobilize your network of professional contacts and ask for support. Many positions are found through networking contacts that lead to new opportunities. Begin by listing all the healthcare professionals you already know from work, school, organizations, etc. Then start making contact with them by phone and/or in person to let them know what you’re looking for and what your qualifications are. Ask for their help in your campaign for career advancement. It’s also helpful to find someone to be your mentor or a support group to boost you emotionally and encourage your efforts to get ahead.
• Think positively. Show interest and commitment. Be enthusiastic, optimistic, but most of all positive. For example, answer negative questions with positive answers. “Why do you want to leave your current position?” Right answer: “Because I want to work for an organization like yours that recognizes what I have to offer and provides opportunity for growth.” Wrong answer: “Because they don't like inconvenienced or challenged employees.”
• Get a position description and ask for a tour of your prospective work site. The more you know about the job and the organization, the better prepared you’ll be to make an informed decision about an offer. It’s a helpful practice to visit the area where you’ll work and be introduced to prospective co-workers.
• Focus on “friendly” organizations. Look for organizations that have a good reputation for hiring and promoting physically and mentally challenged and professionals undergoing rehabilitation. If you don’t find any signs of this positive attitude, educate people about the benefits of hiring these workers.
• Look and feel your best for networking and interviewing. Use a business-like approach to fashion. Take special effort to put together a conservative, modest, and tasteful outfit. Your clothes, cosmetics, and accessories should make you feel comfortable and self-confident. And, schedule your interviews when you’re at your best. For example, if you’re a morning person, schedule them in the morning.

Above all, you have to prove you are the right person for the job. Remember, you are as valuable as the next person, you’ve learned a lot from your experience, and you have a lot to give. If you don’t get the offer, critique your marketing strategies, ask yourself what you did well and what you might do differently next time. Then try again.

Valerie Restifo, RN, MA, MS, is a career and education consultant in private practice in Annapolis, MD.