The 7 deadly sins of job hunting


1. “Wallowing in the mire!”

If you are a nurse who has just been laid off, this can no doubt be a difficult period. Maybe you spent more than five years with your (ex) employer and assumed you would spend the rest of your life at that job. Your closest friends may still be working at your old job. You may have been really happy at your old job and you’re afraid you may not find that again.

Give yourself half a day. Take the afternoon off. Drink, cry, sleep—do whatever you do to grieve. By the evening, do your best to “get back to work.” Start building the rest of your life that very evening and try to feel optimistic, motivated and enthusiastic, just like you would with a patient—only now the patient is you. The rest of your life will be happy and full of good energy—right? You want nothing less. Taking the afternoon off will help you return to the task of job hunting with less anxiety, stress or bad moods. You are your own boss now and it’s time to tell yourself: “This is the drawing board for my future as a nurse and it starts with finding the right job.”

2. Losing focus

Vlad Zachary

"America’s Professional Coach" Vlad Zachary is a leading expert in career and professional coaching with award-winning and world-recognized publications. He is the CEO of CareerBlackboard.com, founder of InterviewSkillsUniversity.com, and the author of the DVD Mastering the Job Interview and several e-books on healthcare, communications, psychology and career development. More

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3 Responses to The 7 deadly sins of job hunting

  1. Lecia

    Is Vlad a Nurse??? I love how these people who have absolutely no idea what we do and how we workd give advise on profession. Go to an expert and ask another nurse.

  2. Dear Lecia,
    Thanks for your comment. I did spend 5 years – between 2004 and 2009 with Tufts Medical Center, working closely with the OR nurses. I am not a nurse — my position was Business Manager Perioperative services. I am curious as to what career advice you found to be “absolutely” out of line with your profession? I would be happy to learn from you if you have any specific advice to offer. You can post a comment or email me directly. Thanks.

  3. Brenda Hartzell

    Job search in nursing is totally different than looking for a business job. I have 30 years experience in IT with much of it in contracting/consulting. There is no nursing shortage if there really was the jobs would be there instead of filled by those from other countries.