Your profile picture

Remember, when someone is viewing your profile on LinkedIn, they’re likely doing it for a very different reason than someone checking you out on Facebook or Instagram. With this is mind, dress professionally and have someone take a picture of you with a white or neutral color in the background.

Your headline

Your headline should be a catchy snapshot of what you do. This is your opportunity to sell yourself, so be specific and address any sort of value proposition you might bring to the table.

Example: Rather than saying “Registered Nurse”, try something like “Tireless, caring Registered Nurse with advanced knowledge in holistic nursing practices.”

If you’re looking for a job, draft your headline around what prospective employers will be searching for.

The summary

The purpose of the summary is to give the reader a snapshot of your career. We suggest making this professional, yet conversational. It should address the following items:

• Your past (where you came from).
• Your present (what you’re currently working on. Example: I’m currently pursuing my Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing at Joyce).
• Your future (where you’re going).
  You don’t need to go too in-depth here. Simply highlight what you feel is the most important aspects relating to your professional life.

Experience

This part of your profile is pretty straightforward. Be very accurate (don’t embellish), and don’t be afraid to use plenty of detail when describing your responsibilities and accomplishments.

Education

Be specific about your education. Highlight any sort of extra activities or groups you were involved with during your time in school. You should list your schools/degrees and any sort of certifications you’ve earned that may apply to the career you’re seeking.

If you’re a Joyce student, check out our Students and Alumni page.

If you’d like to add Joyce to your LinkedIn profile under your Education section, follow these steps:

• In your profile, click “Edit” (should be located to the right of your profile photo)
• Scroll down to the Education section
• Click “Add Education”
• Type in “Joyce” in the field labeled “School”
• Fill out the rest of the information

UPDATE: LinkedIn now has a one-click option to add Joyce to your profile. Simply click on this link, fill in your degree info, and you’re done!

Recommendations

Prospective employers pay a lot of attention to your recommendations. Send a polite email to people who can vouch for you in professional setting (college instructors/advisors, coworkers, mentors, etc.) asking for a recommendation.

Miscellaneous

• Have your email visible so prospective employers can contact you.
• Create a custom URL that’s a short and clean link to your profile (how to )
• List skills and endorsements relevant to the job you desire.

We’ll post more LinkedIn tips in the future around the topic of building your network. For our students and graduates, feel free to reach out to the student and career services team for additional help.

Related resource: The 5 States That Pay Nurses the Most

1. Ask Questions, and Talk to Everybody

Everyone in a hospital or a private practice holds information you could benefit from. You should definitely ask your preceptor for guidance, but don’t stop with them. Keep in mind that other staff could also have insights into how things are done. LPNs, MAs, receptionists, and everyone in between will have a unique perspective on your new place of work. ! You never know when you’ll learn (or who can teach you) something essential.

2. Learn the Policies and the Paperwork

Every employer is going to have slightly different rules, forms, and ways of doing things. Take some time to familiarize yourself with how your new job handles bedside reports and other patient information, whether or not there’s any software you need to be familiar with, and what paperwork goes where. The minutes that you’ll spend trying to find a document or figure out a form will add up, and you’re only going to have so much energy during your shift. Learn how your native work environment functions quickly so you can spend your precious energy on your patients rather than paperwork.

Related resource: Highest Paying States for Travel Nurses

3. Organize Yourself

There’s going to be a lot that you don’t know about and can’t control in your first job. To counter that uncertainty, organize what you can. Make sure that your scrubs are clean and good to go in the morning, do meal prep on weekends and have your meals packed before you head out, and always get a good night’s sleep. A new job is going to present you with plenty of chaos and unpredictability. The more orderly and prepared you are going into it, the more likely it is you’ll succeed.

Related resource: These Are Time Management Skills Every New Nurse Needs

4. Learn Efficiencies

The amount of tasks you have to perform each day might, initially, seem overwhelming. Find out which parts of your new job you can cluster together. What tasks are near each other? What possibly overlaps with what? It can be as simple as just filling your pockets with everything you’ll need for multiple patient check-ins so you don’t have to make multiple supply runs. Or, take notes as you go so your documentation will be easier and faster at the end of your shift. Those little efficiencies will equate to more minutes in your day.

Related resource: 5 Ways Nurses Can Build Rapport With Patients

5. Be Prepared for the Night Shift

If you’ve never worked it before, you might be intimidated by the night shift. As a new nurse, though, you may not be able to avoid it. If you get assigned to the night shift, don’t worry: plan. . It’s also an opportunity. By working after dark, you’ll immerse yourself in a world that simply doesn’t exist during the day. Doing the graveyard shift means that you’ll avoid the typical commute, you’ll likely qualify for a pay upgrade, shifts will be quieter, and for the working parents out there, childcare options will get a lot easier. Who knows? You might even decide that being a night owl is for you.

6. Remember, You’re Not Done Learning

It’s very tempting to see the end of nursing school as a capstone or ending. While the pinning ceremony and graduation do mean the end of classes, you’re just getting started. “Commencement,” after all, means “beginning.”

If you’re feeling overwhelmed with new tasks and information, that’s OK. Everyone feels that way when they start their career. At Joyce, we can teach you the technical skills you’ll need to become a nurse, and we are proud to do so. Life as a nurse will present you with extraordinary rewards and challenges that no degree of schooling can prepare you for, but we do our best to prepare you in every way.