226 unit 3 | Professional Issues
you even have an opportunity to compete. A sloppy,
unorganized cover letter and résumé may suggest
you are sloppy and unorganized at work. A lengthy,
wordy cover letter may suggest a verbose, unfocused
individual (Beatty, 1991). The cover letter should
include the following (Anderson, 1992):
■State your purpose in applying and your inter-
est in a specific position.Also identify how you
learned about the position.
■Emphasize your strongest qualifications that
match the requirements for the position.
Provide evidence of experience and accomplish-
ments that relate to the available position, and
refer to your enclosed résumé.
■Sell yourself.Convince this employer that you
have the qualifications and motivation to
perform in this position.
■Express appreciation to the reader for
consideration.
If possible, address your cover letter to a specific per-
son. If you do not have a name, call the health-care
facility, and obtain the name of the human resources
supervisor. If you do not have a name, create a greet-
ing by adding the word “manager” so that your greet-
ing reads: Dear Human Resources Manager or Dear
Personnel Manager (Zedlitz, 2003, p. 19). Figure 14.2
is an example of a cover letter.
Thank-You Letter
Thank-you letters are important but seldom used
tools in a job search. You should send a thank-you
letter to everyone who has helped in any way in
your job search. As stated earlier, promptness is
important. Thank-you letters should be sent out
within 24 hours to anyone who has interviewed
you. The letter (Banis, 1994, p. 4) should be used to:
■Express appreciation
■Reemphasize your qualifications and the match
between your qualifications and the available
position
■Restate your interest in the position
■Provide any supplemental information not
previously stated
Figure 14.3 is a sample thank-you letter.
Acceptance Letter
Write an acceptance letter to accept an offered posi-
tion; confirm the terms of employment, such as
salary and starting date; and reiterate the employer’s
decision to hire you. The acceptance letter often
follows a telephone conversation in which the terms
of employment are discussed. Figure 14.4 is a
sample acceptance letter.Rejection Letter
Although not as common as the first three job
search letters, you should send a rejection letter if
you are declining an employment offer. When
rejecting an employment offer, indicate that you
have given the offer careful consideration but have
decided that the position does not fit your career
objectives and interests at this time. As with your
other letters, thank the employer for his or her con-
sideration and offer. Figure 14.5 is a sample rejec-
tion letter.Using the Internet
It is not uncommon to search the Internet for posi-
tions. Numerous sites either post positions or assist
potential employees in matching their skills with
available employment. More and more corpora-
tions are using the Internet to reach wider audi-
ences. If you use the Internet in your search, it is
always wise to follow up with a hard copy of your
résumé if an address is listed. Mention in your
cover letter that you sent your résumé via the
Internet and the date you did so. If you are using an
Internet-based service, follow up with an e-mail to
ensure that your résumé was received. Table 14-2
summarized the major “do’s and don’ts” when using
the Internet to job search.The Interview Process
Initial Interview
Your first interview may be with the nurse manag-
er, someone in the human resources office, or an
interviewer at a job fair or even over the telephone.
Regardless of with whom or where you interview,
preparation is the key to success.
You began the first step in the preparation
process with your SWOT analysis. If you did not
obtain any of the following information regarding
your prospective employer at that time, it is imper-
ative that you do it now (Impollonia, 2004):
■Key people in the organization
■Number of patients and employees
■Types of services provided
■Reputation in the community