Nursing and midwifery graduate programs are a great way for grads to find out which direction they want their career to go, gain experience and be supported throughout.
We spoke to Epworth grads to find out what their tips are to help you apply for a graduate role at Epworth.
For your application
“My biggest one I’ve been telling a few people that are getting ready to apply is to be ready, be early and prepared. The best thing I took from last year was being ready to apply months prior to actually applying. The stress of uni/placement/applications can really get too much and being prepared early, re-reading my application hundreds of times, really made me ease the nerves and feel less stressed.
“Ensure enough time to submit your application in case online errors happen.”
“Definitely get multiple people to proofread all your documents. I also believe in making your cover letter personal, really dig deep on why you want to be a graduate at Epworth and let the panel know why you should be chosen over someone else. It can be so hard to talk about yourself but your cover letter is your one and only time to shine!
“Have someone else look over your cover letter and resume to make sure they can be understood.”
“Appeal to Epworth's values. I chose to honestly share and discuss my past experiences in nursing that appealed to Epworth's Core values in my cover letter. I discussed how the values applied in past clinical situations and how I would implement them in the future.“
You can read our values here.
“Another thing that helped my experience was to chat to any grad/young/new nurse on my placements, everyone has different hints, advice and answers, so it was great to get bits from them to help form my application.”
For your interview
“Ask questions and especially "why" when clinically. Ask questions, no question is dumb, whether it’s about the grad program, clinical questions, or misc. questions during the interview. Everyone's there for the same reason, with similar nerves. Enjoy the experience it’s a learning point!
“During the interview, your mind can become unclear because of nerves, so take some time to think before responding to questions.”
“Be yourself and try not to get caught up in the formalities: I remember the morning of my interview I went through many clothing choices, hairstyles, makeup and different answers to any questions thrown my way. I had a lot of anxiety over how I should answer interview questions relating to practical nursing. I was torn between if I should answer with what I remembered from textbooks and what sounded ‘smart’ or if I should speak from my past experiences in placement, work and even a bit of life. I went with the latter. I believe that being myself and tuning into what I knew and enjoyed about nursing was the key for a successful interview.“
Applications can be submitted through the Epworth’s Careers Portal. You can join us for our online open evenings here.
Lastly, best of luck to all applicants, you’ve chosen a rewarding and fulfilling career path.
12 June 2020