What helps your application stand out?

Your initial personal statement – what drew you to the profession of nursing and what you can offer and contribute.

• Being proud of who you are and what you have achieved in your life so far.
• Talking about your collaborative working style and patient and family/whānau-centric approach.
• Being realistic and having insight into the daily demands of what it means to be an accountable and responsive RN at a large, busy DHB.

(Rachel Phillips and Lorelle Bobsien, graduate programme coordinators at Auckland DHB.)

• An up-front and catchy statement about “Why nursing?”
• Correct spelling and grammar.
• Recognition and understanding of the importance that the Treaty of Waitangi has in all aspects of health.
• Short statements on what value you will offer an organisation.
• Recognition of the current strategic direction for health, even if this is just brief.

(Sandra McLean-Cooper, nurse consultant education and development at Nelson-Marlborough DHB.)

• Your cover letter and CV allows you to communicate directly with us and is your opportunity to stand out.
• Tell us a bit about yourself and what you could offer to the team.
• Information we look for in your CV includes: your nursing philosophy, student placement history, employment history, scholarships, personal interests and volunteer work.

(Steph White, NETP coordinator for Capital & Coast DHB.)

• A short succinct CV, which is well presented and makes good use of white space.
• Provide an explanation of any gaps in your employment or training record e.g. took 12 months off for maternity leave.

( Sally Houliston, nurse consultant workforce for Hawke’s Bay DHB.)

What can let your application down?

• Not including where your undergrad placement occurred and what time period – just putting Ward 34 is not sufficient.
  It should read Adult Respiratory Ward and the name of the facility etc.
• You need to be specific in your cover letter about where you are passionate about securing a NETP position (it also helps to include whether you had a student placement in that area).
• You also need though to indicate your flexibility and willingness to secure positions in other practice settings.

(Rachel Phillips and Lorelle Bobsien, graduate programme coordinators at Auckland DHB.)

• Poor spelling and grammar.

(Sandra McLean-Cooper, nurse consultant education and development at Nelson-Marlborough DHB.)

• Your CV is a professional document so it should be carefully presented and well structured.
• It is recommended that you proofread your CV and check it for spelling mistakes before you apply.

(Steph White, NETP coordinator for Capital & Coast DHB.)

• Incomplete CVs – especially if you don’t identify where and what your clinical placements were.
• Also saying ‘Ward 5’ is not enough – you need to give a description like ‘Ward 5 general medical ward’. Employers don’t know all wards for all organisations.

( Sally Houliston, nurse consultant workforce for Hawke’s Bay DHB.)

What should your application include?

The CV template on the ACE Nursing website is recommended as a good guideline for what a CV should include.

If you are applying for a Nurse Entry to Practice (NETP) or New Entry to Specialist Practice (NESP) graduate training programme through the ACE process, the documents to be submitted as part of the online application include:

• cover letter
• CV
• academic transcript (years 2 and 3 results)
• references from a clinical tutor and a preceptor
• proof of New Zealand citizenship or certified residency documents.

Full details of the ACE application process and the CV template and other resources are available at https://nursing.acenz.net.nz.