This is a guest post by UA Brands.

Does the thought of dragging out your old resume and spending hours hunting the job boards seems like a daunting task? If you’re like most nurses, the answer is probably “yes”. Who wouldn’t be tired after spending all day on your feet dealing with patients, emergencies, and trying to find time to eat something in-between?

Here at UA Brands, we are passionate about helping top talented job seekers find the job that fits them perfectly! We know how much better it feels to be working in a job that’s a great fit and in a company that you feel at home.
With that in mind here are some of our top tips that will help you prepare for your job search and help you along the way!

• Make sure that your resume is proofread by a friend or family member who has excellent grammar and spelling skills. Your resume is all about putting the best of you on paper and you want your skills and experience to shine through, not a spelling or grammar mistake!

• Tailor your resume and cover letter to the job you are applying for. Although it can be easy to make a generic resume and apply to hundreds of jobs, take those few minutes and tailor your resume and cover letter to touch on points that were mentioned in the job description. It makes a big difference when we see a candidate has put in the extra effort.

• Do your research beforehand! If you get called in for an interview or a phone interview, do your research on the company! If you really want to wow the interviewer and set yourself apart, do some research on the interviewer. Nowadays, with the internet and LinkedIn, it’s so easy to find information about companies and their employees.

• Speaking of LinkedIn…create a profile! LinkedIn is a key social media site that recruiters often use to find top talent. In 2012 – 92% of US companies stated that they have used social media networks to find potential employees and 73% of US companies have successfully hired a candidate through social media.*

• Prepare your own interview questions about the job, the company and culture, and even about the interviewer themselves. It shows interest and excitement over this position and can give you an edge over other candidates.

• Always say “thanks”! Sending a short note via email to your interviewer and anyone you met, is a great way to keep your name in their minds! Try to send it 2-3 days after the interview. If you don’t hear back after your thank you note, it is appropriate to send a follow-up email after a week.

For more tips and tricks on job searching, interviewing, resume and cover letter help, and all things job search related, please follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UABrands we post tips and tricks every week as well as motivational quotes on Mondays, Hump Day Humor on Wednesdays and Friday’s Heroes on Fridays. To find out more about UA Brands and our current open positions, please visit us at http://www.uabrands.com.

We wish you luck on your next job hunt!

*Jobvite’s 2012 Social Recruitment Survey Results. http://recruiting.jobvite.com/resources/social-recruiting-reports-and-trends/
Kara Loomis is the Recruiting and Retention Coordinator at UA Brands. She has been with UA Brands for over a year and is passionate about all things related to job searching and hiring. To find out more about UA Brands please go to http://www.uabrands.com. You can follow Kara on Twitter and Instagram at @uabrands.