The National Talent Pool
The applications of unsuccessful graduates will automatically go into the national talent pool which is accessible to all employers, not just the employers you had originally ranked. It is anticipated that during each intake a number of positions may become available and these positions will be filled using applicants from this talent pool. Employers will continue to employ new graduates from the talent pool right up to the next recruitment round.
Be Proactive
If you are prepared to accept jobs with other employers that you had not initially ranked in your application you might like to write to the NETP or NESP coordinators of those organisations and let them know that you are on the talent pool and are prepared to work for them should a vacancy arise. The contact information for ACE employers can be found on the ACE nursing website. Employers can review the talent pool at any time and consider applicants when a vacancy arises. Smaller employers in more rural areas may be particularly pleased to hear from graduates prepared to work in their region. ACE recommends that you contact employers directly to highlight your interest in working with them particularly if you are prepared to move to an employer outside of the one you initially preferred within your application. If you are prepared to consider working in clinical areas outside of the ones you indicated within your application you may like to contact employers with an updated Cover Letter outlining this to them. Be mindful when making contact with NETP coordinators as they are often flooded with enquiries and are also busy with other aspects of their roles. Be as courteous as possible when contacting them and be very clear about your message and the reason why you are calling or emailing them, do not waffle or come across vague.
Options Outside of ACE
ACE recommends that you also visit the Kiwi Health Jobs website, the careers pages of employers and alternatively job boards such as Seek or TradeMe to research the nursing job market. This can be useful for a number of reasons. You will gain an insight into the culture of the hospitals you are thinking about applying to and usually job or position descriptions will be attached to each job number outlining the requirements, skill and experience required to fulfil a RN role. Furthermore, this will give you an insight into the areas of practice that each hospital specialises in. It would be helpful for you to research or review these before you make your application. You will usually find that employers advertise for RN’s with 2 or more years of experience. Do not be discouraged, if you are vigilant you will come across vacancies where employers are looking for new graduates to fill positions alongside HCA’s, EN’s and experienced RN’s. Finally, there are other graduate programmes that exist outside of the NETP programme. You need to research these for yourselves; they usually exist in private hospitals and some leading aged residential care facilities. You may, for example, be able to find positions within Primary Health, Aged Residential Care, Community Care or Private Surgical Hospitals that are not necessarily covered by the NETP programme. To do this you would need to contact and apply directly to these service providers for any positions they may have available.
Offers from the Talent Pool
If you are subsequently offered a job from the talent pool you must inform ACE immediately as your details will need to be updated and removed from the talent pool. Alternatively, if you are approached by an employer who has taken your name from the talent pool and you choose not to interview or accept a position with that employer (i.e. because you are unable to move to their region), this will not mean you are removed from the talent pool or for any other vacancies that may arise. Declining a position on the national talent pool will have no impact on an applicant’s eligibility to remain within the national talent pool. Applicants will only be removed from the intake if they decline a match offer during the initial match process. As such, should a graduate be approached via the national talent pool by an employer which they are unable to accept a position from, ACE will not remove their application from the intake. The Talent Pool for the intake you applied to is available right up until the national talent pool for the subsequent intake is made available.
Reapply to ACE Nursing
All re-applicants who still meet the eligibility criteria must login to the ACE nursing website with their existing user name and password. On the right hand panel you will see 'Applications for Nursing are open' start your new application. All re-applicants need to click and commence their application as though applying for the first time.
Your previous referee details will be retained in your new application. If you would like to change referees, you must contact ACE on 0800 223 236. A new reference request with unique ID will be sent to the referee outlining the next steps and the reference due date. Your referee must complete your reference report form by the time applications close. Your previous certified academic transcript will be uploaded to your new application. If there are additions to your results since your last application, you can upload this new transcript. Note only academic transcripts that meet the requirements outlined in the application requirements section of the site will be able to be attached to your application.
To check the eligibility criteria and the full ACE Nursing process further, download the Applicant Guide in the ACE Resources section. If you have further questions about re-applying, or about the talent pool, you should contact ACE to discuss this further calling 0800 223 236 or emailing nursing@acenz.net.nz.
Advice Summary
- Contact employers directly to highlight your interest in working with them particularly if you are prepared to move to an employer outside of the one you initially preferred within your application. It is recommended you contact the NETP or NESP coordinator by email to outline your interest in working with them as soon as possible.
- If you are prepared to consider working in clinical areas outside of the ones you indicated within your application you may like to contact employers with an updated Cover Letter outlining this to them.
- Search for private positions via Kiwi Health Jobs, Seek or TradeMe. Research employer career pages for further insight.
- Ensure you are aware of when applications for the next intake open and that you understand the eligibility criteria so you can re-apply. Dates for the 2024 intakes can be found here.
- Re-apply to ACE when the next intake opens.