When to apply for first job?

[quarterlengthsleeve]

I am finishing up my last four rotations and will graduate in May 2017. I will graduate from Nebraska but am moving to Maine this summer. I have no connections to anyone in Maine, so I was wondering when would be a good time to start applying for a position that I could start in August/September? I have my resume written and have explored several job opportunities online that I might consider in Maine from websites like indeed.com. Is applying for a job now too soon? If so, when should I apply?

[PAC1720]

I graduated in August. I started looking for a job a couple months before my graduation. I used websites like Indeed and DocCafe and I received a lot of "call us back after you pass the boards." I had a contract signed a month after I graduated. Most of my classmates have similar stories. There was only a few that had a contract signed before graduation. 

[brooks23]

I am also scheduled to graduate in May, 2017, so I feel your situation. I've been applying to jobs for a while now (probably 3 months). Some may say that's a little aggressive, but I've gotten plenty of places who have been interested, and I just accepted my first job yesterday. I'll say this-for every 10 jobs you apply to (via Indeed, Monster, etc), you'll probably only get a bite from a recruiter for one of those jobs. It's definitely ok to start applying early, just be prepared to hear a lot of "you're too early." In my opinion, it's better to have a good job lined up; one that you've had plenty of time to search out and feel out without having to feel rushed close to graduation. Just my two cents! Good luck!

[WanderlustPA]

I graduated in August 2015, and I started the process in April. I had a phone interview in April, a face-to-face interview for a different job in June, and finally had 2 interviews and 2 job offers just a couple days after taking the PANCE. There's no harm in starting to browse and apply for some jobs in the next couple months. From my experience, it seems most places are wanting to hire ASAP, so they may not be willing to wait for you to graduate, and you'll have much better luck as you get closer to graduation. By the way, I was in a similar situation, applying where I had no contacts. However, it was in one of the top markets for PA's in the country. Not so sure about Maine.

[Lauren R]

It'll take a little while for you to start your first job because you have to take your boards and get your license etc.  If you're positive you want to go to Maine, that's great because you can get your license before you have a job offer and it'll make it easier for you to get hired.  It takes about 2 months to get credentialed somewhere and about a month from the time you apply, go through interviews and get the offer.  I'd say start applying around May, but definitely scope the job market before that to see what is out there.  I already had an idea of what I could expect to get in my area well before I applied and it helped me feel confident about the position I took.  If you find a job you like sooner than May, apply for it.  There's no rule.