No new grad jobs now what?

that is horrible!

Kaiserstudent, What did you mean by St. Bernardine not wanting to hire outside the local area...that they would only take nurses who live in San Bernardino?? I am in Riverside, interviewed with the recruiter couple months ago, she gave me this long song and dance about sending my resume to the manager and spent a lot of time telling me about the hospital, their benefits and starting wages for my experience etc...but never mentioned I couldn't work there because I live in Riverside. Of course I never heard from them again, and as usual, the recruiter never calls you back. The biggest problem with trying to get a position is to get by that recruiter. They are the link as to what pile they place your resume in...and not all make it to the managers desk. They are not all nurses and most know nothing about it.

Well, I am not from the IE, I am a new grad out of Sacramento and having the same issues. No jobs for new grads. I have been applying at hospitals out of town and had an interview but they do no want to hire grads who live in Sac because they seem to leave as soon as they get a job back in Sacramento. The classmates of mine that did get jobs already worked for the hospitals. I have also been applying to SNFs and anywhere else with no luck. I have even gotten a couple of referrals only to find the jobs are filled by current employees. I, unfortunately, cannot move anywhere at this point. Also, come may there will be another 130 grads or so looking for work in this area. So, this stinks all the way around.

The recruiter...her name is Bobbie...told me that the managers have decided to hire locally because they have so many candidates already established in the area. But then again I am in Sacramento, so maybe she just meant southern california

that is SO FUNNY you would write that. Im having that EXACT same stressor. I just graduated in Sac too. All my other posts were talking about how I feel like I have a May deadline when there are "more of us" hitting the scene. At least the may grads have a whole summer AND another semester to look before their rivals come out.

This is MADNESS!

erdoreen. The first step at St. Bernardine's is the phone call from HR(usually bobbie) giving you a heads up about the hiring salary and such and then they schedule the phone interview. The second step is the phone interview with Pat Taylor, who asks you general hiring questions such as strengths and weaknesses. If she views your answers are appropriate than she states she will have Bobbie follow up with you to schedule a real interview with the Nurse Manager of the department you are interested in. I would have followed up if you were supposed to receive a call and didn't, they made an error in scheduling my phone interview but were quick to fix it after I followed up. (I have my real interview with the Nurse manager for ICU next week, hopefully it works out)

You would be in the hiring area living in riverside. I believe they are just looking for people who have been living in the Inland Empire for a while. There are a lot of locals looking for jobs, and it makes sense to hire them first choice because they are less likely to relocate in the middle of their new grad training program.

NickiLaughs, I did get the HR call, who set me up with Pat Taylor. Pat is the one that told me about the hospital history, union, wages etc.. After the telephone interview, she said that she would send my resume to to manager, but there many applications ...and more or less indicated "don't call us, we call you" attitude. I tried calling Pat twice for follow-up as I didn't get to see the manager, but as usual with these recruiters, their phones are always on voice mail, and they never call you back. Also, I applied for many positions at Community San Bernardino, positions for which I was WELL qualified for...never even got a call from HR or recruiter...only a "not selected" on their website. What gives?? The fact that I'm an 18 year nurse and they don't want to pay the higher wages? (Since the pay is based on a scale of how many years you have in Nursing). Of course, I was applying for NICU, where there was only 1 position, ICU, they have 13 positions open. Even though I have 6 years in ICU, I just don't want to go there. You will learn alot and obtain great critical thinking skills in ICU, But don't let the 2:l ratio fool ya, it can be extremely busy and stressful. (of course that's anywhere in nursing) Wish you luck in your interview. :-)

hummm, jails etc. Not a bad idea nor is VA hospital a bad idea. Word of advice from someone who worked in jails: when you go for an interview leave your fashion sense at home. Wear slacks and a modest woven fabric blouse that fits on the loose side. Wear a blazer and no heels. Very little makeup. Believe me you are more likely to be hired because your interviewer wll see that you are already sensitive to your environment. You are safer in a jail than on some streets. BTW, may of my nurse friends met their policeman husbands in that enviroment.

This recession is time to get yourselves past the recruiters. Job fairs are great because the head nurses and supervisors often show up and you can bend their ears. Just be sure to have a complete resume and transcripts etc in hand. NO JOB FAIRS COMING UP? just get past the recruiter. They studied a long time to be gatekeeppers and don`t want to become obsolete during a recession. Think about this last comment!

erdoreen. Yeah, I am well aware that ICU is a busy place, it was one of my favorite rotations though in nursing school. They do seem to have a lot of applicants. It could just be sheer competition. Based on what Pat said I would assume that perhaps they were looking at another applicant. That sucks. Have you found work anywhere else?

I did get a job at Hemet Vally in tele, but I'm hoping that the interview at St B's pans out. : )
Good luck to everyone