Stress of finding a job

Nurses Job Hunt

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It's been 2 months since I got licensed in NJ and I still can't land a job :'( I've applied everywhere! Nursing homes, hospitals, surgi-centers. Ahhhh!!!!!! Everyone wants someone with experience but no one wants to allow me to gain any experience! And it's not like I have zero expirence. I worked in a hospital for a year as a pct and did two interships in another hospital. I also have great recommendations. It just seems like I don't know the right people. Everyone keeps telling me it's all about marketing and talking to people at the hospitals but all I get when I talk to people that I know at the hospitals they just say put me down as a reference. I can't be mad at them for that either. What do I expect?? For them to march my resume to their bff in HR??? It's just so disheartening because I really love nursing and I know this is what I was meant to do with my life and his crappy job market is preventing me from doing it. I'm so sad and disheartened and really needed to vent. I apologize for being a killjoy but if I said this to my husband one more time he might invest in permenant ear plugs.

Feeling absolutely crushed!! Just got another denial from the one hospital in my area with a med/surg opening. I know they must get a ton of apps, but knowing that 2 other classmates who barely passed the program have been hired & I can't even get a return phone call when I was literally at the top of my class is beyond me. They don't have any more experience than I do; in fact one didn't even have a job of any kind for a decade. I'm trying to make more contacts to get my foot in the door, but I've just about had it! I've applied to other types of facilities as well, but no luck. I'm in a rural area btw which I've read on other posts that some think is better on the job outlook, but not here!

I can relate to this. Top of my class and one friend who struggled to pass the courses and took 3 attempts to pass the NCLEX got a job before me! Understand this.....networking. I got my first job because of networking. My friend referred me and that was the difference.

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Specializes in PACU, pre/postoperative, ortho.

FLmom, I've had a complete turn around of luck since my post on Tues! I've now had 3 calls for interviews in 2 days. First one was yesterday & went well I think; another today & 3rd on Mon. Now, instead of accepting the first thing that comes to me like I expected I would have to do, I may be able to pick & choose a little. Of course, nothing has been offered yet but hoping for good news from at least one facility in the next week!

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Hello everyone, I just want to thank you all for your support. And I have good news!! Soon after posting this I finally got called for an interview and got a job!!! :yeah: YAY!!! I was so happy about finally getting a job that I went to take the parkway to get home and went in the wrong direction!! It wasn't till I was 40 miles north of my exit that I realized where I had put myself. Guys, seriously, don't give up. Reading that a week ago would've made me roll my eyes and say "Yeah right... Easy for you to say" But seriously, don't. If I gave up like I wanted to so badly, I never would've sent my resume and never would've gotten this job. And what did I do?? I literally e-mailed the nurse recruiter every week. Sometimes twice a week. For multiple hospitals. Just have faith guys, its a painful journey but the reward is so great.

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Also, as a side note. The day that I wrote this post I went to the career center at school to meet with the nursing career advisor. I wish I had done this before because she e-mails me almost everyday about job openings, nurse recruiters names and e-mails, nursing job fairs, ect... If you have one at school definitely make an appointment and go meet with one. I seriously believe that I would've gotten a job much sooner if I wasn't such a jerk about it.

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I've had a little bit of a change of luck since my post here, too... I got called for a couple interviews. I had one over the phone (long distance job) and I have an in-person interview on Tuesday. No job yet, but, it feels better at least getting somewhere and having a chance at interviewing.

Congrats on the job Amanda NJ RN, I hope I can make a post like that soon too.

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FLmom, I've had a complete turn around of luck since my post on Tues! I've now had 3 calls for interviews in 2 days. First one was yesterday & went well I think; another today & 3rd on Mon. Now, instead of accepting the first thing that comes to me like I expected I would have to do, I may be able to pick & choose a little. Of course, nothing has been offered yet but hoping for good news from at least one facility in the next week!

:yeah::yeah::nurse::yeah::yeah:

Praying that it turns out well for you!

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To SweetseRN:

Where do you work? YOu're so lucky. I envy you.

I have been wrking as a clerical staff a multi-departmental gov't agency. We have a hospital dept. I emailed their nurse recruiter in our hospital asking what luck I have to get an RN job. I waited for a week, no reply. I re-emailed again today to follow up. I hope to see her reply sometime this week or I will go crazy. : )

I am working on a medical/surgical floor in a city hospital...There has been a lot of turn over lately for many reasons so a lot of us new grads from my class were fortunate enough to land jobs. I feel lucky every day I go to work. Keep up on them and do not give up. Persistence pays off. Keep trying, you will find something great! Good luck to you!!!

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