New Grad RN feeling down after a lousy interview.

[RRWilson,RN]

Hi All,

I am yet another unemployed new grad in Georgia. I had my third interview this morning. The other two didn't result in job offers. This position was an Emergency Room RN position in a small yet growing hospital outside of Atlanta.

My interview was scheduled for 9am. I arrived at 845am. I wore a black skirt suit, white button up, closed toed heels, pantyhose, and a pearl necklace. The interviewer, the hiring manager, didn't show up until 945am. By 1010am the interview was done.

Here is what made the interview so lousy:

-I felt rushed

-Her office phone and cellphone rang at least 5 times in the 30 minutes I was with her

-She stated she was looking for someone with experience despite the posting online stated no experience required( How am I ever suppose to shed the New Grad title if no one wants to hire a new grad)

-She asked lousy questions such as asking about other hospitals I had applied at and why I choose part time( Right about now part time is better than the NO TIME I have right now)

-She was very dry and rude

-She hadn't even glanced at my resume( She knew nothing about me, I thought this was very weird because when you apply your application goes through screening with HR and if you qualify then it is forwarded to the hiring manager)

Despite her being rude and a total bore, I answered the questions truthful and with ease. I wasn't as nervous as normally am. I felt really good about this interview beforehand.

I figured volunteering at a local hospital would give me some pull. The interviewer asked "Well why didn't you apply there instead of here." I wish there was some way I could report her without jeopardizing my chance of ever getting a job at that hospital.

I am pass the getting discouraged part. I graduated in April and I am still unemployed. I have applied to every hospital within 50 miles from my house. I am at the point now where I am applying for non RN positions because I am so desperate. I just want to work.

Anyone else have any bad interview stories?

[Godismystrength]

Doesn't seem like a manager or facility I would want to work for. If the interview was that lousy imagine your work environment. I'm sorry you are having such a tough time, but as you know this is nothing uncommon among all the new grads now. I graduated in May , and didn't get a job till this month (september) , and out of the 40 applications or more that I put out (which I know is less than may be what other grads have put out) I only got one interview.

Something will come by, keep trying and even apply to positions that is out of your comfort level, try picking out of your desired speciality. Also i'm sure you are doing mostly electronic applications, this time try going in person to meet the managers. Try to think back to your clinical experiences, is there any manager on a floor you remember meeting? I would go in person and take that extra step. Is it guaranteed to land you a job? May not, but it might, you got nothing to loose. Show them that you are willing to work hard, and that you dont' mind going the extra mile to get the job. Good luck!

[nurse0626]

wow, i can't believe this.. I have been hearing this a lot lately.. I am currently an LPN back in college obtaining my RN and then BSN. I am wondering if i am going to have the same problem when i graduate or if my many years as a LPN with lots of clinical experience and managerial experience is going to still have a problem getting into a hospital if i choose.. I have mainly LTC experience... any suggestions...

[Sl1011]

I'm sorry to hear that Does not sound like somewhere I'd want to work either. Have you considered non-hospital positions as well? Fresh out of nursing school I worked at a family practice, and then was later hired at a hospital. I'm back in a more clinic position, because that is what I prefer. If you need to work asap, I would apply anywhere that hires nurses. And then if you are interviewed, you can decide if that is somewhere you would like to work :)

[nurse0626]

what i have suggested to some friends that just received their RN without any other medical experience is to take any job that they can obtain clinical experience and hopefully that will help.. but i totally agree, how are you going to learn real hands on experience if your not given the chance....

[Nurse Mommy]

Nursing homes/elderly living is a great place to start. It may not be in your preferred field of nursing, but at least in NYS where I live, that is where the majority of new LPNs/RNs work. It's good pay, plus it's a very good, informative first year. Once you have one year of experience under your belt, almost any place will hire you. I worked nursing homes my first year, and after that, I got calls for interviews at places that wouldn't hire me before. It was a long year, but I think it really made a great foundation for my nursing career. Don't be discouraged, and do not pay any attention to the crabby hiring manager. She's a prime example of a nurse who is overworked, underpaid, and who really is not happy with her job.

[Tarabara]

I graduated Dec 2011 and am lucky to have a job but I haven't forgotten the torture I went through before getting here! The thing that makes me so mad is that these places know what the situation is like for new grads but still have no respect for our time or feelings. That's just wrong to waste your time and get your hopes up by calling you for an interview when your resume clearly shows you're a new grad to then say she wants someone with experience. I was promised an interview at a hospital for nicu which I dearly wanted. Then I was called and told they wouldn't interview me because I didn't do my preceptorship in nicu and they only wanted someone absolutely set on nicu. I explained to them that not a single hospital in my area excepted any nicu preceptees but I did mine in labor and delivery and because I took the initiative tO talk to them they allowed me to spend time in the nicu. I also volunteered in nicu and they still wouldn't let me interview for nicu because I didn't precept or have an externship in it. But then they said they also wouldn't. Interview me for med surg where I did do an externship because I was clearly interested in nicu and not med surg! And this was after a few steps into the process like letters of rec. I cannot tell you how angry I was!

[NDnocRN]

Some hospitals are so lucky that they can just brush off applicants for nursing positions! The hospital I am at, we are so short for nurses that even with traveling nurses we are still understaffed! Sometimes how bad one wants to work as a nurse in a hospital just comes down to willingness to relocate.

[ms_sgr, BSN, NP]

Hi RRay, Grady hires a lot of new grads if you are interested

[that_judi_girl]

Your interviewer doesn't seem like anyone I would ever want to work for. Good luck and don't give up. The right job in the right place will come your way. Be sure to do your research and ask (don't just answer) questions. Always send a thank you for the interview - even if you don't think it went well. And follow up with a phone call if you don't hear anything back within a reasonable time. You never know.

[CrazierThanYou]

Like others, I don't think I would want to work for this person.

I live on the Georgia-North Carolina border and I wanted to work in the Atlanta area. It is really hard to get on anywhere in that area as a new grad. I applied for jobs and actually got emails from recruiters at several ATL area hospitals letting me know that they don't hire new grads. A couple of places only hire new grads through internship programs and at least one told me that don't hire ANYONE with less than 2-3 years HOSPITAL experience. So, I gave up on the ATL area until I gain some experience. I just got hired at a metro hospital in NC.

I was getting pretty discouraged. Hang in there. You might have to branch out from the Atlanta area or apply at some other places like LTC.

Good luck! I hope you find a job soon.

[Zapazol]

I remember going to an interview and the interviewer told me she was going to stop the interview right there. In the first 5 minutes of the interview! I was told that I didn't have the visiting home nurse experience that they needed. Had she read the resume she would have seen that not ONCE was visiting home nurse listed as a prior job. Now that was a wasted 1 hour drive for me.

INTERVIEWERS: Read. The. Resume.