156 Applications and 0 Interviews

Dear Nurse Beth,

I am an RN with 20 years of experience, with 19 of them in women’s health (L&D, high-risk antes, OR/PACU, nursery, postpartum, a small bit of gyn). Charge nurse for the majority of my 20 years. Due to the utter insanity (aka unsafe staffing) of my department for the last 5 years as well as my recent back issues (the number of morbidly obese pregnant women these days is overwhelming!)

I’ve been trying for over a year now to get in with several major insurance companies (Anthem, Aetna, United, Humana, Cigna) doing either telephonic case mgmt, utilization review, or even part-time OB home visits. I apply to at least 3 jobs WEEKLY. I get NO interviews....not even an initial phone interview. I’ve had multiple people review my resume & cover letter and they have all said they are stellar. Any advice?? Am I TOO specialized? I am at my wit’s end.

Dear At Your Wit's End,

How very frustrating.

If you have applied to at least 3 jobs per week for a year, that's 156 applications. Assuming you have applied to jobs for which you are qualified (for example, if it says BSN required, and you have your BSN) this is puzzling.

Usually, when you are not getting any bites, the culprit is the resume. You've had multiple people review your resume, but in my experience, most people do not know what constitutes an effective resume, or an effective cover letter. It all depends on who you are asking.

Just the fact that you have received no constructive feedback and zero suggestions for improvement is a sign that the multiple people reviewing your documents are not necessarily skilled at reviewing/editing cover letters and resumes.

You may be screened out because your application does not contain any keywords from the job description in the applicant tracking system (ATS) software. In addition to using keywords, you must individualize your resume to the organization. If you are sending the exact same resume to 156 employers, you are not individualizing your resume.

Every employer is different with a different mission statement and clientele.

The purpose of a resume is to make them want to hire you, or at least interview you. It must be compelling, concise, showcase your skills and answer the question "Why should we hire you?"

In other words, your skills need to match their needs.

Have you checked to see that your resume can be opened? Have you emailed it to 4 or 5 friends to see if they can open it without difficulty? Test on multiple browsers and smartphones. Are you using a standard font such as Times New Roman, or Arial?

Is your document titled yourname.resume.docx? Titling it simply resume.docx will help it to get lost by the receiver.

Are you addressing it to a person, or to Whom it May Concern? Today it is easy enough to find out the name of a hiring manager in the organization on the internet, web page or LinkedIn.

Hopefully, your public online profile is perfectly respectable and there is nothing to scare employers away.

For more tips on how to write a stellar cover letter, resume, and land an interview, check out my book below.

Best wishes,

Nurse Beth

Author, "Your Last Nursing Class: How to Land Your First Nursing Job"...and your next!