Getting an interview. This is harder than i thought..

Well I have been out of school since Aug 2012 and I just managed to scrape up a per diem hospice position after having 7 interviews and hundreds of applications. I acquired this position because a wonderful colleague of mine put my CV directly in the hiring managers hand. I start orientation this Saturday on the inpatient unit doing face to face visits. I will admit that it has been extremely difficult and very annoying to have to fight to get an interview then not even land a job. That gets old pretty quick. All I can tell you is to never give up and I am sure that eventually, something will pop up!

Congratulations to you!! Yeah, I'm in it for the long haul and will just keep plugging away!

The first job is the hardest one to get. I applied to like 50 Jobs and had 15 interviews before my first job. A LOT of NP jobs are word of mouth. Like what just happened with Redgirl. Btw...yay! Congrats Redgirl. I will give you the same advise I gave her. Volunteer or get two part time jobs to start. I have had so many job opportunities its not even funny. But I do a lot of networking

Exactly!!! I also had my CV handed in personally to the recruiter for united health care so if you know someone that you could network with or through that will be a plus! These positions I interviewed for were mostly word of mouth. Ask around and see what you come up with. Eventually you will get something and thank you all for the congrats!

How many days a week are you going to work?

Right now I don't know but the admissions dept all cheered when I was introduced to them as the new kid on the block and one of them said that they will be calling me soon as I'm off orientation! I thought to myself, is this good or are they going to kill me?! Lol

Good deal!

Wow..Job market must be different depending on where you live. I had 2 jobs offers before I graduated (graduated in May). Turned down college health, and an under served neighborhood health center, to take a job in retail health (Minute Clinic). Of note, I did do my preceptorship at the locations that offered me employment. I live in the Boston area. My classmates have had no problem finding employment thus far.

You must be bilingual where I live. I just got off the phone with a staffing agency and that's the first thing they asked and they even gave me a little linguistic test! I have lost many job offers due to my Spanish not being to strong but I do speak medical Spanish. I guess it's the city you live in. Bilingual speakers are in demand now.

I didn't have a difficult time getting interviews. I got a call back for just about every resume I submitted. However, most of the interviews did not lead to offers of employment. I don't know if it was me, or if they just interview a large number of people for each position. In some cases there were scheduling incompatibilities.

In total it took about 4 months from graduation until I started my first job.

It must depend on where you live and your specialty. My program just told us the entire PMHNP class that graduated this June all had jobs lined up prior to graduation.

I am a FNP and it is taking most of my class up to one year to secure a job. If you live in an area that is highly saturated with APNs, then you are in trouble. Most of my interviews came from word of mouth and the positions were not even posted. I did manage to get a per diem hospice position with the option to become FT once the palliative care program gets started. So we will see where that goes. I also got that position because a good colleague of mine happen to place my CV in the hiring managers hand. Currently I am teaching at a local school of nursing and I hate it. I just have to grin and bear it. It is such a shame.