So i'm a new grad and I've been trying to find ways to find a job in this tough market. I've been very interested in this particular hospital for a long time so I thought why not volunteer there. I've been trying to "get my foot in the door" somehow by volunteering and possibly try to network from there, and eventually see if this organization is for me. do you agree with me?
So today I did my tour around the hospital. I ended at chatting with charge nurses, CNAs, asking them how they like it here. Letting them know I might volunteer on their unit, and if they normally see new grads around here being hired. So I got a lot of good info on which unit was hiring and which isn't, how the employees are being treated, getting a general feel on the unit. I thought it was important to find out and work on a unit that does hire- before I commit myself to hundred+ hours of service.
I was excited to find out that one of the unit is a potential new grad friendly unit and it was the field I was aiming for, so I told the volunteer coordinator I wanted that specific unit. she was so curious as to why I wanted that particular floor. I already let her know that I was there because I'm interested in knowing more about the organization and see if its a great fit for a future career. She asked if I am a licensed and I told her yes. She blew up at me instantly and told me I shouldn't be there to solicit jobs?...?! She said I made her feel super uncomfortable i'm being so aggressive and i'm not being there to volunteer, rather than to find a job. arg!
if any of you new grads out there know how hard it is to find a job, and getting a connection within the hospital or "foot in the door" is probably the best way to go. I've had so many people telling me that the way they got the job is being aggressive and just showing up on the unit with a resume. That would be soliciting, but i'm probably not going to do that. I"m not quite sure if I agreed to her but I ended up "apologizing", and she even said " i would kick you out if I know you're here to look for a job". (my god) and that i'm "crossing the line, because i'm chatting with then nurses already". ***
Shouldn't the volunteer lady be even more willing to find you a placement that is fitting and understand that people come here to also volunteer to see if its a fitting organization for future job potential? I guess she was ****** off that I wasn't doing this for the greatness of my heart and to give back to the community. If i'm here because i'm interested in a possibly career with that organization... Isn't that legit enough?!
I'm trying my best to survive as a new grad (as if thats not hard enough), people like her really discourage me in taking the initiative to network.
I trained a volunteer like this once. She wanted a quick "in" to a job, and wasn't really interesting in her actual volunteering duties at all. She was constantly asking people if they knew what jobs were available, what the hours were, how were the benefits, and on and on.
It was the most annoying working experience of my life! The creepiest part was when she decided she wanted MY job, and demanded to learn all of my duties as a HUC.
So in conclusion, don't be that girl. It won't win you any friends. But good luck in your job search, and I really hope something pans out for you.
Maybe it's just me but am I missing something here?
What is a Volunteer position? One that I willingly choose to do for a given or not period of time and can leave off whenever I feel I must have accomplished a goal. Are Volunteer positions now as a means to tie down people?
Wow that is simply an abuse of it. It is a volunteer, I should be able to come and go as I pls, while always remembering not to put the group in a bind. But still it is volunteer!
It's been said several times. Volunteering is fine. Accept a position to volunteer. Once you're there, settled in the position, etc, you can ask some questions. But honestly, don't be surprised if it doesn't instantly get you a job (or, really, ever get you a job). If there aren't positions open, there aren't positions open, and having a new grad serving as a volunteer in a facility isn't going to create a position. Where I work, we have CNA's and HUC's that graduated nursing school that have had to leave because there were no RN jobs available. If the jobs don't exist, they just don't. Being a volunteer may make your name more recognizable in the future than someone coming in off the street, but it will not make a position appear out of thin air. It also will not make you more eligible for a position over someone already employed there, and most places hire internally first. Not trying to be harsh, but that is just the climate today.
I beg to differ. but you're wrong on that. NEVER EVER SAY NEVER , EVER!
Specializes in Near Future: ED, Future Future: ACNP!.
So i'm a new grad and I've been trying to find ways to find a job in this tough market. I've been very interested in this particular hospital for a long time so I thought why not volunteer there. I've been trying to "get my foot in the door" somehow by volunteering and possibly try to network from there, and eventually see if this organization is for me. do you agree with me?
So today I did my tour around the hospital. I ended at chatting with charge nurses, CNAs, asking them how they like it here. Letting them know I might volunteer on their unit, and if they normally see new grads around here being hired. So I got a lot of good info on which unit was hiring and which isn't, how the employees are being treated, getting a general feel on the unit. I thought it was important to find out and work on a unit that does hire- before I commit myself to hundred+ hours of service.
I was excited to find out that one of the unit is a potential new grad friendly unit and it was the field I was aiming for, so I told the volunteer coordinator I wanted that specific unit. she was so curious as to why I wanted that particular floor. I already let her know that I was there because I'm interested in knowing more about the organization and see if its a great fit for a future career. She asked if I am a licensed and I told her yes. She blew up at me instantly and told me I shouldn't be there to solicit jobs?...?! She said I made her feel super uncomfortable i'm being so aggressive and i'm not being there to volunteer, rather than to find a job. arg!
if any of you new grads out there know how hard it is to find a job, and getting a connection within the hospital or "foot in the door" is probably the best way to go. I've had so many people telling me that the way they got the job is being aggressive and just showing up on the unit with a resume. That would be soliciting, but i'm probably not going to do that. I"m not quite sure if I agreed to her but I ended up "apologizing", and she even said " i would kick you out if I know you're here to look for a job". (my god) and that i'm "crossing the line, because i'm chatting with then nurses already". ***
Shouldn't the volunteer lady be even more willing to find you a placement that is fitting and understand that people come here to also volunteer to see if its a fitting organization for future job potential? I guess she was ****** off that I wasn't doing this for the greatness of my heart and to give back to the community. If i'm here because i'm interested in a possibly career with that organization... Isn't that legit enough?!
I'm trying my best to survive as a new grad (as if thats not hard enough), people like her really discourage me in taking the initiative to network.
Volunteering was exactly how I got my first job, so I approve of the idea. You've got to move slowly and feel people out before you dump all your plans. Work hard and take an interest in the VOLUNTEER position, and you'll get better results from everyone when you approach the NM about a real job.
If you apply within the same hospital you'll be able to put down some good references, you don't necessarily need to pick out the exact unit you want on your first day. You can express different interests as a volunteer and move around within the system easily if the first spot isn't a good fit. You'll have a great opportunity to feel out the culture on a lot of different units, get to know people, pick out the unit that has people open to questions and teaching.
If you were in another profession no one would probably raise an eyebrow about this. In my old field people did it all the time. IT is because is is NURSING and in nursing everything any nurse does is suspect by other nurses (the martyrs who are not in it for the money - I still have not heard a decent explanation for how they justify taking a paycheck when they are not in it for the money but all this suspicion about peoples motives is enough to make one want to puke. People that are were not raised around abuse or have recovered from it dont adapt well to this junk and hence the hundreds of thousands of rns that are not practicing.
Perhaps they to dared to volunteer to get theri foot in the door for a job, asked for more money, expected to get out on time to pick up children from daycare or some other such nonsense. Some people just have incredibly high standards for a job I mean after all employers are so devoted to us, we should risk life and limb to get to work, work over whenever asked and wait patiently with our legs crossed for a job the paycheck from which we should donate to charity.
The more I read these threads the more I truely feel misplaced. And I really love people. I just didnt know I would have to unlove myself to be a nurse and that that requirement would manily come from other nurses!
Haha,are you for real???? No wonder that with attitudes like that new grads have it really hard,are you going to call her a criminal next? Seriously post likes this make me question why I went into nursing in the first place
and that i'm "crossing the line, because i'm chatting with then nurses already". ***
Seriously post likes this make me question why I went into nursing in the first place
greenfiremajick
685 Posts
never mind...........