Help Finding a Job in Chicago as a New Grad

[newnursegrad18]

I've really been struggling to get any kind of feedback from hospitals when applying for jobs up in Chicago (the whole region not just the city). I'm from Ohio and went to school in Indiana, and just graduated with my BSN from IU.

I applied for and instantly got offers in my hometown of Cincinnati at every single hospital I applied to during the previous semester, but in Chicago I either get instant rejections or no response from every single hospital.

I really want to work in the ICU, specifically Neuro, but I'm not sure what to do to find a job at this point because I hear nothing back from anyone. I haven't taken the NCLEX yet, so I have to select "No" whenever a job application asks if I have a license and then I almost always get an instant automated rejection email.

I'm just frustrated with the process at this point because it was so easy to get offers in my hometown and around my school, but then I can't even get a response from someone up in Chicago. Does anyone here have any advice for me?

Thank you in advance.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Wait until you pass NCLEX. Clearly- they consider that and set up their system to reflect it. There's really not much else you CAN do, now is there?

[Sour Lemon]

The more saturated a market is, the more exclusive employers can be. I got a few years of experience in my home city before moving to Southern California because I anticipated the same problem that you're experiencing now. An actual license may help, but it might remain a mostly uphill battle.