Help me get into the Nurse recruiters head??

[Encast, BSN, RN]

A little background: I got my BSN in 2011 and have 8 months of Med-surg experience. I quit because my husband got relocated to another city.

I interviewed in a local hospital and got a job offer 6 months ago. Well I turned it down for personal reasons (BIG MISTAKE). I called my recruiter a couple months later and told her I was finally moving to the new city. She set me up with another interview and the manager decided I wasn't a good fit. I kept in contact with the recruiter and last time we spoke she explained that she couldn't find anything for me at the time. She then told me she had my resume on file and would keep advertising to Managers. Meanwhile I kept applying to every unit and I keep getting denial letters. I just have a feeling I am stamped with "Do not hire" and I completely ruined my chances of ever working there. All my denials are from the same recruiter. Could she be lying about trying to find me something? If I stop applying will I eventually get a different recruiter? If I do how many months do I have to wait?

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

You have two things against you:

1. You only have 8 months experience, so you don't qualify for a lot of jobs as you are technically still a new grad...yet at the same time, you don't qualify for a lot of new grad programs either because you have 8 months' experience.

2. It's a horrible job market for everyone, let alone new grads.

I honestly doubt you are tagged a "do not hire" based on one interview or on turning down a job offer. I also honestly doubt this recruiter is lying: she is probably swamped with tons of new and not-so-new grads calling and e-mailing her, with tons of resumes that she has to sift through. She may be showing your resume to managers, but I'll bet the cat your resume isn't the only one in the stack.

All you can do is keep applying. Try applying to other facilities, even going outside of acute care if you have to. Best of luck.

[Encast, BSN, RN]

Thank you so much for your advice. I am getting very discouraged since it is already May but all I can do is keep trying.

[dspacc]

Keep pursuing . Keep sending out resumes while getting whatever experience you are able to. Send send send!!!!thats what I did, eventually I was interviewed and hired

[avaloncar, BSN, RN]

We have very similar stories. I too had to move prematurely and I only have 8 months experience. And I also messed up getting a position by expressing my interest in a full time position when I was being interviewed for a part time position. We all make mistakes. But just continue to try. Are there any other hospitals in the area you can try? Maybe just lay off that place for now but continue to check in so she doesn't forget you. I am still looking for a job myself so I know exactly how you feel.

Good luck!

[Encast, BSN, RN]

Avaloncar I have been applying to every hospital in my area. However, that particular one is the largest. It is a really bad position to be in. We are no longer new grads but also don't have enough experience to be considered for most positions. Good luck to you as well.

[avaloncar, BSN, RN]

Yes exactly, "stuck in the middle". But I hear you it is a battle. But you may have to look outside the box a bit and start contacting agencies. Put your resume on Indeed or Monster. Cover all the bases. You may get lucky. Thanks!

[sds1arm2]

I have a similar situation too. I'm an RN/BSN for 13 years. For the last 8, I have been in specialty pharmacy UM. I now want to go back to patient care and am not having much luck. I'm not a new grad clearly, but I haven't done direct patient care in 8 years. I was just thinking today about trying out home health to try and get some skills back and then looking for hospital positions.

[Encast, BSN, RN]

Sds1arm2 I think you have a good plan. I would also suggest trying LTC, Skilled Nursing Facility, or Hospice. I kept applying to the facility I mentioned in the original post. The recruiter wasn't lying. She set me up with an interview a couple weeks ago and I got the job!! I think I was kind of a pest, I would check in with her about every 3 weeks, but it worked :) Good luck in your search and don't loose hope. It took me 5 months but I finally got a job.

[TheGuestNurse]

I am curious as to why you are using a recruiter? Have you tried applying to hospitals directly?

Recruiters often make their money off the nurses that get hired. They usually received a payment for every referral they send that gets hired and stays a certain period of time. If the recruiter put in work to get you interviews and you didn't take the job then he/she might feel like you wasted her time.

I would suggest going directly to the hospital you are trying to get on with and applying directly via their website.

You mentioned your husband has gotten relocated a couple of times. Does he get relocated often in his line of work?

[Encast, BSN, RN]

Thank you NerdyNurse. My husband has only been relocated once and it was only because he was promoted to company manager. I just wanted to clarify the recruiter I was referring to in my post is the one at the hospital. I got her information after she set me up with an interview and I just kept in contact with her.

[TheGuestNurse]

Oh I see. That makes much more sense. :)