Help! Not-so-new-grad still looking for a job :(

[jobhunting, ASN, RN]

I graduated ADN in May'11, got my license in Sept '11 and about a month later, I got "supposedly" hired by a home health agency (I was surprised they accepted me with no experience, but happy). I had 3 days of office orientation, watching videos, and the staff showing ug how things were done and stuff. BUT they have never assigned me a nurse to shadow, to start the ball rolling. I have called and followed up, and I only get the "We'll call you when something comes up" type of replies.

In the meantime, I also have been sending applications to various hospitals in the area. I have no experience whatsoever in a hospital setting except for school clinicals! Yes, very frustrating as the posted jobs always have those "Minimum 1 yr experience" aaaarrrgghh!! I tried applying for the full time positions that were posted and got only one rejection email back so far

I dont' know anybody who works in a hospital and I feel so desperate, should I apply for the part-time job posts too?

And what about registry? My dream unit is ER (may be close to impossible with no experience??) and of course every job posting always has that "experience required"! I love L&D too.

Has anybody ever gotten a hospital job (ADN grad) with no prior hospital experience at all?

[danarooo, BSN, RN]

I am in the same boat! I graduated in March 2011 and the only thing I have found is a seasonal flu shot job with a nursing agency that has already ended since the season is over. I have applied everywhere. I have friends who work as nurses in the hospitals I did clinicals in, they even gave me recommendations which were sent to HR along with my resume...nothing. One nurse even e-mailed the nurse recruiter in HR...nothing. I am extremely frustrated. The people who found jobs fast were the ones who had previous healthcare experience or had friends who were nurse recruiters! It's extremely frustrating! Good luck in your search. Maybe try calling and actually stopping by the HR offices of the places you want to work and fill out an application in person???

[NottaSpringChik, BSN, RN]

I sure can identify with your fustration, although I did get my first job in corrections the same month I graduated. I enjoy that but would love to work in acute care for more experience and am having no luck whatsoever. The job market here for new grads is absolutely dismal; I now have 18 months of experinience in corrections and this experience apparently is no help whatsoever. I have even gotten ACLS certified and am pursuing BSN-still no luck at all. My advice is to use any contacts you have and network, network network. Almost EVERYONE has gotten their job because of "knowing someone" who can get them an interview or a lead to the Department head.

[LynnLRN]

Do you live in a big or little city? Are the hospitals you are applying at big or small? I encourage you to apply at bigger hospitals because I feel they are usually teaching hospitals and hire lots of new grads. Also, since you are not even getting interviews have you had your resume looked at? Do you have previous work experience outside of nursing? Have you tried calling the HR department and talk to a RN recruiter of the places you have applied?

[jobhunting, ASN, RN]

I live in the Chicagoland area and have tried submitting applications online on 5 or 6 major hospital groups (Northshore, Resurrestion,etc) , I applied for 2 or 3 positions per hospital and still no luck I already got two emails that my applications were turned down. They always consider those who have experience, even under the "preferred" categories.

My resume isn't very inviting/colorful/eventful I can tell you that but experience is experience, right? no matter how boring it is... so that's what nurse recruiters see in my applications and probably clicks on the next one without finishing reading? No, I haven't had anyone read my resume except that I used this template in school in Nursing Trends course.

Any suggestion if there are other members here who read resume's and cover letters? I'm sure I could get some advice on how I could improve.

Thanks!

[LynnLRN]

Are you able to post your resume on here? I would try calling the HR departments and talking to a nurse recruiter it might just get your name out there. I know the hospital I work for they get 1000's of applications so its probably easy to get passed up.

[jcolumber]

I am in the boat for 2009...I still can't find someone to hire me! I keep going back to the old adage of "i can't get experience, if no one hires, and no one hires unless you have experience!"

Most people I have talked to say to start in LTCs and then work towards the hospital, but I don't really see the reality there?? Anyone else given that advice?

[lmhendersonrn]

Same boat in Atlanta. I graduated with a BSN in May and passed the NCLEX in June.

HR is N-O help, whatsoever. If, BIG IF, they are nice enough or willing to speak with you, they will tell you that (just like the applicant) the resume/application status is all they can go by and once an application is "forwarded to manager" it is up to that manager to make a decision based on all 50, 150, or more applicants who pass the initial HR screening. But, most HR or recruiters will not even speak to you.

It's beyond frustrating.

It's downright DEPRESSING.

Here it is, 8 months post-graduation and 7 months with a license, and still no job. Like danarooo, the only position I've held is flu shot administration. Why weren't these realities touched on during school? It was all rainbows and sunshine throughout nursing school, with the fact that, "this is the best time to become a nurse" or "nursing is recession proof" or "you'll always have a job." Yeah, sure all of these things are true, once you have legitimate experience as a nurse in a clinical setting and you're not a wet behind the ears, snot nose newbie. Or, if you know someone, knowing "higher-ups" in HR or management is how most of my former classmates got hired.

I've looked everywhere in Georgia, to no avail. I have 20 or 30 applications pending with 9 hospitals as of right now. Some are same ole, same ole, my application is "completed" or "received" or "reviewed" or "forwarded to manager" and then within a few days, up to 5 months later, the status changes to "filed, not hired" or "we've selected SEVERAL other candidates for consideration" or "position filled by another applicant." This has been going on since March of 2011. We were told to apply to positions during our senior year and I found that most places didn't even consider students. They wanted residents and interns with degrees, most importantly, licenses.

I'm just about at my whit’s end. I don't know what else I could possibly do or where else I could apply (out of state is not an option). I've called HRs. I've called and emailed managers (multiple times). I've faxed and brought in letters of recommendation. I've had my nursing school peers, advisor, and leadership instructor review and edit my resume. The only thing I haven't done is gone up to the nurse managers for whom I've applied to work and introduce myself out of the blue. My leadership instructor said that could be misconstrued as rude.

Oh well, thanks for being an outlet. :/

[Tinkerbell04]

I graduated in May 2010 and passed the NCLEX in August of 2011. That was my second time taking it. I wish I woud have retaken it sooner. I have been calling the units; I don't even contact the nurse recruiters anymore. I am located in the San Francisco Bay Area. One manager said that she will be calling me for an interview by the third week of this month. I am keeping my fingers crossed. LTC, tried calling most within an hour drive, and many state that they are not hiring!