How can I "sell" myself?

[Queen2u]

I am a "new grad". There are quotes there because I actually graduated 5 and a half years ago! I only got my license last April. I have been taking care of my grandmother (an elderly Alzheimer's patient with a pacemaker on a lot of meds) since graduation and have had 2 months experience in a flu shot clinic. Apparently that is not good enough for any of the people I am interviewing with. They are hung up on the fact that it took so long for me to get my license. How do I sell myself?

[llg, PhD, RN]

Have you taken a refresher course? That may be necessary as it is to be expected that you would have lost much of your nursing skills during the time you were not practicing nursing (except with your grandmother). Employers will be understandably doubtful of your ability to step into a nursing role unless you have done something to refresh and update your knowledge and skills.

The first requirement to successful marketing is to have a product to sell that meets the needs of the buyers. In a job market like this, with more applicants than there are positions, you will need to be able to show employers that your skills and knowledge are up-to-date and recently practiced -- assuming you are looking to work with a group of patients in an inpatient setting.