How long should it take to find a job?

zacarias, ASN, RN · Mar 29, 2005

I've been job hunting for about a month, and no offers yet- just a few interviews. How long should it take to get a call back, and then HIRED, after the interview?
I thought that with the 'nursing shortage' I would get more immediate offers.... is it me? or is it always a long process? I'm just looking for an entry level position, nothing fancy.

How long has it been since the interviews. I would send a card thanking the interviewer for interviewing you within a week after each interview. A week out from the interview, if they still haven't called, you might call them and just say you are checking on the status of your application.

It may depend on your location. Are you in rural America? Metropolis?

Keep your chin up and and remember to always sell yourself. Look online too at medhunters.com or someplace that advertizes loads of nursing positions.

suzanne4, RN · Mar 30, 2005

Are you actually a nurse at this point? Where do you live would be my next question?

princess99 · Mar 31, 2005

Yes I am an RN, but took a few years off after grad to care for my kids.

I am in the suburbs of a large city. The hospitals near me seem saturated- that's what got me discouraged. But closer to the city, it seems as if there are more jobs.

It has been a week since my first interview- I actually called to follow-up (left a message) a few days later, since the manager I was supposed to interview with was not there, and I saw someone else. Now I still haven't heard from them- I am beginning to think that they are unprofessional.

rach_nc_03 · Mar 31, 2005

Yes I am an RN, but took a few years off after grad to care for my kids.
I am in the suburbs of a large city. The hospitals near me seem saturated- that's what got me discouraged. But closer to the city, it seems as if there are more jobs.
It has been a week since my first interview- I actually called to follow-up (left a message) a few days later, since the manager I was supposed to interview with was not there, and I saw someone else. Now I still haven't heard from them- I am beginning to think that they are unprofessional.

It could be a million things. I ended up getting my first-pick job, four months before graduation, but it's because I showed an active interest and kept at it, even when it seemed people were dragging their feet. I asked to shadow in the unit, then sent a thank-you card to the whole unit for having me there. if you never had an RN job after you graduated, I would suggest that- it gave me a leg-up in terms of knowing what to talk about wrt the unit during my actual interview. If things are being handled by HR, be diligent- sometimes there's a bottleneck. I found out that the secretaries for our hospital's HR department are really horrid- they flat-out won't send info, hire letters, stuff like that- one of my friends MISSED her first interview because the secretary never bothered calling her! Talk to other people who work at the hospital and find out what they did- it might be something as simple as working it through HR.

Has anyone asked, in your interviews, whether taking a few years off before starting your career will create problems for you in your job? I'm just curious- and, if they did, how did you respond?

good luck to you!