How soon is too soon?

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Hello all!

I am new here, have been lurking and reading up on things though for quite some time. I graduate in December from my ADN program and was just wondering, is it too soon to apply for new grad positions? I want to try to line up a job as soon as I can due to the current state of things, however I don't want the nurse recruiters to blow me off when they see I still have four months to go.

If you are a recent grad when did you start putting yourself out there and how long did it take to get hired?

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A lot of the GN programs expect you to have a job lined up in your last semester of nursing school so you have something to start when you finish. I would start now because it is going to get competitive.

I started in May and have yet to get a job, but I am going to be way more active about getting a job after I pass boards. Not too many GN programs here.

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Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.

I started interviewing 6 months before graduation, and had a GN job 5 months prior to graduation. Granted, even in my local area it was alot easier to get a job last year than this year, I still think that worked well for me.

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I guess it's not too soon to start for me then. It must have felt great to have finished nursing school with that job lined up. :yeah:

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Specializes in Psych..

I put out plenty of applications starting 6 months before graduation. I even had a few interviews. And I was always told, "We like you, but will not hire you until you have your license. Call us when you take the NCLEX."

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Specializes in chemical dependency detox/psych.

If you're not going into a graduate nurse program, just applying for regular RN jobs, I would advise to start making contacts about 3 months before graduation. I didn't really start applying for jobs until 1-2 weeks before I graduated, as I knew that there were hiring freezes at the local hospitals. I got an interview the Monday after graduating for an RN position that wasn't a good fit for me, and I left that job a month later. Now, I'm working in a CDU and loving it. I got an interview for that position less than 2 weeks after leaving my first job--so, there are jobs out there...

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Specializes in ED.

I applied to my hospital-of-choice in early January '09 (the day the job was posted), I was interviewed two weeks later, and received the job offer 2 weeks after that. I graduated in May, tested in June, and I still have 2 more weeks before I start.

Definitely apply early!

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Specializes in Surgical ICU.

Definitely not! the job market is bad no matter no matter what kind of grades and honors that you graduate with and you will be competing with a lot of people. I started in February, seriously searching at the end of June, (graduated in May) and just got a job offer. thank god it was my first choice, but a lot of the places that I called just weren't hiring new grads,.. or they were already booked full of for their new grad class by the time July came along. so start now. Be persistent, brush up your resume, and don't lose faith. :)

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