I have lost all hope

debelair · Jul 14, 2009

Where are you, Newgradnurse?

NEWGRADNURSE75 · Jul 14, 2009

Debelair,

I live in NJ.

locolorenzo22, BSN, RN · Jul 14, 2009

with only 2 interviews, I say don't give up! There is a job somewhere...you might have to lower your standards(try nursing homes, hospices, home health, ANYWHERE where they might be interviewing) Is it that you feel you don't interview well, or is it you just haven't applied many places?

NEWGRADNURSE75 · Jul 14, 2009

I have applied just about everywhere and I am probaly not the best at interviewing. I am very down to earth and just feel like I should act like myself, which is probaly not the best portrayal for an interview.

evanstalcup · Jul 14, 2009

Acting yourself is the best way to go about for an interview. They are not going to hire someone who is fake anywhere. As for looking for a job maybe work a part-time gig somewhere and still apply at hospitals until something comes up. Make sure you do fallow ups and such so they wont forget about you most places love that. But for sure never give up on what you learned to do before you even start it. Maybe you will have to move away from your area and apply to jobs else where.

evanstalcup · Jul 14, 2009

I also forgot that you can voluntee at a hospital that you wish to work at. After they see how good a worker you are(presuming). Reapply you will have a much better chance of getting hired anywhere with some work experience. But after all I truthfully do not know.

hot chocolate · Jul 14, 2009

if you're single or have a signifigant other that is willing to move, think about going to the military...they have committments as short as 3 yrs. you'll get all the experience you could ask for, plus you'll be a veteran which has lots of respect on its own, regardless of the job that you held. if you aren't ready for active duty sign up for some reserve time and get some training and hands on under your belt and get a paycheck.

Dreamer-RN · Jul 14, 2009

Have you tried doing a mock interview in order to gauge your weak areas? Your school's career service department may offer this service OR you can try it with a good friend/family member who has demonstrated good interviewing skills. You can find a list of common questions including behavior style questions on the Internet. Go through them and have someone critique your responses including your body language.

In addition to the above, I suggest to research qualities and skills the nurse managers may be looking for in that specialty and emphasize these during your interview (providing examples from your clinical rotations/externship/etc.).

NJ has a very tight market for new graduate nurses. Therefore, you may need to extend your job search radius. Even if you are granted an interview for a position that is for internal candidates, you may still be faced with competition. Therefore, it's imperative to figure out a couple of things you can use to set yourself apart from the competition.

It took nearly six months for me to get a job offer. Miraculously, it's what I had hoped for from the beginning. So, do not feel you are alone in this. It's a tough market out there for us new grads. I believe perseverance pays off at the end.

mommyonamission · Jul 14, 2009

I'm really sorry you have had such a hard time. Your message resonates with me because I'm not a new nurse job seeker, but I have been a job seeker in research for the past 6 months and I lost all hope, like yourself, about at the month 3 and 4 mark. It was awful and really hard to not cry around my kids and to not feel like a bona fide loser. But the other posters are right- - don't give up. I eventually told myself that it wasn't me (I never had a hard time in the past) and left it out of my hands because at the end of the day it really wasn't something I could control. Things financially couldn't get much worse but I had to be thankful for the things in life I did have, like my family, my health, etc. Yeah I pretty much gave up. Then last week got a short contract offer.

Being that you're in NJ, I agree that you should look elsewhere. You sound really qualified on paper and from what I read on allnurses, some areas are either saturated with new grads and/or not opening their doors to too many new nurses through their new nurse training programs.

I wish you all the luck and, again, don't give up! Wake up knowing you were meant to be a nurse and that the right opportunity is out there and WILL come along in due time.

mah09 · Jul 14, 2009

WAIT IT OUT OR RELOCATE?

hello, I'm a graduate nurse having the same problem, except I haven't even had an interview. I have a BSN from an excellent program with honors, excellent references, ACLS, BLS, etc. I'm in Philly, so I've been applying in NJ and southeastern PA - every job wants experienced nurses only. There are tons of jobs for nurse managers! But nothing for new grads. I know it's the market here, not me. I've even applied to volunteer, and nothing yet!

My concern is how long do I wait it out, or should I relocate? Relocation would be very difficult - I would have to move away from my long time sig other and his children (basically leave my family).

I've also looked at the military, but I'm honestly scared of being sent to the middle east or elsewhere.

NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN · Jul 14, 2009

I agree with the other poster that said maybe you have to start out somewhere other than a hospital such as long-term care, methadone clinics, dr. office, hospice, and etc. Good luck with your search and I hope you find something soon.