I need a J.O.B

[WinksRN]

How long should it take for a Hospital to call you back?

I always state on my resume that I will call in a week to check my status, well, it hasnt been quite a week yet, so I'm just impatient I guess, but I really dont want to have to resort to giving in to an agency, I know they will only want to send me to hospitals, and I have no experience there, I was a LPN for 7 years in LTC, and I made a pack with myself I would never step foot in one again, not because of the patients, I love the elderly but the management of some of those places could or should do community service for some of the pranks they pull on the employees as well as the patients. So, I thank God every day I have compassionate parents who allow me to live with them without me being a headache and vice versa, but I really want to hurry and get my work on so I can get out of their hair and give them their space back.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Personally, I'd make a follow-up phone call to personnel. During my own "waiting it out" period before getting hired, I had to do this dance of "do I call them NOW, do I wait one more day....or should they call me?".

Bottom line is, CALLING or even showing up at the office is much better than waiting to see IF they remember you :)

[MALE*RN*777]

Give them a call, it can't hurt. There may be a good reason for the wait such as checking if you are who you say you are with the nursing board, availability of the staff interviewing, collections of applications so to do them all in one day or two. The list could go on and on. It always happens to me that if I put in 3 apps. and they all call me back at the same time then I have to make that decision of who to go with...

[WinksRN]

thanks for the information, I'll be calling them today and will try to be persistent without being a pain.

[CarVsTree]

Did you apply online or via snail mail? If online is available, that is usually a much faster process.

[deb123]

I am looking for my first job and was wondering about letting them know I would contact them in one week. I feel strange to actually write that. Is it standard? I also don't know how to request an interview. It seems the interview is more of an invitation from them rather than something I can request. I read somewhere on this web site about requesting an interview or telling them wyou will contact them next week, but I am not sure which to do.

[kiszi, RN]

The statement that you will call back in one or two weeks should be on your cover letter, not your resume. It doesn't hurt to let them know that you are available for an interview, either. I think it shows enthusiasm and interest in working for them. The end of my cover letter reads like this:

============================

My résumé is enclosed. You can expect a telephone call from me within the next two weeks to discuss scheduling an interview. Should you wish to contact me, my telephone number is (***)***-**** and I am available to meet with you at your earliest convenience.

=============================

That said, I didn't even use a cover letter when applying for my current job, because I applied in person and wasn't sure if it was needed. I didn't know who to address it to anyway. I asked to speak with someone about my application when I dropped it off, and was somewhat briskly brushed off by the receptionist, who said that the hiring manager was busy and that someone would call me.

I decided I wasn't even really interested in working there......after all, it wasn't even on my original list of facilities. I had only stopped by there really as an afterthought.

Well, I received a call THE SAME DAY from the hiring manager, who was very pleasant on the phone and scheduled an interview for the following week. I almost didn't go to that interview. I had just come from a very promising interview at another facility, which I fully expected to call and offer me a job. I went anyway, somewhat reluctantly, because I didn't want to be rude by not showing up.

Sooo... by the end of the interview I was actually getting a really good feeling about the place, despite my earlier first impression. (I later found out that the receptionist is just like that.) She offered me a job on the spot, and after I went home and thought about it for a couple hours, I called back and accepted. Guess what? That other facility never called me back.

Moral of the story? The first thing that comes along may not be the best fit. AND the best fit may not be the job you expect. I tried unsuccessfully to get a hospital job--tough if you're an LPN like me--and "settled" for LTC. I've been here almost two months and lOVE it! I can't imagine working in a hospital now!!

Sorry if I got off on a bit of a tangent.

When I do call a facility I've applied to (I like to wait about 2 weeks) I just ask for the HR dept. and say, "hello, my name is *****, and I'm an LPN. I'm just calling to check on the status of my application." It sounds professional, and it isn't too demanding.

good luck in the job search!

k