3 Interviews then no call?

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Feb 11, 2011

i know your frustration and think you are doing the right thing by continuing to look for a job. out of curiosity, is this a small facility or a hospital? i know it sounds unprofessional, but big hospitals usually have hr perform contacts regarding hiring post interviews. as for the small facilities, many times they may not call to tell you either way, which i agree is rude!!! good luck.

gentlegiver, ASN, LPN, RN · Feb 11, 2011

Actually it was with a small company that trains Dr's & Staff how to input data into thier computer systems to comply with Federal Programs. I was hoping to get away from Nursing for a while, my last position just burnt me out. But I've been out of work for 3 months and will have to go back to Nursing in order to pay bills. But I am going to take either a part time or Per Diem job, I'm not quite ready to go back full time.

katkonk, BSN, RN · Feb 11, 2011

Actually it was with a small company that trains Dr's & Staff how to input data into thier computer systems to comply with Federal Programs. I was hoping to get away from Nursing for a while, my last position just burnt me out. But I've been out of work for 3 months and will have to go back to Nursing in order to pay bills. But I am going to take either a part time or Per Diem job, I'm not quite ready to go back full time.

I would consider it a done deal, since they have not called you back, in spite of a voice mail you left. Move on. May I suggest a case management job, since you are burnt out on direct care? Case management is always looking for experienced clinical nurses, and it gets you away and working independently for a while. Not a bad life until you decide you want to do something else. Some nurses stay in it, once in, and enjoy the relative autonomy and usually M-F hours.

Ahhphoey · Feb 12, 2011

I wouldn't keep my hopes up at this point, but let me share this with you. I interviewed for two different jobs last January (2010); one in education (that I had actually applied for a month before I got the call) and one as a transplant coordinator. The education interview was basically four hours of meeting with several groups of people that I would work with and then finally the hiring director for the position. I was told they had a few other applicants, but I would be notified in 1 week. On the other hand, I had a great interview for the transplant coord. job and had even shadowed in the department for a day. Again, they had other applicants, but would let me know.

Well, I heard back a ney for the transplant coord job 3 weeks later. I was offered the education job in early March (over 4 weeks later) and didn't start until the end of April! And I was an internal candidate. So, although it is safe to keep looking, you never know...you may get a surprise. Good luck either way.

(Oh, and by the way, I did not get such positive reinforcement in the educator interview. The interviewers all had their poker faces on and I didn't get any good vibes from any of them like you did with your interview.)

missfreda · Feb 13, 2011

Wow! I hope things get better for everyone that's having a hard time with getting hired. I have only had positive results when applying for work. I encourage all of you to keep moving forward. I was an LVN for 5 years... I passed the RN boards 2 days BEFORE I walked the stage for graduation in May 2010. I had a job one month later in a hospital on med-surg unit. I worked six months, resigned via e-mail, took a vacation and started re-applying after New Years. I have had an interview every week and was offered jobs at each (turned down 3) .. These are all hospital jobs ! I had interviews with unit managers and they told me they LIKED me on the spot, immediately pull some nurses from the floor for a peer interview... by the time I got home I had a phone call and an offer. I've been "juggling" offers and actually completed a health screen for one... got another job offer... :uhoh3: This job?... a recruiter called, I had a peer interview.. never met the unit manager... and got the job. :yeah: (this one I really wanted!) I had applied for several positions at this hospital and didn't know which one she was needing me for. It is 6 miles from my home, better nurse:patient ratio, brand new hospital opened in 2009, good pay ! I work agency in between jobs... i keep my LVN license current even though I'm an RN now. I am hoping to do travel nursing in the next couple of years after getting more RN experience.. I have my associates not BSN. With so many nurses having a difficult time finding work... i feel blessed and thank God everyday. I would encourage you all to keep trying, I posted resumes on hospital webs, craigslist, newspapers, careerbuilder, hot jobs, monster etc. when I started my job search. They interview me.... I interview them.. i ask them questions about nurse teamwork, how long they had their jobs, turnover rates, how long they stay over after end of shift and whatever else i can think of. I wanna make sure I want to work with them too. :nurse: I have had much success and wish you all the best. Don't give up! I was a new grad once too! ( I'm still getting calls for jobs.. just checked messages and found another one who saw my resume) God Bless yall !

carolmaccas66, BSN, RN · Feb 13, 2011

Call all these institutions back, and ask for the interviewer to be paged. That way, you can speak to them directly then you will know where you stand. Also mention that you have had other job offers, and you REALLY need to know what is happening. You should get some reply then.

Better to be up front and know what's going on, than to lie awake at night, and stew over the fact that you may or may not have a job.

This is my approach anyway, and it works so give it a try.

eriksoln, BSN, RN · Feb 13, 2011

This is more of a vent than anything else. I had applied for a position, first interview was a phone interview, it went very well and the interviewer was very excited and said I had exactly what she was looking for. Got a call back for an inhouse interview, it went very well too. I did my homework on the company, had some very good questions for them and was able to answer thier questions w/o problems. The interviewer told me the 1st interviewer was very impressed by me and so was he. I then got a call back for a third interview, this interviewer (happened to be the phone interviewer) asked a couple questions and told me how impressed both she & the 2nd interviewer was with me. She said they would make thier decision in a week and would contact me to let me know either way. It's been three weeks, no call back. I called to see if I could find anything out and was sent to a voice mail, still no call back. I guess it's safe to say I didn't get the job. But would it be so hard to call and let me know? She told me they had 2 people for the final interview, me and 1 other, so it's not like they had to call hundreds of people. At least I was smart enough not to stop looking for work, I do have a couple more interviews set up. But it drives me crazy when they say they will let you know either way, then don't.

I remember a very similar topic a long time ago, before finding work was such a challenge (so, see, it went on before too). I'll say the same thing I said then, it still applies:

HR people conducting interviews are expected to interview "X" number of applicants for each position. The "how" and "why" of that fact is of no consequence, the part that matters to us as nurses is this:

Often, we are brought in just to put another notch on the "interviewed" list. Once you are out the door, they forget us, regardless of how well things went. I've heard a lot of people (friends, neighbors etc) talk about how great an interview went and how surprised they were not to get the position. Truth is, often, when we go in for an interview, the position is already filled. They are just meeting their quota and doing interviews, but not really considering anyone, they have their person to be hired picked already.

Its a sad reality we have to face while job seeking. Very annoying to be on the other end of I'm sure. Don't let it get you down though. If nothing else, this info. helps in that we should know not to take every interview that does not lead to a job to heart.

netglow, ASN, RN · Feb 13, 2011

Yeah had one of those. I could tell though. Once I figured out that this might be the case/or they were going to be just too stupid for me to work for... I just didn't want to put any effort at all in the interview. So, when they asked me if I had any questions, I just calmly put my sheet of questions back in my porfolio and said, "No, I think you covered it all." I was ****** to have driven out there all that way. Once I decide I'm done, I will find a way to stop the insanity -- just like a bad first date... excuse oneself to the bathroom never to return... Naw, just kidding!! But I did cause it to end much sooner, why waste my time?!

gentlegiver, ASN, LPN, RN · Feb 13, 2011

Thank You all, I was wondering if it was me or them. I'm kinda glad to know that this is not uncommon, so I know it wasn't me. I have had a couple more interviews, 1 said I basically have the job, but, due to company policy she can't really offer it to me until they get my CORI results back. (no problems there). I'll find out next week.

JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP · Feb 13, 2011

I think it's wrong and unprofessional not to get back to you after an interview and let you know that they gave the job to someone else... but apparently new grads are expendable and just have to suck it up and put up with all sorts of discourteous and unprofessional behavior.

eriksoln, BSN, RN · Feb 13, 2011

I think it's wrong and unprofessional not to get back to you after an interview and let you know that they gave the job to someone else... but apparently new grads are expendable and just have to suck it up and put up with all sorts of discourteous and unprofessional behavior.

Vet. nurses get it too. The economy went south on us all while I was travel nursing. I quickly started putting out app's and resumes to hospitals in my home town and prepared to go back to staff nursing. My contract ended and I came back to PA. Did a total of 5 interviews, got offered positions at 3 places.

The one place that seemed most into hiring me...........the one that had the longest interview...........did not.

Then.......one of the places of the orig. 5 that I decided for myself I was not interested in.........called me THREE MONTHS AFTER THE INTERVIEW to tell me "We don't think its a good time for us to place you in the ICU at this time. But, we wanted to call and congratulate you on your new position on the M/S unit as night charge nurse." I stopped for awhile and thought to myself "How'd they know I was working nights..........but its on a pulmonary unit, not M/S, and I don't do charge nurse there". Do be, do be do.......a long awkward pause and......................THEY WERE GIVING ME A POSITION OTHER THAN THE ONE I INTERVIEWED FOR. Took me forever to realize what she was saying was congrats on my new position with them..........eh. Then she acted very indigent when I told her I was already working. STARTED TO SCOLD ME FOR NOT CALLING THEM AND TELLING THEM:eek::nuke: Now there is some holier than thow HR right there.

Anyway, no, its not just GNs. Every nurse is being made to feel like they are expendable right now.