Looking for advice, suggestions, words of wisdom...

[NurseQT]

I have been unemployed now for a little over two months and have been searching for a new job almost daily this entire time. There are two major hospitals in my area, one of which is part of the Mayo Health System. A position opened up at the Mayo hospital in the family birth center, to which I applied for the day after it was posted. I have a friend who works as an LPN on the unit and after she told me what she does I realized that this would be my dream job! Everything about it sounds perfect and I want it so bad that I can't think about anything else!! Here's the problem, I have applied to this hospital multiple times before and have never even gotten an interview!! I have 11 years nursing experience, have a great work history (five years at each of my last two jobs), and awesome references (including a Mayo practitioner!). When I spoke with my friend this past Tuesday she said she would talk to her unit manager and refer me for the position the next day, which was yesterday.. I haven't talked to her again so I haven't gotten any kind of update from her yet. I have gone over it again and again in my head as to why I have never even been selected for an interview and the only possible explanation that I can come up with is: on the application it asks if you have ever been convicted of a crime and I answered yes... The kicker is that I totally messed up and put down that I have three misdemeanor for domestic disturbance, except I don't! I have one misdemeanor disorderly conduct from 2004, the other two were not misdemeanors they were non-criminal violations and legally don't have to be disclosed. I can find no other Reason that I am never considered for a position. In my state it is against the law for an employer to require an applicant to disclose any convictions unless they are substantially related to the position applied for and the employer cannot exclude an applicant for that same reason. I don't know what to do! I'm wondering if I should call and speak with the hiring manager and ask what is wrong with my résumé and if there is anything I can do to be considered for this position. Or try to explain my screw up regarding the convictions.. I would love any advice or words of wisdom... I could just cry over this... Sorry this got so long...

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

It's a sign of the times. To be perfectly blunt, the nursing job market is sluggish in many geographic areas across the US. The number of nurses applying for jobs severely outpaces the number of available jobs, so managers have their pick of the crop when it comes to interviewing and hiring candidates.

If 100 nurses are applying for the job opening that interests you, and 80 of these applicants have no criminal record, HR has no reason to pursue the remaining 20 nurses who disclose previous arrests and/or convictions.

Even if the law in your state indicates an employer cannot exclude an applicant for having a criminal background, you can be excluded for some other reason.

You have nothing to lose at this point, so I would perhaps attempt to communicate with the manager via email, letter or a less invasive technique. Good luck to you!

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

Lpn positions are scarce in the hospitals to say the least. I would call and ask to have a meeting with the manager regarding what you need to do to work on her unit.

When meeting with her, tell her that you have applied. Tell her that you disclosed information regarding your distant past that did not impede on your ability to obtain a nursing license, however, you felt important to be up front about.

If the violation happend and was dismissed, then you can talk to your local probation office about how one goes about having a "no adult convictions" put on their record. If it was not dismissed, then in fact it could be an issue. Usually, any conduct or abuse convictions are looked at closely. Assuming that all of these issues happend almost 10 years ago, when you were young and used less than great judgement then, focus on what you are doing NOW.

Even if the job doesn't work out for you now, if the manager says "we will not consider you" at least you will know that. Then I would look at other avenues as far as perhaps home health, hospice, school nursing. But get your record straightend out if you can.

Best of luck

[T-Bird78]

There's a huge healthcare system near me, four hospitals and 300 physician offices, and I've been trying to get on for years. The bad thing about these huge systems is their automated online application process. I had an office manager tell me I had the qualifications she was looking for and to submit my resume online and she'd have HR look out for it. However, if you don't answer their customer service survey correctly they won't even pull your resume for further review. I applied to a subspecialty in which I had 6 years experience and got the generic "you do not meet the minimum requirements for this position" email. A person doesn't actually read your resumes, your profile has to get past the computerized screening process, resume scanned for keywords, then HR will read it, then call the specific manager to review it for a possible interview. It's near-impossible. Good luck and hang in there!

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

You are confused regarding your legal record. You have already entered the wrong information on your application. Highly doubtful the Mayo will allow you to change that information. The Mayo is a stickler for details, you already messed up .

Talk to a lawyer get clarification on what you need to put on applications, see if you can get the 2004 conviction expunged from your record. ( you may even be able to do that yourself)

Good luck,

[NurseQT]

I'm not confused about my legal record. I was convicted of disorderly conduct in 2004. I disclosed that on the app as well as the two non-criminal forfeitures. None of which has ever had any effect on my nursing license or being interviewed for and hired for nursing positions. My friend has been talking with the unit manager and she had me email her a copy of resume that she is going to hand deliver to the manager. I called and spoke with the hiring manager last week and she said they wouldn't be setting up interviews until this coming week at the earliest.. So it's been a waiting game since last week for me..