need advice

catmom1, BSN, RN · Mar 9, 2013

Check the box for "yes" so you are honest but do not give any details. Simply say "will discuss at interview." You want to avoid getting shot down before you can get in front of the hiring manager to make a good impression.

Good luck & let us know how you are doing as you look for a job.

Catmom :paw:

jwmwinter, ASN, RN · Mar 9, 2013

I completely agree with catmom1. You want to be completely honest on your application. You could also state that there were extenuating circumstances and that they need to be explained in person.

carrimarie1010 · Mar 9, 2013

I didn't fill out the applications. I sent a résumé in with a cover letter. In my case I am on probation with no restrictions. In my cover letter I stated that but didn't go into specifics. I did have in there that I would be happy to discuss it at length. That way I didn't waste my time and theirs if they had a problem with probation. So I knew if they called me for an interview they were fully aware then that's when they would ask me to fill out an application. But still..like the above posts I checked "yes" but put "would like to discuss" in the spot that asked me to explain it. Good luck and keep us posted!

bebbercorn · Mar 10, 2013

I think always putting emphasis on the positive is what they are looking for. I know a hiring manager who hired a girl who had on her resume that she was convicted of smoking pot. She was honest about it, took ownership, addressed the steps that needed to be addressed (like you did, it sounds like!) and showed how she had made positive steps. Best of luck to you!

Geslina, BSN, RN · Mar 10, 2013

I firmly believe that things like this, as long as you have addressed them and "paid the dues", should not be held against you. Hard enough to go thru it, but then to have to spend the rest of your career explaining it, ugh! Torture! And especially today, when competition for jobs is so high. BEST of LUCK to you!!!!

sissiesmama, ASN, RN · Mar 11, 2013

I am SO glad that I was able to find a NM willing to take a chance on me back in 1999. I don't even want to think about where I would be otherwise. I was one of the nurses that diverted at work. Not proud of that fact, but proud that I will be celebrating another year of recovery August 15th - 14 years of proving myself, I guess, that I was worthy of a second chance. Thanks, catmom!!

Anne, RNC

Umberlee · Mar 11, 2013

I just submitted an application to a place that turned me down a couple years ago and I'm sort of on pins and needles about it. When I submitted my application previously I just spewed all my info down on the application because, well, it asked. I had more discretion this time and more time has passed since I was fired, so I'm really hoping that I'll at least get a call back for an interview this time. Ugh.

I applied at a realllly teeny place just a couple weeks ago that I KNOW is friendly to nurses in recovery and instead of putting any details of my transgressions down I simply said that I would prefer to discuss during my interview, and they did not call me back.

I'm honestly thinking about just lying further on down the line...you know, 5-10 years from now when I have to answer "have you ever been fired" do I REALLY still need to dredge this lurid story up? They're surely not going to keep checking that far back, are they? I know I'd run risk of being fired if they found out I lied, but hell, I'd almost rather take those odds than having to deal with the awful "telling of the story of my addiction" AGAIN.