Need help for getting a job

kelll · Nov 23, 2011

Have you tried nursing homes?

ms_charm · Nov 23, 2011

How do you go through the process for nursing homes.....do I need to go personally to them. I am all new over here...btw thanks kelll

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Nov 23, 2011

I don't know why anyone thinks nursing homes will hire someone with no experience. We have clinically complex patients with far less support staff. I've hired new grads but usually only one every six months or so.

Go in person to every facility near your home. Dress professionally and bring a copy of your resume', license, and any other certifications you have.

ms_charm · Nov 23, 2011

thanks a lot for the advice...

carolmaccas66, BSN, RN · Nov 23, 2011

I'm not in the US, but what about trying the nursing agencies near you?

Tankweti · Nov 23, 2011

Agencies will not hire you unless you have a minimum of one year experience. I graduated with someone who had a 4.0 and she tried to apply for travel nursing and was told to come back in a year when she had experience. With agencies, you are usually entering situations where they are badly understaffed and already in trouble personnel-wise and so the nurse needs to know what she is doing off the top because the facility is paying the agency big bucks for her and they expect to get their money's worth, not to have to train.

Munch · Nov 23, 2011

I have only worked in a hospital setting so excuse my ignorance but have you tried clinics, urgent care centers or doctors offices?

DennRN · Nov 23, 2011

I don't know why anyone thinks nursing homes will hire someone with no experience. We have clinically complex patients with far less support staff. I've hired new grads but usually only one every six months or so.
Go in person to every facility near your home. Dress professionally and bring a copy of your resume', license, and any other certifications you have.

I don't want to give the impression that I look down on your work, I have the utmost respect for nursing home nurses, however the reality of the situation is that nursing homes are less attractive to many nurses because of the high patient to nurse ratio, I have many friends currently working with 30-40 patients per shift. I find this very scary as do many other nurses, thus making it more likely for nursing care facilities to have positions available for people who absolutely need a job.

As a post recession new grad, I spent months looking for a job in the hospitals I was familiar with, then the ones I had heard of, then trying to google every one in a two hour radius. Not so much as a call back in 5 months, meanwhile I walked into just one local nursing home, filled out an app, was interviewed the next day and was offered a job on the spot if I could work full time. I only wanted part-time/per diem because I planned to continue looking for work in a hospital and planned on working at both.

I was up front with them and they told me to keep them in mind if my situation changed. I was also told by friends that their mangers would schedule a interview if I submitted an application at 3 other facilities. So in my experience nursing homes in my area are very receptive to hiring new grads. After careful consideration I decided to hold out for a hospital job and a month later finally got one.

To the writer of the original post, nursing homes vary in how they hire, some use electronic forms via their website, others rely on paper applications. I would prepare for each interview by considering what you have to offer their facility, and providing concrete examples based upon projects, clinicals, volunteer work, and previous jobs. Come ready to answer questions about why you chose to apply to their facility, what you think about nursing homes, and questions about how you cope with difficult situations/people. If you have a portfolio bring that along with your credentials, several copies of your resume, and bring some business cards if you have any. Greet everyone you come in contact with a smile and a warm hello, when getting/submitting your application if it is a paper copy, and again when going into the interview.

Having worked in many different fields and never walking out of an interview without a job offer, I can tell you that in order to stand out you need to show curiosity and eagerness to learn about all the "great" things about the company by asking questions about how many people they have on staff, how many have been there long term, what their company values are, stuff like that. Basically they are already showing their hand that they need someone by interviewing you, by slowly and carefully (NOT OBVIOUSLY) turning the tables and interviewing them back you are framing their mindset back to how desperately they need to find a good person to fill that position. If you can demonstrate that you are the kind of person they are looking for, they are way more likely to look past your inexperience and offer you a job before someone else does. Also look at the interview itself as a learning experience. I have honed my interview skills by always asking if they have any advice for me on my interview skills. If you time it right, it reinforces that you are valuable, constantly seeking to improve, and will land a job somewhere else if they don't snatch you up.

While the preceding advice may seem manipulative and may not work 100% for you as an individual, I urge you to consider my approach, and then start thinking about what your own style is and structure your all answers and questions around highlighting all the great things about yourself.

Good luck!

ms_charm · Nov 23, 2011

thanks a lot...for ur advice DennRN....reading ur comment, I felt so encouraged, & I am really going to incorporate your advice in my job search...thanks a lot everybody for all your encouraging comments.....such surely post when there are new developments

ms_charm · Nov 23, 2011

I do have one more question...is it advisable to do the refresher courses offered by some institutes......I mean are the courses really useful to develop skills or a waste of money?

kelll · Nov 25, 2011

Where I am from I have not seen anyone need to take a refresher class unless they have been out for over a year or two from direct nursing care...even then I am not sure how much it helped. How long have you been out of school/work?