New grad desperation: What should i do to get a job???

smartnurse1982 · Dec 21, 2009

Yuo can try home health peds. try loving care agency. go to http://www.lovingcareagency.com, fill out an application and they will call you from there. you do 8 hour shifts or 12 hour shifts in a clients home. clients are usually children with gtubes , trachs, and vents. they are on point with training so u will be comfy with those types of cases. good luck

keakea · Dec 22, 2009

thank you, i check!! that's very nice of u!! and i let u know what happens!!

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Dec 22, 2009

keakea, have you been flexible about what shift you'll take? Often, nursing homes are desperate for nurses on nights.

Good luck!

keakea · Dec 22, 2009

I am actually looking for a night shift but it is weird, I cannot find anything. When I fill my application, I check all the available shifts, i am not in a position of choosing, i just want a job

barlowjb · Dec 22, 2009

Try to contact someone directly instead of "To whom it may concern" in human resources, that's what i did and it worked.

I wanted to get into a nurse residency program, so i contacted the program coordinator of the program at the hospital i wanted to work. she then forwarded my email to someone in human resources.

My next strategy was that every time I applied electronically for a position, i would email the HR lady and let her know that i applied for such and such a position.

I was turned down three times in one week via an electronic response until finally the HR lady sent me an email which described to me the best type of position I should be searching for as a new grad ( at least a .6 and one that does not specify experience). two days after her email, I saw two potential positions and applied for both of them. A few days later I got an invitation to come in for an interview. The rest is history.

Also my job is 45 minutes from where I live and its only part time - for now, but there are lots of opportunities to increase my hours if I so desire. You have kids so I don't know how that would work, but if you are willing to take on something part time and or travel a little distance from home to work, you may widen your options

Best Wishes

keakea · Dec 23, 2009

thanks for your reply, I will definitely try, as long as i have a job i don't mind traveling. Congrats on the job!!If you don't mind are you in the NJ/NY areas? i can't believe u find a job in a hospital, congrats again!!

barlowjb · Dec 23, 2009

Thanks

I'm actually in Wisconsin, but I lived in NY up until 2004 and worked at the NYU medical center for a number of years - I have always used unconventional methods to get jobs. With so many new nurses out there trying to get jobs, you are like a needle in a haystack so you have to think outside the box sometimes and take what you can get until you can get what you want.

A similar situation happened to my cousin in Philadelphia - she got her LPN license and could not get a job for months. Everywhere she went they kept on telling her they cant hire her without experience. Finally she ventured out 1 hour from where she lived and she got a job. Now over a year later she finally got the job she wanted a few minutes from where she lives.

Additionally, approach your job hunt as if it were a job within itself - if you are not currently working, search every single day and even if you feel frustrated keep on doing it until you get a job.

Prepare yourself, hair, clothes, everything so if someone says can you come in for an interview today you can tell them yes.

keakea · Dec 23, 2009

yes that's so true, we definitely have to be unconventional, thank you for your advice though, i just get so frustrated at times but I'll keep going, thanks