New grad getting frustrated looking for a job in phoenix, az!!

casnee · Aug 31, 2011

I'm in a situation like yours, I moved to the LA area to be with my boyfriend (we had been in a long distance relationship while we were both in school) and we were set on FINALLY being together once we graduated. We're together, but I'm jobless. I too, graduated in May 2011 and it seems like all of my classmates are getting jobs. It really is about who you know, especially here in LA, where the job outlook for new grads is grim (and I know no one). Minot, ND keeps looking better and better.

JQ'sChick · Oct 25, 2011

It can be hard landing a hospital job for new grads. In my area the hospitals were no longer hiring lpns period, so I had to take a job at a long term care facility. You don't get the IV experience that you do at a hospital but you do get a lot of other experience at a ltc facility. Some experience is better than no experience when you are in the job market. Unfortunately as new grads we can't be too picky as to where we get our first job. Good luck in your search.

KatsieRN · Oct 25, 2011

For a moment I thought I had written a post without realizing it! I graduated in may 2011 and moved to Phoenix to live with my bf (long distance for over a year) and thought it would be "easier" to find a job in Phoenix than my native SF bay area.

Do you have any contacts in Phoenix? Do you know any nurses that live here or anyone at all? I didn't know a soul in Phoenix but my boyfriend started to network through his coworkers for me. Turns out, one of his pilot coworkers is married to a nurse and she had 2 other friends that would meet with me! I put aside my pride and called these random women who I have never met and asked them out to coffee. 2 of the nurses work at Mayo Clinic ( where I did my preceptorship) and gave me bit more advice. I got an interview with Mayo and these two nurses liked me so much that they emailed the interviewer a few days before to give me a good word. I am not sure if it helped (still 2 weeks to hear back) but the interviewer mentioned that she felt like she knew me already.

I am sure that Phoenix is the same as any major city - it is about WHO you know ( which is terrible to hear when you don't know anyone).

I have applied for hundreds of jobs online and never heard anything through them. Through contacts I have had 3 job interviews with 2 job offers and 1 pending.

I think it will be extremely hard to find a job when not in the city so if you are gung-ho about moving here be prepared to volunteer and maybe pick up a job to have some cash flow while you job search.

Look at psych facilities, LTC, rehab and get your butt into the HR and ask if you can volunteer since you would like to work at that hospital.

Its tough out there - I interviewed and got a verbal offer for a job back in JULY and just yesterday got the paperwork with a start date in November. Be persistent and politely aggressive and meet as many nurses as you can.