New grad LPN! No Experience, No hire

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Hello everyone

I just want to vent a little, I live in NJ and, I just graduated in April and Just passed the PN NCLEX at the end of June so I can say I am a new LPN Nurse, When I signed up for the program at my school they told us we wouldn't have any problem finding work, which is probably true for some that already have patient care skills, and those that don't have any patient care skills would have a very hard time getting hired as a new grad nurse. Being that I didn't know what a lot of perspective employers would look for in LPNs is 1-2 years' experience or some require you to have some certifications under your belt just to land a job. I sent out loads of applications all over, walked in and filled out applications, went to open job fairs that some of these places had, applied to assisted livings, nursing homes, adult day cares and even some agencies but we all know they want you to have at least 1-year of working experience to work with them because they don't have the time to train you. Out of all the job hunts I been to 3 interviews and one was from the open interviews which I was told straight up that they are looking for someone that already had a job and want to make money on the side and what I need was a full time position to gain some skills, and after finding work and working for 4 months come back and see her they will hire me ,when she told me that I dame near cried right then and there, like hey I'm here because I'm looking for work to gain experience and the other was at an adult daycare but they was looking for someone who spoke Spanish or Hindi and the other one was the job fair she said she would love to hire a new grad but it isn't up to her, and today I get an email saying they went with someone else. It sometimes hurts more knowing that some of my classmates that took the nclex around when I did all have jobs and here I am still jobless, I even started thinking O.K. what is it that they did right that I'm not and the answer I came up with is that all of them were CNAs. I ramped up my resume and all, but once you say new grad lpn they say nope I'm not chancing it. The rejection is like a slap in the face real hard... I'm not saying I am giving up looking for work but it's like where do I turn? I asked for help from the school I went to and no results basically. Sometimes I feel like I wasted my time

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Have you thought about volunteering in a related area? I volunteered both in hospice as well as with a mobile mental health crisis team during my schooling and shortly after graduation. The experience not only looks good on a resume, but also shows initiative and gives you something really positive to talk about during interviews.

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your advice sounds really good to me, I will look into that, that would help me out alot with experience..

thank you so much Werebadger, LPN

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Good luck and please keep us updated!

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You may have to take a part time position. Believe me it may lead to full time hours and then a full time position. It builds experience which is what they are seeking! I was hired for part time while on orientation a full time position became available and I was offered that position.

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Maybe try and apply for some PRN positions. A lot of times you can get full time hours working PRN if you're willing to work any shift.

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You may have to take a part time position. Believe me it may lead to full time hours and then a full time position. It builds experience which is what they are seeking! I was hired for part time while on orientation a full time position became available and I was offered that position.

Agreed, I started part-time at my current job and as soon as more hours were available they were offered to me.

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