New grads over 30, are you having trouble getting interviews?

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Hey everyone!

I graduated in May 2009 and have not been able to secure a job yet. I have an ADN degree with a Bachelor's of Science in Marketing and a Master's in Traditional Oriental Medicine. I have ten years of experience diagnosing and treating patients as a licensed acupuncturist and have worked in several clinical environments with doctors and therapists in addition to alternative medicine practitioners. I am in my late thirties and have seen all of my colleagues from nursing school who are under 25 being hired without any patient care or life experience.

Is anyone else noticing this trend? I thought my diverse experience and age would be an asset. In school, we are always taught that nurses should be assertive, culturally competent and be able to apply critical thinking. These are skills that improve with age and practice. I believed spending 20+ years in customer service and medicine would give me an edge, but it seems to be a liability.

The other older graduates from my program were equally surprised to find that the local hospital where we attended clinicals seemed to prefer younger graduates.

Is anyone else having this problem?

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I just graduated and can't get an interview to save my life...i have loads of clinical experience, 6 years prior to nursing school. Most of my classmates have jobs and I am ready to go postal. I don't think it's age, just bad luck perhaps...

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I'm 29 and I was able to land few a interviews but it took me months so I dont think the problem is an age factor but just this terrible economy,anyway once I started applying out of state things started to change drastically even though I always put my true age on the resume...I started to have a lot of phone interviews (more than when I was looking in my original state) and I'm almost hired (they are still checking my reference and once I'm clear on that I will be hired) and I also have another phone interview coming up next week. Trust me it is not your age it is probably your damn (excuse my language)state,dont be afraid to look across the country,GL!

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Thanks for the replies. I did not mention it on the original post, but I have applied in CA (my home state), OR, WA, TX, IL, PA, AZ, NY, NJ, GA, NM, FL, SC and I'm sure a few more. But I will keep searching. It was just a trend in my local program and I was wondering if anyone else had noticed it. Some veteran nurses I spoke with mentioned the "nurses eating their young" problem and told me that managers prefer to hire those that seem easily manipulated. I find this very hard to believe. And if it is true, we need to do something about the leadership in nursing.

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

That may be your problem Freeflow chi........ hiring managers may see that you are no newbie and know what should be and do not want you because of that.

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CrunchRN, any solutions? I appreciate any assistance you could give.

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Specializes in Chiropractic assistant, CNA in LTC, RN.

I'm almost 46 and getting ready to start applying. I would think life experience would count for something and my past experience in healthcare (drs' office and CNA). My age didn't hinder me from getting hired as a CNA a few years though. I think it is really the crappy economy more than age.

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I am 52 and had trouble getting an interview. The first interview that I had, I got the job. I was an LPN for 3 yrs, have a BA in another field, worked in corporate law and real estate for many years. I am trying to stay under the radar while on orientation, don't want anyone to know that I have well developed critical thinking skills LOL.

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i am 25 years old and i am also a new grad and i can't not get a job to save my life. i don't think age has anything to do with it in my opinion maybe it's the economy and for me i think its experience. just don't give up and you just have to keep trying and not make excuses sometimes i want to give up but thinking about all the things i went through in nursing school and it makes me not give up. i know things will turn up soon once the economy picks up and just keep applying for different jobs and be positive. good luck!

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i am 25 years old and i am also a new grad and i can't not get a job to save my life. i don't think age has anything to do with it in my opinion maybe it's the economy and for me i think its experience. just don't give up and you just have to keep trying and not make excuses sometimes i want to give up but thinking about all the things i went through in nursing school and it makes me not give up. i know things will turn up soon once the economy picks up and just keep applying for different jobs and be positive. good luck!

thanks for your support. i am not making excuses so much as trying to change my strategy if at all possible. it might be that i look outside of the acute care system for jobs. it also does not follow that my local hospital very quickly hired all grads under 25. it is only us older folks that had trouble even securing an interview. it may be a local situation. that's why i posted this. i am wondering if any other older students have noticed anything similar. oh, and i have since moved! ;0)

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Although I wasn't in healthcare, I used to work as an HR recruiter. Try taking the Master's in Oriental Medicine off your resume and see if you have better luck. Sometimes a masters degree will get your resume trashed for being "overqualified" and in nursing, it's possible that the hiring manager looks at "oriental medicine" and thinks that it's strange or too new-agey for the hospital.

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Plenty of middle-aged students in my class have gotten job offers, so I don't think age has anything to do with it. I don't consider myself old, either, and I am the same age as you. If I were 55+ and not having any luck I may read into the age thing more. I would try and get some face time with the local hospital nurse recruiters and start approaching unit managers if you are able. In this economy we need to do much more than sit in front of the computer firing off online applications. You really need to find a way to get noticed by the people who actually do the hiring, or can get you in for interviews :). Good luck!

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