No experience.....no job, no job.....no experience!!!

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:yawn: I am so tired of the same story over and over again! I am currently waiting to hear if I got accepted to nursing school for Spring 2012. However, a year ago, I got my CNA certification, EKG, PCT, and Phlebotomy certification, hoping that I would be able to get a job in a hospital to get some experience. I have submitted soooo many applications I've lost count. I was actively searching for jobs for about 6 months and stopped because school got demanding and I wanted to focus on doing well. Now that I have finished all my prerequisites, I have been actively trying to find a job since June. I have had a couple of phone interviews, but the same issue always comes up. I have no direct patient care experience. But wait....there's more. How am I going to get experience when no one will give me a chance. Even the LTC facilities in my area want someone with at least 6-12 months experience. I volunteer at 2 hospitals in my area, and hoped that would have helped, but it's not. One Nurse Manager even told me that she would love to hire me, and wishes she could create a admin position (I have a strong admin/paralegal background) so I could get my foot in the door, but because they are a smaller hospital, she can't take that risk. She told me to apply at bigger hospitals and see if I can gain experience there. So.....I've been applying to the bigger hospitals in the Atlanta area, and although they always have at least 10-15 postings for PCT/CNA's all the time, I can't seem to get a break. I don't know what else to do. How do I get experience when no one will hire me???????:confused: Is there anyone in the ATL area that has had any success getting hired without having any experience and NOT being a current nursing student? I just feel that my experience along with others that I have met goes to show that the lovely saying, "It's not what you know, it's who you know" is so true.
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I wish I had any word of advise, I am also facing the same thing here in ATL. I hope doors open up for us soon.

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Even though you may want to start in a hospital right away, sometimes the best place to get the experience is a nursing home. Try applying at nursing homes! I was having that same problem with the hospitals wanting someone with experience but like you said, how the heck do you get experience if you can't even get a first job as a CNA. Ideally, if you have a hospital that has a nursing home/rehab unit connected to it try applying there then you at least have your foot in the door!

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I've heard the job market in the Atlanta area is tight right now, maybe that has something to do with it.

How many interviews have you had? Are you a strong interviewer? Maybe brush up on interview techniques and polish up your resume.

I don't know if it helped or was just dumb luck, but I put a big red line under my letterhead on my resume when I was really frustrated about not finding a job and I got 3 offers the next week.

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:crying2: lol...that is so funny about the big red line on your resume..I also tried nursing homes, assistant living, to no avail. The job market in ATL is very competitive. It's really starting to be "who you know". I have a also include on my applications and resume that I also have my Medical Assistant degree. Which shows that I have Vital Signs,EKG and Phlebotomy experience. Will continue to push forward....
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@kbelmer,

I've applied to several nursing homes, but they want experience too! I thought I would be considered because I have been volunteering at the hospitals for almost a year, but nope....doesn't help.

@Bruce Wayne,

I am a strong interviewer. What I've heard from interviewers is that I come off very smart and "professional" like I should be in administration or something. I am making a career change from being a paralegal for years, and taking a serious pay cut. My past experiences involved me dealing with attorney's, judges, business owners, etc., on a regular basis. I feel like I have to dumb down if I want to get a job. A friend of mine said that I may be intimidating...lol. The medical and legal field have always been an interest of mine, and I hope to combine the two in the future (legal nurse consultant).

@Tamoune,

have you at least had any interviews? This can be so overwhelming at times. And the thing is, the turnover rate seems to be high at some of these hospitals. How do we show the interviewers that we are serious about getting a job?

Of my friends that have been hired...most of them lied on their resumes by indicating they have experience (they have a family member that is a dr. and will vouch for them or something similar). I swear I am so tempted to do that, but I feel like I would be cheating myself and my conscious would bother me...LOL:saint:

The other day I turned down an offer to work as a paralegal for a Business Law attorney because I wouldn't feel right misleading him knowing that he wanted someone long term and I didn't want something long term unless it is in the healthcare field. What to do....what to do?:nuke:

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I'd never lie on a resume or in an interview but I wouldn't let the employers desire to have long term vs short term prevent me from accepting a job and here's why:

When you do that you're essentially putting the company's needs ahead of your own, which might sound noble but do you think that company will put your needs ahead of its when the time comes? No, they'll lay you off really fast if it fits into their bottom line plan.

So short of following whatever the policy for resignation time is (eg give a 2 week notice), I wouldn't worry about longterm vs shortterm inasmuch as taking really short assignments might make you look even more undesirable for a job in the future. But as long as the jobs are at least a 1+ each I think you're good.

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I think the problem may be HR dept, once you have applied a few times they seem to reject your resume. It is hard to get through to them. if only it was easy to find out who the hiring manager are for the department that is hiring. I have not had any call back or interview. I even called a few HR department, left messages, spoke to them. noooooo interview. I feel like I wasted money on getting CNA and Medical Assistant. So depressing. Any leads please let me know anyone in ATL area...thanks

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This is true, but I'm trying to stay away from the legal field..LOL! All I can do is keep on trying.

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I too had the same problem and have been applying for over a year as well! It is beyond frustrating, I know. It definitely is about who you know. Especially when you see workers that don't seem to care about their patients, it seems unfair. I finally got a lucky break and got my foot in the door of a smaller assisted living facility,,,just keep trying :)

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The phlebotomy, EKG and other certs probably arent helping you any, especially when applying for LTC jobs. Employers might be worried that you wont be satisfied with the job you took and you wont stay long. If a hospital or LTC just wants a CNA, they are going to hire the most qualified and experienced CNA they can find, training in other areas is probably irrelevant to them. If they dont have CNAs doing phlebotomy work and EKGs, then its not going to matter much to them if you have those certs, as they probably already have other experienced people doing those jobs.

The economy overall just sucks, and it filters down to all areas. Health care has become an overcrowded field because a lot of people moved into it when there was no longer a market for their previous skills and training. If there is still a shortage of RNs, I doubt there will be for long, since a LOT of people see that as one of the few jobs out there that still pays well and for which there will always be a demand. Its kind of sad, because a lot of these people are probably getting into Nursing for the wrong reasons.

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Just joined in today and I really understand what your going through. It's the same story here in NJ. Unfortunately I think the best decision to make would be to apply for a position that requires a little less clinical experience just to get your foot in the door. Most hospitals allow you to transfer every six months. I'm only talking from experience. I started in materials management(hosp. supply). After your in they'll love to teach you and pay you at the no experience rate...lol

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