No responses to applications.

[NJFek]

Hi all! I am a new grad and have had my license for a little over a month. I have applied to at least 100 (seriously) positions and haven't even gotten a call from one of them. I call the HR recruiters every couple weeks and am always told the same thing... "That position was filled" or occasionally "Your application was sent on for manager review". After I'm told the latter, I always get very hopeful, but then nothing comes of it at all.

I went to one of the hospital HR departments and spoke directly to the nurse recruiter who said my resume looks good (I've had other people tell me that as well), but still nothing! I also sent a letter to the manager of one of the units that I was on in nursing school that I absolutely loved. Along with the letter, I sent my resume and a letter of recommendation... no response... not even a call or email to acknowledge receipt of the letter. I've also spent a great deal of time hand delivering resumes to urgent care centers, doctor's offices, etc., all to no avail.

I've been trying to figure out why I haven't even gotten an interview, and the only thing I can think of is the sheer number of applicants and the fact that employers can be as choosy as they want to be right now.

I realize there are a lot of people in my situation, but if anyone out there has recently overcome this economy and landed a job, I would be so thankful if you could share your tips for landing that position.

[kae2010]

first let me start by saying congrats and your doing everything right. i too am a new grad and went about applying for jobs just like you did with the applications and follow up calls to hr. i can't even count how many automatic response emails i got back stating the position was filled or how my credentials were great but not what their looking for. don't take any of this personally its just the way the economy and job market is right now. i spent the entire summer searching like you and finally accepted a job offer last week and i couldn't be more grateful.

the only real advice i have is don't be picky about the type of unit, facility, pay or shift you apply to and keep all your options open because experience is experience. also if you get an offer i'd think twice before turning it down. there are hundreds of new grads and experienced nurses looking for jobs right now, and someone would be more then happy to accept the position you turn down.

i wish you the best and try to stay positive.

[amya215]

Hey,

I am in the same boat as you. I have been applying for what seems like forever to every job that looks even remotely like something I would want to do. I graduated in May, licensed in early August. I've been applying to jobs in 5 states, just hoping I would get something. I haven't yet, but today I got an e-mail from a hospital that would pretty much be my dream job, so I'm hoping I'm on the track to at least get an interview. It's just a "screening questions" email that I have to answer and send back, but at least it's something! I am tired of spending hours on applications just to get an automated response, it's so frustrating. So, to all of us new grads...good luck! Keep your chin up, because one of those applications will be the one to get a job. I'm trying to stay positive, this e-mail was what I needed to re-energize myself and feel like my applications weren't just disappearing into cyberspace somewhere. :redbeathe

[mmcdev]

Have you tried talking to your clinical instructors? Maybe they can talk to the nurse managers on the unit that you had clinical on. I graduated in May and also had a very hard time getting an interview. I spoke to 2 of my clinical instructors and they sent an e-mail to the nurse managers of 2 different units I had clinical on. I got 2 interviews just because I was recommended to them by my instructors. Nurse managers usually highly respect the opinions of the instructors because they realize how many students they have. In one of my interviews, the nurse manager actually told me he called my instructor about me and that she spoke highly of me and he really respects her opinion. I was even offered the job.

So, you ARE doing the right thing and keep at it because you WILL find a job. Try to reach out to anyone that you can.

[Marquel MSN RN CCRN]

To piggyback on what mmcdev said try talking to your clinical instructors to get them to write recommendations for you as well to get them to talk to the nurse managers. If your clinical instructor is employed at a hospital see if they can get you on there floor or a floor that is hiring he/she may have some pull to get you in the door. Aside from that I think that you are doing everything right. I've done about the same number of applications and thus far I have only two interviews (one which was last Wednesday and one this past Tuesday). I'm still waiting to here back from Wednesday interview if I got the job and seeing if I have progressed in the interview process with the interview from Tuesday. All in all I wish you much success and I know it may not mean much now but my mother actually gave me some great advice. She told me not to worry about not being able to find a job after just one month of searching because the job that is meant for me has already been claimed it just has to make its way to me.

[Leelee2]

"... no response... not even a call or email to acknowledge receipt of the letter."

This is common in my area. Found this website, the ideas looked pretty good.

http://www.how-to-write-a-resume.org/top_7_tricks_for_getting_an_interview.htm

[NJFek]

Thank you all for your encouragement. One poster suggested that I speak to instructors. I have a letter of recommendation from one prof., but as far as speaking to them about calling managers, none of them that I had are employed at the hospitals... they are employed through the college.

I can't really go to the prof that I had for clinicals at the unit where I sent the letter, because she was (trying to be nice here)... less than pleasant to everyone she came in contact with... the manager of that unit despised the instructor and gave all of us much kudos for tolerating the things she did to us (they were pretty bad!)... anyway, using a reference from that instructor of all people on that particular unit would be the kiss of death for any opportunity.

As far as I know, none of the other instructors I had are affiliated with that hospital... I'll keep racking my brain to see if there are some instructors that would maybe put a word in for me at places I did not have clinicals, but right off the top of my head, I can't come up with names.

Thank you all again. I kind of feel like we got the bait and switch as far as choosing nursing as a career... :0/

[Trubie, LPN]

Story of my life!!! I have been job hunting since April (well, honestly I've been applying since Nov 09, because everybody told me I could find a job before I graduated...yeah right!).

My only interviews have come from ads on craigslist for home healthcare (which BOTH turned out to be crappy, unreliable companies who didnt have the resources to train me). AND, I just got called for an interview at a hospital in a small town community outside of my giant city. Maybe they are more desperate, since they are not in the metroplitan area, but when the HR lady called to schedule the interview, I almost thought it was a prank call! LOL

[Peetz, BSN]

I in the same boat! Sent out many resumes, watching all my classmates get hired with only one application in, no call backs or foot work on their part, so I am wondering what I am doing wrong. Finally took a job I really did not want but it's a pay check and will be some experience to put on future resumes. As a new student you gatta do what you gatta do.

What I don't get is why the HR department can't send out a form letter to applicants saying " thanks, we will keep your resume on file." How hard is that?

[evolvingrn, BSN, RN]

find a friend/classmate who IS getting interviews and read their cover letter. I wasn't getting interviews either so i asked my friend who was getting them (albiet for jobs i wasn't applying for) and after i read it i realized i was not selling myself in my cover letters. Her cover letters were major sellers of herself. I started drawing on even small things i had done in my cover letter such as volunteer work and i started getting a few interviews too .

Good luck