Please help!

iowaRN · Sep 3, 2007

I can identify with you. I am a very soft-spoken person myself. I don't know of any seminars, but my advice is to "put yourself out of your comfort zone." Consciously try to be more assertive in interviews and toot your own horn. It is frustrating to hear about the nursing shortage and then have such trouble finding a job. It took me 7 months after graduation to find a job when everyone else in my class already had. Hang in there, the right thing will come along. :twocents:

Chloe'sinNYNow · Sep 3, 2007

I am in my 2nd week of job hunting and wouldn't you know, it's a holiday and I am delayed for responses from Friday's interviews! I found in the beginning that I was getting advice from ALL points of view. But determination and perseverence gang! I discovered that timing is certainly an issue for some hospitals that only offer new nurse grad programs 2x a year. But w/ search and guidance from this website, I discovered a hospital that is determined to hire me, we just need to find the right unit and niche. They hire new grads all the time. They PREFER new grads to the crabby inflexible burned out nurses that are demanding and refusing of certain hours and techniques.

So hang in there. I hope I'm not at this much longer b/c I'm receiving daily letters from the student loan folks and my car is dying. Momma needs a job!

Timing? Perhaps. But keeping your options open too!! :twocents:

SCRN1 · Sep 6, 2007

Where are you applying? Are you applying at hospitals? I can see having a hard time finding something at somewhere like an office without experience or if it's a specialty area somewhere. Have you tried applying for Med/Surg at a hospital? If you could get at least a year's experience there, it may help you out getting something else.

llg, PhD, RN · Sep 6, 2007

What types of jobs have you been applying for? Are you putting any restrictions on your work hours, etc.? Are you limiting your opportunities by only applying for certain types of jobs? etc. Tell us a little about that. It might give us some ideas of ways to help you.

Also, you might look at your local high schools and community colleges for adult education classes that deal with job hunting skills, interviewing, etc. Sometimes they have classes in that sort of thing.

freetofly · Sep 6, 2007

Thanks for replying everyone... I have not set any restrictions on what type of job I want. At first I was looking for NICU but lately I have applied for any med-surg job. I really don't care what hours, I prefer day but I'll take night.. I always mark days, nights, weekends.. I still get nothing back! I have not even had an interview in months. I already looked into the local community college and they don't have any interviewing classes...I know that this is where I need help. I also have trouble answering situational questions since I have virtually no experience.

psalm, RN · Sep 7, 2007

Can you go to a trusted college instructor and ask him/her for their input? Maybe a letter for future applications that you were under his/her teaching and how you did?

Can you ask to shadow a nurse on a shift at a hospital you have applied to so you and the hospital can both see if it is a fit?

guest64485 · Sep 7, 2007

Thanks for replying everyone... I have not set any restrictions on what type of job I want. At first I was looking for NICU but lately I have applied for any med-surg job. I really don't care what hours, I prefer day but I'll take night.. I always mark days, nights, weekends.. I still get nothing back! I have not even had an interview in months. I already looked into the local community college and they don't have any interviewing classes...I know that this is where I need help. I also have trouble answering situational questions since I have virtually no experience.

Might want to think about applying at hospitals that are a further commute away. As for the HR, look at your resume first. Is it set up well? Perfect spelling, good format, concise? Professional sounding email address on it? (I've seen people use addresses such as shopaholic@blahdotcom, babaliscious@blahdotcom, etc) Do you include a customized cover letter with each resume you send out? When creating a cover letter, first research the company, their mission/vision/values, their history. Then write a small summary highlighting why you are a good overall candidate for the specific position you are applying for. Connect yourself not only to the position but to the hospital itself, by stating why you are a good fit for both. Weave in your research of the company. Be enthusiastic the whole way through.

After you send out your resumes, take a couple of hours and mentally prepare for possible questions they might ask (prepare too for a possible unexpected phone interview!). Thoughtfully answer each question on a piece of paper:

-tell me about yourself

-Name your 3 top strengths

-Name 3 areas you can improve on (In this answer, ALWAYS include an addendum of how you are working to improve that weakness)

-What would your last boss say about you?

-Tell me about your last boss (BE POSITIVE)

-Tell me about a conflict at your last place of employment (state here how it was resolved; be as positive here as you can)

-Why do you want to be a nurse

-Why do you want to work on our floor?

-What brought you to apply to our hospital (include your research of the company here!)

-What are your short term and long term goals

-Tell me about a difficult patient situation in the past (talk about student nursing or CNA experience here)

-Tell me about a time where you advocated for a patient

-You come on shift and the patient's family comes to you with many complaints about the prior nurse, how do you handle the situation?

-You walk into a patient's room and find he is not breathing. What do you do? (ABC)

-A doctor has ordered an obese patient receive medication with a dose that is larger than the normal dose's range. What do you do?

-What do you do if you have a conflict with another nurse? (talk to that nurse, then follow the chain of command)

-What do you do if you have questions about how to best care for your patient? (name your resources, charge nurse, nurse manager, the computer, call pharmacy, education department, and don't forget you can call other departments to talk to their nurses, such as call oncology for a question on medication for your MVA cancer patient.

-List the 5 medication rights.

-tell me about a time when you made a mistake

-what is a common misconception people have of you?

-do you have any questions for me(the interviewer)? (try to ask a question here! It makes it look like you are more interested in the position)

Remember, your customers are both internal and external, they include fellow nurses, patients, families, drug reps, doctors, etc.

Weave in as many personal experience stories here as you can, to give examples of what you are saying. It shows you are involved and engaged in patient care. Recall any cool stories you experienced during nursing school or any other healthcare experience. Write this all down, and review it until you can answer the above questions with confidence. Review it before walking into HR as well.

Bring an extra 2-3 copies of your resume/cover letter for your reference during the interview and for an extra interviewer if they need. Be prepared.

Re-look at job postings daily, and think about applying to non-hospital settings too. And don't forget to use good, solid eye contact, and smile a lot!!

Send a hand written thank you note, or if it is deemed acceptable, a thank-you email to the interviewers, which re-affirms your interest in the position.

Look into volunteering or starting more classes too.

Good luck!

a.w.n. · Sep 7, 2007

Do you have a Portfolio? As part of my nursing program they had us put together a HUGE portfolio that no one would want to look at...but I took that idea and improved it. I now have a leather portfolio with tabs for my resume, my letters of reccomendation, my accomplishments (degrees, awards & such), my professional relationships (memberships in nursing organizations, offices held in honor society and student nurses association), and also a section showcasing my volunteer experiences. The tabs are typed and all of the sheets of paper are in paper protectors so that it looks very neat and organized.

My resume itself looks different from other peoples' because I made my own formatting instead of using some dumb resume wizard that everyone else uses. Also, your school should have a career counselor that can help you to improve your resume.

Then, in my portfolio pockets, I also have extra copies of my resume, at least 2 printed lists of references (both personal and professional), copies of my RN license, BLS card, and my immunizations. This way...no matter what they ask for, I've got it right there to hand to them.

My next suggestion is about appearance. I went out and bought a very nice business suit and a nice leather bag to carry my portfolio in. I know...this is hard to do when you're broke, but it really says a lot about you and your seriousness in the position.

As for interviewing.......eeek. Just try not to show how nervous you are, because I KNOW how nervous I was, but I just tried to remain calm and answer questions clearly. I know that after a few bad interviews your confidence gets knocked down...but just remember that the person sitting in front of you doesn't know that. Each one is a new chance to make it better than the last.

Good luck, and I hope this helps.

Chloe'sinNYNow · Sep 10, 2007

Free2Fly,

I hope you lucked out. I did. I start Oncology on the 24th. Interview w/ recruiter one Friday led to an interview w/ 4 units, b/c she was determined to get me on their payroll; it was just a matter of finding a good fit. So Tues after Labor Day i got word of an official offer and today filled out new hire paperwork and pharm exam. Whoa! wasn't expecting that!! Aced it. Good thing taking it almost immediately after boards! lol

There's some good advice on this thread. Hope it works for you as well.

:nurse:Chloe

HealthyRN · Sep 11, 2007

I lived and went to school in Columbus, OH until about a year ago and I know that the "nursing shortage" was becoming a surplus right before I left. I think that everyone gave great advice about putting together a portfolio and improving your interviewing skills.

I tend to do well during interviews and I wanted to share my secret. I have some situational and public speaking anxiety and I have had a low-dose beta-blocker prescribed to me for use in certain situations for several years. It will not eliminate the actual anxiety as much as the symptoms (shaking, inability to speak, feeling of passing out, etc.). I don't know if your anxiety is really that bad during the interview, but I just thought that I'd mention it and you could always ask your PCP about it. Good luck.

deeDawntee, RN · Sep 11, 2007

Hi, that sounds really hard and frustrating!

I would strongly suggest that you look into local women's organizations, such as a community based mental health program...they always have support for women who are having career/job issues. There will most likely be a support group you could join and get feedback from others about how you come across (in a supportive way) and get coaching directly of how to improve on your weaknesses and expand on your strengths. This would certainly be beneficial as well with the almost certain depression you are experiencing from not fulfilling your dream like you anticipated. Also, there are sure to be individual therapists who specialize with just the issues you are facing.

You have come so far! This is just the next set of hurdles for you to jump. You obviously have the commitment and the fortitude to get over this one as well. You have successfully graduated from nursing school, taken and passed the NCLEX....wow! those are some HUGE accomplishments! I have no doubt that you can find a way to master what you need to master to nail the perfect job for you!

Good luck!

:yeah: :yeah: :yeah: you can do it!!