Please help!

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Hi everyone.. I graduated with my BSN alittle over a year ago. I live in Columbus, Ohio. I have been searching for a job for well over a year now and have been unsuccessful in obtaining a job. I have had a few interviews without any offers. I know that my interviewing skills are not the best. I am very soft spoken and interviewers have pointed this out to me as a reason for not hiring me. I have no problem speaking up for my patients and I know that I am a good nurse if someone would just give me an oppurtunity. I was forced to take a job at an MRDD facility but the job continues to wear on me. It is beginning to affect all aspects of my life. There is no room for growth and it really is a dead end to me. I have grown upset watching all the news coverage of the so called nursing shortage. Where are the jobs? And why are they for experienced RNs only? Does anyone have any suggestions for how I can get my career back on track? I had hoped to become a CCRN but now realize that goal may not be feasible. Are there any interview seminars that could help me develop the necessary skills? Thank you for your time!

Specializes in Post Anesthesia.

The staffing situation in Columbus must be much better than it is in the Akron area. If you have a licence and are not currently drunk in your interview you can expect to get hired for nights med/medsurg. Tele.,ICU stepdown. Afternoons or day shift takes a little seniority but very little if you are willing to work med/surg or consider SFT. I would look into moving; Akron is only 1 1/2 hrs from Columbus. Please ask the recruiter if there is anything specific that kept you from being hired. Could a criminal charge be on your record? Bad credit history? If the background checks are the problem- they can be improved with a little effort. If it is something that is legit. ie-drunk and disorderly charge from a party your freshman year... petty theft as a teen... etc.?than if you are upfront in the interview it can help. I didn't mean to say you have these problems but errors in records do happen and can end up blacklisting you.

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Specializes in Trauma ICU,ER,ACLS/BLS instructor.
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!

Great advice and post! You should really print this one and hand it out to all looking for a new job!

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I would like to thank everyone who took the time to reply to my post. I have had so many days where I feel like I can not go on any more and your encouragement really helped. I recieved so much advice that I would never have thought of in my current state of mind! Also, I do not have a criminal background and I have good credit (so far). However, I am a single mom which I realize might turn some employers off. I believe the only reason I can not find a job is the way I present myself in interviews and my lack of experience. I am going to work on putting my portfolio together and interviewing. I never even knew beta blockers could help with all those pesky symptoms of anxiety, so I will definitly look into that! Also, I have definitly considered relocating.. maybe Columbus just isn't the place for me! I am going to go part time at my current job in November so that I can devote more time to my job search. Well, I better get going for now! Thanks again everyone!

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Specializes in ICU.

I too have been getting back to nursing after a 6 year break and I will tell you that all of the advice on this thread is EXCELLENT. I reworked my resume and it focused on the fact that I had the same employer for 20 years (7 of that as an RN). I also took the RN refresher course and got my BLS before even looking at jobs. I focused on my strengths on my resume and I went and bought an outfit or two for interviewing. I also quizzed myself with some common questions that I got from this website (look at the sticky for resume and hiring info on the nursing career advice thread,...great practice.) I also realized that every interview I did, I got a little more proficient in answering the questions. I want them to see me as me and have a good feeling about my true qualities. I had dry weeks of no calls, interviews, or even calls or emails, but here lately I have gotten calls DAILY and I am probably going to have a offer or two next week. Hang in there and practice your responses (I did mine in the shower, really!) It helps,...Good luck and do not give up....

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Specializes in ICU.

I too have been getting back to nursing after a 6 year break and I will tell you that all of the advice on this thread is EXCELLENT. I reworked my resume and it focused on the fact that I had the same employer for 20 years (7 of that as an RN). I also took the RN refresher course and got my BLS before even looking at jobs. I focused on my strengths on my resume and I went and bought an outfit or two for interviewing. I also quizzed myself with some common questions that I got from this website (look at the sticky for resume and hiring info on the nursing career advice thread,...great practice.) I also realized that every interview I did, I got a little more proficient in answering the questions. I want them to see me as me and have a good feeling about my true qualities. I had dry weeks of no calls, interviews, or even calls or emails, but here lately I have gotten calls DAILY and I am probably going to have a offer or two next week. Hang in there and practice your responses (I did mine in the shower, really!) It helps,...Good luck and do not give up....

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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

Hey Chloe,

So you landed a job...that's great. Is it at AMC or did you get it

at some other facility?

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Specializes in Did the job hop, now in MS. Not Bad!!!!!.
Hey Chloe,

So you landed a job...that's great. Is it at AMC or did you get it

at some other facility?

Hi Paris,

AMC never called. I got my job at NE GA Med Ctr. They LOVE new grads there!! I start next week!

Chloe :nurse:

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Hi Paris,

AMC never called. I got my job at NE GA Med Ctr. They LOVE new grads there!! I start next week!

Chloe :nurse:

Hey Chloe

Well that's great:balloons:!!!! Hope all goes well for you.

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Great advice and post! You should really print this one and hand it out to all looking for a new job!

Glad I could help =)

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