sunrays1981

I feel your pain. I was on here only a few short months ago saying the same thing. I luckily was offered a position in April after 6 months of searching, dozens of online apps, handful of interviews, 2nd interviews, shadows. Apply to everything that interests you no matter the experience level. There were a few people in my orientation hired onto units in positions that required experience and they were new grads. Apply at all hospitals. I really wanted to work somewhere I could take public transport or walk or bike. That didn't happen. I had to get a car with this job BUT I have a job that puts me on the road to gaining experience. There are new nurses at my hospital that commute 30-45+ minutes. It sucks Im sure but is better than being unemployed. I would rather commute than fill out applications all day Keep your head up. You will get a job, you don't suck as a person or a nurse, just stay patient and positive. Be willing to work "almost" anywhere on any unit on any shift. I took night shift, not my favorite, but its a job and experience under my belt. Remember, nothing is forever. You don't have to stay somewhere forever, once you gain some experience it opens the door to SO MANY opportunities! :)

Thanks I have seen that too but sometimes it seems like that info is hidden but I will definitely try harder to find it. Thanks!

Do you think when adding this to my cover letter that it would be best adding it onto the 1st paragraph or create a new one? I'm hesitant to have too many paragraphs which could look like too much fill and nonsense and make someone skip over it?

Thank you for the response. No offense taken. I appreciate the advice and will redo that area of the cover letter. Any words of wisdom will only improve my chances.

Thanks for your response. My husband is military as well. Reservist on active duty but will be off orders in Sept. We plan to stay in the area assuming I find something by then LOL. We live in the city and I was really hoping to find something close that I could walk bike or use public transport. But at this point getting a second car so I can commute will be worth it! I'll check out the job fairs on that website and good luck to you too!

Congrats on the job. That is a tough one. Im a new nurse grad myself and have been applying for positions the last few months. All have been at hospitals and have been debating on joining the SNF world. I had the same fear you are currently experiencing so I look forward to reading other's replies. If you do get the new job at the new hospital I am sure the SNF hiring manager would understand. Most new grads don't generally want to work in a SNF. It's an unfortunate truth. If they ask you about current employment I wouldn't lie but you have to find the best way to phrase it. Be honest with the manager at the SNF and tell them how much you appreciated them giving you a chance but that another opportunity is available. Be professional as you never know who they know and you never know when you may need another job down the line. Good luck!

Thanks for the reply. I agree with going somewhere else. The bright side is it saves me time since I won't be applying there any longer and I can focus on some place that will.

Thanks! Its been a work in progress.

HI everyone, I have been job searching a few months and still am not employed. I have tweaked my current cover letter several times and plan to do a big push of applications over the next week and want to make sure my cover letter is on target. Any help is greatly appreciated. :) Name infoxxxxxxx February 3, 2015 Nursing Recruiter city, state, zip Dear Nursing Recruiter, Please accept the attached resume as my application for the full time xxxxx that is listed on your career site. I have recently graduated from xxxx College School of Nursing's accelerated baccalaureate program and am eager and excited to begin my nursing career at xxxx Hospital. I have recently relocated to xxxx and currently have my RN license in xxxx and have also obtained my xxxx RN license through endorsement as of September 2014. As a new graduate nurse it is important for me to work at a facility that is both supportive and encouraging as I transition from being a student nurse to an RN. The xxxxx seems like an amazing program to be a part of and build my experience. I was fortunate to complete my 144 hours of practicum on the Neurology Acute Care Unit at xxxx Regional Medical Center, a level one-trauma center. I was able to interact and provide care to a wide variety of patients from many different backgrounds. My clinical instructors encouraged me to think critically and adapt to a constant changing work environment while utilizing the nursing process. I learn best by doing and thrive during challenging and rewarding tasks. I know I would make a great fit with your already successful team because I am committed to providing compassionate and patient centered care. In addition to my clinical experiences, my professional experiences have helped me to become better organized, improve my time management skills, and work more effectively. Thank you for your consideration for this position. I would be grateful to have an opportunity to meet with you to discuss my qualifications and how I may fit into xxxx Hospital. Please feel free to contact me at xxx-xxx-xxxx Sincerely, me ** Do I need to more specific to the actual position and why I want that exact position or is this a good base to use for multiple applications/positions? Thanks again!!

That makes sense. Thank you for your response.

Yes thank you for your response. I actually do like the idea of saying this many years customer service experience etc. That would probably look better since I haven't had a job since 2011. I did have someone ask about my employment history since a few positions were less than a year at my last interview. I didn't want to leave gaps in my employment but also I was a different younger person just working a job to work which is why I went back to school to be a nurse :) I do also include a cover letter with each resume which I have tweaked a few times. This brings up another question. All hospitals have online applications where you submit a cover letter and resume but they also have another section where you fill in all the information from your resume including work history. Would I not add all my employment here? Do you think it needs to match what's on my resume as far as job titles and time periods of employment?

Thank you so much for both of your inputs. My mother is luckily still with us. It has been a difficult journey but she continues her fight with cancer. My brother has also come to help out my parents ( as I also have a special needs brother) so they still have some help at home. To address some of the responses above, I just added my avatar yesterday which is a picture of me after the color run that our nursing class ran together. I thought it looked more fun but I never considered it unprofessional. Although my facebook is mostly private I previously went thru anything that was public to make sure it wasn't appropriate. I by no means have a crazy lifestyle but I will definitely double check everything just to be safe. Hearing that you submitted that many applications gives me some relief. I was really worried they would see me as unfocused or not caring about which job I got. I will continue to keep applying. Thanks again for your feedback!

Hi everyone! Just a quick question on resumes. Im a new nurse grade (jan 2014) who has been job searching the last few months. I took off over 8 months taking care of a family member who received a terminal diagnosis and am now having trouble landing my first job. Resume questions: I don't have any previous experience in the medical field and haven't even been employed the last few years while I was going to school. Do I go ahead and include my clinical hours, duties, locations etc? Ive made several resumes and I can't include clinical information without going onto two pages. One of my resumes just listed my previous employers, job titles, and time frames and then I had a separate section that listed skills and abilities. Should I go more in depth with each of my previous jobs? I will try and paste an example below. *** Im sure this doesn't line up well but any thoughts will help. Name, address, and contact info KEY SKILLS AND ABILITIES Ø Able to maintain calm disposition in high stress environments Ø Provide compassionate patient centered care Ø History of strict adherence to policies, protocols, and procedures EDUCATION Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing, 2014 College School of Nursing, , FL Bachelor of Arts in Communications, 2006 University of somewhere, , FL LICENSURE~CERTIFICATIONS~AFFILIATIONS State of Maryland xxxxxx – Obtained September State of Florida xxxxxxxxx – Obtained June BCLS for Healthcare Providers (AHA)- Current National Nursing Student Association 2012-2014 Florida Nurse's Association 2013-2014 CLINICAL EXPERIENCE Sr. Practicum (Neurology unit~ 144 hours) Medical Center, FL Fall 2013 Mental Health Hospital, FL Summer 2013 Obstetrics Hospital, FL Summer 2013 Pediatrics Hospital, FL Summer 2013 Medical-Surgical II Medical Center, FL Spring 2013 Medical-Surgical I Medical Center, FL Winter 2013 Ø Additional clinical experience includes rotations in areas of geriatrics, rehabilitation, assisted living, and public health. WORK EXPERIENCE job, place - Barista Sept 2010 – Jan 2011 job, place– Customer Service Apr 2009 – Oct 2009 job, place – Inside Sales Rep Jul 2008 – Apr 2009 job, place – Inside Sales Rep Nov 2004 – Apr 2008

Hopefully I have this in the right forum... I am looking for any advice dealing with several topics. First, I graduated with my BSN in January 2014. My mother was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer in March. I moved back home to be her caretaker for 8 months. During that time I passed my NCLEX (in June). My husband moved back to the states from overseas in October and we relocated to Maryland. I have been putting in applications for several months and still no luck with a job. I feel that because it has been so long since I graduated I am being looked over. One hospital (JHH) after initially offering me an interview, said per hospital policy they don't hire new grads who are six months or more after their graduation date. So, my question is, should I include something about my family emergency in my cover letter? My other questions, which may need to be moved to another forum, have to do with (lack of) experience and applying for multiple positions at the same facilities. I live in Baltimore, big city=lots of hopsitals=lots of nurses. Do I apply to every and any position I'm interested in regardless of experience required? Some even specifically state no new grads. Does it look bad that a nurse recruiter will see I have applied for 12 different jobs at their hospital? I'm feeling lost and discouraged by this whole process. I'm even more confused because there are conflicting posts about whether or not one should try and get a job at a Nursing Home or other non-acute setting. I've looked at these jobs and they mostly require or prefer experience? AAGGH! Any help is greatly appreciated. I am doing another thread on cover letters and resume questions too.

I got my email for my acceptance!!!! Beyond excited!!!