So many new grads post on this forum, "wooo me it's been two months since I've graduated and I still can't find a job".
While I sympathize with the graduates, no one wants to be faced with the fear of long term unemployment after acquiring so much nursing school debt.
But, I would advise all of you: take a good look at your resumes, grammar, objectives, goals, values...etc. What does your email address say about you? Are you using blue colonial font on your resume?
Jobs, regardless of the experience, do not appear within 1 month of searching. Be patient & proactive. As long as you're having fun at the pity party, you won't see the rewards at the triumph party.
I believe nursing school needs to require a business course for new grads. Everyone, including myself, can benefit from courses on how to make him/herself more marketable. Thankfully, youtube has tons of business courses & leaders who are willing to share advice.
In the mean time, look at mock interviews, reheorifice patient scenarios etc.
Oh, and btw, I found your OP helpful for "some" new grads. The ones it helped are the ones that should know better without having to be told (resumes, interview apparel.) Sadly some DO need that advice. What caught my attention was the woe is me attitude of new grads you portrayed. That is what made me respond with "well, new grads have the right to complain too and have concerns when they don't have employment yet. Even if it has only been a month. Pre nursing students and those in the program are fed the garbage of "you'll always have great job security." Those students should have researched on their own first to see the true market.
I graduated in May 2008. I started the job search in March. Most hospital ads said "no new grads", and even nursing homes wanted 1 year of experience. One-star nursing homes refused to interview me. I got my first nursing job after 11 months of searching, hundreds of applications, about a dozen interviews, a cancelled job (they sent me home after 45 minutes), and I had to move 200 miles for it.
So many new grads post on this forum, "wooo me it's been two months since I've graduated and I still can't find a job".
While I sympathize with the graduates, no one wants to be faced with the fear of long term unemployment after acquiring so much nursing school debt.
But, I would advise all of you: take a good look at your resumes, grammar, objectives, goals, values...etc. What does your email address say about you? Are you using blue colonial font on your resume?
Jobs, regardless of the experience, do not appear within 1 month of searching. Be patient & proactive. As long as you're having fun at the pity party, you won't see the rewards at the triumph party.
I believe nursing school needs to require a business course for new grads. Everyone, including myself, can benefit from courses on how to make him/herself more marketable. Thankfully, youtube has tons of business courses & leaders who are willing to share advice.
In the mean time, look at mock interviews, reheorifice patient scenarios etc.
I have been reading more and more from HR, that instead of applying for EVERY open position, apply for the one unit you really want to be on. And be patient, check website again, and apply for the unit for each open position. I'm not saying EVERY place is like this, but makes you wonder? Applying for every position open can come off as desperate.
Keep in mind this is not my opinion, I READ this on a couple job search websites!
At least RNGriffin has it all figured out. The dearth of new grad positions is our own fault!
But really, your condescension doesn't do anyone any good. All of the new grads I know are incredibly bright and motivated people. We all networked our butts off. Many of us got jobs in local hospitals during school. For some it worked out, for many it didn't. I have worked in a hospital unit for almost 8 years as a unit secretary. Sometime during my schooling, hospital administration changed and HR decided to strip managers of any say in the new grad program. My manager stopped hiring new grads for several years because she would only pick the ones she knew. When it came time for me to apply to the program here, I knew I wouldn't get picked after hearing the director brag about how she was stamping out nepotism (at an institution notorious for its good ol' boys' club mentality. It's also something like 60+ applicants per opening, so odds are if you applied and qualify, you still aren't even getting a call back). So I've got great letters of recommendation, references, contacts, a polished resume, a solid work history including 12+ years experience working in the hospital in the unit, dozens and dozens of applications sent all over the place, and I'm still a unit secretary. We are up against disconnected HR recruiters who are innundated with applications and will toss your resume if the font isn't to their liking (did you know Calibri is the resume font du jure?), and that's only if you make it past the scanning software, and woe betide those who didn't pay a consultant for the proper buzzwords and catchphrases. When was the last computerized "personality test" you took? How did that make you feel? How much rejection did you go through before you got your first RN job?
Don't blame us for the reality of the situation while ignoring the bigger picture. The deck is currently stacked against new grads, and most are going to have a tough time finding a job. Some few manage to step in unicorn poop and fall into a great job right out of school. They are the exception, not the rule. We all went to school to become nurses and better our lives with a challenging and rewarding career. We are not lazy. We don't want hand-outs. We just want jobs. Please just ignore us when we vent our frustrations, if all you have to say is the equivalent of, "Let them eat cake." We're trying, but understand that it's not that simple.
The follow up responses "it's about location" is why most new graduates will not have positions for months. You're pessimistic attitude shows when you interview.
How incredibly presumptive. Just because someone is in tune with the reality of over saturation (Chicago here) doesn't mean we don't have the interpersonal skills to be successful during an interview.
How incredibly presumptive. Just because someone is in tune with the reality of over saturation (Chicago here) doesn't mean we don't have the interpersonal skills to be successful during an interview.
Chicago here too. It's ridiculous here. I really don't think people get it. My best friend applied down in southern illinois after having no luck here, and she had multiple hospital offers and interviews within two weeks. Chicago is crazy!!!
Also, based on some of the resumes I've noticed, it's no wonder why people aren't getting called. Your resume needs to be very concise and free of grammatical errors.
Writing a list of clinical skills that all new nurses should have will not suffice. Instead, try to highlight key points pertaining to certain placements. We know you're hardworking, compassionate, etc.... Saying this takes up valuable space and really indicates nothing. Did you organize a project? Why is this particular area/ organization interesting? Look at their philosophy and try to determine how your attributes would be relevant.
Finally, forget about the "dream" job. You need ANY job to start gaining experience. Once you're working, then you can figure out how to make the dream a reality. Having zero experience is not the way to make this happen.
Part of the issue is that nursing schools sell us the dream that you will get hired right out the door, full-time, and in your desired unit although it'll be on night shift. So many people were counting on getting into this one nurse residency program that they started freaking out when they cut it down to twenty-five applicants and most were internal or did their residencies at the hospitals.
Some of the people on Facebook also comment that they won't drive 45 minutes to go to work but they can't move due to family. 45 minutes isn't really that bad. In a lot of cities, that would be the average and you would get better gas mileage due to not having traffic.
I tell them that you have to start somewhere. It may not be where you want to start, but it's a start.
While it is true that nursing schools and the media continue to hype nursing as a career, it's still each students responsibility to do their own research.
For 6 years now, nursing has been on the downward spiral. New grads and experienced nurses have been facing challenges finding work, and this too is all over the media. You can't blame the schools because they are selling a product. They want your money.
And quite frankly, if a new nurse doesn't want to travel up to an hour in this economy for work, then they don't really want to work, IMO. Many people are travelling much further.
Its funny how more experienced nurses can come here and vent (and staunchly defend their right to do so), but god forbid new grads do.
I was going to say exactly this! So tired of seeing "experienced" nurses come and whine about new grads voicing frustrations. Some of us new grads are not new nurses. But we still can't find a good quality job. There is no nursing shortage, and too many companies want experience. Kinda hard to get if you can't get the job.
SleeepyRN
1,076 Posts
Oh, and btw, I found your OP helpful for "some" new grads. The ones it helped are the ones that should know better without having to be told (resumes, interview apparel.) Sadly some DO need that advice. What caught my attention was the woe is me attitude of new grads you portrayed. That is what made me respond with "well, new grads have the right to complain too and have concerns when they don't have employment yet. Even if it has only been a month. Pre nursing students and those in the program are fed the garbage of "you'll always have great job security." Those students should have researched on their own first to see the true market.