Spoke with a nurse recruiter today

[Lovely_RN, MSN]

I called today to follow up on my resume submission.

I managed to engage the recruiter in a conversation.

The recruiter told me that they are hiring but she has 1100 resumes to look over.

She says she can't look over all of them. That it's really a luck thing...they will pull some and if those people fit they will be called. If not they will pull some more but there is no way to physically look at all 1100.

The entire nursing staff doesn't consist of 1100 nurses and they are only looking for a few nurses.

So now the job search has been reduced to a lottery.

This is a small community hospital in one of the outer boroughs.

I can't imagine how many resumes are being submitted to places in the City.

I might as well laugh about it...it's better than crying...I guess.

[keakea]

i know, it is ridiculous

[neonatal_nurse]

OMG! Yes, this is the real world after all. Sad, sad reality.

But don't be discouraged. You can still submit yours. Just be concise-- one page resume is better. Everything should be there, just leave out the not so important stuff like height, weight, birthday, etc. as it takes much space. If it doesn't fit on one page, maybe two pages will do. Just imagine if you're the recruiter, you really won't have time to look at all of them, maybe scan the first page. So your resume should grab attention at first glance. Otherwise, it would just end up in the "other" pile or worse, the shredder.

[nyforlove]

I called today to follow up on my resume submission.

I managed to engage the recruiter in a conversation.

The recruiter told me that they are hiring but she has 1100 resumes to look over.

She says she can't look over all of them. That it's really a luck thing...they will pull some and if those people fit they will be called. If not they will pull some more but there is no way to physically look at all 1100.

The entire nursing staff doesn't consist of 1100 nurses and they are only looking for a few nurses.

So now the job search has been reduced to a lottery.

This is a small community hospital in one of the outer boroughs.

I can't imagine how many resumes are being submitted to places in the City.

I might as well laugh about it...it's better than crying...I guess.

Wow, that's rough, but try to stay calm--the situation will eventually improve but not as quickly as we'd all like...Keep us posted of your progress.

[llg, PhD, RN]

The situtaion at my hospital is similar ... but the numbers are not quite so bad. That's why it really pays to do some networking as part of your job search. Knowing someone (such as a unit manager) well enough to talk with them about your job hopes might be enough to get them to mention you to the recruiter -- and get your application looked at.

Working as a volunteer ... working in a nursing student or nursing assistant role while you are a student ... participating in local nursing organizations ... attending local nursing conferences and other events where nurse leaders might be ... talking with the nurse manager while you are doing clinical on her unit ... etc. These things are not guaranteed to help, but they do help some people to get your resume pulled out of the big pile.

[HappySH]

OMG I feel your pain..I'm in QUeens and received my RN licnse in September and have sent my reume to very hopsital imaginable and nothing!! it's so frustrating and depressing..but I'm praying and hope something comes along really soon.. good luck to all those in the same postion...

-Seeta

[nursenewbe]

I called today to follow up on my resume submission.

I managed to engage the recruiter in a conversation.

The recruiter told me that they are hiring but she has 1100 resumes to look over.

She says she can't look over all of them. That it's really a luck thing...they will pull some and if those people fit they will be called. If not they will pull some more but there is no way to physically look at all 1100.

The entire nursing staff doesn't consist of 1100 nurses and they are only looking for a few nurses.

So now the job search has been reduced to a lottery.

This is a small community hospital in one of the outer boroughs.

I can't imagine how many resumes are being submitted to places in the City.

I might as well laugh about it...it's better than crying...I guess.

Hang in there. Are you looking anywhere else? If possible try other hospitals and if you just like the place you are in then wait it out and hope for the best.

[rnrosiern]

Send a thank you note thanking the recruiter for taking the time to speak with you. It sounds silly because it wasn't an interview, but it might just make her pull your resume out of the stack and set it aside. It never hurts.