Tips for Securing First CNA Position?

Keep applying to LTCs don't just do online applications go to the facilities and be super nice and polite and have a professional looking resume. If you just want a job to get some work history apply to a agency as a caregiver, they will hire just about anyone, I know they hired me;) I don't think lack of work experience will totally stop you from finding a job if you are easy about where you will work. However if you only apply to hospitals or five star SNFs then you probably won't get a call back without a ton of experience. I've stuck to applying to ALFs and LTC until I can get a year of work under my gait belt and then I will apply elsewhere.

Good luck and don't get discouraged! This is the perfect time of year to be looking for a job as a CNA because there are a certain amount of CNA's that are starting nursing school or even pre reqs so they are dropping from full time to part time.

I'm 22 years old and recently became certified as a nursing assistant. I have plenty of volunteer experience (in health care, no less!) and have excelled in college, but I have no paid work experience because the majority of my time not spent going to school was helping my mother around the house. She has a cervical spine injury. Now that we have moved closer to family, others can help her out while I work. However, I can't find work because I have no paid work history, in healthcare or otherwise. What do I do?

I just wanted to update this thread: I got hired on the spot today for a position at a wonderful facility!

What kind of facility and how did your interview process go? Congratulations!

Thank you! It's a pediatric long-term care facility. I initiated contact with the DON after seeing their request for CNA/NA applications for the night shift yesterday. Immediately, I was contacted and scheduled for an interview/tour today. I had my tour and then half way through the interview I was offered the position! What I liked was that it wasn't focused around the traditional abstract questions "how did you handle conflict/difficulty at such-and-such a time" and whether I'd held a non-related, random retail/etc job in the past but rather on my skills, training, and knowledge as nursing assistant.