What makes a nurse unemployable?

[jenruth]

A huge question. Because of responsibilities at home, I have been self-employed in internet sales. I sat at my computer and processed customer orders all day, 7 days a week. My contact with the outside world was pretty much limited to anonymous emails from customers. Now, because of changes in my life situation, I want to go back to full-time nursing Trying to return has been impossible. I have experience and education which I have kept up to date, and I do get some interviews. When they hear I was self-employed, the tone of the interviewer becomes almost prosecutorial and sarcastic. IE: "So, I see you've had a lot of time on your hands"...And so on. Then, it just goes downhill. No, I haven't had a lot of time on my hands. Oddly, I never get this sort of negativity from nurses. It only comes from the HR people you have to climb over when applying for jobs. My next problem is references. I put down ex-employers. They want personal refs like from neighbors and such. I don't know that anyone outside of employers would be qualified to answer the kind of questions they ask. It seems as if my decision to be my own boss for a while has disqualified me from ever working as a nurse again.

[caliotter3]

If you didn't do anything horrible at a former nursing job, there is no reason for you to be unemployable. You just have to be persistant. I believe the request for you to put down neighbors as references was very poor, especially coming from HR. I would put down work references, even old ones. It is not your fault that there is a time or availability lag. You aren't expected to keep track of job contacts. If you do, that's a plus. Good luck and I hope you are able to find something soon.

[jjjoy, LPN]

Persistence, persistence, persistence...

HR departments are notorious for slow follow up even when the hospital is begging for nurses. If you're a non-traditional applicant, persistence is even more important as it can be considered more risky to hire someone with a non-traditional work history. They feel it's a safer bet to hire someone who's been working 12 hour nursing shifts full-time for years than someone who hasn't been working as nurse for awhile. So you want to make it difficult for them to overlook you as a hiring possibility.

Check back with HR at least once a week. Try to make direct contact with floor managers (if they like you, they can expedite HR processsing). Are there any refresher courses or other nursing education opportunities to demonstrate that you're serious about this move back to clinical nursing?

Good luck!

[jenruth]

Thanks for your advice. Refresher course already taken, and no, I never did anything horrible in my previous jobs except to not take a lot of crap.

Very disappointing that these "in-the-box" thinkers in HR are the gate-keepers of our profession. If I ask anything about new or innovative programs like Evidence Based Practice, or anything that empowers nurses like Shared Governance and they kind of stare like I'm from another planet. What's important is, how much overtime will I work, and can I be on-call as needed. And let's not forget the very important and very 1980's, "Where do you want to be in five years?"

[jjjoy, LPN]

It's not fair nor necessarily effective the way personnel are screened and recruited. I hear and understand your frustration. All you need, though, is one break. After several inquiries, I did find a nurse manager in a hospital who was willing to give me a chance despite my own non-traditional background. I also was able to build a good relationship with one HR person who really made an effort to find a match for me. So while I met many HR folks who were impersonal, dismissive, etc, not all were like that.

Have you tried any agencies? When I was returning, one agency had a few contracts with relatively slow-paced, low acuity settings that were willing to orient me for a few days as well. I wasn't about to jump into an acute care setting without an extensive supportive program, but those settings worked very well for me. What about LTC? One place I went to just inquire tried to get me to sign up before leaving. A place that desperate probably isn't an ideal work environment, but something like that could give you useful references if you could stick it out for six months.

Keep on keeping on.

[jjjoy, LPN]

And let's not forget the very important and very 1980's, "Where do you want to be in five years?"

As if they'd be impressed by the answer that they'd really want in practice...

"I want to be in the same job, doing the same thing, for the same amount of money"

or even better...

"I want to be in the same job, doing the work of two people for less money."

[azor]

I need an advice on what to say if you are asked where uyou want to be in next 5years during an interview as a RN.other advices on nursing interviews will be appreciated.thanks

[llg, PhD, RN]

Here's a slightly different take on the situation:

If you really haven't been interacting with people face-to-face for a number of years, that could be sending up a red flag that you do not function well with other people. Are you sure there is no one you can use as a personal reference to show that you can "play well with others?" How about one of your classmates from the refresher course you mentioned? If you truly have no friends or even acquaintances you could ask, then I would recommend developing a friendship with someone. Join a club, or take a class, or pariticipate in some community activity that will bring you into face-to-face contact with people.

Being unable to show that you know anyone well enough to ask for a personal reference could be hurting your chances of being hired. Teamwork and getting along with your coworkers is an essential job skill. Employers are not crazy for wanting to know that the people they hire can get along with other people. "Loners" are the ones who often cause problems at work and sometimes do things like go on a shooting spree or start stalking a coworker or crazy things like that. In today's world, employers are rightly cautious about hiring people who may end up on the news described by their neighbors as a "loner who kept to herself."

[cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN]

Oddly, I never get this sort of negativity from nurses. It only comes from the HR people you have to climb over when applying for jobs.

Skip the HR people. Just call the manager directly and ask about a position. Go through HR after you already have the job. That's what I did!

[jenruth]

Right. Running a computer business was interesting but isolating. Contact with people was limited to answering questions and sending a "Thank you for your purchase,"email. However, I don't think I have it in me to "go postal." I have a couple of nursing references from ex-managers and a supervisor, but employers want more. I'm working on doing some volunteering, Hopefully I'll be able to reconnect with my career.

I don't think acquaintances from class could answer the kinds of questions they ask. How would they know if I'm mature, dependable and trustworthy? Anyway the instructor told us up front, no refs. Something about liability?

I read an article on the internet which stated that nurses have such poor self esteem, they become easily discouraged when employers throw the bureaucratic hurdles their way. With that in mind, the suggestion about bypassing HR, and connecting with the Nursing Dept. first, is great. I think Nursing should be very concerned about the way applicants are treated at their facilities. It's like, we are not who we say we are; We are who and what others say we are. Education and experience are extras. Just come to your interview with an impressive list of names and phone numbers.