Hi all. I've made just about every mistake in job hunting that I've seen mentioned - I didn't do a good job networking in school, I didn't join any student organizations or do anything "above and beyond" in volunteer work or anything like that, I didn't work as a CNA or patient care tech or anything healthcare related prior to or during nursing school, and I let too much time pass by before starting to really look for a job. I'm now starting to wonder if it's even worth it to bother.
I finished my ADN program in February 2011. The graduation was in April 2011, so we weren't eligible to sit for boards until after April. The boards lost my application, and I didn't realize it because I was waiting patiently for the 6-8 weeks to pass by before calling to pester them about it. End result of that, plus a little procrastination to boot, I didn't sit for boards until September 2011. I passed my NCLEX first try, the computer shut off after 75 questions, so I know I did well despite the passing of time since school, but I'm sure on my resume it probably looks like I tried several times before passing NCLEX, due to the length of time between graduation and testing.
After getting my license, I applied to a few positions at a local hospital, and then tabled the job search temporarily while I did some traveling over the holidays to visit family. I missed everybody... my immediate family moved away during nursing school, and I hadn't seen them in a while.
I returned home from the holidays in January, but I felt so apprehensive and anxious about the prospect of job hunting that I didn't begin in earnest until a few weeks ago. I've been reading about job hunting practically the whole time, and trying to polish my resume and cover letters (both of which I think suck, to be honest), but I just don't feel like there's any hope.
Ideally, I'd love to get into OB and/or women's health, but I'll take anything. I just don't see anything happening. I don't feel like I have any strengths to play up in a job interview, assuming I get that far (well, I'm good at school. That's a strength, but what employer cares if I'm good at school? Nobody, that's who).
I got back in contact with a nursing professor of mine, who pointed me in the direction of a couple of hospitals who she'd heard were hiring new nurses. I applied for both, but haven't heard anything back, despite leaving messages with both HR departments and speaking to one nursing recruiter (who took one look at my application and told me "good luck", which I don't take as a good sign at all).
I'm planning on starting my BSN, which I guess will put me back at "fresh new grad" status, which is better than "rusty new grad" status, but I'm not sure what to do in the meantime. So far I've applied to every hospital in the area and a few out of the area, the corrections facilities, the VA hospitals, and my next try is going to be nursing homes and possibly an abortion clinic (which I think might work well with my OB/women's health goals... I hope).
SO... If you read all this, you've got my appreciation, and if you've got any encouragement, I'll be grateful. I'll take some hard realism if that's all you've got, but I think I'm already pretty realistic/leaning towards pessimistic about this whole job hunt thing. Any other perspectives? Tips? Comments?
ETA: Oh, also I was thinking about doing some volunteer work in a hospital. Is that too little, too late at this point, or might it actually help? What about applying to CNA or LPN positions (I don't have those licenses, but does my RN supercede that?) or something like that? Is that an option?
Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.
throw in the towel? are you asking for support or looking for an excuse for your intent? everything sounds lack luster that i read in your story. it probably comes across when you approach applications for a job. i see and can feel the dark cloud you hold above your head as you go through each task with about as much enthusiasm as paint drying on the wall. so, when you get serious about working as nurse, the responses you get will be serious.
the clinical world of nursing has been taken over by mba's, non-nurses evaluating "resumes" as an application for work. your credentials are your adn. know this, and go out and get a job.
btw, rns do not work as cnas or lpns. duh?
i think it is just a simple case of apathy from a procrastinator and she has come to us for a little motivational kick in the butt.
in addition to the suggestions i gave the op on page 1, i would actually advise not doing other certifications or volunteering at this time.
you will use this as an excuse not to do what you need to do which is get yourself out there every spare second you have stopping at facilities and offices handing out resumes and filling out applications to anyone who will take them.
Specializes in Emergency Room, Specialty Infusions.
Don't give in! When the economy went down the tubes, my oldest graduated with her BSN. Took her 18 MONTHS to land a job an hour away.
My youngest just graduated in December and started looking end of February and was just hired where her sister got her job.
Please don't give up. There are jobs out there. Right now, I'm working three. Emergency, a dental office and for a pharmaceutical company. As you can see they are all related (IV skills, ACLS) yet not related.
Think outside the box. We are all rootin' for you!
What state are you in? Did I miss that in all the comments... :-( AZ is apparently the worst state for a new grad to get a job in, anything west of the Mississippi (except N Dakota) is hard.
I worked as a volunteer at Phoenix children's and Banner Good Sam and they both paid no heed to that when I graduated. I even got an award at Banner for the work I did, but it all meant nothing to either hospital: I wouldn't waste your time volunteering.
HR departments have been overly nasty and obnoxious to me as a new grad. Go talk to the nurse managers, some of them looked at me with disgust as a new grad, other said that they would hole my resume, none of it came to anything but it was the warmest reception I got.
Have you thought about registering as a RN with a nurse registry? Its def a way to get out there and work while you are pursuing your dream job!I work for one and a lot of new nurses register with us.
i'm not sure where you are, so "get off your ass and move to a better place/state that's hiring!" might not apply. but stop reading how hard it is to find a job, it just makes you desperate and crazy. go to simply hired and set up some job alerts. like "new grad rns" or "new grad jobs in seattle" or whatever applies to you. and set a goal to put x applications a day. mine was 3, although sometimes it was 20+ (most on sites that let you apply to many positions at the same time) have you looked into state jobs? or the military?
My "How to land a job within a hospital" story - I spent days sending out applications to anyone and everyone I possibly could:bugeyes:. I put a small photo of me and my kids on one resume :nurse:and was called from five different facilities. Then about a year later I got fired by a jealous ADON..she was told and believed I wanted her job:uhoh3:. On the job search again again:uhoh21: I finally landed a pool position and worked for 6 months in the hospital - and then when a job opened up - in home health - I had several nurses in the hospital recommending me - I was in, like Flynn. :) Usually in a hospital..they hire from within the hospital facility, if possible, to keep you from having to go through general orientation - paying for the most boring days ever:sleep:. These two ideas WOrked for me. So, I'm curious, are you working yet?
A nurse registry as defined in 400.462, Florida Statutes (F.S.). is an agency that offers health-care-related contracts for registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified nursing assistants, home health aides, companions or homemakers who are paid by fees as independent contractors.
A nurse registry provides non-invasive care; however, there are also home health agencies and health care services pools. I would suggest going to the AHCA website to get more details on the specific differences between them.
Some examples of nurse registries are Visiting Angels, Granny Nannies, Comfort Keepers, Arcadia health care etc.
Basically, you come in an register as an RN and are added to the agency's registry. You are contacted as cases come in that require a RN. Our RNs are mostly used for health assessments/vitals, medi setups/organization, and colostomy/foley bag care.
Thank you for all the comments, everybody! I really appreciate all the advice offered here (and the kicks in the pants! Those help, too.)
BostonTerrierLoverRN - You've got a point there! Thank you for the words of encouragement.
Niamah - Ooh, good tip. I hadn't thought of a summer camp, but it is the right time of year to start looking out for one.
royhanosn - Hmm. I don't think I could do overseas, although I had looked into it briefly. Right now I'm pretty sure that would be just a way for me to waste time and money, because for one thing, I don't have a passport, and for another, the few places I did look into when I checked required a higher level of education than I have right now. "Sin clinics?" Wow, I wouldn't have thought of calling them that, but I have looked into drug rehabilitation and I did mention the abortion clinic. I am fully aware that people in difficult situations such as addiction and unwanted pregnancy need just as much, if not more, care and compassion than the rest of us. As for "the holidays," my family (yes, in North America) celebrates many holidays. I was referring to Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas, and New Years, but it was shorter to just type the holidays.
nursegirl62 - Thank you for the input from the other side! Do you recommend a call first, or just to show up one day in professional attire with resume in hand? It's interesting how differently that approach will come across to different people. Also I'm glad to know that you don't look on LTC as a negative point. I've been hearing about people feeling "stuck" in LTC, and that's kind of scary. (I don't think LTC is necessarily a bad place to be at all, I just don't like the idea of being "stuck" anywhere!) I've been working on polishing and repolishing my resume, but I hadn't thought of making separate ones for different jobs. That's a good idea, thanks!
GrnTea - That is another angle I've been considering as well. I know I could be professional and kind to women in those situations, and I think I could find that fulfilling also. I'm not a fan of abortion (really, who is?) but I know I'm capable of offering compassionate care to women who feel that it is the right decision for them. I'll have to put some more thought into it, for sure.
PMFB-RN - Heh, it's OK, I was a little baffled by that, too. Little random!
FORDGRAD78 - Lackluster is exactly how I felt when I wrote my OP. Discouraged, inadequate, hopeless, and yes, as CrunchRN so astutely noted, a whole lot of procrastination mixed in! I came here for advice and a kick in the pants, and I've gotten both, and I appreciate both. As far as RNs working as CNAs or LPNs, my mom's first job after she got her RN license was working as an RN for a CNAs pay, and then later on when she moved to another state she accepted a CNA job in hopes of getting an RN job later on. So it does happen. Whether it's the best choice, I don't know. That's why I came here.
merrywhiterose - Yeah, I may very well do that. Right now I'm working on getting myself out there and putting out the resumes and following up on contacts. If LTC is where I get hired, I'll take it.
CrunchRN - It makes me grin that you caught on so quickly to exactly what my problem is. So no certification or volunteering at this time, you say? Heh, you've got a really good point - I could very well see myself using that as an excuse to table the job search for a while, and you're right, I can't afford to allow myself to do that. On with the job hunt it is. So far I think I'm doing pretty well taking action. Since my OP, I've:
~Gotten input from a career services advisor at my school on resume writing
~Had a friend online take a look at my resume and offer specific improvements
~Attended a job fair at my school (my first one!)
~Talked to one of my nursing professors, who is now calling me every time she hears of a potential opening
~Applied to one of those openings that my nursing professor pointed out
So I'm getting on it! You were right - a kick in the butt was exactly what I needed. And I got it!
Code_VSA - Wow, 18 months for someone with a BSN. Yikes! I'm glad she finally found something. Thank you for the words of encouragement. I'm going to keep looking. This thread has effectively booted me out of my "maybe I'll just give up" mode.
frodo-dog - I don't think I mentioned what state I'm in. I live in FL. Guess I'm glad I don't live in AZ! I'm sorry your volunteer work didn't pan out. Based on that and what CrunchRn mentioned above, I think I'll table the volunteer idea for now. Thank you for your advice!
Soontobehope - I hadn't thought of that at all, actually. I'll look into it. Thanks! I think maybe one of the companies that was at the job fair I went to was something like that. I'll take a look at their brochure and follow up on the resume I gave them.
macgirl - I'm not sure if it applies or not, actually! But you're right, reading about how hard it is to find a job is making me desperate and crazy (hence the thread). Simply Hired, you say? I'll look it up now. I haven't been sure what websites to use, so I've been mainly applying directly to hospitals and such that I can think of off the top of my head or through a Google maps search of my area. I have looked into state jobs and the military, but the jobs with the state (veterans hospital) closed with no call backs, and the military requires a BSN. Plus I really, really don't want to work in the military. I hate the idea of my entire body belonging to another entity. I considered it, though, out of desperation. I must say I was a little relieved that they wouldn't take me anyway. Thanks for your input, though, especially that Simply Hired site. I'll definitely take a look at that.
camoflower - Heh, if I had kids that might work, but being a 20-something with no kids, I'm afraid a picture of myself might be points against me rather than points for me. I'm sorry you got fired over politics! What a bummer. Glad it worked out in the end though. So you're recommending pool positions, is that basically what you're saying? Honestly I'd rather not try and avoid general orientation, ideally I'd have the longest and most intensive orientation ever! Refreshing my memory would be a great thing. However I understand that it's a big investment for hospitals. Nope, not working yet, but I'm working on finding work!
Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.
I really like your attitude and am very hopeful for you. Are you on linked in? Another way to network.
Now, your assignment for next week is to get in your car and drive to a nursing home and try to turn in a (new & improved)resume and even fill out an application. Also look for LTAC's. Dress professionally. Be nice to everyone. You have nothing to lose so just go for it.
Nope, I'm not on linked in, but you're the third person to mention it to me, so I think I'm going to get on it. I'd been wary of it because I don't really like the idea of mingling online profiles with business, but someone reassured me that it's completely seperate from facebook, etc.
As to the assignment... Aye aye, captain! Should I call ahead, or just drop in?
Also, I looked up LTACs in my area just now. It looks like none of them are actively hiring. Drop in with resumes anyway?
Edited to add: Also, I get out of my current job at 3:30. Is that a bad time to start driving around to other places? I could take time off work if I have to, but I want to limit that (gotta keep the job I have until I've got another one!) as much as possible.
Okie dokie! That was one of my previous excuses. "Oh, y'know, they'll be closing up shop in HR by about 4pm, I bet, so maybe I should just wait until I can take a day off to really focus on driving around to all the different places..."
Usually in a hospital..they hire from within the hospital facility, if possible, to keep you from having to go through general orientation - paying for the most boring days ever:sleep:. These two ideas WOrked for me.
So, I'm curious, are you working yet?
Thanks for your input, though, especially that Simply Hired site. I'll definitely take a look at that.
CrunchRN, ADN, RN
4,556 Posts
i think it is just a simple case of apathy from a procrastinator and she has come to us for a little motivational kick in the butt.
in addition to the suggestions i gave the op on page 1, i would actually advise not doing other certifications or volunteering at this time.
you will use this as an excuse not to do what you need to do which is get yourself out there every spare second you have stopping at facilities and offices handing out resumes and filling out applications to anyone who will take them.