Just curious. 

It seems to be the same all ove with the dismall job out look. Have you ever thought about volunteering for a while.. It gets you in the mix and you never know who might notice and offer you a position... Good luck to you and God bless you.. Teresa Please keep us postedlll

I think it's great that you are able to work PRN and gain some experience! Keep going and don't give up.

 Just an update: I had a phone interview this week for a New Grad residency position and I have an interview tomorrow for a telemetry med/surg unit and friday for an acute care unit (these two are at the same hospital). I am preparing questions for the panel as well as my answers in the hope that I won't get caught off guard in either of these interviews. I'd really like to land one of the positions!

I can't tell if the phone interview went well because the Nurse Mgr was hurried and didn't seem really interested in what I had to say in answer to her question "why are you interested in working on the telemetry med/surg unit at __ Hospital?" This question always baffles me because I am looking for a position that will solidify all the knowledge and skills that I learned in nursing school. Does anyone have any input on how to "knock this question out of the park" - I need help with it!!! She went on to tell me that the floor is very busy and there is no time to socialize or sit around. Then she said that she'd been "doing this a long time and has found that older nurses who have chosen nursing as their second career don't do well because they are unable to multi-task as needed by this demanding unit." I'm not sure what to think of this, but I did assure her that I thrive in a fast paced environment and am very adept at multi-tasking. I do like to lay out my "to do" list, but I am flexible and I know that the day sometimes dictates which items get done first and which items need to be shifted around to do later. The comment made me wonder how many other managers I've interviewed with have brought this same sentiment into my interview and allowed it to influence thier decision. Does anyone have thoughts on what to say in a situation like that? Or how I can present myself and answer questions that "throws" that thought right out of the interviewers mind altogether? 

Oh - I'm not complaining or offended by the question - I just want to be prepared for the next time...

Thanks!

 Ok - just wanted to update everyone on NursingLink - I just accepted a full-time position on a Med/Surg Telemetry (Vascular & Renal) Unit. I did review several articles and got some good questions and answers to prepare for this interview! Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers!

 I graduated in December of 2010. I have applied to multiple states. I have applied to prisons, Dr offices, hospitals, etc... I have had one "mock"interview. They were doing manager training. They said I did very well. I thought that might lead to something. It didn't so far. I had one other interview or so I thought. I was told I had a phone interview. They never told me when and then just never responded to calls or e mails. I guess thats there way of telling me they were not going to give me an interview. I am tired of the unprofessionalism that I am encountering. Most nurse recruiters will not even return an e mail or phone call. I have sent out over 200 applications without even 1 interview. I feel like I have tottaly wasted my time. I don't know what to do. I have started applying to other jobs non nursing. There is no nursing shortage. The schools putting this out to attract more students should be ashamed of themselves.

 Dear Thatguy,

I'm sorry that you are experiencing this frustration. If you read back through the posts here, you will see that I graduated in July of 2010 and just got my first full-time position in April. I drive an hour 1 way to my new job, but I'm so happy to be working and getting my first year of experience that it doesn't matter to me. All of the people on Nursing Link are very encouraging and I want to extend that same encouragement to you. Please don't give up on your pursuit of a Nursing job. As TeresahRN says, keep looking and don't limit yourself. Put yourself into situations where you might meet people "on the inside" of the company you want to work for. Apply for "sitting" positions, volunteer, take some con ed classes (you never know who you'll meet in class). Take the time to read through articles posted on Monster. I found them very helpful in updating my resume and preparing for interviews. Most importantly find a way to get rid of the negative energy you are harboring because of your frustration. I was frustrated (not quite as frustrated as you are) and it was causing me to feel so stressed. As I read through these articles, re-vamped my resume and "met" people through this website I was able to regain my perspective, get my head back on straight and ultimately find a job. It's not my dream job, but I'm not letting that stop me from squeezing every drop of experience from it in preparation for my next step.

Be Encouraged! Don't give up! Remember why you chose to become a nurse and keep striving to reach that goal! I believe in you!

Hey, Teresah!

Still looking for an LPN position. I graduated in Feb. 2011, and have been searching for 2 straight months. I have been to every job site imaginable, and it's frustrating! I am not giving up or in, because I worked too darn hard to maintain A's in lecture and clinical.  I feel I should be doing something, but what? I check the websites everyday and I've been to my local job center also. The job situation is BLEAK!!!!!! I want to thank Teresah for all her support and encouragement. You're AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!