Still Unemployed for 5 months and still counting

1 I cannot call myself a new grad anymore because I graduated last April 2010. A year has passed an I still don't have a RN job. I passed my NCLEX, took up BLS, ACLS, PALS, IV Therapy, ECG & Pharmacology certs. so I can be more marketable, but I'm still begging for a job. I live in NJ, and have licenses have been endorse to another 2 states, CA & TX. I've applied for about 250 positions...you name it from hospitals, LTC, Rehab, Clinics, Assisted Living, Agencies, Hospice. Got 6 interviews, 3 from hospitals and 3 from LTC, been to Nursing Career Fair, and no positive reply from those. I'm loosing hope. I just keep on praying.

Any thoughts? Am I the only one on this boat?
i don't know what to say. I got one right away after i graduated last yr. I don't know what the job market is like out on the east coast, but it's really picked up here (Midwest). Still having some people struggle but not as bad as it used to be. Have you talked with the managers you've interviewed with?? Maybe they could give you some feedback as to why you didnt.

At this point its who you know not what you have.

Try volunteering at a hospital or facility near you so that they recognize your name and face when a opening is available also it will be something to put on the resume. Have you looked into summer camps or daycares volunteer at blood drives. Think outside the box. Good luck.

Are you interested in pysch? Did you try state Psych facilities? Try to volunteer as RN in hospital, some do allow...

Would you be able to relocate to another state or area in NJ?

Sounds like you are very qualified, with all your certs. I wonder if something is showing up in your background check, perhaps erroneously?

Sorry for your stress. It's taken me a long time to find real possibilities too. I've heard Texas has new grad positions?? I know that Oregon State Hospital, a psych hospital, in Salem is hiring new grads a lot. They're opening a whole new facility in a month. Good luck and keep hopeful. I'll keep you in my thoughts.

I'm not sure relocating is an option for you, but maybe look into that. I too am in Jersey and one professor let us have it honestly that the Tri-state area is tough for new grads. I live alone and so ready to leave when I graduate. I've been heavily looking at TX for next year. But, it is true it's about who you know. My clinical instructor is looking at us (her clinical students) for future employment at her hospital.

My academic advisor in nursing school described it as this...Everyone applying for the job has the same qualifications. You all have your nursing degree, you've all passed your boards, you all have or will have the same certifications (including what you have). So don't bank on those being your "selling points" because they are not selling points at all. You need to sell yourself to them, so you need to come up with something that makes YOU unique to everyone else. Ask yourself "What do i have that the others do not have?" INclude volunteer hours in this.....they LOVE volunteer hours. And if you don't have volunteer hours, pick something different.I volunteered with special olympics, doesn't get much better than that! I also volunteered at a flu clinic. There are more...but you get the picture.So do things that make you stand out other than certifications, because other people applying for the job have those too or WILL have those provided by the hospital. Those are not your selling points.

Maybe its your resume? Sometimes just tweaking the format makes a huge difference! If it is too "wordy" nursing recruiters hate that. They skim a resume for about 5 seconds before deciding if they will call that person for an interview. Keep it short and bullet points. An awesome resource that my school gave us was www.nurseresumesecrets.com. You can get some really nice resume tips, example templates and interview tips for free and is just for nursing! Good Luck!

Lot of good advice here! I wish everyone good luck! But when I see younger nurses with all the bells and whistles not getting jobs I think I have to face the facts at last: I am 50 with an ADN trying to rejoin the workforce. It ain't gonna happen. I have been a nurse for almost 30 years (off/on). Been trying for 2 years to find a job. It is a long way to retirement and have to figure out how to start completely over. It is very daunting. Wish things were better for everybody.

Maybe it is the way you're presenting yourself, either in the resume, on the cover letter, or in interviews. If you haven't learned in-depth about all these, research them. Even if you don't HAVE to submit a well-written resume/cover letter with your application, do so anyway. Even if you don't think it's necessary to wear business clothes to a nursing interview, do so anyway.One of the posts ahead of me was totally correct in saying that everyone applying for these jobs will be basically qualified. They're all going to be licensed for the position in question, and will likely have an assortment of additional training.So you have to convince the recruiter that for some reason, you are uniquely valuable. You're the only candidate who can offer something special. It's a painful truth that when you apply for a job, you're not really a person - you're a product to be bought. All you get to make is a first impression - there's nothing else - and if one thing is even mildly inferior to another candidate, you're out. If there's nothing wrong with you but someone else is more interesting or professional, you're out.You have to be honest about your credentials, but do learn how to write in a very engaging manner and think about something you can put in your cover letter to show why you are special. The employer should feel that he or she will miss out if he or she doesn't hire you (though of course you shouldn't explicitly state this, since it's not professional etiquette).Finally, I think some people forget to personalize their cover letters for each facility they apply to. Make sure to do this. You can often find out who will be responsible for reading your application, so address the cover letter to that individual. At worst, if you can't find out, come up with a reasonably warm greeting to human resources of the specific location - never "to whom it may concern," ew! Then research the specific facility and hint at why you'd be a good fit there. For example, unedited and off the top of my head: "Yale-New Haven Hospital would be a great workplace for me because I thrive in a fast-paced atmosphere. Yale-New Haven is famed across the country for its excellent quality of care and will pose a uniquely rewarding challenge. In addition, because it is a teaching hospital, it echoes the value that I put on lifelong learning." You wouldn't know those things without at least reading a little about the workplace, and you can easily dedicate a paragraph to it. HR likes knowing you've genuinely paid attention to what the hospital is like.Good luck...sorry to hear about your hardship.