[KissedbyFire]

I sometimes wonder why I even bothered with college in the first place.

I graduated from nursing school with a BSN in December 2014, and I passed my boards this past January. I have been looking for jobs fiercely and have had two interviews. I was rejected from my dream job (and I'm still bitter about that) and I am still waiting to hear back from the other one. The other one isn't my dream job, but I have a limited amount of time before my nursing assistant job is terminated (per policy).

I feel so hopeless and stuck. I busted my butt for over five years to get this degree and went through hell, only now to be still looking for jobs. Sometimes I

Possible trigger:

think about killing myself. Like what is the point? Self-harm thoughts seem to get more intense the longer I have been looking for a job.

I feel worthless about not getting a job, like something is wrong with me. Other people keep getting jobs, often dream jobs, and I just find it upsetting that I worked so hard and come so far and graduated magna cum laude, only to have doors shut in my face. It is humiliating.

I guess I don't know what the point of this post is other than to complain about how much of a loser I am.

Thanks for listening.

[Koko2]

That's too bad. Does your appearance and personality fit the stereotype for your career niche? I didn't think about that when I was in school, so I majored in something that was destined for career failure because I just don't have the look and personality traits of people who excel in this field. In the end, they care more about that than your knowledge of the subject unless you have a Ph.D. Keep looking, and maybe it will turn out to be the right career for you.

[kaliope]

i hope you feel better that you have gotten to vent. have you a therapist to assist you in emotional regulation? looking at the big picture, at the lousy economy and the sucky job market you will see this isnt about you and what you amount to as a person at all so i wouldnt jump to accepting that responsibility on your shoulders. i have a friend who has been searching for about six months and applied for over 8 jobs in the last two weeks. it isnt abut her. 60 other people applied for the sam eposition. take care

[guilloche]

Hi KissedbyFire...

First, can I just say - wow! Congratulations on graduating magna cum laude, and on passing your boards. That's something to be proud of, and honestly, I don't believe that you can be an idiot and have accomplished what you have.

I understand that it's hard, and that the feelings of rejection from job hunting can make you feel less smart, less valuable, and less worthwhile (I've been there too!). I think for some of us, it's even harder. Some people seem to just brim with confidence, and no matter how much negative feedback the world gives them - it bounces off. They think, "I'm wonderful, and this person (or company) is just crazy for not seeing that." I wish I could be like that, but I'm not (and it sounds like you're not either).

So, first - you should know that job hunting does take some time. Sometimes less qualified people get the job for totally irrelevant reasons. Sometimes they know somebody at the company, sometimes they actually work there and the job was created just for them as a promotion (and the company may be legally required to advertise it and interview other candidates - but really, it's not available, they've already chosen who will get it), sometimes somebody else may seem to be a better personality fit for the team, or might fill a specific niche that you can't possibly know of going in.

For example, I'm sitting in on interviews at my company right now. After talking to candidates, we discuss things like... whether a candidate will overwhelm the person that we want them to work with, whether they'll be able to work within our framework (as opposed to rejecting the way we do things and trying to teach us the "correct" way), whether they'll "run over" any of us in conversations, how they'll take feedback, how well they'll present to clients, etc.

There's a lot of "soft skills" that are considered.

Have you gotten any feedback from any of your potential employers? Does your school have a career center that you could use? Some will do mock, videotaped interviews with you, and then give you feedback on how you're presenting and what you can work on. This can be really helpful, because almost everyone has some unconscious things they do while under stress (and interviews are stressful) that can be a turn off to the person hiring you.

You are getting interviews, right? With your grades, I'd be shocked if you weren't getting called in for interviews?

And, has it just been these 2 interviews that you've done? You may need to get out there more. I hate to say it, because I hate that it works this way, but it's like dating in that it's a bit of a numbers game.

Also, are you looking at relocating at all? If opportunities are limited in your area, you might want to.

Good luck, and please try to not take it so personally. In the interviews that I've been involved in, we sometimes get really awesome people that we'd love to hire - but they're just not the right fit for the particular opening that we need (or someone else is a better fit). It doesn't mean that they're not smart, talented, easy to get along with, and overall wonderful.

Good luck!

[CosmicRose]

This is extremely common, nothing is wrong with you. People assume that just because they have degree-in-hand, they will immediately be offered a job. It's a very tough economy out there even with degrees. There's gotta be like at least 15+ applicants for every single open job out there right now.
You WILL be hired by someone. And try to let that "dream job" go, because everything happens for a reason and wherever you end up, try to make it your dream job regardless. You can succeed anywhere.
Kudos to you for surviving 5 years of college! College is no small feat.

[offthegrid]

Please consider guilloche's post. It's the absolute truth. As frustrating as it is, not getting some jobs may be a blessing in disguise and it's better to take each time as a learning experience. Some people are just not the right fit in certain positions and a decent hiring manager has an eye for certain things that you may not, especially because you are new to the field. You may be great but they have to fill the position with someone. One job I didn't get, the department was later aided for financial issues which meant that had I worked there, I probably wouldn't have gotten paid/paid correctly!

I'll say this, when you are in college and just entering the job market there are certain things people can tell you to do that "will land you a job" but a lot of it is catch phrases and BS. You really learn about these things through life and experience. When I got the job I'm at now (which I hate, but that's not the point here lol), I was basically having a normal conversation with the hiring manager.

I'm not saying you are doing this but make sure that when you look for jobs, you are calculating to a degree. See if you can get in contact with people you know as well. When you apply for jobs, follow up. IDK if the have temp agency type services in your field but something similar would be a good idea if it's an available option. At least the general population knows what your intended job is at all (when I tell people what I do, I get dazed looks smh). I know it's tough but hang in there

[KissedbyFire]

Hey everyone,

Sorry for the late reply, and thanks for all the advice. I am still looking for a job, and I have a few more interviews up.

I know that sometimes not getting the job is a blessing, but I can't help but feel that I know I would have been happy at the dream job to the point where I didn't want to look anywhere else. Now, I just have accept that that isn't going to happen, and I am willing to take what I can get. But I don't want to settle; after so many years of hard work, I feel that I put in too much just to get a job that I hate or am indifferent towards, you know?

To guilloche, yes I am getting interviews. I have had two so far and have landed a couple more. I love your comparison with dating...it certainly feels that way!

Unfortunately, I cannot relocate, but I am looking outside the city and don't mind taking a longer commute for a job...ANY job...at this point.

It is so frustrating as I want to be able to become a Nurse Practitioner and the kind of Nurse Practitioner I want to be requires a certain experience that only my dream job can provide.

[breakmystride]

I agree, it sucks. I graduated Magna Cum Laude too, and I've spent the last several years either unemployed or at a low-paying job that doesn't pay the bills, so I've been job hunting ever since I graduated. It seems like there's just nothing out there for me.

[Bolivar83]

Dear KissedByFire: know it's been a few days since you've posted; hope things are looking a little better, or at least more bearable.

To add my voice to whats already been said, it's not you. The job market really, really sucks, and it's a rough go for everyone right now.

It took me over 50 applications and 10 interviews to land a job that, while not perfect, has growth potential and great benefits. It's not where I saw myself, but for now, it's damn good. I'm thinking it's just a numbers game, that it just takes that much longer to find something - it's not you, it's our sucky economy.

[AngstyLady]

Me too, especially when there's never really a job I want to have, so much as one slightly better than the one I have but still not doing something I love (like writing or philosophizing) because that **** doesn't pay ****.

[iancurtis]

This is definitely a common scenario, for me i had to spend 3 years after graduation just to find the right job for me. However, I made a mistake of only limiting myself to the area where i come from when i could have extended my hunting ground far and wide - like on a global scale. How did I get my first job? I actually applied to volunteer in an organization where I worked for 6 months before they hired me. Few months later they gave me a promotion.

[TheMagnifiCat]

I know when I finished nursing training. ( in a galaxy far far away, once upon a time) it was hard to get ones foot into the first job. Inexperienced staff etc etc. keep on keeping on..... Mine was a crummy job...nursing home as a night staffer, i stuck at it and after about 8 months I was able to start in an acute care ward in a hospital. I never had any trouble from then on....hope things look up soon for you!

[blues27]

Job hunting is hard. You should be proud of yourself for getting interviews. I'm not in your field, but I have been sending out job applications and had interviews here and there, but in the end I did not get hired. I went on LinkedIn where some of the jobs I applied to are posted there as well. Let me tell you, I was shocked to see 50-200 applicants . I am not giving up. I think it's just I did not find the right one that fits my interest yet.

[CosmicRose]

I've been applying to jobs across town for the past week or so and I haven't gotten an interview yet, just a call back from a recruiter from a hiring agency which isn't really the same thing as getting an actual interview offer.
I was bummed to log into my email and see a new message saying "Thank you for applying but we regret to inform you that you have not been selected."

[KissedbyFire]

Originally Posted by TheMagnifiCat

I know when I finished nursing training. ( in a galaxy far far away, once upon a time) it was hard to get ones foot into the first job. Inexperienced staff etc etc. keep on keeping on..... Mine was a crummy job...nursing home as a night staffer, i stuck at it and after about 8 months I was able to start in an acute care ward in a hospital. I never had any trouble from then on....hope things look up soon for you!

Oh man...nursing homes scare me as they are so severely understaffed!

I have had a couple more interviews, and of course, HR and the manager are playing games. The manager said that I would back from HR in time to give my job my two-week notice and to start orientation next month. HR called me today to say they haven't made a decision, another candidate has been interviewed and now someone from within the organization is asking about the same position for which I applied.

I'm so pissed and frustrated. Had I known that things would be this difficult, I wouldn't have studied nursing.

[RisuNeko]

I think applying for nursing homes is a good idea. I know they're awful, but they're a good foot in the door. I used to work at nursing homes as a CNA and that led me to my current job at a much nicer fancy Assisted Living house for rich old people. The pay still isn't great, but the job is less stressful. Working as a nurse in a nursing home could get you a chance to work in a hospital once you get some real world experience. The people who are getting the jobs you've applied for have probably already had at least one nursing job already.