Nursing Graduates Finding Tougher Job Market

New nursing school graduates are having an unusually tough time finding jobs after years of efforts to recruit people to the profession.

Experts continue to warn of a looming shortage of nurses in Iowa and across the nation. And some nursing schools are touting the profession as a safe alternative for workers who have been laid off from other careers.

But for the moment, at least, nursing jobs - like jobs in dozens of other fields - are relatively scarce...

From Des Moines Register: Nursing Graduates Finding Tougher Job Market

...Many hospitals have cut back on their hiring. Administrators say their finances are slipping, partly because recession-struck Iowans are delaying medical procedures, and because fewer patients have insurance to pay hospital bills. Also, experts say, fewer veteran nurses are retiring or cutting back on their hours....

...A recent national study found that the overall number of registered nurses has continued to increase during the recession, but that many veteran nurses either returned to the work force or delayed retirement because of the economy. The study, published in the journal Health Affairs, said the trends could give the appearance that the nurse shortage has disappeared in some areas of the country. But it warned that a shortage is likely to reappear and worsen in coming years.......

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As people hit refresh button on their careers, nursing wins

A recent article by the Cincinnati Business Courier discusses how more and more people are turning to nursing when they change careers. Are we surprised?

# Nursing as a career field is stabilizing as people return to the profession and others remain in their jobs longer.
# The Greater Cincinnati Health Council offers a refresher course for returning nurses.
# Many entering the field are in their 40s and 50s and want a more secure job.
# The market should open up once the economy turns around and older nurses retire.

From Cincinnati Business Courier: Bringing Nurses Back

The U.S. Department of Labor's March 2008 Employment Situation Summary reports employment in the financial and credit markets has fallen by 116,000 since October 2006, construction has dropped 331,000 jobs since September 2006, and real estate has lost 34,000 jobs since June 2006. Health care, on the other hand, continues to grow, adding 360,000 jobs during the past 12 months.

The employment outlook continues to look bright for nurses. The Labor Department estimates employment of registered nurses will grow 23 percent from 2006 to 2016 and the country will need 500,000 new RNs by 2016.

From NurseZone: Nursing Jobs Grow Despite Recesion...

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Job Search Strategies for the Web

So you’re ready to search for a job, and target your next career step. There are a number of resources available to you on the Internet, and by using them strategically you can have success.

Keep in mind, however, that the ease of applying for a job via a submit button has also made it easier for your peers as well, and has made it more difficult for you to differentiate yourself from the competition. This is amplified in today's difficult job seeker's market.

Then how do I use the Internet as a resource for my job search effectively? First, let’s discuss several of the resources available to you.

Job Boards

Generally the niche job boards such as hireRx.com and hireBio.com are more targeted to your industry than the general job boards such as Monster or HotJobs. They allow you to highlight important industry experience and skills.
In addition, recruiters in very specialized fields such as biotech, pharmaceuticals, chemistry and biology may be more likely to search these resume databases than those on the larger, more general boards.

When posting your resume on a job board, read the privacy policy to ensure your email address doesn’t end up being sold to third-parties. Speaking of email addresses, you should have an email dedicated solely to your job search. It’ll look better to potential empl...

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Tips for Getting Your Resume Noticed Online

Let’s face it. The days of being using creativity to get someone to look at your resume have passed. Items such as font, layout, white space, envelope color, paper texture and the first few paragraphs of a cover letter determined whether your resume got noticed by a hiring manager.

With the advent of one-click Internet applications, resume submission services and online career hubs for every industry, specialty and geography (such as Monster, HotJobs and hireCentral), applying to your perfect job is easy. But maybe it’s too easy. Even if your qualifications are a perfect match to a job opening, getting your resume noticed online isn’t easier – it may actually be harder. And you can end up being one of many in a large resume database wondering if your resume has ended up in a black hole.

There are certain things you can do however to ensure your qualifications are the first to be reviewed.

Keywords, keywords, keywords

Keep in mind that when you submit your resume to a career hub or an employer’s website, your resume is added to a database along with the thousands of individuals already there. Special fonts are removed, layout is standardized, and all that’s left to separate you from the competition is the content. So make sure your resume includes key words or phrases that a recruiter or an employer might search for.

For example, if you’ve completed a GMP certification, make sure you’ve put that exact phrase in your resume, and make sure it’s visible. If you have experience with specific manufacturing equipment that could help you get a job (or at least attract attention to your resume), make sure to include it.
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