Some might wonder what happens after that initial application and conversation with your new travel nurse recruiter. Well, a whole lot of nothing in my experience! I had these grand expectations of being called within a couple of days of being submitted for a job but I might have gotten my hopes up a little to much!
I was initially submitted for a couple of jobs by my recruiter exactly 1 week ago. At that time, my recruiter told me that I should expect a call from a hiring facility at any point, to keep my phone on me at all times and be prepared for an interview. “At all times” included after hours, nights, weekends, holidays… the whole shebang per my recruiter! With limited phone service in my middle of nowhere location, this struck fear in me because I can’t even walk to the mailbox without loosing reception. So, I have been patiently impatient in waiting for this phone call.
It has now been 7 days with not a single call from any job prospects and here is my BIGGEST frustration: I can’t even take a shower without worrying about missing a call or having to take a call with a head full of shampoo. I can’t walk down the road, visit my sister or parents house or go grocery shopping without the stress of possibly missing a call. Not to mention, I could very well be in the grocery store when I get the call and have to conduct the interview on the spot! I now have to constantly carry paper and pen around with questions that I need to make sure to ask during my short time on the phone. Interviews are stressful and not being in a comfortable place when they are performed can really rattle you. I am rattled just at the thought of it. I haven’t even had my first interview yet!
As I try to get use to “the wait”, I have decided that in the future I will definitely need to apply for multiple locations with multiple agencies. My rational is that the more profiles my recruiters send out, the better odds there are on a timely phone call. But for now, the stress of my first time and still waiting on my nursing license to be approved is more than I can handle. This process is not what I had imagined at all!
