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What is my next move?


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I haven't interviewed for a job in 8 years, so I'm looking for some advice. I applied to a job at the same hospital where I work a week ago. Two weeks ago, I emailed the director to ask if they were looking for someone with experience because that was not clear in the job posting. I was also advised to speak directly with the director instead of just filling out the online application because my application would get lost in a pile in HR. She asked me to email her my CV and said she would be happy to interview me. I did so and got no response, so I waited 4 days (through the weekend) and sent a brief email to confirm she has gotten my CV. She emailed back that she had gotten my CV and said they would try to set up some interviews this week (that was last week). I never heard anything.

 

I'm wondering what my next move is and how long do I wait before I move on and start to work some other connections for a job. This job would be my first choice because the hours a very good and I'd like the type of work. Do I ever email her again? Did I already do something wrong? I tried to show my interest without being annoying or pushy.

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I'd wait one more week - without contacting them. Depending on work load and flow, it's amazing how "this week" can sometimes easily morph into "next week" without really trying.

 

Perhaps they're just behind, I'd be patient while they sort things out...

 

Mr. Lucky

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I'd wait one more week - without contacting them. Depending on work load and flow, it's amazing how "this week" can sometimes easily morph into "next week" without really trying.

 

Perhaps they're just behind, I'd be patient while they sort things out...

 

Mr. Lucky

 

That's what I'm thinking. Just see what happens this week. I know they are very busy, and the director also does other work. That's not her only job. I'm just not aware of proper protocol with these things because I've had the same job for 8 years. So it's been awhile since I've had to do this kind of stuff.

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Hey BC~

 

I think it's appropriate to finish out this week, as Mr. Lucky says, and then sent out an email on Monday morning. That way your email will be among the first batch she reads at the start of her week, which puts you as a kind of "priority" in her memory, just as you taking time to email her at the start of your week shows your genuine interest in the position, and your follow-through. Good impressions all around :-)

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Hey BC~

 

I think it's appropriate to finish out this week, as Mr. Lucky says, and then sent out an email on Monday morning. That way your email will be among the first batch she reads at the start of her week, which puts you as a kind of "priority" in her memory, just as you taking time to email her at the start of your week shows your genuine interest in the position, and your follow-through. Good impressions all around :-)

 

She actually got back with me today and set up an interview for Wednesday. This would be a really good opportunity for me if it works out.

 

I'm trying to get some answers together for what they might ask me. What kind of answers are they looking for when they ask what your weaknesses are? I've only been asked this once in an interview, and I can't even remember what I said.

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From advice I've read on sites like Forbes and Fast Company, it's a balancing act when you're asked what your weaknesses are.

 

You don't want to disparage yourself, e.g., "I'm really bad at multi-tasking."

 

But you don't want to give an answer that's a backhanded self-aggrandizement: "I like to work too hard."

 

They often want to see how self-aware you are, hence the question, and so the more honest you can be about problems you genuinely struggle with at work, the better, because then you can show how you have worked to overcome the problem: "Multi-tasking is not my strong suit, because I like to be sure that things get done well and I prefer to focus intensively on one task at a time. So to counter this tendency I might give myself just one hour of uninterrupted time to devote to one task, and then when the hour is up I move on, so that no day goes by without me addressing all the tasks that are my responsibility."

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I try to use things that are truly my weakness but aren't necessarily bad. For example, I'm sometimes a perfectionist & don't know when to just be satisfied with my work. Or, I sometimes have too high of expectations & I have to remind myself that not everyone works the same, etc. I would polish those up but you get the idea. Sorry, it's late so those probably don't make sense. You can google & get good ideas. Just stay away from things like I can never seem to make it to work on time or I always run out of steam at 2pm every day .... even if they are true!

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Thanks for the advice. The best example I have come up with is that I have a hard time delegating, which is true.

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I went to the interview, and it seemed to go well. I had three people interviewing me, and it was mainly them explaining the job. They asked me some of the basics: why do I want this job, what kind of experience have I had related to this job? They never asked me for my strengths or weaknesses. I actually would have liked to highlight some of my strengths a little more, but the opportunity never arose.

 

 

 

So I think I did well, but you never know. I think the most obvious deficiency I have is that I don't have a lot of experience for this particular position. I have a lot of experience in other positions but not this one. I'm writing a draft of my follow-up email, and I'm going to briefly highlight some positives that I didn't get a chance to mention.

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Sounds like it went well. While I think one can almost always sense a negative from an interview, a positive one is harder to pin down. Sounds like you're well versed in the process, all you can do is put yourself in a good position to succeed. Keep us posted...

 

Mr. Lucky

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I ran into a snag, which I was trying to avoid. They asked me for two specific references from my clinical rotations I did during school. One would give me an excellent reference. The other person, I'm not so sure. The other person made it clear she did not want me there and even ignored me at times. About halfway through, she got really angry with me one day and acted like I should be doing more during this rotation, but she never gave me any guidance or any more responsibility. I had no clue what she expected from me. It was just a weird experience that I was glad to forget. We ended on a positive note, but I'm not at all sure she would give me a positive reference. I texted her and asked if she would be comfortable giving me a reference and haven't heard back. The only thing I can do is give a list of the references I have and say I haven't heard back from one person. Hopefully, the positive references will weigh more than an MIA reference.

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I've been thinking about this whole issue with references, and the advice I have for you I'm trying to apply to myself, as well.

 

I think you should try not to worry about it. So this woman either refuses to give you a reference, which would be the honorable thing to do if she can't give you a good one, or she gives you an underhandedly bad one. And then let's say you don't get the position.

 

Someone might come here and tell me I'm wrong, but I don't think it would be because of one bad reference. Frankly, I can't see how any employer would not hire someone based on one bad reference IF in every other way they feel the person is the right fit. Meaning, if they don't hire you, it won't be because of a bad reference. It will be because at best they were lukewarm about the rest of your application and your presentation at the interview, and the bad reference just cinched it. But they probably then would not have hired you anyway.

 

I think in any career path, all of us will run into people who just do not like us, or are jealous, petty people who bring themselves up by pulling others under the bus. I believe that in the end, bad reference, no reference or not, for the RIGHT position with the RIGHT employer, who we are and the good things we have achieved in the past DO outweigh any sharks or man-o'-wars who would rather drown us than see us succeed.

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I think you are right. I was thinking about your situation too. When it comes down to it, I did 4 clinical rotations, and I can give her 3 positive references of those 4. I can also give her my 4 most recent managers as references. If that's not enough, so be it. I will accept it, not take it personally, and move on. I did 2 clinical rotations that would be helpful for this job, and, unfortunately, one of those was with this person who probably won't give me a reference.

 

The director said she preferred those two references but didn't say that was all she would take. I gave her 5 references, 2 from my clinical rotations and my 3 most recent managers. I told the director that the other person hasn't returned my phone call and could be out of town, which is actually true because I'm friends with her on social media. I know these two people are acquaintances, so she could very say something negative to the director. I'm not really sure how close they are or how seriously she would take it.

 

If the director doesn't accept the other references and pushes for this other lady, what should I do? Be honest about what happened without disparaging her? It was such a weird situation. I have honestly never been treated that badly by someone as a student, and my other preceptors were the complete opposite. Just a really unfortunate situation.

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I think in any career path, all of us will run into people who just do not like us, or are jealous, petty people who bring themselves up by pulling others under the bus. I believe that in the end, bad reference, no reference or not, for the RIGHT position with the RIGHT employer, who we are and the good things we have achieved in the past DO outweigh any sharks or man-o'-wars who would rather drown us than see us succeed.

 

I honestly think it comes down to the fact that she doesn't like me and didn't want to deal with a student. I don't even think it's completely personal. She had a personal issue going on simultaneously, and I got the feeling that she regretted taking on a student that semester. I think she took it out on me by ignoring me and just completely disengaging from me for the first few weeks. Then, she kind of went off on me and said I needed to be doing more and disparaged the school by saying her experience in school was different. I was really floored because I had come in ready to learn, was basically ignored, and then told I wasn't doing enough. During my other rotations, there was an expectation up front of what I was supposed to do and clear goals. I have no ill-will towards this person. She doesn't have to like me or give me a reference. It's just a weird and new situation for me because I've never felt like I couldn't give someone as a reference. I've just never had his happen before. I can usually get along with anyone. I really do wonder how it looks to a potential employer.

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Thought I'd provide an update. Weirdly enough, the MIA reference came out of nowhere later that day and said that she would be a reference for me. It was totally unexpected. So now it's been about a week since then. I wouldn't be surprised if it takes several weeks for me to hear anything because it took about three weeks from the time I sent them a CV until I had an interview. I can tell they are really busy.

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Thought I'd provide an update. Weirdly enough, the MIA reference came out of nowhere later that day and said that she would be a reference for me. It was totally unexpected. So now it's been about a week since then. I wouldn't be surprised if it takes several weeks for me to hear anything because it took about three weeks from the time I sent them a CV until I had an interview. I can tell they are really busy.

 

That's really good news. I would think especially in an academic setting, being catty about references for students would eventually make itself known among one's academic colleagues. It reflects poorly on the person giving a reference if they give a poor one. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if that didn't stop some people. I'm glad it worked out :-)

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That's really good news. I would think especially in an academic setting, being catty about references for students would eventually make itself known among one's academic colleagues. It reflects poorly on the person giving a reference if they give a poor one. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if that didn't stop some people. I'm glad it worked out :-)

 

True, and I can't imagine why anyone would agree to be a reference only to give a bad one. That's just mean. But this person sounded happy to do it, which was unexpected. I wonder how long I'll have to wait to find something out. With the job I have now, I was offered on the spot, but I also somewhat knew the manager. It was a bit of a different situation.

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I wonder how long I'll have to wait to find something out. With the job I have now, I was offered on the spot, but I also somewhat knew the manager. It was a bit of a different situation.

 

Any news yet?

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She actually got back with me today and set up an interview for Wednesday. This would be a really good opportunity for me if it works out.

 

I'm trying to get some answers together for what they might ask me. What kind of answers are they looking for when they ask what your weaknesses are? I've only been asked this once in an interview, and I can't even remember what I said.

 

When they ask about weaknesses, use something you have had issue with before in a job. For me, my answer was, overall, I consider it more of an asset, but that I am fairly direct and found that while most people are fine with it, once in a while, someone can't handle it and may expect to be finessed more, but that I'm always fair and just trying to be clear about what they need to do next during a busy time. See to me, that's their weakness. When I was managing there was always one crybaby who wouldn't flinch at directness from a man but not a woman.

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Any news yet?

 

No news yet. It's been 2 weeks since I gave her my references, so I'm thinking this isn't a good sign. I'm thinking of emailing her next week to see if the position is still open. I've never done that before.

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When they ask about weaknesses, use something you have had issue with before in a job. For me, my answer was, overall, I consider it more of an asset, but that I am fairly direct and found that while most people are fine with it, once in a while, someone can't handle it and may expect to be finessed more, but that I'm always fair and just trying to be clear about what they need to do next during a busy time. See to me, that's their weakness. When I was managing there was always one crybaby who wouldn't flinch at directness from a man but not a woman.

 

Is that what you say in the interview? "My weakness is actually their weakness because they're a bunch of cry babies"

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No news yet. It's been 2 weeks since I gave her my references, so I'm thinking this isn't a good sign. I'm thinking of emailing her next week to see if the position is still open. I've never done that before.

 

I don't think it's necessarily a bad sign. They could just be so busy with responsibilities other than filling the position you're applying to that they haven't gotten around to contacting anyone to further the process. A few years ago I applied for a position and it was a month before I heard back for an interview, then another month after that for a second round of interviews, and TWO MONTHS after that the VP contacted me to schedule one more interview, at which point I politely bowed out of the whole mess.

 

And if so, *that* could be a bad sign that the department you'd be working for is disorganized.

 

When you email this woman, don't ask of the position is still open. Just say you are following up and still very interested in the position and you look forward to hearing from her.

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I don't think it's necessarily a bad sign. They could just be so busy with responsibilities other than filling the position you're applying to that they haven't gotten around to contacting anyone to further the process. A few years ago I applied for a position and it was a month before I heard back for an interview, then another month after that for a second round of interviews, and TWO MONTHS after that the VP contacted me to schedule one more interview, at which point I politely bowed out of the whole mess.

 

And if so, *that* could be a bad sign that the department you'd be working for is disorganized.

 

When you email this woman, don't ask of the position is still open. Just say you are following up and still very interested in the position and you look forward to hearing from her.

 

Thanks, that sounds like a much better way to phrase it. During this process, I have been a little surprised at what I'd consider unprofessional behavior. For instance, one of the ladies doing the hiring told me which day that I would interview but said she would call me back with a time. Four days later, and she never called me back. I ended up calling the day before the interview. Same thing with scheduling the day of the interview. She emailed me and told me to call her at my convenience, so I did. Two days go by, and she never returns the call, so I call again. I just felt like I was working really hard to get any information. I looked back at my emails and realized it's been 5 weeks since I initially contacted them. I'm going to email tomorrow, and cut bait if I don't hear anything back. She told me, 2.5 weeks ago, that I'd hear something fairly quickly.

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Thanks, that sounds like a much better way to phrase it. During this process, I have been a little surprised at what I'd consider unprofessional behavior. For instance, one of the ladies doing the hiring told me which day that I would interview but said she would call me back with a time. Four days later, and she never called me back. I ended up calling the day before the interview. Same thing with scheduling the day of the interview. She emailed me and told me to call her at my convenience, so I did. Two days go by, and she never returns the call, so I call again. I just felt like I was working really hard to get any information. I looked back at my emails and realized it's been 5 weeks since I initially contacted them. I'm going to email tomorrow, and cut bait if I don't hear anything back. She told me, 2.5 weeks ago, that I'd hear something fairly quickly.

 

Yeah, you know, when I look back at interviews and job application processes I've experienced, I feel like I've put up with an awful lot of unprofessional behavior, in the name of being open-minded and patient. And I wish I'd acted sooner on red flags and just bowed out of the process when they added up too much.

 

For instance, it's terribly inconsiderate to keep someone waiting and waiting who has expressed interest in a position. I mean, it's their first impression. And to seem so scattered and inconsiderate right off the bat doesn't bode well for when you're working there. I can say that every time I had a vague misgiving at the start of the application process, it has always panned out that I should have listened and bailed.

 

I wouldn't blame you if you cut out of this "opportunity" if you don't hear something soon, coupled with an apology for keeping you waiting so long.

 

Good luck.... Have you applied for any other positions or just this one?

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Have you applied for any other positions or just this one?

 

I applied to one other job, and I never heard back. I just finished school, and there are not enough job openings in my area for what I want to do. I'm fine with my job now, but I went back to school so I could have more options. This field has become crowded since I started school 3 years ago, so I'm just going to have to keep plugging away at it. The problem is that I don't have experience, which puts me at a bad disadvantage.

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