Work Coach Cafe

Dear Work Coach,

Hi! I had a job interview a little over a week ago (not this past Thurs, but the Thurs before). I was actually scheduled for the interview the week before, but she had to cancel a couple hours before my interview because the office got a call that the joint commission was on their way over. She called me the next day and rescheduled.

I’m a bit confused though. I felt good about the interview, yet it was a little odd. So I thought I’d write and get a little advice.

The interview was to be a manager at a medical office, I would be in charge of all the nursing staff and clerical staff (about 20 people) and there are 8 doctors in the office. It’s not a privately owned office, it is with a big medical company that has hospitals and doctor’s offices. Well when I went to the interview I met with one person…the person who would be my boss and is also a regional manager.

We seemed to hit it off, but it was odd to me because she barely asked me any questions. She only had my resume in front of her and said she saw where I worked and that I have been/am part of a community service group. She asked me if I would be able to make 7am meetings 3 or 4 times a month which I said was no problem. Then she asked the basic “what are your strong points. What are things you need to work on” questions, but then that was about it. She then told me the chain of command and what her position entailed. Then she told me why they were looking for someone for this position. She said there used to be two people, but they moved on to a special program that the company was doing with electronic patient files. So then they hired one person to do the job last November. This person ended up going on medical leave pretty quickly after getting the position and I guess has mostly been on medical leave ever since. When she was in the position she said she didn’t do a good job, never listened to the employees and they quickly lost respect for her.

So the person interviewing me was going on and on about her and how horrible she was…she even told me the woman’s first name which I thought was odd. After telling me all that she told me she wanted to give me a tour of the building. She took me around the whole building explaining every part and how things worked. She discussed with me the new doctors that were hired, the plans for the future and the new people they were going to need to hire (they needed more nurses for the new doctors). We talked about their plans and how beautiful the building was. Then we went back in the interview room and she asked if I had any questions.

Then she told me she was going to try and grab the lead doctor to do a second interview with me. She was gone a few minutes and came back and said he was way to busy with patients. She asked me if he could give me a call so I didn’t have to drive back over (I live 45 minutes away). I said that was fine. She told me she was going to try and get him to call me that night because she wanted to try get this all figured out and done by Monday. Then she told me that what she thought the job salary range was…she said she wasn’t positive, but she was pretty sure that was the range. I was excited because it would be a HUGE pay increase for me!!!!! Then she told me that HR would call me with the job offer and salary offer…then after a pause she said “or letting you know the position has been filled”. I said ok.

Then she asked if I had any questions and I asked her about the dress code since everyone was wearing scrubs, I wasn’t sure if management could wear scrubs or had to dress up. She said the manager could do either. So then we talked awhile about wearing scrubs and how much more comfy they are. Then she was telling me that I would see at meetings how some people wear scrubs and some dress up and that I could “tell what kind of people they were” by the way they chose to dress. Then she went on to tell me more about the women who had the job previously and other things she did wrong.

She told me she was looking for someone who would jump in and do whatever job was needed even pulling charts or whatnot. I told her I understood that she wanted someone that was a manager, but didn’t feel they were “above” anyone and she said exactly. So anyway, I left the interview feeling good and feeling like she was interested. Though I thought it was odd I wasn’t asked many questions and didn’t really get to talk or “sell” myself. I wasn’t sure if it was because maybe my resume “sold” me or what.

So then I was waiting for the doctor to call for the second interview. By Tuesday I still hadn’t heard anything and she had said she wanted to try and decide by Monday. I called and left her a message asking her if the doctor was still going to call me. She never called me back. So now it’s Saturday and I’ve heard NOTHING!!! I never got a call from the doctor, never got a call from HR, no rejection letters or anything. I saw they took the posting down on Thursday.

Does this mean I didn’t get the job or they weren’t interested? I’m super confused. I’ve never had an interview where I wasn’t asked many questions or that they went on and on about the previous person. I’m not sure if that’s all good or bad…not to mention that I was told the doctor would call and he hasn’t!! Which by the way, he wouldn’t be my boss, she would, and he’s not the one deciding about the position, so I’m not sure if it matters. I’m just at a loss, I want this position SO bad…it would be a wonderful opportunity for me and one I’ve been looking for for a long time!! What are your thoughts?

Oh and I almost forgot to mention…the interview lasted an hour, I sent a thank you note, and at the end of the interview she also said “You have my cell phone number right? Give me a call if you have any questions”. *SIGH* This sucks, I hate waiting. :o(

Lisa

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Hi Lisa!

I can certainly understand why you’re feeling a bit confused. And I really do understand how hard waiting is!

Well…you’ve certainly given me a LOT of details :), but I’m not quite sure what to tell you. Let me start with some of the easier stuff.

First…congratulations of doing as well as you did. She wouldn’t have tried to get you to meet with the lead doctor if she weren’t interested. As for the posting being removed…well, that just means they think they have a candidate out of their finalists - and you may still be the one they choose. Possibly she still wants the lead doctor to meet with her finalists and she hasn’t been able to get him to make the call. And when she mentioned “or letting you know the position has been filled”, that’s just good practice on her part so as not to imply an offer.

The fact that neither she nor the doctor hasn’t gotten back to you doesn’t mean you didn’t get it. The practice sounds pretty hectic and that could be enough of a reason. While they might have offered it to another person, this could also simply be her communication style - and if you do get the job, get used to it.

I know the job itself sounds great and I like to encourage people where possible, but please forgive me…I have to mention a few things just in case. I’m concerned about the way she trashes people who worked for and with her, and that she seems to be kind of judgmental: “‘tell what kind of people they were’ by the way they chose to dress.”

Plus they created this position out of what was once two positions. It could mean the workload is huge, explaining the high salary but also maybe pointing to why the person went on medical leave! (Now that last part may be totally unrelated, but worth thinking about.) And the fact that she wanted to talk at you and barely asked you anything, makes me wonder what kind of manager she’d be.

Would she ever listen? Did you feel comfortable asking her questions? How will she treat you when you don’t live up to her expectations?

I really want to tell you all signs are go for this job, but I have a question for you. If you could forget for a moment how cool the job sounds and how good the salary is, would you really want to work for this woman? Try reading what you wrote me as if you were not the person in the story. What would you tell yourself?

Now, if you can honestly say you realize how tough and nerve-wracking she and the job might be, but you feel good about it anyway since no situation is perfect, then that’s your answer.

But since that wasn’t really your question…I can assure you that from everything you told me you may very well still get the offer. Just be sure you really want it.

I wish you all the luck, Lisa, and hope that you do get offered the job. Always best to be in a position to decide! Whether it’s this job or another one, I wish you a job that you really love.

Good luck! And please let us know what happens.

Ronnie Ann

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The story doesn’t end here! To follow the rest of the comment thread (starting May 11, 2008) and any further updates Lisa gives us, please go to:

How to Tell If a Job Interview Went Well

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New Work Coach Cafe Policy:

Although I had to stop answering individual questions (to preserve my sanity), as always your thoughts and stories are VERY welcome here.

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