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Sep 2013
5:08pm, 10 Sep 2013
116 posts
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PerfectOrganism
Yeah Fravage, you're right in that it's not been a bad summer to be unemployed! I too have been catching a few rays. It's the perfect remedy when you're feeling a bit of the dole blues!
Sorry SA and Frav to hear you didn't get those jobs that you were hoping for. We just gotta keep thinking that something will come along eventually. And it will, it's just a pure pisser waiting around for it!
So I finished my two week post as a locum pharmacist at this small chain of pharmacies. And it went OK, but I came away feeling ultimately disappointed and deflated. See, I had chat with the manageress on Wednesday just about how I was getting on. I said that I thought I had coped remarkably well given the business of the place and the fact that these were my first ever shifts as a qualified pharmacist. And she agreed thankfully. She gave me a few pointers, but then told me to get in touch with their locum co-ordinator about getting some pharmacist shifts in some of their other shops (that one would definitely be far too busy for me to be in charge of with my level of experience). So by the end of wednesday I had a spring in my step.
Then on Friday, my last day, I had a chat with the "operations director". He was the one who had called me up originally, but I didn't work with him for any length of time during my two weeks. He just seemed to float in and hang around for an hour or so before leaving again. He asked how I thought I'd got on and I said the same thing, that I thought I had coped very well. And he agreed. And then basically proceeded to cut me down in every other way saying that there were times when I had struggled with the work, and that if I was in charge of one of their shops that I would struggle and get flustered, and said that I would have to get more experience before they would consider offering me more shifts (and thereby simultaneously implying I wasn't going to get it from them). He then went on to say that he thought that he had paid me too much for the work I had been doing, despite me being brought in to cover a tech and ending up on a good number of occasions being the only pharmacist in the shop! This really angered me as I thought they should have been paying me full pharmacist wages, not what they were paying me, but I bit my tongue because it's a fine balance between fighting your corner and completely scuppering any chances of further work with them! So on my way home on Friday I felt really pissed off, and more than slightly cheated. I feel that they got some real cheap labour from me, and part of the deal with me being brought in was to gain experience of their shops, and then I was told I don't have enough experience and wasn't offered any more! GRRRRRR! So I dont know what's happening with them now.
But I had no time to rest as I had a job interview with Worthing hospital on Monday so I was preparing for that all weekend. Despite feeling underprepared the interview went really well and they called me to say that I was their second choice and that they had "good-ish" news for me in that they weren't going to offer me the available post today, but that there was a good chance that another Band 6 post will come up in the next couple of weeks and if it does, they will offer it to me straight up, no further interviews or anything  But I'm not getting too excited about it as I've experienced enough highs and lows to know that nothing is set in stone until the contract is signed. But I really, really hope that that post does come up and that I can finally call an end to this job hunting business. Hospital pharmacy is really where I want to be and I'm within absolute TOUCHING distance of getting a post, in a very, very competitive marketplace. It will be quite a crusher if it doesn't come up!
Anyway, today I've been treating myself to a nice relaxing day "off" I've just reached the end of 8 days of solid work/job hunting intensity and so I've been for a swim (coz I hurt my ankle running at the weekend), tidied my room, and now I'm about to settle down with some serious PS3 action and a few cold beers! Oh yes!
I hope that everyone is doing well and hangin in there.
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Sep 2013
6:50pm, 10 Sep 2013
11,565 posts
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Red Squirrel
Oh PO; I really hope that offer comes your way. Will you need to riing them back to gently reconfirm your interest at some point soon?
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Sep 2013
11:12am, 11 Sep 2013
117 posts
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PerfectOrganism
Thanks Yeah I'm going to email them today just to say that it was a pleasure to meet them, and thanks for interviewing me blah blah and just to reiterate my interest in working for them were a new post to become available. I think I'll also ask for a little bit of feedback on my interview to see if there are any points particularly where they thought I could improve. I think it's a good idea just to touch base instead of waiting for them to get back in touch. It shows my interest and I think is just also quite a polite thing to do. It does sound like the right thing to do doesn't it? It certainly wouldn't harm my chances.
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Sep 2013
12:49pm, 11 Sep 2013
11,597 posts
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Red Squirrel
Yes I agree. I used to send my CV out to interesting new companies from time to time and twice received letters stating that they would be recruiting soon and would keep me in mind. I chased the first one (a radio station) and they said "Oh are you still interested?" then got me in for interview. I got the job. T'other one was at a local science and education centre - the same process basically.
Good luck PO!
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Sep 2013
2:04pm, 11 Sep 2013
181 posts
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Funky Chicken
PO - that Ops Director sounds like a real piece of work and well done for not losing your rag with him. I've noticed over the years that when some people get to a certain level they seem to get so out of touch with the front-line staff and only seem capable of picking fault, but would probably find the going tough if they had to go back to doing that job themselves.
RA - let me know how you get on if you advertise your proofreading services - it will be interesting to hear what sort of response you receive.
SA - thanks for your honest opinion I'm hopeful that compared to the job I'm doing, I will find it a lot more interesting and rewarding, but only time will tell (and the colleague I'm meeting tomorrow now may say exactly the same as you!)
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Sep 2013
3:14pm, 11 Sep 2013
7,275 posts
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SpicedApple
Perfect Organism, that's some disappointing feedback from someone who doesn't seem to have seen much of your work, and even more disappointing to conclude that it'll probably mean no more work for you from them. However, if everything happens for a reason, then your interview with Worthing Hospital following this disappointment surely is proof of it - well done! Good call on eamiling them to remind them of you being keen and fingers crossed for the role they mentioned to materialise.
Funky Chicken, I just read back over my previous reply re proofreading - sorry it sounded a bit harsh! It was in no way meant to deter you from pursuing this career - it might well be perfect for you, I just can't imagine it for myself. Fingers crossed your colleague will be be able to give you some good pointers.
I have an interview in a cool dept, but for a job I'm not sure I'd be all that good at on Friday.
And then another one on the 23rd for what is pretty close to my dream job, but which I'd have assumed to need far more experience and oomph and decisiveness for. I was extremely surprised they even invited me to interview - can't shake the feeling I've just been invited to make up numbers so they can then easily justify why they've chosen the internal candidates over others shortlisted or similar. Yet, even though I'm aware I'm punching well above my weight here, I can't help getting excited about 'what if' - never a good idea to get carried away prematurely! :-/
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Sep 2013
3:16pm, 11 Sep 2013
7,276 posts
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SpicedApple
I guess I just need to remind myself to keep on applying and not get carried away - three invitations to interview out of six applications so far is probably quite a good return, so I'll need to keep going and banish the 'what ifs'.
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Sep 2013
1:19pm, 13 Sep 2013
7,280 posts
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SpicedApple
Well, that was a bad show. I absolutely sucked at the interview. Ach well, good preparation for the next one as this one was very different from the last one (which was my first interview in ages), way more formal and less friendly.
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Sep 2013
1:53pm, 13 Sep 2013
2,740 posts
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Wobbling
Good attitude SA. Sorry you didn't think it went well.
I had very positive feedback from the Bank interview I went to a couple of weeks ago, just waiting to hear if they want to invite me back for a second interview.
PO - all sounds good at Worthing, forget about the other guy and his odd ideas. I think some people (actually a lot of people) don't have the ability to hold down the jobs they have, and therefore feel the need to develop other techniques to get them through their day. At the US bank I worked at, managers were encouraged to 'challenge back'. So you'd be asked to do something and rather than do it, to the best of your ability, you were actively encouraged to ask why the thing needed to be done and perhaps suggest an alternative. Wound me up no end, no mystery it's not a terribly successful bank, no one above a certain level does any work.
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Sep 2013
2:13pm, 13 Sep 2013
11,650 posts
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Red Squirrel
If I come across someone like the Ops Director, I think that they must have some issues in their life which make them bitter and want to transfer their own inadequacies on to someone else. It’s a bit of consolation but not useful when they’re blithely jeopardising the roof over your head and food on your table. At that point, I’m just inclined to think of them as a total and utter C U Next Tuesday.
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