In the last week I've had two phone interviews for two different jobs. The first was one a bust almost from the beginning. I knew going in that it was for only a short-term (3 month) contract with no possibility of going permanent, but at this point I'm so fed up with the situation where I'm at now even that would be a relief. Unfortunately, while the interview went well, the person I was speaking with told me she couldn't even guarantee six weeks, much less three months; something that came to a complete surprise to the recruiter who put us together. I politely thanked her for her time and told her I this really wasn't what I was looking for. 3 months I could live with. Half that? Not so much.
The other interview—just this morning, for a six-month contract-to-hire—went very well. I had all the "right" answers to his questions, and the technical aspects of the job sounded like exactly what I was looking for. He suggested I stop by this afternoon to meet in person and tour of the facility. My little heart went pitter-patter. Would this be one of those "kismet" interviews?
The answer to that would be no. Almost from from the moment I arrived, my spidey sense started tingling—and not in a good way. And it only got worse. The guy I interviewed with—my would-be future supervisor—was nice enough and I could tell I'd really enjoy working with him—but he wouldn't be on site. He's based in Salt Lake City.
And that brings me to the biggest reason I quickly decided I didn't want to work there: I would be one half of only a two-man on-site team—pretty much the same thing I've got going on now (at least when we have an I.T. Director) but with twice as many users as I currently support. Secondly, the rest of the I.T. department is spread out across other cities, so there isn't going to be a whole lot of bonding going on there. Maybe this is a trend; I know we were moving in that direction at my last job in Phoenix, but it was only implemented long after I'd departed. And lastly, it took only a few minutes in the building to remember why I turned down so many offers from investment bankers during the 90s; the atmosphere—even though this place was brand new—was just plain skeevy.
Being a responsible self-starter, I certainly enjoy the freedom that the situation of being more-or-less alone and unsupervised would have provided, but I what I really want (and miss) is what I had at my last job in Arizona; I want to once again be part of a bigger work "family"—one that's linked by more than telephone and video conferences.
I know my ideal job in Denver is still out there, it's just a matter of time before it shows up. It has been my experience that whenever I've moved to a new city, the first job I land there is only a stepping stone; something to simply get me settled. It's the second job that always seems to turn into something magical—and while I am rather disappointed at the turn of events, I can say unequivocally that the position I interviewed for today wasn't that job.
When we moved to Denver, I was dead-set against going back into supporting a hospital environment, but now that I've been away from it for almost four years (I worked at my company's insurance division for 18 months before leaving Phoenix), I think I might actually be ready to return, and I told the Universe as much. The last time I told the Universe I was ready for something, Ben appeared. We'll see if it's still listening…
Here's hoping the Universe has her ears open for you….
I know you'll find what you're looking for. If you haven't yet, do some research into how the Affordable Care Act has affected hospitals and especially there having to convert to all electronic record keeping, Spending so much time in the hospital these past two years, I've seen and heard a lot and have been there several times when new phases were begun. You'd think the doctors and nurses would be more computer literate but it's really the aides from other countries who seem to know more. Good luck!