Did I really get the job?

Published Aug 19, 2016

1 Post

After applying to more than 100 RN positions since getting my license in February (I live in a saturated area), I've only had three interviews (with different hospitals in the same health system). My second and third interviews were only a couple of weeks apart. I did not receive the second job because I was "too quiet" and the manager felt she had to pull answers from me (the recruiter emailed me this). I figured it was because I had little excitement about working in telemetry. My third interview was for my dream job in a well-respected hospital. I returned to school to be a labor and delivery nurse after having my kids (long story for a different day). The third interview was for L & D for new grads. I had done my capstone in L & D, so they were interested in having me in to interview.

I met with the nurse recruiter first. She knew I had interviewed twice before at her system, and it was more of a "coaching" session before I went to meet the nurse manager of the floor. I thanked the recruiter for her ideas, and I implemented them into my interview with the nurse manager and her coordinator. This interview was unlike anything I've experienced before because I felt like I really clicked with the manager, coordinator, and recruiter.

I went home and got a voicemail from the nurse recruiter late in the afternoon right as she was leaving office. She said she was thinking of me (!) while I was interviewing with the managers and was asking to see how it went. I called her back the next morning, and after a pretty casual conversation she said, "Well, I've led you on long enough. You got the job." She went on to discuss the orientation package that I would receive the following week with the details about ordering scrubs (that didn't make sense...you don't order scrubs for L&D), orientation, pay, etc. She said my start date would be September 12 (5 weeks in the future).

I was thrilled and because I thought I had no reason to not believe her, I gave notice to my employer. I sent the recruiter a thank-you note even though I had gotten the job because she went out of her way to help me ace the interview. I did not send thank-yous to the manager or coordinator because I figured it might be overkill.

The next week came and went. I emailed her that Friday afternoon to say that I hadn't received my orientation package and to find out if she could tell me the exact hours I would be working so that I could plan for childcare next month. When I did not hear from her, I called her at 8:30 Tuesday morning. Because it's summer, when I did not hear from her by 3 that afternoon, I called the main HR number to see if she was possibly on vacation. She wasn't. She then was out of the office on Wednesday and still had Wednesday's away message on Thursday. I called HR again and spoke to the same person. He could not help me out, but divulged that she would be back from a seminar at another hospital in the afternoon. He would give my name, number and message to the recruiter. I left her a final voicemail this afternoon. I tried not to sound too anxious or desperate and I kept my message short and sweet.

This afternoon I sent a thank-you email to the manager and coordinator to say I was excited to start on 9/12. I hope I am going to start there on 9/12. I did not mention the lack of return email/calls from the recruiter. By emailing the manager/coordinator, if I didn't get the job after all, maybe they'll reach out to the recruiter to let her know to contact me.

I've worked in HR for 11 years, and I really want to avoid being a pest. I understand that it can get insanely busy. That being said, I also appreciate those people who return emails and phone calls. The recruiter was so friendly and warm, and I am at a loss as to why she is dodging me now. She could be busy, but if they are rescinding my job offer, would you think that she would need to contact me somehow?

Also of note: my references have not been contacted yet. Is it too soon to worry?