S/O of 'just not that into you' - want feedback from other nurses as to what happened

[klone, MSN, RN]

I am a nurse who is only trained in OB, and for the past few months I've been looking for clinic work and/or a job that has more "bankers' hours". I applied for a job as an infusion nurse at an infectious disease clinic. Going into the interview, I was lukewarm as to whether it's something I'd be interested in and I thought it would get boring and tedious after a while. During the interview, I totally changed my mind - the job seemed very interesting and I would be able to learn some really valuable skills (wound care, PICC line insertion), and the clinic environment seemed really nice. Everyone had been there for a really long. I decided that I really wanted the job, but because my experience is only OB (which, granted, I have a lot of experience with IV starts and IV infusion, but no PICC line experience), I figured that I only had a slim chance of getting the job.

The interview was with the clinic manager (non-clinical) and the nurse manager. They told me that they wouldn't be making a decision for another 2-3 weeks because the nurse manager was going on vacation for a week and they weren't going to hire anyone until after she got back. They assured me that "no news is just no news". This was on a Monday.

On Tuesday, I wrote out a thank-you card and mailed it to the both of them at the clinic's physical address. The following Monday (so one week after the interview) the card was returned to me as undeliverable. My first thought was "Oh, crap! They're going to think I'm rude and never acknowledged them!" So I decided to call the clinic and just let the office manager know I had sent them a thank-you but it came back, and to let them know that I'm very interested in the position. So I left her a message on her voicemail to that effect. Five minutes later she called me back and said she was really glad I had called and that she was going to touch base with me that day anyway. She said that they still were not going to be making any decisions for another week or so, but that I was on the top of their list, and she wanted to talk to me to gauge my interest level in the position. I said that I was very interested in the position. She then asked me my salary requirements, and when I told her, she said "Oh, good! That's exactly the range we had in mind as well." She then asked if I would be interested in coming in for a few hours to shadow one of the RNs to get a better idea of what the position entails, as they want to make sure the person they hire is a good fit. I said I would LOVE to come in and shadow an RN, and we agreed that I would come in that Thursday after lunch.

So I showed up promptly at 1pm on Thursday, and checked in with the receptionist. She informed me that the office manager was out that day. I explained that I was there to shadow the nurses. She called to the back office, and I could overhear her side of the conversation, and I gathered from her words that they didn't know I was going to be there, and really didn't have the time for me. I approached the reception desk again and said to her that if it was a bad time, I could come back another time. She was very apologetic and explained that the nurses were getting slammed at the moment and it really wasn't a good time for them. I said no problem, I would call the office manager and set up another time to come in.

The following morning I was kind of half expecting the office manager would call me back. When I hadn't heard from her by 10am, I called her, and the receptionist said she was out of the office until 3pm. I left a message on her voicemail, basically saying "I'm sorry it didn't work out with me shadowing the nurses yesterday, I understand they were really busy and it wasn't a good time. I would love to come in another time, and I'm available tomorrow or early next week, just let me know." She didn't call back that afternoon or the following day. The weekend came and went and on Monday I hadn't heard from her either. Tuesday afternoon, I finally bit the bullet and called back to leave another voicemail message, just saying "Hey, I just wanted to touch base and find out if you still were interested in having me come in for a few hours, or if you had decided on another candidate. Please give me a call."

That was about three weeks ago. I never heard from anyone from the clinic again. I'm kind of just sort of bummed out and confused about it. I have since accepted another job that I'm very excited to start, but I feel like I went on a date with a great guy who seemed really interested in me and he wants to make all these plans with me and then just never calls me again.

I know it has nothing to do with the references I gave, as I know they all would give good referrals. So I'm just totally at a loss as to what happened. Any ideas?

[Isabelle49]

They don't care! That's all there is to it.

[fracturenurse]

That really makes no sense. I don't understand how employers think sometimes. Maybe they had somebody else in mind? I once had an interview for a school nurse. As I'm waiting for my interview, I hear the secretary talking to the lady I'm interviewing with. They are talking about me, said my name, and said I wasn't really qualified for the job. Then the interview was really weird, the lady wasn't even paying attention to me during the interview. I couldn't wait to get out of there. Then she called me back for a 2nd interview at the school. I went to the school and had like a panel interview with teachers, counselors, principals, etc. It went very well. But, then I didn't get the job!!!! It was the strangest thing ever. I think they had somebody else in mind for the position, but just needed to show that they interviewed more than one person. Six months later, she called and offered me a job at a school, and didn't even interview me again. I think we all have weird experiences once in a while, but the best thing is to just shake it off. You accepted a job that you are going to love, and don't worry about that other job. If they are that way, you wouldn't want to work for them anyhow. Good luck in your new job!

[linearthinker, DNP, RN]

My guess is a) general disorganization coupled with b) poor management and c) they aren't really ready to hire. I doubt it actually has anything to do with you at all. In my opinion, strong management/leadership would have had the staff expecting you, or followed up and returned your calls even if in the end they went with another candidate. So I suspect a combination of a & b foremost, and probably c as well. Congratulations on the new job!

[imintrouble, BSN, RN]

They don't care! That's all there is to it.

That's pretty blunt, but in essence I agree. You were an interviewee. A nurse with a certain skill set. I salary range. There was probably more they considered about you, but they never really saw you as a PERSON applying for a job. I rarely job hunt, but I've worked with dozens just like you who agonize over interviews. I've watched their nerves and their yo-yo emotions over whether they've gotten the job they applied for.

The only conclusion I can come to is the one above. Not saying that's a bad thing. HR is a busy place with hundreds of applications and interviews. Managers are busy people who have a full day to start with, then factor in trying to find new nurses to fill the floor. They don't know you so their behavior is callous, but not overtly cruel. Unless you're the nurse who waited weeks after being told you were top of the list.

I'm glad that you have a new job that values you and treats you like you deserve to be treated.

[klone, MSN, RN]

And of course, after applying for jobs for months with only one or two callbacks, now that I've accepted a position, I've had three places call me in the past two days, wanting to interview me. Isn't that how it always is?

[MrChicagoRN, RN]

That was about three weeks ago. I never heard from anyone from the clinic again. I'm kind of just sort of bummed out and confused about it. I have since accepted another job that I'm very excited to start, but I feel like I went on a date with a great guy who seemed really interested in me and he wants to make all these plans with me and then just never calls me again.

Continuing your analogy:

Maybe, his old girl friend came back in the picture.

Actually, this sort of thing happens fairly often. Maybe they'll call, maybe not. There can be a hundred reasons. Best to just shrug it off & enjoy the new job.

[CVORscrubRN, BSN, RN]

Continuing your analogy:

Maybe, his old girl friend came back in the picture.

Actually, this sort of thing happens fairly often. Maybe they'll call, maybe not. There can be a hundred reasons. Best to just shrug it off & enjoy the new job.

Too funny ... I actually just had that happen to me with a date a couple weeks ago. Well, that's what he told me anyway.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Continuing your analogy:

Maybe, his old girl friend came back in the picture.

Actually, this sort of thing happens fairly often. Maybe they'll call, maybe not. There can be a hundred reasons. Best to just shrug it off & enjoy the new job.

And I would totally understand and be okay with that. It's the complete lack of communication, after they all but offered me a job, that annoys and puzzles me more than anything else.

[rn/writer, RN]

Maybe the office manager is the one they don't like. She could be on her way out the door, so anyone she made nice with would either be considered tainted or the rest of the people in the office wouldn't even know about them.

And she's not going to call you back to say, "I'm on thin ice here, so I can't give you any information until I find out if I still have a job."

I'd say there's about a 90% chance that this discombobulation has nothing to do with you.

Congrats on getting another job. You really didn't want to work at an office that's this mixed up.

[mazy]

I once interviewed for a job at a facility that I had been set up with by a recruiter. I went in for the interview and sat down with the manager who went on for TWO hours about the job, herself, the facility and how great it was, benefits, potential for permanent employment, her husband and siblings, on and on. By the time she stopped I was convinced she was crazy as a loon and I really felt I didn't want to work there, even though the job sounded interesting.

Well. I never heard back, and the recruiter was completely puzzled about the lack of response given the extensive amount of time I spent interviewing and the fact that the manager had called them after the interview to say she wanted to hire me.

So I told them what happened in the interview and they followed up with her supervisor. It turns out that her supervisors had been talking about maybe needing someone at some time but they had not authorized her to interview candidates, because they hadn't really decided that they were actually going to hire someone. She had just heard the buzz and took it upon herself to start interviewing people. I think they were probably just humoring her by letting her do it.

So not great loss and nothing personal for me. It may be the case that something like that happened at your facility.

[CVORscrubRN, BSN, RN]

And I would totally understand and be okay with that. It's the complete lack of communication, after they all but offered me a job, that annoys and puzzles me more than anything else.

I totally agree with you. Companies should at least have the decency to at the very least send out an email explaining the circumstances to people they have brought in for interviews ... but it is oh so common for them to just let things drop off. Very unprofessional in my opinion. But this goes across all industries, not just in health care. Congrats on the new job, and try to just remember that you probably wouldn't want to work for a company that treats people like that anyway.