Tough decision, must be made my tomorrow

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Specializes in LTC and School Health.

I have a pending interview for my "dream job" at my current place of employment and a job offer at another hospital that is further a way and in a specialty and shifts I'm not too crazy about.

Tomorrow I am supposed to accept or decline my offer. I've already asked for more time, thinking I would have interviewed for the post partum position already, however the NM has rescheduled my interview 2 times already.

What would you do? Decline the offer and wait patiently for the interview and pray that you get hired OR would you take the job offer and decline the interview at the dream job?

Some of my friends think I should take the offer and when the post partum job opens quit the other job since orientation would not start until January. However, I don't wanna burn bridges and If I dedcide to apply at that hospital again, I want to be in good standing.

Hope I didn't confuse y'all.

Bottom line is: should I decline or accept an offer while I'm waiting on going on an interview.

Thanks.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

If it were me ... my decision would depend on a lot of factors that you didn't include in your OP. For example,

1. What are your chances of getting another job if you turn down #1 and then #2 doen't materialize?

2. How long of a time period would have between accepting #1 and your start date?

3. Can you afford to be unemployeed for a little while if necessary?

I would be VERY tempted to wait to accept the 1st job until the very end of the day, after the interview. See how the interview goes before you decide. Tell the interviewer tomorrow that you are being pressured to accept another job that you really don't want. Tell tomorrow's interviewer that their job is really your #1 choice and ask them what their timetable is for letting you know. See how that goes. Decide based on what happens at the interview.

If things look very positive at the interview, I'd consider turning down #1 and taking the gamble -- if you can afford it.

If I had doubts about #2 or if I really couldn't afford to be unemployed a little longer, I would accept #1 and hope that #2 let me know soon enough to cancel with #1 before they invested anything in bringing me onboard.

There is no "right" answer in these situations -- only possibilities. You have to figure out which possibilities you can live with and which you can't. If you can't afford to be unemployed, you have to accept #1. Then you will have a dilemma if #2 offers you a job. Be prepared to cross that bridge when you come to it.

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Specializes in LTC and School Health.
If it were me ... my decision would depend on a lot of factors that you didn't include in your OP. For example,

1. What are your chances of getting another job if you turn down #1 and then #2 doen't materialize?

2. How long of a time period would have between accepting #1 and your start date?

3. Can you afford to be unemployeed for a little while if necessary?

I would be VERY tempted to wait to accept the 1st job until the very end of the day, after the interview. See how the interview goes before you decide. Tell the interviewer tomorrow that you are being pressured to accept another job that you really don't want. Tell tomorrow's interviewer that their job is really your #1 choice and ask them what their timetable is for letting you know. See how that goes. Decide based on what happens at the interview.

If things look very positive at the interview, I'd consider turning down #1 and taking the gamble -- if you can afford it.

If I had doubts about #2 or if I really couldn't afford to be unemployed a little longer, I would accept #1 and hope that #2 let me know soon enough to cancel with #1 before they invested anything in bringing me onboard.

There is no "right" answer in these situations -- only possibilities. You have to figure out which possibilities you can live with and which you can't. If you can't afford to be unemployed, you have to accept #1. Then you will have a dilemma if #2 offers you a job. Be prepared to cross that bridge when you come to it.

This is the best advice. Thank you. I've already maxed out the time of accepting the offer. I personally feel the financial pressure and cannot afford to be out of work for the next few months, it has already been a month.

I think I know what I'm going to do. Thanks!!!

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Specializes in retired LTC.

What's jumping out at me is the fact that your interview has been rescheduled TWICE already. Maybe they're trying to buy more time to see check out for other applicants. Or maybe they're not able to offer the position anymore. Maybe it's just me, but I become suspicious when stuff like this happens.

I can't offer any opinions as I don't understand the delay. Just my thoughts...

Good luck whatever your decision.

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I agree with amoLucia, strange that the interview keeps getting moved. Is your current position being eliminated? If not, could you just stay in your current position since it is the same employer and keep holding out for the dream job?

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

That's what I was wondering too; you said "current" employer but then you also allude to hints that you don't currently have a job? I'm confused.

What did you end up doing? I would have went ahead and accepted the job offer; I wouldn't wait for an interview that keeps getting rescheduled; sounds sketchy and chances are there will never be a job offer there.

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Specializes in LTC and School Health.

I resigned from my unit, but put in a transfer to pp. The transfer has been pending for over a month now. The NM keeps giving me the run around.

I accepted the job offer, since the NM keeps dragging me along. Now I'm in another predicament because I have an interview with another hospital for MB. MB is so hard to get into and this is where I really wanna work. The interview is next week, I still have a little wiggle room before the new job starts.

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Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.
Tell the interviewer tomorrow that you are being pressured to accept another job that you really don't want.

I have done a lot of interviews, and I don't agree with this approach. If I heard this in an interview, I would be really put off by it. The people doing interview #2 have their own timetable, and you having a deadline won't change theirs. I would also wonder why you were applying for jobs you didn't want.

There is no problem with asking when you might be notified of a decision on job #2, but job #1 is not a concern for the people doing the interviews for #2.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.
I have done a lot of interviews, and I don't agree with this approach. If I heard this in an interview, I would be really put off by it. The people doing interview #2 have their own timetable, and you having a deadline won't change theirs. I would also wonder why you were applying for jobs you didn't want.

There is no problem with asking when you might be notified of a decision on job #2, but job #1 is not a concern for the people doing the interviews for #2.

I think it depends on how you do it. If you try to pressure them, then yes, it could backfire. But since they have cancelled/rescheduled 2 interviews, I don't see anything wrong with letting them know that you have a timetable, too. You did not intend for this dilemma to happen -- their re-scheduling cause the problem. If they are going to hold the fact that you have had other interviews against you, then they are not very nice people -- and you might not want to work for them.

But on the other hand ... it sounds like the OP has scheduled several interviews with a variety of possible employers. When you do that, you have to realize up front that you might get job offers first from the people who interviewed you first. So you have to consider what you will do when that happens ahead of time.

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If it were me ... my decision would depend on a lot of factors that you didn't include in your OP. For example,

1. What are your chances of getting another job if you turn down #1 and then #2 doen't materialize?

2. How long of a time period would have between accepting #1 and your start date?

3. Can you afford to be unemployeed for a little while if necessary?

.

Agree with this... If you can afford to be out of work, and for who knows how long, then wait on the dream job. If you can't afford to be out of work...take the sure thing! GL!

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own timetable, and you having a deadline won't change theirs. I would also wonder why you were applying for jobs you didn't want.

There is no problem with asking when you might be notified of a decision on job #2, but job #1 is not a concern for the

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