I work in a technical medical field that doesn't have a lot of direct patient contact. I'm currently in the job market because the hospital I work at i downsizing our department.
I have a lot of expertise in my field and the market is very hot right now. And I also happen to make really good money doing what I do. I've had a number of interviews with hospitals in other states and things have gone well but I don't really want to move because interest rates are high and I like where I live a lot. So when there was an opening at an academic hospital in my region I naturally decided to apply.
They took their time getting back to me as I knew they would but were interested in interviewing me. “Great!,” I thought. I interview well and am generally a really likeable person plus I know my shit. Getting the interview is often the hardest part of the battle for me.
So they finally schedule my interview and it's an 8+ hour marathon of meeting different people with several breaks and a lunch thrown in. During the breaks they had nothing planned for me, just sitting in a room by myself with my bag and my phone. Okay? I guess this normal for them?
So I show up on time and start the interview process even a little early. The first person I'm supposed to meet with is late and there's early confusion as to who will take their place. For the next few hours I meet with a variety of personalities answering their technical questions. When I asked several people what they did all day they didn't have answers. I mean they legit could not tell me what they did in an 8 hour day. I get being new to the hospital but that's a pretty basic question. Two or three people told me they were exhausted from staying very late. One person talked about how their pay was “very low” but how their family wanted to stay in the area.
A small group of other employees take me for an inexpensive lunch. We chat a bit but the conversation is strained. Whenever I'm not asking them specific questions they look at me quietly as if my spaceship just landed and I got out and ordered lunch.
I return and participate in several more hours of interviews which go fine in my opinion, and finish the day by chatting with the department head who warns me the pay is “exceptionally low”. I'm like okay… maybe their definition of low is out of touch, or perhaps I might take a small hit in pay for the opportunity.
I leave and they don't offer to validate my parking. I spend $60 to park in the garage.
I follow-up the next day with an email asking for some more transparency regarding the salary range. They reply that they still don't know what value I bring to their organization. Very rude, I think, but I politely reply stating my value to the organization which is basically a short summary of my resume. — you know, the thing they presumably read to determine if I was worth interviewing in the first place. I also state my expected salary range for the position.
They reply saying that they feel they have enough people with my expertise and that the top of their salary range is well below what I'm already making.
I'm floored.
If you have enough people with my expertise why did you interview me and waste 8 hours of my time plus my own money just to tell me you have enough people?
I don't even know how to reply to this. Ugh.
I just needed to vent somewhere. Thanks for reading.