I'm currently working in healthcare at a busy emergency department. I've seen a lot of people that I worked with for years leave in droves. I'm passively looking for a job; I've posted my resume on job sites and have gone on several interviews. I've turned down jobs for one reason or another, mostly because I didn't gel with the job or the interviewer.
Here's a few highlights that you may or may not help you in your search –
- Asking for strengths and weaknesses is a Kobayashi-Maru i.e. a no-win scenario. It's a set-up question that doesn't have a right answer, and to be honest the question is overused. It's like these people read from the same “How to be a Lazy Interviewer” handbook. I also see it as a red flag, and to me it means they have high employee turnover.
- Two interviews of no more than 30 minutes each should be more than enough to gage if I'm the candidate for the job. When you meet someone for the first time how long does it take you to figure out if you want to continue talking to them or not? I've talked with one interviewer for an hour and a half. I'm not looking for companionship, I'm looking for a job.
- References… oh boy. If you've been at your job for two years or more, current references should be more than enough. Asking me to give you a reference for a job I left four years ago is ridiculous. *Unless of course you're looking for federal/government clearance, then all bets are off.*
I laugh a hearty laugh when I hear companies are having a hard time hiring qualified applicants. It's not true. They're using pre-pandemic hiring practices. I've had 2+ years to contemplate what I want and what I'm willing to do to get it. We can afford to be selective. You may have to sacrifice a bit to get there but it's 100% doable.