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Vet Tech Journals: Working interviews (very long sorry)
Well so far this one clinic is looking promising. I've had one
interview which led to a working interview, which led to a second working interview, which i just had today. And i've been asked back for a third working interveiw next week. It's a good sized clinic but the building has been around for like 50 years. The moldings and the floors in the back totally show it. My first reaction when i went back into the treatment room was "This place looks lik a dump." The cabinets and countertops were peeling, the floor is totally uneven. But they seem to practice good medicine. Both days i've worked there It's been relatively slow, even though i've been told that it can get really really crazy. I'm interested to see how they manage crazy day, cause you nenevr really know the whole truth until all hell breaks loose. Lemme give ya a relative summary of both days. Day one: Clocked in and learned about the morning routines, tour of hte equipment etc. In the isolation room where three 8 week old kittens that had been fixed the previous day. Two boys and one girl. Very cute looking, but they were feral. The staff was trying to spend as much time working with them so they can become accustomed to hoomins. The cages hadn't been cleaned yet, and i heard two technicians complaining that they didnt' want do it because the kits would go nuts. So I said i would give it a shot. First kitten, a tortie female, started hissing as soon as i opened the cat door. "I'm MEAN!!!" So i quickly reached in and scruffed her and picked her up. She struggled a little bit, but i wrapped her in a towel and after a bit she calmed down and started purring. But as soon as I put her back she started hissing again. Second kitten, a tiny male tuxedo, started hissing and spitting as i reached for him. I had to move fast cause as sson as i grabbed him he REALLY started struggling. Again wrapped him up in the towel and after sitting there and scritching him he calmed down and purred until i put him back. Third kitten, an all black male, went NUTS when I opened the door. I half expected him to come flying out at me. This one i had to cover with a towel first and then brought him out. Same thing, but he took longer to start purring. Periodically throughout the day i went back and visited the kits and tried to pet them. Each of them hissed again and tried to swipe at me, but some i managed to get out again and pet. I assisted with a spay surgery and learned the clinic's surgery protocol. And the rest of the day went decently well. Day two: Clocked in and started helping with the hospitlized animals and morning treatments. THis time i actually took teh chart and check the medications, check with the vet etc. Took me a while since I didn't know where the drugs were kept, couldn't find the drawer with the gloves, etc. The feral kittens were all in one cage but still hissed at me. The all black male was burrowed WAY underneath the pillow and was even moving his brother and sister aside so he could burrow further. They've still got a ways to go. While i was cleaning a run, I reached up to one of the shelves where the towels were kept when i noticed there was a CAT meatloafing on one of the stacks of towels. Her name is Cali and is a beautiful tortie and also is the hospital cat. I talked to her and scritched her ears and then asked her "Um, I need to get a towel now, may i?" I then gently grasped the towel under her and tugged a little bit. Cali looked me square in the eye and took a swipe at my hand. HEY! "Uh, ok, if that's how you're going to be, i'll just use the stack you're not sitting on." Again she swiped at me and every time my handcame close to the towel she would bat it away. Another coworker was there and she started laughing. "She just wants to play." Nevertheless, I still needed a towel. I finally managed to get one despite her batting at trying to love bite my hand. Sheesh! Fortunately during the day Cali lives in a cage and not in that room. I visited her again later and she let me scritch her head and ears and then tried to grab my hand so she could bite it. Reminds me of Imp. I then helped out and learned the clinics dental protocol and was able to assist with that. I also got to do an ear cytology and got some helpful learning tips from one of doctors. So then the end of my shift came around and i got asked to come back again next week for another working interview (thank goodness i'm getting paid for these) Pros: Nice doctors (so far) and the two head techs are nice and have been willing to help me when needed. I'm also getting a chance to apply knowelge that i only learned in school and haven't had a chance to apply yet. Cons: The rest of the staff, particularly the female technicians seem a trifle distance. I'm not sure why, but i'm getting some weird vibes. Examples: On day one, after i was done with the feral kitties I came back out and noticed one of the technicians was getting food. I said "Oh, its time for feeding now?" I know a mildly dumb question, but I didn't see the harm in asking. She said, "Uh....yeah?" The unsaid "DUH" hung in the air and i saw it in her face. Um, okaaaaaaay.... I brushed it off and went about the rest of the day, but kept an eye out for her. And this morning i was looking for another technician to help me, and I saw one who just came in, but I couldn't remember her name. So I said, "Uh, Claudia, right?" She gave me a somewhat condescending glance and said "No." And kept on walking by. Didn't even stop to see what I was doing. WTF? The two head techs have taken the time to try to get to know me, and i've had conversations with some of the other males techs but not much. But each of them took the time to introduce themselves. NONE of the girls have really said a word to me, even a hello and haven't even tried to get to know me. And when i do speak to them, I get this feeling like I'm treading on eggshells. So on the one hand the clinic shows promise, it bothers me that I've only worked there two days and already am getting bad vibes. I've been trying really hard lately to read people's body language and actions, and what i've seen isn't impressing. They seem to me to be mid-level technicians, which is wherabouts where I would start. But I mean, am I THAT threatening to them already? I mean as far as I know, I'm not acting like I know everything, cause if I did why would they keep asking back? And I'm almost afraid to mention it cause I don't want to start any rifts. Of course i'm not going to mention it NOW, but with the way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised if in the next week or so they made me an offer. If at all, THAT is when I would mention it but worded very carefully. Cause the fit is very important and from the last two places I';ve noticed if there's ANY kind of bad vibes, it's only a matter of time. At the last place, 'A' and I clashed early on. And as much as I tried to work with her, it only got worse and I ended up being blamed for "always arguing with her" And the place before that, this high school brat with a major attitude and I clashed a bit as well. For two years we managed to keep our distance, but the last few months it just got worse. And if you've read my latest rant about my unemployment interview, you can see how frustrating this is. As much as I like this place so far, the LAST thing i want is to get hired and have personality conflicts down the road that end up leading to my termination. Doesn't matter if it's 3 weeks, 3 months or 3 years. That would be THREE jobs in a row where i would have been discharged for 'not getting along with the staff' God if that happened I don't know if i could handle that. I'm trying ot keep my head up, and will see how the next working interview goes. I have another interview tomorrow at a different place. ithinkicanithinkicanithinkican..... Kristi |
#2
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Vet Tech Journals: Working interviews (very long sorry)
Mischief wrote:
Well so far this one clinic is looking promising. I've had one interview which led to a working interview, which led to a second working interview, which i just had today. And i've been asked back for a third working interveiw next week. snip long I'm trying ot keep my head up, and will see how the next working interview goes. I have another interview tomorrow at a different place. ithinkicanithinkicanithinkican..... Kristi I think you can too, but I'm in no position to offer employment advice. I guess people can't help but be wary of a new colleague, but then again they may not even be aware that they're coming across that way. I think I like this "working" interviews idea. I've often thought the answers to less-than-an-hour's worth of on the spot questions is a very superficial way to evaluate whether someone's going to be useful employee (OK, maybe that's mostly because I'm really bad at interviews and haven't been successful in years). I'd think that having interviewees actually do things rather than just talk about them would be a much better way to evaluate them. I guess it would be hard to do if you were interviewing people who already had a job somewhere else though. May I ask, do they pay you for your time while you're on a "working" interview? |
#3
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Vet Tech Journals: Working interviews (very long sorry)
Mischief wrote:
Well so far this one clinic is looking promising. I've had one interview which led to a working interview, which led to a second working interview, which i just had today. And i've been asked back for a third working interveiw next week. It's a good sized clinic but the building has been around for like 50 years. The moldings and the floors in the back totally show it. My first reaction when i went back into the treatment room was "This place looks lik a dump." The cabinets and countertops were peeling, the floor is totally uneven. But they seem to practice good medicine. Both days i've worked there It's been relatively slow, even though i've been told that it can get really really crazy. I'm interested to see how they manage crazy day, cause you nenevr really know the whole truth until all hell breaks loose. Lemme give ya a relative summary of both days. Day one: Clocked in and learned about the morning routines, tour of hte equipment etc. In the isolation room where three 8 week old kittens that had been fixed the previous day. Two boys and one girl. Very cute looking, but they were feral. The staff was trying to spend as much time working with them so they can become accustomed to hoomins. The cages hadn't been cleaned yet, and i heard two technicians complaining that they didnt' want do it because the kits would go nuts. So I said i would give it a shot. First kitten, a tortie female, started hissing as soon as i opened the cat door. "I'm MEAN!!!" So i quickly reached in and scruffed her and picked her up. She struggled a little bit, but i wrapped her in a towel and after a bit she calmed down and started purring. But as soon as I put her back she started hissing again. Second kitten, a tiny male tuxedo, started hissing and spitting as i reached for him. I had to move fast cause as sson as i grabbed him he REALLY started struggling. Again wrapped him up in the towel and after sitting there and scritching him he calmed down and purred until i put him back. Third kitten, an all black male, went NUTS when I opened the door. I half expected him to come flying out at me. This one i had to cover with a towel first and then brought him out. Same thing, but he took longer to start purring. Periodically throughout the day i went back and visited the kits and tried to pet them. Each of them hissed again and tried to swipe at me, but some i managed to get out again and pet. I assisted with a spay surgery and learned the clinic's surgery protocol. And the rest of the day went decently well. Day two: Clocked in and started helping with the hospitlized animals and morning treatments. THis time i actually took teh chart and check the medications, check with the vet etc. Took me a while since I didn't know where the drugs were kept, couldn't find the drawer with the gloves, etc. The feral kittens were all in one cage but still hissed at me. The all black male was burrowed WAY underneath the pillow and was even moving his brother and sister aside so he could burrow further. They've still got a ways to go. While i was cleaning a run, I reached up to one of the shelves where the towels were kept when i noticed there was a CAT meatloafing on one of the stacks of towels. Her name is Cali and is a beautiful tortie and also is the hospital cat. I talked to her and scritched her ears and then asked her "Um, I need to get a towel now, may i?" I then gently grasped the towel under her and tugged a little bit. Cali looked me square in the eye and took a swipe at my hand. HEY! "Uh, ok, if that's how you're going to be, i'll just use the stack you're not sitting on." Again she swiped at me and every time my handcame close to the towel she would bat it away. Another coworker was there and she started laughing. "She just wants to play." Nevertheless, I still needed a towel. I finally managed to get one despite her batting at trying to love bite my hand. Sheesh! Fortunately during the day Cali lives in a cage and not in that room. I visited her again later and she let me scritch her head and ears and then tried to grab my hand so she could bite it. Reminds me of Imp. I then helped out and learned the clinics dental protocol and was able to assist with that. I also got to do an ear cytology and got some helpful learning tips from one of doctors. So then the end of my shift came around and i got asked to come back again next week for another working interview (thank goodness i'm getting paid for these) Pros: Nice doctors (so far) and the two head techs are nice and have been willing to help me when needed. I'm also getting a chance to apply knowelge that i only learned in school and haven't had a chance to apply yet. Cons: The rest of the staff, particularly the female technicians seem a trifle distance. I'm not sure why, but i'm getting some weird vibes. Examples: On day one, after i was done with the feral kitties I came back out and noticed one of the technicians was getting food. I said "Oh, its time for feeding now?" I know a mildly dumb question, but I didn't see the harm in asking. She said, "Uh....yeah?" The unsaid "DUH" hung in the air and i saw it in her face. Um, okaaaaaaay.... I brushed it off and went about the rest of the day, but kept an eye out for her. And this morning i was looking for another technician to help me, and I saw one who just came in, but I couldn't remember her name. So I said, "Uh, Claudia, right?" She gave me a somewhat condescending glance and said "No." And kept on walking by. Didn't even stop to see what I was doing. WTF? The two head techs have taken the time to try to get to know me, and i've had conversations with some of the other males techs but not much. But each of them took the time to introduce themselves. NONE of the girls have really said a word to me, even a hello and haven't even tried to get to know me. And when i do speak to them, I get this feeling like I'm treading on eggshells. So on the one hand the clinic shows promise, it bothers me that I've only worked there two days and already am getting bad vibes. I've been trying really hard lately to read people's body language and actions, and what i've seen isn't impressing. They seem to me to be mid-level technicians, which is wherabouts where I would start. But I mean, am I THAT threatening to them already? I mean as far as I know, I'm not acting like I know everything, cause if I did why would they keep asking back? And I'm almost afraid to mention it cause I don't want to start any rifts. Of course i'm not going to mention it NOW, but with the way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised if in the next week or so they made me an offer. If at all, THAT is when I would mention it but worded very carefully. Cause the fit is very important and from the last two places I';ve noticed if there's ANY kind of bad vibes, it's only a matter of time. At the last place, 'A' and I clashed early on. And as much as I tried to work with her, it only got worse and I ended up being blamed for "always arguing with her" And the place before that, this high school brat with a major attitude and I clashed a bit as well. For two years we managed to keep our distance, but the last few months it just got worse. And if you've read my latest rant about my unemployment interview, you can see how frustrating this is. As much as I like this place so far, the LAST thing i want is to get hired and have personality conflicts down the road that end up leading to my termination. Doesn't matter if it's 3 weeks, 3 months or 3 years. That would be THREE jobs in a row where i would have been discharged for 'not getting along with the staff' God if that happened I don't know if i could handle that. I'm trying ot keep my head up, and will see how the next working interview goes. I have another interview tomorrow at a different place. ithinkicanithinkicanithinkican..... Kristi Many purrs on the way that the right place will turn up for you soon. Hang in there, even though it's tough. -- Sam, closely supervised by Mistletoe |
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Vet Tech Journals: Working interviews (very long sorry)
Oh yeah i'm getting paid for all my work. I think about $14 an hour
which is what I asked for and seems to be the going rate for technician with a few yesrs of experience. I may not have a lot of experience, but i'm familiar enough with teh knowledge that it gives me an edge. Kristi |
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Vet Tech Journals: Working interviews (very long sorry)
"Mischief" wrote in message ups.com... Oh yeah i'm getting paid for all my work. I think about $14 an hour which is what I asked for and seems to be the going rate for technician with a few yesrs of experience. I may not have a lot of experience, but i'm familiar enough with teh knowledge that it gives me an edge. Kristi That may be the only problem really. Up until fairly recently, a lot of vet techs were trained on the job weren't they? I'd guess those techs would be a little leery of someone who had formal training. I'd be extra careful to show I respected their experience. I still remember working with an accountant who had previous worked at a big eight accounting firm. He sort of thought it made him superior. But mostly it was just a bad habit that made him start way too many conversations with "when I worked for so and so". It got to be irritating. Jo |
#6
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Vet Tech Journals: Working interviews (very long sorry)
"Mischief" wrote in message
ups.com... And if you've read my latest rant about my unemployment interview, you can see how frustrating this is. Kristi, It is frustrating, but I feel that you will eventually find the right place for you. My initial reaction when reading about the reaction of the fellow techs is that they might be shy or afraid of investing too much time and energy with someone who may not be around once the job is filled. I used to go into a situation where I was uncomfortable and would occassionally come across like a bull in a china shop. After much training and mentoring by a co-worker, I found one of the magic phrases is "Help me understand..." or "Could you help me to make sure that I'm doing...right?" It is important to do this sincerely, but it has been extremely helpful in the past 5 years. I am now looking for work myself, so I understand some of your frustrations. I know that you just graduated, is it possible for you to arrange some time with the college placement services to have some mock interviews conducted? Sometimes is isn't so much what we say, but the body language that accompanies the comments. Reflect on the one who gave you the "Duh" look. The placement center has no real vested interest in you getting a job with them, so they can be more honest and direct. I know that working interviews are different than formal interviews, but you may find out something that would be helpful. Also, could you contact your friend that helped you understand when you were too energetic and ask her for some honest feedback. She can probably shed some light on what makes folks think you are arguing when you are truly trying to ask a question. Just a few suggestions, hope they help. Diane |
#7
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Vet Tech Journals: Working interviews (very long sorry)
Jo Firey wrote:
"Mischief" wrote in message ups.com... Oh yeah i'm getting paid for all my work. I think about $14 an hour which is what I asked for and seems to be the going rate for technician with a few yesrs of experience. I may not have a lot of experience, but i'm familiar enough with teh knowledge that it gives me an edge. Kristi That may be the only problem really. Up until fairly recently, a lot of vet techs were trained on the job weren't they? I'd guess those techs would be a little leery of someone who had formal training. I'd be extra careful to show I respected their experience. I still remember working with an accountant who had previous worked at a big eight accounting firm. He sort of thought it made him superior. But mostly it was just a bad habit that made him start way too many conversations with "when I worked for so and so". It got to be irritating. Jo Oh grrrrr! Jo, I hate that! 20-some years ago when I worked for an insurance company, the manager hired a new department secretary. She was a perfectly competent secretary but she constantly said, "When I worked for..." and wanted to do things the way they were done when she worked for *them*, rather than adapt herself to the way we did things. It got to be very irritating and eventually led to some very negative reactions from the rest of the staff. I remember thinking, if it was so great there, why did you bother to leave? Jill |
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Vet Tech Journals: Working interviews (very long sorry)
Mischief wrote: So then the end of my shift came around and i got asked to come back again next week for another working interview (thank goodness i'm getting paid for these) Yeah, when you mentioned "working" interviews I was going to ask about that! (I visualized a vet managing to get free part-time workers indefinitely, under the guise of "working interviews".) Pros: Nice doctors (so far) and the two head techs are nice and have been willing to help me when needed. I'm also getting a chance to apply knowelge that i only learned in school and haven't had a chance to apply yet. Cons: The rest of the staff, particularly the female technicians seem a trifle distance. I'm not sure why, but i'm getting some weird vibes. I think Cheryl's advice on another thread applies here - just don't read too much into other people's responses. They may simply be intent upon what they are doing, and look upon conversational pleasantries as interruptions. Also they may simply feel it doesn't make sense to get chummy with someone who is still undergoing the "interview" process. (You may not be the first - have there been other applicants to reach that stage?) You had a bad experience on the last job, but don't let it color your reactions to new potential fellow-workers. I get the impression you may be feeling a bit lonely, what with your roommate moving out, and being out of school so you don't have your classmates to chat with. Why not wait a bit - smile when you encounter others, return their greetings, but let them make the first conversational overtures? (That's advice my mother gave me, when I first entered the business world, and I was glad she did.) I can't exactly explain the difference, but the dynamics of being an employee are a bit different from those of being a fellow-student. So long as you have a ready smile, and respond when others speak to you, no one will consider you either "stand-offish" or "pushy", and you'll be building a good working relationship on their terms. |
#9
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Vet Tech Journals: Working interviews (very long sorry)
Jo Firey wrote: I still remember working with an accountant who had previous worked at a big eight accounting firm. He sort of thought it made him superior. From what I've seen of former "big eight" employees, all that makes them is underpaid! (They need a couple years auditing experience before they can be certified, the big eight firms are the best place to get it, and the firms know it!) You notice, unless a person is on a track to make partner in a big eight firm, once those magic letters "CPA" can be tacked onto the name, he/she quickly leaves and gets into the private sector, where the pay is better and the work more interesting and varied! |
#10
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Vet Tech Journals: Working interviews (very long sorry)
"Helen Wheels" wrote in message ... I think you can too, but I'm in no position to offer employment advice. I guess people can't help but be wary of a new colleague, but then again they may not even be aware that they're coming across that way. I think I like this "working" interviews idea. I've often thought the answers to less-than-an-hour's worth of on the spot questions is a very superficial way to evaluate whether someone's going to be useful employee (OK, maybe that's mostly because I'm really bad at interviews and haven't been successful in years). I'd think that having interviewees actually do things rather than just talk about them would be a much better way to evaluate them. I guess it would be hard to do if you were interviewing people who already had a job somewhere else though. May I ask, do they pay you for your time while you're on a "working" interview? One of the new tools for teachers who are job hunting, I'm told, is a video tape of them in the classroom. The principal, or others on the hiring team, can watch the tape and get an idea of how the teacher is in the classroom. The tape is, of course, of the teaching candidate at their best, but it still gives an idea of what they are capable of. It is also used as a critiquing tool so that the candidate can see where they were or weren't effective. Personally, I like it. Pam S. |
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