How can I handle this professionally? UPDATE in OP

[Night Elf]

I'm job hunting. I got an offer from a reputable grocery store chain to be a pharmacy clerk. I've been trying to get on with Publix for quite some time and I think I'd do very well in the pharmacy. However, when he called to tell me he was hiring me, he didn't have any particulars. No salary or schedule information. He said he'd get back to me Monday (today). Okay I said. I was just so happy. Now the pharmacy manager is on maternity leave and I was speaking with the assistant manager. However, I was actually interviewed by the general grocery store manager. She said she had never interviewed for the pharmacy before because they're like a separate entity. She said she "thinks" the salary is between $12.50-$13.00 per hour. Since I was making only $12/hr at my last job, I figured this was at least a step in the right direction.

About 30 minutes after that phone call, I was contacted by a preschool, The Goddard School, asking me to please come in for an interview. He was very excited to meet me and show me his school. I told him I had just accepted a job offer. He said it didn't matter, that he thinks I'll love it there and he pays better than most preschools. After hearing him talk a few minutes, I decided what the heck, I'll go in on Monday and see what he had to offer. I told him I did not anticipate changing my mind and rescinding my acceptance offer to this other job. Again, he said he understood but just wanted to meet with me. He said I could call him any time if the pharmacy job doesn't work out. Now, that chain of schools has an employment service that seeks out potential employees. Someone from that company called and I told her all about my interview at the other Goddard School and their salary offer. She was surprised but said she wanted to send my information to the other school in my city which is closer to me than the first one. `I did a recorded interview and she sent it to the school. That was on Thursday, the day before I got my job offer from the grocery store.

So now, I have an interview this afternoon with the preschool. They know I want part-time and that I'm only interested in the infant room. I've worked with all ages from birth to age 8, and right now, I just want to work with infants. So they supposedly know that information about me. Publix Pharmacy is supposed to call me back with the job specifics today. 

I'm thinking if the pharmacy calls me this morning, I won't answer the phone. I'll let him leave voicemail like he did Friday when he offered me the job. Then I'll go to the preschool and see what they have to offer. I might not like the vibe in the school. I didn't with the first Goddard School I interviewed with. But what if I really like it? What if they really do have an opening in the infant room? I want to hear how much they're willing to pay, then go home and call the pharmacy for the specifics. Then I'll need to decide which job will meet my needs. I've tried pros and cons and they come out mostly equal, with the preschool leading by a little. 

At the preschool, I'd get to wear anything I want and sit down most of my shift. I've worked in an infant room before so know what it's like. At the pharmacy, I'll have a certain outfit I have to wear and I don't think there's time to sit down. I was in the store Sunday and saw two people at the counter waiting to help customers and they were just standing there doing nothing. I don't think I'd like that. At my last job I was able to sit down between customers. At the preschool, I'll be working 12:30 - 6:30 pm so no mornings, nights or weekends. At the pharmacy I'd be working 3:00 - 9:00 pm which is nights and also on weekends. I'm looking to get 30 hours or less per week. The preschool has a fixed schedule while the pharmacy has a weekly schedule so I won't know what nights I'll be working or even how many hours I'll get from week to week.

This situation has me stressed out. What if I love the preschool? How do I professionally tell the pharmacy thanks for the offer, sorry I accepted so fast, but I got a better job offer? 

Then again, the preschool might be awful and I'll choose the pharmacy job. If they offer me $13/hr and the preschool offers me $14/hr, is that enough of a difference to validate changing my mind and going with the higher pay? My therapist said changing my mind is not unethical, just not good manners. She and I talked about things that I'm looking for in a job so I'm able to compare both to my needs. My DH is supportive of whatever I do; he just wants me happy. 

What do you think? Would it be awful for me to tell the pharmacy, after they've offered the job and I've accepted it, that I'm going with the better offer that just came today?

By 5:00 pm today, I'll either be a pharmacy clerk or an infant teacher. How do I know which is best for me? I want them both! 

 

UPDATE: I just got home from my interview. That preschool is the most awesome school I have ever walked through and I have a lot of experience not only from volunteering and working for pay, but also when education classes put me in preschools for class credit. I knew 5 minutes in this was the place for me. He took me on a full tour and talked about everything the school offered. He can get me in the infant room or 1 year old room, since those are the ages I prefer. He accepted my hours of 1:00 - 6:30 pm. The pay will be at least $13/hour and may be higher depending on what role they place me in. He needs to speak with the other owner and the director to settle a firm salary. He said there was no rush in getting back to him as he understood I needed to handle Publix first. I thought that was nice although I was ready to sign on the dotted line right then. I most certainly heard angels singing and feel a peace and joy inside me that tells me this is where God wants me to be. I told Shawn that I really did want to work there because both myself and his school will benefit from my passion for preschoolers. I have no passion about a pharmacy. So he gave me a soft hiring. He never came out and asked and he didn't ask me fill out an application, but he did tell me to text/call him when I decided I was ready to work for the school. So yes, this is the job I am taking and I'm ecstatic. He's had teachers with him for over a decade, the most recent hiring he had was in 2020. He said teachers stay at his school because they get so much support from the business operations. He did not show me upstairs but said there was a teacher's lounge. I guess I won't be seeing it though because I'll be eating lunch at home before I go to work. If Publix doesn't call me back by 6:30 pm, I'm going to text Shawn that if he has an opening for me and is willing to hire me, I'd love to work at his school. Then when Publix does call, I'll just tell them I accepted an offer somewhere else and thank them for considering me for their job. Yay!

Edited August 23, 2021 by Night Elf

[scholastica]

I’d probably go with the preschool simply because of the schedule and it not being retail. Pharmacy can get really hectic and stressful. You have to deal with unhappy customers a lot. Personally, I have a lot more patience with a fussy infant than someone ticked off about the cost of a prescription. 

[Ottakee]

I would not have considered that you officially accepted the pharmacy job yet as they didn't give you the details such as pay, etc.

Which job would be less stressful for you personally?  Pharmacy with customers or crying babies?

[itsheresomewhere]

So I am not sure either job is a good fit for you right now.  You have had a lot this year and need to take care of yourself first. Something to look at for each job- which one would be the best fit for my mental health? For the pharmacy job- Could you handle hearing about all health problems that you will hear about, even the depressing ones without it affecting your mental health? 

Personally, I would not work for Goddard. Here they have a revolving door of employees.  Those who have left there say it was a high stress environment ( not enough staff to actually work well, management here but not really here and does not listen, etc). They always have a lot employment openings.  I would take a deep long look at your area if you consider working for them. 

Edited August 23, 2021 by itsheresomewhere

[Katy]

Accept the call and find out salary details.  Until you know you cannot make a decision.

ETA: I doubt pharmacy will be much more stressful than the last job.  And the counting might give you a way to use the part of your brain that counts calories, etc.

Edited August 23, 2021 by Katy

[marbel]

47 minutes ago, itsheresomewhere said:

So I am not sure either job is a good fit for you right now.  You have had a lot this year and need to take care of yourself first. Something to look at for each job- which one would be the best fit for my mental health? For the pharmacy job- Could you handle hearing about all health problems that you will hear about, even the depressing ones without it affecting your mental health? 

Personally, I would not work for Goddard. Here they have a revolving door of employees.  Those who have left there say it was a high stress environment ( not enough staff to actually work well, management here but not really here and does not listen, etc). They always have a lot employment openings.  I would take a deep long look at your area if you consider working for them. 

Goddard school is a franchise so how it's run is going to vary a lot. I know someone who worked for one and was not impressed. One thing that stands out based on your post - she was supposed to work in one area, but was moved around a lot due to staffing issues; there were a lot of call-outs, etc.  OP, can you find reviews of the school you are looking at?  

Edited August 23, 2021 by marbel

[Night Elf]

I've thought about the stress level. When the pharmacy asst. manager called me he told me I was hired but then proceeded to ask me 4 interview questions specific to the pharmacy. Two involved impatient and rude customers. Of course I gave a good answer. I dealt with people like that when I was at the thrift store. But he was basically telling me it's a stressful position and asking how I'd handle myself. 

As for the infants, I don't like babies crying. I want to pick them up and comfort them. However, in an infant room where there are less teachers than babies, there may always be a crying infant. I cannot pick them all up at the same time. So I've asked myself, how would I feel mentally of day in and day out of listening to babies crying. I'm not sure. When I was in the infant room at the Montessori School when in college, we had a good group. There were 2 teachers and me, so there wasn't a lot of crying. I thoroughly enjoyed rocking the babies and giving bottles, or feeding them at the table, or even changing diapers. I loved getting down on the floor and playing with them. 

When I worked in the 1 year old room at my last daycare job, I did very well. I kept them busy and happy. It wasn't a perfect group, afterall, they were only young toddlers, but I was able to handle them with an assistant. I got moved up to lead teacher quickly because the turnover there was kind of high as well. There is always drama in every job, at least every one I've held in my 35 years of working various jobs. 

It's probably going to come down to how do I feel about the vibes of the preschool. How many teachers are there. The first Goddard School I interviewed at last week didn't impress me. She had 3 teachers out and classes were being doubled and I heard lots of crying the whole time I was there. I saw the gym and the kids were running around playing while the teacher sat against a wall on her phone. That surprised the heck out of me. I didn't feel I'd be happy there. I do not know anything about the Publix Pharmacy. I wasn't interviewed there and wasn't given a tour or introduced to potential co-workers. I'd be going in blind. 

So do I want to deal with unhappy adults who will use very unkind words and possibly make me cry, or unhappy babies who can't talk to me and tell me what they need or want. 

I am looking forward to my appt. at 2:00 pm today with the preschool to see what it's like. My oldest dd and my sister think I should go with the preschool job as I've loved working with preschoolers for so long. DH thinks I should stick to the pharmacy because if I don't like it, there will always be a preschool opening to go into, but if I start at the preschool and don't like it, it would be more difficult to get on as a pharmacy clerk. The job is usually pharmacy tech and they have certification and are registered with the state. I'd have to work on that before job hunting in that field. He makes a lot of sense, but is my heart in it? I'll admit I'm more excited by being hired by Publix than I am that it's in the pharmacy. When I filled out the application over a month ago, I checked I'd be interested in cashier or pharmacy tech. That's the second time I've put an application on file with Publix. It's hard to get on there because it's a competitive job. It's popular. 

I guess I'll know more after I meet with the preschool this afternoon.

[Night Elf]

2 minutes ago, Katy said:

Accept the call and find out salary details.  Until you know you cannot make a decision.

ETA: I doubt pharmacy will be much more stressful than the last job.  And the counting might give you a way to use the part of your brain that counts calories, etc.

Too true. My first therapist told me more than once that she'd hire me to keep her planner in order because I had such good attention to detail. She said my love for numbers was a great asset. That's why she liked that I was a cashier at the thrift store. 

[marbel]

Just now, Night Elf said:

It's probably going to come down to how do I feel about the vibes of the preschool. How many teachers are there. The first Goddard School I interviewed at last week didn't impress me.

Do you know if both schools have the same owner?  

 

[Night Elf]

2 minutes ago, marbel said:

Goddard school is a franchise so how it's run is going to vary a lot. I know someone who worked for one and was not impressed. One thing that stands out based on your post - she was supposed to work in one area, but was moved around a lot due to staffing issues - of which there were a lot.  OP, can you find reviews of the school you are looking at?  

I did look but didn't find many. A couple of glowing ones, and 3 not so great. One was a parent who witnessed a preK teacher, a contracted teacher, spank a child. When she brought the matter to the attention of management they said they'd look into it. She took her daughter out that day. When she called back a couple of weeks later, they wouldn't give her any information because she was no longer part of the school. The owner did reply to that review and explained the process they went through and after the state talking to kids and parents, found no wrong doing. I have no idea if she lied but she made it sound like did all the right things.

[Night Elf]

3 minutes ago, marbel said:

Do you know if both schools have the same owner?  

 

No I don't. I know the owner of the one I'm visiting today has 3 other schools. I do not know if the other owner has more than that one I saw.

Edited August 23, 2021 by Night Elf

[Night Elf]

7 minutes ago, Katy said:

Accept the call and find out salary details.  Until you know you cannot make a decision.

ETA: I doubt pharmacy will be much more stressful than the last job.  And the counting might give you a way to use the part of your brain that counts calories, etc.

I am hoping he'll leave the info on voicemail like he left his last voicemail when he offered me the job. If not, I feel I should know the preschool's offer first so I can hear his and make a decision then and there without having to call him back and say, Oh I've thought about it and I changed my mind. For some reason I feel more uneasy with that option. I've even got an appointment for Wednesday at 1:00 pm to do pre-employment paperwork. Someone from the business office called me to set up that appt.

[happi duck]

Something to factor in also is if the tech job comes with a store discount.  (I'm guessing the pharmacy is inside a grocery store?)

Also, it's completely okay to change your mind at this point.  It's common for people to be applying for multiple jobs at the same time.

[Hyacinth]

25 minutes ago, happi duck said:

Something to factor in also is if the tech job comes with a store discount.  (I'm guessing the pharmacy is inside a grocery store?)

Also, it's completely okay to change your mind at this point.  It's common for people to be applying for multiple jobs at the same time.

This. I know it's stressful, but it's totally normal for applicants to juggle applications, interviews, and offers. People on the other side of the hiring desk know and expect this.

You can say something like, "I appreciate the offer and I'd like to make a decision by Wednesday [or whatever]. Will you please email me a job offer letter so I'm certain about the specifics?" 

[City Mouse]

The only thing I can think to add is that crying babies aren’t being jerks on purpose. Adult customers on the other hand … well, I won’t finish that sentence.

[Tap]

Pharmacy is very stressful (!!!!) but being a clerk is an easy way to step into that world and see if u like it. If you do, then you can look at options to become a technician. That comes with more responsibilities but also more pay. 
 

if you get in the door with Publix then if you don’t like pharmacy, you might be able to change departments. I’m pharmacy you will have to deal with the patients but you always have a pharmacist right there to back you up. 
 

As a clerk, you will predominantly be ringing people out, answering phones,  getting information from patients, helping them with forms, counting pills, putting away meds, cleaning (which may include bathrooms if the pharmacy has its own) and answering random questions (where are the qtips or where are the pimentos?) 

Pharmacy is very precise work at a very fast pace. If someone is yelling at you, you may feel flustered but you have to keep your head and still help the next person. It isn’t uncommon for people to try pharmacy, and then decide after a few months that they don’t like it. I have also seen lots more people who thrive in that environment tho and feel right at home in a couple of months. It will take a month or two to learn to be a clerk well and a year to get good at it. 
 

I don’t know about Publix but here we rarely take rest breaks and meal breaks are a bit erratic. That isn’t true about all stores tho, but just be prepared to work some long days without sitting much. You are right that pharmacy personal don’t sit. We technically can use a stool but it is cumbersome and in other peoples way. It is definitely not the norm. 
 

I have been in pharmacy for 20 plus years. If you have any questions just let me know and I’ll answer to the best of my ability. 

[kirstenhill]

Another question I would ask about the preschool job is if they've had many Covid related shutdowns to their classrooms and what their procedures are regarding classroom exposure. A friend who was working in a daycare last year kept having her room closed for Covid quarantine because one child would or a fellow staff member would get covid, then all the kids in that room would have to stay home for 7-10 days. (She was on a toddler room, so no masks for kids). They had multiple weeks over the course of 2020 where her room was shut down, so she didn't get hours and didn't get paid.  That may not be typical, but it's worth asking about. 

[Night Elf]

6 minutes ago, kirstenhill said:

Another question I would ask about the preschool job is if they've had many Covid related shutdowns to their classrooms and what their procedures are regarding classroom exposure. A friend who was working in a daycare last year kept having her room closed for Covid quarantine because one child would or a fellow staff member would get covid, then all the kids in that room would have to stay home for 7-10 days. (She was on a toddler room, so no masks for kids). They had multiple weeks over the course of 2020 where her room was shut down, so she didn't get hours and didn't get paid.  That may not be typical, but it's worth asking about. 

Good point. The first Goddard School I looked at had 3 teachers out in quarantine but she didn't say anything about the kids being out, just doubled up. I'll be sure to ask about this.

[Night Elf]

19 minutes ago, Tap said:

Pharmacy is very stressful (!!!!) but being a clerk is an easy way to step into that world and see if u like it. If you do, then you can look at options to become a technician. That comes with more responsibilities but also more pay. 
I have been in pharmacy for 20 plus years. If you have any questions just let me know and I’ll answer to the best of my ability. 

Very helpful, thank you. This brings a new element to the decision. I had fast pace days at the thrift store but it was really limited to Tuesday which was Senior day, and Saturday. I also had help so two of us were ringing people up by working together on each customer. One calling out what to ring up while the other used the register and handled the money.

[OH_Homeschooler]

Just go to the interview before you stress about making a decision. I once had two interviews in a week and I was sure I'd prefer one job over the other. When I went to the interview for the job I was sure I'd love, it was way different than I expected. I was under the impression I was the only candidate and was thinking about how to tell them I didn't want the job when I was leaving the interview. Fortunately there were other candidates and they could tell the job wasn't for me, so it never became an issue. 😄

And I did get the other job. It was a better fit for sure. 

[gardenmom5]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the grocery manager hired you to work in the pharmacy.

You have no information about the pharmacy job- - you need more information about it.  (like how much, what hours, etc.) You don't even know what the pharmacy manager is going to say.

Go to the preschool interview and get that information. 

Then you can make a decision.

if you decide to not work at the pharmacy, be an adult and let them know you are grateful for their time and consideration, but upon further reflection you've realized the position isn't going to work for you and you need to decline.   

[Night Elf]

31 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the grocery manager hired you to work in the pharmacy. 

The pharmacy manager is out and the asst. manager was busy so she did the initial interview. I was told there were 2 other candidates. She then told me she was going to get together with the asst. pharmacy manager and share information and I guess impressions of the candidates and I'd hear back on Monday. Instead the asst. pharmacy manager called me Friday. I have no idea if she decided who she liked best or if she really left it up to him. I did give them my resume.

[Kanin]

Yay! Congrats! 

[fairfarmhand]

Yay! I'm glad that the interview was a 100% slam dunk for where you want to work. It's so helpful when the right decision is so obvious!

[Lilaclady]

Congratulations on the new job!!!! 

[Kassia]

Wow, congratulations!  🙂  

[gardenmom5]

congratulations.

[WildflowerMom]

Congrats!!!   It sounds like a fantastic opportunity!

[mommyoffive]

Yay congrats!!!

[Katy]

What a wonderful update!

[marbel]

That's so great! 

[elegantlion]

So glad to hear how excited you are about the preschool. 

[Clarita]

The preschool seems like the perfect match for you!

17 hours ago, Night Elf said:

As for the infants, I don't like babies crying. I want to pick them up and comfort them. However, in an infant room where there are less teachers than babies, there may always be a crying infant. I cannot pick them all up at the same time.

The first daycare my oldest was in (from 3m to 1yr) the babies rarely cried. They just taught the infants to ask for what they wanted via areas of the room and baby sign language. They also had the room set up so by the time the babies could locomote they could be more self sufficient, like they could go and sit at their "food table", go over to the changing table and indicate they needed to be changed, and go and grab toys that they wanted. It was an amazing daycare ( I always say they took care of my son better than I could). So even in an infant room there is not always crying infants all the time. 

[Tap]

Congrats!!! I’m super happy for you!
 

if you have a minute I would call Publix and let them know you aren’t accepting the position. They could be calling references and running background checks. It would be nice if the can focus that attention on another applicant. 

[Night Elf]

1 hour ago, Tap said:

Congrats!!! I’m super happy for you!
 

if you have a minute I would call Publix and let them know you aren’t accepting the position. They could be calling references and running background checks. It would be nice if the can focus that attention on another applicant. 

I did end up doing that. I was waiting to hear back from the guy who said he was going to call me. Finally I realized he wasn't going to call me back and I needed to cancel my appointment for pre-employment paperwork. They didn't ask for references or phone numbers of previous work places. Besides, I'd assume they would do all of that before hiring someone, not after. I spoke to a woman in the business office and cancelled my appointment tomorrow. When she asked about rescheduling, I explained I had not yet received a firm job offer with important information so wasn't turning away calls about other potential jobs. I told her I had received an offer in my preferred field that was just too good to pass up, so rather than wait for someone at Publix to call me, I needed to make the decision between them and chose the job that will suit my needs better at this time. I also told her I was disappointed and sorry because I've wanted to work for Publix for years and was so happy I was finally called. She told me she was disappointed they were losing me but understood. And that was that.

[Tap]

1 hour ago, Night Elf said:

I did end up doing that. I was waiting to hear back from the guy who said he was going to call me. Finally I realized he wasn't going to call me back and I needed to cancel my appointment for pre-employment paperwork. They didn't ask for references or phone numbers of previous work places. Besides, I'd assume they would do all of that before hiring someone, not after. I spoke to a woman in the business office and cancelled my appointment tomorrow. When she asked about rescheduling, I explained I had not yet received a firm job offer with important information so wasn't turning away calls about other potential jobs. I told her I had received an offer in my preferred field that was just too good to pass up, so rather than wait for someone at Publix to call me, I needed to make the decision between them and chose the job that will suit my needs better at this time. I also told her I was disappointed and sorry because I've wanted to work for Publix for years and was so happy I was finally called. She told me she was disappointed they were losing me but understood. And that was that.

I'm glad your phone call went nicely 🙂 Since you only had a verbal offer, I wouldn't have expected them to have called yet. 

About the bolded....when we are offering a job to a candidate: (not really pertinent to your post, but just in case anyone is wondering).

1. They apply. On our application, there is a spot for personal references and the contact information for previous employers. We use that information or a written reference's contact information if given at the interview. 

2.  We interview, select the best from the interviews and call to offer them the position. We usually don't know wage per hour yet (only a wage range), because we have to request the final number from HR and that amount depends on the person's experience (and quite honestly how desperate we are). ----In my experience this is where you were at-----

3. If the person accepts the verbal offer, then we start moving forward on checking references and verifying work history. People sometimes embellish or lie on applications so we wait until we have vetted the person before requesting a wage from HR. We can always offer the lowest wage, but I try really hard to convince HR to give people a bump up or two if they have applicable experience. This is when the official job offer gets agreed by the store/HR and then the final tentative offer goes to the employee. We don't bother going through all the verification phone calls until we talk to the person and get a feel for what they expect in wages/time off.  At the verbal wage/benefits offer, we often ask if there are any times off they need coming up (we try to accommodate pre-planned vacations when possible). Sometimes this is when we find out that the employee wants to only work certain days or times (despite what the job hours was listed as). I have had potential employees tell me they want 2 week off at Thanksgiving and 2 weeks at Christmas because their spouse works for the school and they travel to see family. I once called to offer a job (M-F 12:30-9pm) to someone who told me that they had box seats to a local team and expected to have every local game day off, nearby-away-game days off and if they made the playoffs, they would want to go to those games as well. They felt this was reasonable because they didn't have a religion or children and didn't need days off for those.  I told them that we could accommodate a few prearranged dates, but they wouldn't have enough leave to cover all of those days off each year. (We require vacations to be taken a week at a time, not in days). They declined the position when they found out that their box seats would go to waste. If thier requests are reasonable, that is when we call HR and start the official process of a legal back ground check, fingerprints, drug screen etc. Those cost the company money, so we wait until the last possible minute to do them.  People often back out at the last minute, for reasons just like yours. I have seen the HR process take a day....I have seen it take a month. It realllllly varies. 

4. The official hiring paperwork is finally printed and signed by the employee.

This is a common process for hiring in a retail pharmacy (and honestly, just about every non-healthcare related company my xh worked for as well). My clinical pharmacy position that I currently have (not retail) took over 4 months from verbal offer to starting. LOL 

[KungFuPanda]

I’d do part time at both until I figured out which one I preferred. Neither are actually paying enough to expect a high level of loyalty. As long as you do your job when you’re there and give notice before you depart, you’ve fulfilled your part of the bargain. 

[gardenmom5]

1 hour ago, Tap said:

 

1. They apply.  

2.  We interview, select the best from the interviews and call to offer them the position.  

3. If the person accepts the verbal offer,  

4. The official hiring paperwork is finally printed and signed by the employee.

This is a common process for hiring in a retail pharmacy (and honestly, just about every non-healthcare related company my xh worked for as well). My clinical pharmacy position that I currently have (not retail) took over 4 months from verbal offer to starting. LOL 

No phone screens first?   

1dd (tech) has long done phone screens for every job to which she's applied after submitting an application/headhunter-contact before they decided if they're going to interview     (even when she needed a security clearance she was working while it was in process.)

1ds (aerospace) is doing phone screens now - hopefully they lead to interviews. (he has one more class for his MS.)

Staying with 2dd, and dsil working from home - I've heard much of his commentary on the hiring  process at his employer. (the process has a lot of similarities with 1dd's employer.)  Jobs are only open for applications so long, then they look over the applications they receive and decide if they want to hire any of them, or reopen the posting.  - which happens if they're not satisfied with the qualifications of the applicants.   

 four  months seems really long from offer to start.  Dsil had less than two months to move states after accepting a job offer from his current employer.  I could see that as from application to start.  2dd was also faster than that - even going by application/interview to start that seems long.  She's a PharmD and works hospital inpatient.

[Tap]

17 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

No phone screens first?   

1dd (tech) has long done phone screens for every job to which she's applied after submitting an application/headhunter-contact before they decided if they're going to interview     (even when she needed a security clearance she was working while it was in process.)

1ds (aerospace) is doing phone screens now - hopefully they lead to interviews. (he has one more class for his MS.)

Staying with 2dd, and dsil working from home - I've heard much of his commentary on the hiring  process at his employer. (the process has a lot of similarities with 1dd's employer.)  Jobs are only open for applications so long, then they look over the applications they receive and decide if they want to hire any of them, or reopen the posting.  - which happens if they're not satisfied with the qualifications of the applicants.   

 four  months seems really long from offer to start.  Dsil had less than two months to move states after accepting a job offer from his current employer.  I could see that as from application to start.  2dd was also faster than that - even going by application/interview to start that seems long.  She's a PharmD and works hospital inpatient.

We don't do phone screens first at my retail job because we want to see people's body language, eye contact and self confidence first. You can tell a lot about a person's body language styles, even when they are very nervous.  We pick our top candidates have them come in person, and go from there. With Covid restrictions really high, or someone who can't come in due to distance, we would likely phone screen first, but we haven't in the past.  When my xh was hired by an international company, he did a short phone interview and then they flew in to town to interview him. Now, since virtual meeting are wayyyy more common, I would guess they would do that, but 10 years ago.....it was flights and in person chats.  We don't have secured video chat at my retail job, so we can't do virtual interviews. We do ask applicants to drop off resumes in person. We have a super brief chat (5 minutes or less) so I guess that often covers what a basic phone screen would. 

With my main employer (not retail), it can take a month just to do department changes so 3 months from verbal offer to starting is common. Mine was 4 months because I was offered the position the weekend of Veteran's Day and all the holidays that follow, really slowed my onboarding. 

[Night Elf]

17 hours ago, Tap said:

1. They apply. On our application, there is a spot for personal references and the contact information for previous employers. We use that information or a written reference's contact information if given at the interview. 

 

Their application did not ask for personal references, names of supervisors/managers, or phone numbers of previous work places. My resume did not contain that information either. They could have looked up the information for my latest job, the thrift store, but the management was fired and there is only one person who knew me well enough to give me a reference and she did agree but since I didn't have to list references, I had no chance to list her. The last place they won't know because it's a chain and it was 11 years ago. There are many of those daycare centers in my city now and I don't see them calling around asking if there was ever a KBM who worked for them that long ago. 

FWIW, I did not have to give references to The Goddard School yet. I got fingerprinted today and will go in soon for orientation and training soon. I didn't even fill out an application yet. They hired me based on my recorded interview which got me in the door, my resume, and my in-person interview. So who knows, maybe I'll fill out an application when I go in for orientation? She thought I'd be able to start late this week as she just needed the fingerprinting results. Oh, I also got an official offer letter that I had to sign along with the co-owner. It gave all the details. 

[Tap]

53 minutes ago, Night Elf said:

Their application did not ask for personal references, names of supervisors/managers, or phone numbers of previous work places. My resume did not contain that information either. They could have looked up the information for my latest job, the thrift store, but the management was fired and there is only one person who knew me well enough to give me a reference and she did agree but since I didn't have to list references, I had no chance to list her. The last place they won't know because it's a chain and it was 11 years ago. There are many of those daycare centers in my city now and I don't see them calling around asking if there was ever a KBM who worked for them that long ago. 

FWIW, I did not have to give references to The Goddard School yet. I got fingerprinted today and will go in soon for orientation and training soon. I didn't even fill out an application yet. They hired me based on my recorded interview which got me in the door, my resume, and my in-person interview. So who knows, maybe I'll fill out an application when I go in for orientation? She thought I'd be able to start late this week as she just needed the fingerprinting results. Oh, I also got an official offer letter that I had to sign along with the co-owner. It gave all the details. 

Places are so different! My last application was 4 pages long!!!