Yesterday I had 2 interviews back to back and while it was exhausting both mentally and physically, it was definitely rewarding!
They were both group interviews, which reminded me very much of the scene of the Jim Carey movie "Fun with Dick and Jane" when Dick finally gets an interview only to find that his nemesis is also in the same parking garage and headed to the same interview. My nemesis wasn't there (I don't have one), but when Dick and his nemesis get to the suite where the interview is to take place, there are hundreds(?) of people in line for the same interview! LOL
It wasn't that bad. I was in a room with about 10-12 other candidates and I liked the concept actually. The interviewer wanted to see how we acted in a group environment, where we sat, how we interacted with him in front of others, etc. I had no problem with this whatsoever at either interview. I actually thrive more in this environment.After the presentation(s), we were given the option to leave if the opportunity wasn't what we were looking for and some did. I am not that easy to deter, however, so I stayed in both situations...much to my reward.
I'm not going to go into a long tirade here, but suffice it to say that I accepted the second offer and will be getting licensed by the State of Florida to help individuals find the type of health insurance they need, can afford, and will be happy with. The way the industry is about to be turned on its ear, more people are seeking out options other than HMOs and that is where I will be able to help...I love to help, love to serve, etc...and this is right up my "alley" - wanting to make a difference (see previous post).
The best part -- I make my schedule. Yes, there are expectations and meetings and calls, but overall, I know I will be here for my kids, for Cornerstone, for LIFE.
So far, I feel really great about it. I prayed a lot about it and I have such peace along with this intense excitement and joy...it's AMAZING! What was I EVER nervous about?
I also did not burn the bridge with the first company, and that's an important lesson I've learned over the years. I had nothing against the first company -- they were awesome too in their own rights...I just felt that with my medical background, the second company was a better fit.
I'm very excited and I feel incredibly blessed.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
2 Interviews Back-2-Back Monday
...and I'm N-E-R-V-O-U-S...
to say the least.
yet, I feel blessed.
In our market in Florida, unemployment is now beyond 10%. Therefore, to receive 2 phone calls in less than a week is flattering and exciting. Hopefully, the opportunities will not disappoint.
The interesting thing is, the jobs are not in fields that I would have normally considered as my groove. I have 10 years telecommunications spread across management, technical writing/testing/analyzing, residential repair, as well as regulatory and commission affairs. After being forced to leave telecom with the downsizing of the last company I gave my heart to (awwww), I sought certification in medical transcription so I could work from home and be with my small children. Now, they're not so small; however, the amount of work has dwindled significantly and has put me in a seeking position again.
So, I find myself up late night after night, going over site after site, looking for that "perfect" position. I've received a couple of responses in the field(s) I have experience in indicating I am a year shy of the experience they are looking for (5 versus the 4 I have in transcription) or that because it is home-based and not hospital-based that won't work either. One other email from an unnamed company indicated that my requested salary was "too high"; therefore, I responded that salaries are negotiable and, if that was the only thing holding me back...let's talk. It's a hard market out there, and it's funny that where I have experience, no one wants to give me the time of day....but, where I've never considered, I have recruiters interested in molding me and shaping me into what they want. They like what I write, what they hear, what they see.
We'll see how it goes Monday. It could be a bust. I maybe won't like what they have to say. I could show up and it be a mass interview process like on "Fun with Dick and Jane" with Jim Carey (that scene was HILARIOUS) and I might be just part of a herd of people going to a presentation...who knows? It'll be great experience if nothing else and I'm excited, because it just might be the beginning of something great.
to say the least.
yet, I feel blessed.
In our market in Florida, unemployment is now beyond 10%. Therefore, to receive 2 phone calls in less than a week is flattering and exciting. Hopefully, the opportunities will not disappoint.
The interesting thing is, the jobs are not in fields that I would have normally considered as my groove. I have 10 years telecommunications spread across management, technical writing/testing/analyzing, residential repair, as well as regulatory and commission affairs. After being forced to leave telecom with the downsizing of the last company I gave my heart to (awwww), I sought certification in medical transcription so I could work from home and be with my small children. Now, they're not so small; however, the amount of work has dwindled significantly and has put me in a seeking position again.
So, I find myself up late night after night, going over site after site, looking for that "perfect" position. I've received a couple of responses in the field(s) I have experience in indicating I am a year shy of the experience they are looking for (5 versus the 4 I have in transcription) or that because it is home-based and not hospital-based that won't work either. One other email from an unnamed company indicated that my requested salary was "too high"; therefore, I responded that salaries are negotiable and, if that was the only thing holding me back...let's talk. It's a hard market out there, and it's funny that where I have experience, no one wants to give me the time of day....but, where I've never considered, I have recruiters interested in molding me and shaping me into what they want. They like what I write, what they hear, what they see.
We'll see how it goes Monday. It could be a bust. I maybe won't like what they have to say. I could show up and it be a mass interview process like on "Fun with Dick and Jane" with Jim Carey (that scene was HILARIOUS) and I might be just part of a herd of people going to a presentation...who knows? It'll be great experience if nothing else and I'm excited, because it just might be the beginning of something great.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Michael Moore's "SiCKO"
I have never seen one of Michael Moore's documentaries before and I am actually not a documentary fan per se; however, that being said, I got caught up in this one titled "SiCKO". Say what you want about Michael Moore and where he stands on issues, say what you want about HMOs versus free universal health care, and say what you want about patriotism versus anti-Americanism but I came away from this documentary agreeing with the main points:
(1) Our system is broken. I have been a victim of it, so I can attest to this.
(2) Something needs to be done and the government doesn't truly want to do anything about it. It really DOES stand to lose in the long run. It maybe even can't afford to do anything about it in this economy as it is. I don't know, I just know we're broken and we need repair.
(3) The other countries that he compares our health system to have longer life expectancies, less medication dependencies, less chronic medical problems (they focus on prevention), and they just seem happier in a lot of aspects.
People actually laughed at the idea of having to consider a bill before leaving a hospital in some of the countries. I can't tell you how many times I have been lying in the hospital bed worrying about the cost of my stay, or even sat by my daughter's side worrying about the dollars and cents accruing instead of focusing on getting her better.
I have no idea what the answer is and I will be the first to admit that. I don't think it is to jump ship and move to GB, France, or even Cuba. I have to trust that someone with a degree in the right field is going to come up with that innovative plan or that the "powers that be" will agree on a plan that isn't going to necessarily put profit in their pockets and will instead help all of us take care of each other.
I don't know that the NHS in Britain or the government-funded program in France or the medical system in Cuba have the answers. I do know, however, that Mr. Moore has a point that we've all forgotten as HUMAN BEINGS...it's about "we", not "me".
Love one another as I have loved you.
Whatever you do for the least of these, you have done to me.
To watch people get "dumped" on Skid Row by hospitals because the patients couldn't pay for the care was a disgrace to our country. To see volunteers who helped to reunite this country in the effort to uncover evidence of loved ones in the rubble of 9-11 be denied much needed medical assistance, medications, and tests is a disgrace to our country. Finally, to see a family lose their husband and father at the age of 37 because the treatments he needed were considered experimental (although there were at least 3 different types requested on at least 3 different occasions, all backed up by medical evidence of chance for survival), THAT is a disgrace.
At least the first 2 would not have happened if our system were fixed. Only God knows about the third, but the health care system didn't give the man a chance.
It was a sad, heartbreaking, and moving documentary that made me want to get up and DO something...but government isn't what it's supposed to be. It's not a democracy where we, the people, have a voice. The lobbyists have the voice because they have the money. So, I sit here and type, sad for those families that suffer, praying that one day we will remember to unite and care for each other again.
(1) Our system is broken. I have been a victim of it, so I can attest to this.
(2) Something needs to be done and the government doesn't truly want to do anything about it. It really DOES stand to lose in the long run. It maybe even can't afford to do anything about it in this economy as it is. I don't know, I just know we're broken and we need repair.
(3) The other countries that he compares our health system to have longer life expectancies, less medication dependencies, less chronic medical problems (they focus on prevention), and they just seem happier in a lot of aspects.
People actually laughed at the idea of having to consider a bill before leaving a hospital in some of the countries. I can't tell you how many times I have been lying in the hospital bed worrying about the cost of my stay, or even sat by my daughter's side worrying about the dollars and cents accruing instead of focusing on getting her better.
I have no idea what the answer is and I will be the first to admit that. I don't think it is to jump ship and move to GB, France, or even Cuba. I have to trust that someone with a degree in the right field is going to come up with that innovative plan or that the "powers that be" will agree on a plan that isn't going to necessarily put profit in their pockets and will instead help all of us take care of each other.
I don't know that the NHS in Britain or the government-funded program in France or the medical system in Cuba have the answers. I do know, however, that Mr. Moore has a point that we've all forgotten as HUMAN BEINGS...it's about "we", not "me".
Love one another as I have loved you.
Whatever you do for the least of these, you have done to me.
To watch people get "dumped" on Skid Row by hospitals because the patients couldn't pay for the care was a disgrace to our country. To see volunteers who helped to reunite this country in the effort to uncover evidence of loved ones in the rubble of 9-11 be denied much needed medical assistance, medications, and tests is a disgrace to our country. Finally, to see a family lose their husband and father at the age of 37 because the treatments he needed were considered experimental (although there were at least 3 different types requested on at least 3 different occasions, all backed up by medical evidence of chance for survival), THAT is a disgrace.
At least the first 2 would not have happened if our system were fixed. Only God knows about the third, but the health care system didn't give the man a chance.
It was a sad, heartbreaking, and moving documentary that made me want to get up and DO something...but government isn't what it's supposed to be. It's not a democracy where we, the people, have a voice. The lobbyists have the voice because they have the money. So, I sit here and type, sad for those families that suffer, praying that one day we will remember to unite and care for each other again.
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