Career Change Advice

[drayer54]

Some know I am 911 dispatcher and have been a shift supervisor since 2015. Of course I work for the county I live in. My boss just got promoted to deputy director. So have applied for his position. So I would be the supervisor of the of the dispatch division.

Almost 17 years of shift work and this is Monday thru Friday unless bad weather, big incidents, special events. I think theres 6 of us applying. Everyone says trust your gut feeling and I am not feeling it. I don’t really agree with the way they are doing the interview panel but I can’t control that. The only thing I can control is how I do in My interview.

Interviews are Tuesday so I guess I’ll find soon enough.

I took a substantial pay cut to come off shift and have zero regrets.

 

[TheRealLynch51]

Some know I am 911 dispatcher and have been a shift supervisor since 2015. Of course I work for the county I live in. My boss just got promoted to deputy director. So have applied for his position. So I would be the supervisor of the of the dispatch division.

Almost 17 years of shift work and this is Monday thru Friday unless bad weather, big incidents, special events. I think theres 6 of us applying. Everyone says trust your gut feeling and I am not feeling it. I don’t really agree with the way they are doing the interview panel but I can’t control that. The only thing I can control is how I do in My interview.

Interviews are Tuesday so I guess I’ll find soon enough.

The bolded above is so important. Be proud of yourself and the effort you put in if you give it 100%. And if its meant to be, then it its meant to be.

 

[Blazers46]

Some know I am 911 dispatcher and have been a shift supervisor since 2015. Of course I work for the county I live in. My boss just got promoted to deputy director. So have applied for his position. So I would be the supervisor of the of the dispatch division.

Almost 17 years of shift work and this is Monday thru Friday unless bad weather, big incidents, special events. I think theres 6 of us applying. Everyone says trust your gut feeling and I am not feeling it. I don’t really agree with the way they are doing the interview panel but I can’t control that. The only thing I can control is how I do in My interview.

Interviews are Tuesday so I guess I’ll find soon enough.

I would say the majority of interview processes are dumb.

 

[Fbolt]

You control more than just the interview.

You have a body of work for the last 17 years. Talk to the Panel members and actively listen. They most likely will give you an idea of what they are looking for, or at least the nuances. Use it.

Good luck.

 

[Irish#1]

Some know I am 911 dispatcher and have been a shift supervisor since 2015. Of course I work for the county I live in. My boss just got promoted to deputy director. So have applied for his position. So I would be the supervisor of the of the dispatch division.

Almost 17 years of shift work and this is Monday thru Friday unless bad weather, big incidents, special events. I think theres 6 of us applying. Everyone says trust your gut feeling and I am not feeling it. I don’t really agree with the way they are doing the interview panel but I can’t control that. The only thing I can control is how I do in My interview.

Interviews are Tuesday so I guess I’ll find soon enough.

Good luck. Get your list of questions ready.

 

[IrishLion]

Update:

My perseverance seemed like it was about to pay off...

Through a contact, I essentially nudged my way into an early interview process that consisted of multiple phone calls with the owner of a remote physics company and the HR dept head. There were no openings, but I insisted on the meetings in order to get my foot in the door. Fast-forward, and I was the first phone call when an opening did pop up. Another perfect opportunity to get a significant pay raise, work a hybrid remote schedule, and get exposure to new state of the art software/equipment. HR zoom interview went great. Asked to proceed to a zoom interview that consisted of the owner, HR head, regional manager, and department manager. Went great. Asked to do in-person interview with the doctors and meet the rest of the team. Went great. They even took me to lunch.

Only....I didn't get the job. They ultimately hired someone who had previously worked with them before. She found out about the opening and called them. They claim that they tried to hire both of us but couldn't find a reserve role for me that fit immediate needs and assured me that I'm number one on their short list. We'll see. But again....devastated.

I refuse to quit. I have another in-person interview this week with what could potentially be the best of the three. #GodsPlan.

Clinic is less than ten miles from home, higher pay, 4 days per week, potential to eventually work a day or two from home, state of the art software/hardware, and from what I gather it's a low key, low stress type of place. Fingers crossed.

Good luck! Recently went through my own “third time’s a charm” job search experience.

I work in the automotive world, but wanted to shift to the insurance side of my profession.

Interviewed for a position with a decent-sized insurance company, thought it went amazing after getting invited back for round three of interviews, but then got a rejection phone call with a sincere, “we’re really sorry, please keep an eye on our job openings” convo.

Got called a month later by the same company and same hiring manager, requesting I interview for a more-senior position in the same office. The job wasn’t even posted online, and they told me I was the only candidate… so that was their plan the whole time, knowing they’d have someone retiring in a month or so: they rejected me for one position to hire me for another.

BUT… during negotiations, I got bombarded with “HQ changed our salary structure, so you’ll start slightly below market average, but you’ll get bumped up above market average quickly after you do 5 weeks of training out of state and show good reruns over your first year.”

Now it was my turn to reject them, as their numbers for “market average” for the position were wayyyyyy off the begin with, so my first counter offer was met with a firm “we can’t get close to that.”

I thought fate was bringing me back to them, as I truly value their company and the way they do business. Much better front-line service, and they start from a moral perspective the big national companies don’t… but the salary, trying to support a young family with three kids going through Catholic schooling was a sticking point. I was crushed. My days would have been 150% less stressful working for them.

But then, because my name got out there, one of the true national big dogs got in touch and asked me to interview to be one of their regional guys. It went well, I got a great offer, and being with one of the biggest insurance companies in the country will obviously provide great benefits. PTO and work-from-home situation is worlds better than where I was, too.

I was devastated after missing out on not one, but two opportunities with my dream company… only to get an unexpected blessing and a third chance to move companies based on the effort.

Here’s to hoping this third one works out for you, brother!

 

[Irish2155]

Some know I am 911 dispatcher and have been a shift supervisor since 2015. Of course I work for the county I live in. My boss just got promoted to deputy director. So have applied for his position. So I would be the supervisor of the of the dispatch division.

Almost 17 years of shift work and this is Monday thru Friday unless bad weather, big incidents, special events. I think theres 6 of us applying. Everyone says trust your gut feeling and I am not feeling it. I don’t really agree with the way they are doing the interview panel but I can’t control that. The only thing I can control is how I do in My interview.

Interviews are Tuesday so I guess I’ll find soon enough.

S.T.A.R. my friend. Be very specific with your answers. 1) the specific Situation and/or Task, 2) the Action you took, then 3) Result from that action. S.T.A.R.

And take a deep breath and relax. You got this, man. Good luck.

 

[Dizzyphil]

find something that makes you happy... "It's not what you achieve, it's what you overcome. That's what defines your career." - Carlton Fisk

 

[texbender]

I changed careers 39 years ago. Left civil service type position, moved from midwest to Tx, took outdoor job (land surveying) for $3.50/hr. Loved it from day 1, worked my way up the professional ladder and obtained my professional license. Last 20 years have been manager of survey department at geospatial/engineering firms. Dallas was a homerun location for my work, almost always booming economy and there are 3000 land surveyors vs 75000 engineers in the state...simple supply and demand that translates to tremendous compensation since civil engineers rely on surveyors to collect heir data and build their projects.. But for me the key was my passion for what I was doing, and that's what I tell kids/students. Have passion for what you do, as that will allow you to be good at what you do, which will allow the money to come to you.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

@IrishLion , your post gives me hope! Thank you. Currently, I'm awaiting to see if they'll move me to round three. They implied during the in-person interview that I for sure would be contacted. They also implied it's more of a formality at that point. I'm not sure if they have other candidates.

Similarly to you being contacted for a more senior position, I too, was brought up in that light with the company who just rejected me. "They wanted to hire us both," they told me. And during my follow up, they said they viewed me in a more "leadership type role." But have yet to get in touch since.

I'm glad it worked out for you. Here's hoping the same for me.

@irishff1014 Best of Luck!

 

[Some Irish Bloke]

Some know I am 911 dispatcher and have been a shift supervisor since 2015. Of course I work for the county I live in. My boss just got promoted to deputy director. So have applied for his position. So I would be the supervisor of the of the dispatch division.

Almost 17 years of shift work and this is Monday thru Friday unless bad weather, big incidents, special events. I think theres 6 of us applying. Everyone says trust your gut feeling and I am not feeling it. I don’t really agree with the way they are doing the interview panel but I can’t control that. The only thing I can control is how I do in My interview.

Interviews are Tuesday so I guess I’ll find soon enough.

Good luck man!

 

[FDNYIrish1]

Some know I am 911 dispatcher and have been a shift supervisor since 2015. Of course I work for the county I live in. My boss just got promoted to deputy director. So have applied for his position. So I would be the supervisor of the of the dispatch division.

Almost 17 years of shift work and this is Monday thru Friday unless bad weather, big incidents, special events. I think theres 6 of us applying. Everyone says trust your gut feeling and I am not feeling it. I don’t really agree with the way they are doing the interview panel but I can’t control that. The only thing I can control is how I do in My interview.

Interviews are Tuesday so I guess I’ll find soon enough.

Good luck man. Nothing better than a squared away dispatcher when the shits hitting the fan.

 

[irishff1014]

Had my interview today. I was nervous before hand but I got comfortable pretty quick in the interview. The HR lady made a joke and asked if I wanted a job at HR. Not sure if she was just making a joke or if she was happy with my answers. They didn’t say when the would announce but the boss leaves Friday for vacation so I would think it would be before than. But I feel really good and like I blew it out of the water.

 

[NDRock]

Had my interview today. I was nervous before hand but I got comfortable pretty quick in the interview. The HR lady made a joke and asked if I wanted a job at HR. Not sure if she was just making a joke or if she was happy with my answers. They didn’t say when the would announce but the boss leaves Friday for vacation so I would think it would be before than. But I feel really good and like I blew it out of the water.

Great to hear. Good luck.

 

[irishff1014]

Well as I was getting off this morning my boss called me over to the admin side of the department. I was handed an offer letter for the promotion from 911 specialist shift supervisor to the 911 Chief communications supervisor. And it goes into affect February 9th. Ahhhhhh. All the hard work.

Thank you all for the positive words and encouragement!

 

[Some Irish Bloke]

Well as I was getting off this morning my boss called me over to the admin side of the department. I was handed an offer letter for the promotion from 911 specialist shift supervisor to the 911 Chief communications supervisor. And it goes into affect February 9th. Ahhhhhh. All the hard work.

Thank you all for the positive words and encouragement!

Congrats man! That's awesome news. Hard work pays off.

Here's to hoping the good vibes keep rolling in and we get an encouraging update from BleedBlueGold soon!

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Congrats!!

 

[Irish2155]

Well as I was getting off this morning my boss called me over to the admin side of the department. I was handed an offer letter for the promotion from 911 specialist shift supervisor to the 911 Chief communications supervisor. And it goes into affect February 9th. Ahhhhhh. All the hard work.

Thank you all for the positive words and encouragement!

Congrats and nicely done. Sounds like you earned it.

Cheers

 

[Irish#1]

Well as I was getting off this morning my boss called me over to the admin side of the department. I was handed an offer letter for the promotion from 911 specialist shift supervisor to the 911 Chief communications supervisor. And it goes into affect February 9th. Ahhhhhh. All the hard work.

Thank you all for the positive words and encouragement!

 

[BleedBlueGold]

After seven hours of interviewing with IU Health, I was informed that I did not get the job. 0 for 3 on local jobs. None left to attempt. Feeling about as low as one can right now. Just awful. 15 years experience didn't mean shit to the doctors. All they focused on was one bit of software that was lacking on my resume. Absolutely ridiculous.

 

[IRISHDODGER]

After seven hours of interviewing with IU Health, I was informed that I did not get the job. 0 for 3 on local jobs. None left to attempt. Feeling about as low as one can right now. Just awful. 15 years experience didn't mean shit to the doctors. All they focused on was one bit of software that was lacking on my resume. Absolutely ridiculous.

Man sorry to hear that. Keep your head up, I’ve been there. In my experience, these situations go from no offers to multiple offers so you go from the stress of no prospects to the stress to picking the right job for you. Hang in there bro.

 

[dang227]

After seven hours of interviewing with IU Health, I was informed that I did not get the job. 0 for 3 on local jobs. None left to attempt. Feeling about as low as one can right now. Just awful. 15 years experience didn't mean shit to the doctors. All they focused on was one bit of software that was lacking on my resume. Absolutely ridiculous.

Been there and am currently interviewing as well. Hang in there. I've learned there is truly no rhyme or reason why stuff like that happens. The right situation will come along and you will be better off.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Thanks. I hope you all are right.

 

[Irish#1]

Thanks. I hope you all are right.

Getting hired is a lot like baseball. Your interviews are your at bats and we all know the success rate of a great batter is only 30%. Keep getting your turn at the plate. The good news is you only have to get one hit.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Good analogy.

Unfortunately, the local market for my position is almost non-existent. For the last 7 years, I've kept my eyes and ears open for openings near us in Westfield. 99% of openings get filled internally. The fact that there were 3 openings over the last 6 months was unheard of. Just so happened that a lot of folks retired at the end of last year. Could something else pop up? Sure. But at this point, it's unlikely. IU Health, Ascension/St Vs, and Community Health/MD Anderson are the heavy hitters in our area, not named Franciscan (current employer). My name is in the pool at literally all of those institutions now as well as two nationwide remote companies. ALL of them said my years experience is getting me to the end, but my lack of experience with the newest software is what's preventing me from getting across the finish line with a job offer. And unfortunately, that software is something I can't get training on because my current employer opted to use a third party system (to save money), thus limiting my access to the training modules that would've otherwise come with it.

The worst part about all of this is that not getting these jobs directly impacts the amount of time I get to spend with my kids. It's eating me up. My kids think I work alllll the time. Truth is, I'm just commuting multiple hours per day. If I worked closer to home or better yet, from home, it would change everything for our family.

 

[Irish#1]

Good analogy.

Unfortunately, the local market for my position is almost non-existent. For the last 7 years, I've kept my eyes and ears open for openings near us in Westfield. 99% of openings get filled internally. The fact that there were 3 openings over the last 6 months was unheard of. Just so happened that a lot of folks retired at the end of last year. Could something else pop up? Sure. But at this point, it's unlikely. IU Health, Ascension/St Vs, and Community Health/MD Anderson are the heavy hitters in our area, not named Franciscan (current employer). My name is in the pool at literally all of those institutions now as well as two nationwide remote companies. ALL of them said my years experience is getting me to the end, but my lack of experience with the newest software is what's preventing me from getting across the finish line with a job offer. And unfortunately, that software is something I can't get training on because my current employer opted to use a third party system (to save money), thus limiting my access to the training modules that would've otherwise come with it.

The worst part about all of this is that not getting these jobs directly impacts the amount of time I get to spend with my kids. It's eating me up. My kids think I work alllll the time. Truth is, I'm just commuting multiple hours per day. If I worked closer to home or better yet, from home, it would change everything for our family.

You work at Stop 11 and Emerson or some other location? Never been a fan of St. Francis health. $$$$ always seemed to drive the bus IMO.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

I work in Lafayette.

Yes, Money drives the bus and it's arguably the worst of the hospital systems around us.

 

[irishff1014]

Good analogy.

Unfortunately, the local market for my position is almost non-existent. For the last 7 years, I've kept my eyes and ears open for openings near us in Westfield. 99% of openings get filled internally. The fact that there were 3 openings over the last 6 months was unheard of. Just so happened that a lot of folks retired at the end of last year. Could something else pop up? Sure. But at this point, it's unlikely. IU Health, Ascension/St Vs, and Community Health/MD Anderson are the heavy hitters in our area, not named Franciscan (current employer). My name is in the pool at literally all of those institutions now as well as two nationwide remote companies. ALL of them said my years experience is getting me to the end, but my lack of experience with the newest software is what's preventing me from getting across the finish line with a job offer. And unfortunately, that software is something I can't get training on because my current employer opted to use a third party system (to save money), thus limiting my access to the training modules that would've otherwise come with it.

The worst part about all of this is that not getting these jobs directly impacts the amount of time I get to spend with my kids. It's eating me up. My kids think I work alllll the time. Truth is, I'm just commuting multiple hours per day. If I worked closer to home or better yet, from home, it would change everything for our family.

I am sorry to hear this man. Keep looking and giving your all. I hope something opens up for you. The driving part does suck. My wife drives an hour each way 3 days a week. She says it kills her energy. But she loves what’s she does and who she works with.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

I am sorry to hear this man. Keep looking and giving your all. I hope something opens up for you. The driving part does suck. My wife drives an hour each way 3 days a week. She says it kills her energy. But she loves what’s she does and who she works with.

Thanks. Yes it kills my energy too. And I stayed for the same reasons. In hindsight, had I known this place would basically trap me, I should've left ten years ago. Loyalty isn't rewarded anymore these days.

 

[ab2cmiller]

I had to do a job search this past year. Based upon my experience and some articles I read, it just feels like there are tons of people looking to change jobs and the competition can be pretty fierce. There were jobs that I thought I was a perfect fit, only to find myself shocked that I wasn't selected.