Been out of workforce for 6 years, do I stand a chance?

[niagarafalls2015]

So I am a stay at home mom.
About 6 years ago, I was sick and had to quit work and then I had few children.
Now that I am trying to get back to workforce, I am very discouraged. I have been applying to jobs for 2 weeks, but no calls yet.
Do I stand a chance? If I apply for a pharmacist intern position, do you think the companies will accept me?(I don't know if that is even possible)

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[bacillus1]

So I am a stay at home mom.
About 6 years ago, I was sick and had to quit work and then I had few children.
Now that I am trying to get back to workforce, I am very discouraged. I have been applying to jobs for 2 weeks, but no calls yet.
Do I stand a chance? If I apply for a pharmacist intern position, do you think the companies will accept me?(I don't know if that is even possible)

Try to get your foot in the door with a part-time or per diem position. Also it might take a few months. 2 weeks might not even be enough for HR to review your application. Do not apply as an intern.

 

[lord999]

I don't you can apply as an "intern" simply because you no longer possess that license. This isn't the job market 6 years ago, and it's hard to absorb new grads right now.

 

[Monsterdaddy]

Call up everyone who you worked with before who liked you. Call up all your classmates who liked you. Networking will get you the job. Blindly applying online will go nowhere unless the employer just wants someone with a license.

Hopefully even as a stay at home mom you kept current with your contacts. And two weeks isn't a lot of time, HR sometimes takes a long time to even review the submissions.

 

[steveysmith54]

I think the easiest way for you to get back into the profession is at an independent pharmacy. I'd go too all of your local places. Try to sell yourself on eagerness, motivation, flexibility, and everything else people want to hear. Maybe being cheap too

 

[MackandBlues]

is your license still current? get that situated asap if not

 

[CetiAlphaFive]

So I am a stay at home mom.
About 6 years ago, I was sick and had to quit work and then I had few children.
Now that I am trying to get back to workforce, I am very discouraged. I have been applying to jobs for 2 weeks, but no calls yet.
Do I stand a chance? If I apply for a pharmacist intern position, do you think the companies will accept me?(I don't know if that is even possible)

I think the easiest way for you to get back into the profession is at an independent pharmacy. I'd go too all of your local places. Try to sell yourself on eagerness, motivation, flexibility, and everything else people want to hear. Maybe being cheap too

Ehhh, if I had someone show up with a six year gap I would toss the resume right into the trash after they left.

Independents may be lower volume, but the stakes are higher for us.
There are loads of "here for an easy check" types wanting to get into independent. It doesn't work that way.

 

[steveysmith54]

Ehhh, if I had someone show up with a six year gap I would toss the resume right into the trash after they left.

Independents may be lower volume, but the stakes are higher for us.
There are loads of "here for an easy check" types wanting to get into independent. It doesn't work that way.

Are you familiar with concepts of desperation and cheapness??? Sometimes an independent pharmacy only has one pharmacist on staff, the owner... things come up, like sickness, funerals, newborns or simply just need a day off... if one is desperate, they will call someone with a license... Not like there is a floating pool... a lot independents have techs who can run the show, just need a license for final verification... also there is a cheapness factor, If you will do the work for less money, you are more likely to get a call from me..

I believe in giving people a chance... the 6 year gap can be overlooked if on has good attention to detail, good work ethic, common sense, and communication skills... retail hardly clinical, I can teach or reteach the right person in a matter of weeks if they are the right candidate.

 

[confettiflyer]

Given the deplorable state of parental leave in the US, I think at the very least it's our patriotic duty to pick up the slack and give these mothers a chance to resume their careers.

Steveysmith is right...a competent management team will be able to train up a motivated pharmacist in a matter of weeks.

An incompetent manager can't/won't...so the trash would be the only option for them.


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[CetiAlphaFive]

You guys are right.

Ignoring the tiny, tiny fact that clinical knowledge & decision making are perishable skills, it's obviously more economical to hire someone for a few dollars less per hour.

We can just write off the cost of a "matter of weeks" of training that wouldn't have been necessary if we'd gone with any of the dozens of experienced pharmacists available in this saturated market.

Maybe you can even pay them significantly less than market and create an employee that will inevitably resent their low pay, have no personal investment in the success of the company, and jump ship as soon as they can!
[ / sarcasm ]

It is not 2006. There should be no such thing as "desperation" on the part of a hiring employer.
The market is flooded with experienced and competent Pharm.D.s.
Shoot, I'd rather hire a new grad with education fresh in their mind.

If a manager would waste the revenue of an independent pharmacy to spend weeks training someone or damage their brand by having this person in training increase wait time / call on or miss insignificant / significant drug issues they're an absolute fool.

If the Independent Owner only has 1 staff member and 0 PRN floaters, they're a poor manager & businessperson.

If a manager considers pinching pennies to be the ultimate deciding factor, they need to be trained in business.

If you truly believe that an RPh is only there for verification, you're a detriment to the profession.

P.S.
What is with you two and using ellipses in between every sentence.

What the OP should do is get hired on with a mail order or similar setting.

A critical piece of info they omitted was # of years of experience prior to their 6 year hiatus. If they had 10 years as a high quality PIC I might give them a chance

 

[radio frequency]

Given the deplorable state of parental leave in the US, I think at the very least it's our patriotic duty to pick up the slack and give these mothers a chance to resume their careers.

Steveysmith is right...a competent management team will be able to train up a motivated pharmacist in a matter of weeks.

An incompetent manager can't/won't...so the trash would be the only option for them.

I generally agree that parental leave *is* horrible in the US, but six years can't be explained by lack of parental leave. That's a pretty long time.

 

[niagarafalls2015]

So I am a stay at home mom.
About 6 years ago, I was sick and had to quit work and then I had few children.
Now that I am trying to get back to workforce, I am very discouraged. I have been applying to jobs for 2 weeks, but no calls yet.
Do I stand a chance? If I apply for a pharmacist intern position, do you think the companies will accept me?(I don't know if that is even possible)

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Yes I am up to date with my licenses and I have 10 years of experience as a pharmacist before the 6-year gap. Thanks for the encourgements and honest view. I will try to post when I get a job. I am willing to travel 1&1/2 hr distance one way.

 

[BidingMyTime]

I agree with others that 2 weeks isn't long enough for hiring managers to even look at your resume.

You aren't in school, so no one is going to hire you for an intern job.

Still, 6 years is a long time. Are there any charity pharmacies in your area that you can volunteer at?

Expect that it will take longer than normal for you to find a job, due to your resume gap.

 

[niagarafalls2015]

I agree with others that 2 weeks isn't long enough for hiring managers to even look at your resume.

You aren't in school, so no one is going to hire you for an intern job.

Still, 6 years is a long time. Are there any charity pharmacies in your area that you can volunteer at?

Expect that it will take longer than normal for you to find a job, due to your resume gap.

Charity pharmacies? How do I find these pharmacies? Just google? Thanks for the tip!

 

[BidingMyTime]

Charity pharmacies? How do I find these pharmacies? Just google? Thanks for the tip!

Good questions, google never hurts. I first learned about the one in my area from the local pharmacists association. If you aren't a member of your local pharmacist organization, I'd suggest going and networking (not only can you learn about charity pharmacies, meeting other pharmacists will help you learn about job openings or potential even get some references.)

 

[820534]

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Yes I am up to date with my licenses and I have 10 years of experience as a pharmacist before the 6-year gap. Thanks for the encourgements and honest view. I will try to post when I get a job. I am willing to travel 1&1/2 hr distance one way.

A lot of skeptics here. I was just trained with a mother of four who took at least 15 years off with about 5-6 years of experience prior to leaving the workforce. She was hired quickly and per diem with no former connection to said company.

 

[niagarafalls2015]

A lot of skeptics here. I was just trained with a mother of four who took at least 15 years off with about 5-6 years of experience prior to leaving the workforce. She was hired quickly and per diem with no former connection to said company.

What kind of setting is that? 15 years! And she has less experience than me.
I am not going to give up on my career just yet.

 

[PromisedNeverland]

A lot of skeptics here. I was just trained with a mother of four who took at least 15 years off with about 5-6 years of experience prior to leaving the workforce. She was hired quickly and per diem with no former connection to said company.

when was this ? like 20 years ago ?

EDIT: Or was she hired in Alaska ?