Kicked in the gut, feel like giving up.

[amakhosidlo]

So I've spent the last few months working in administration department for a medical examiner, when I was hired I made it explicitly clear that I was interested in eventually working my way into autopsy.

When the position finally opened up in June I jumped on it and applied. I thought since I'd been working my ***** off consistently, and showed a genuine interest in the position (got up at 6am on multiple Saturdays to shadow the techs) that my efforts would be rewarded, or at least recognized.

After two rounds of interviews over the course of two months, my own department passed me up in favor of two other candidates who are completely foreign to the office.

I feel like I've been totally betrayed, slapped in the face and kicked in the stomach simultaneously. Everyone here knows I'm trying to get into med school, and they all know how badly I wanted this position. Now I'm going to have to work with these people who are obviously "more qualified" than the guy that's worked in the office for the last half a year and I feel like just giving up. I mean what am I going to say in interviews? Yeah I spent a 1.5 years typing transcriptions and talking to funeral directors?

You know you'd think if you try your best, and start at the bottom and work your way up by proving yourself that you're eventually going to get somewhere. I can accept getting turned down by med schools; maybe my grades weren't that great, maybe my ec's were a little too light, whatever. But after demonstrating a stellar work ethic and genuine enthusiasm through months of service, you'd think I'd catch a break from the people I bust my ***** for. Guess not.

This position was my one last hope of an interesting E.C. Other than that my profile is a joke, and I feel like pursuing "interesting" lines of work/life experiences has just left me holding a bag full of....

I mean I've passed up 3 different jobs that would have been infinitely more informative and relevant to my career goals because the A.I was something I really wanted to do. Now that it's pretty much guaranteed that my part-time job which I was assured would taken on a medical aspect actually won't, I feel like I passed those opportunities up for absolutely nothing.

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed my rant/vent. Now I have to decide whether I want to live with the humiliation of working around peers whose careers have been given an enormous boost over my own by people I considered friends, or at least was on good terms with, or turning in my letter of resignation.

Thoughts? Reasons not to give it all up? What the h3ll does one do now?

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[pianola]

I understand your frustration Surely the fact that you have actually observed and shadowed the techs counts for something, though? I mean, that's pretty interesting to me.

Potentially, medical schools may not care as much if you were actually employed...they may care more that you showed commitment to your interests.

Good luck. Maybe there will be other opportunities in the future? Talk to your supervisors (calmly, obviously) and try to gauge whether or not future efforts will be rewarded. If s/he indicates that there's not much chance for future advancement and you've already dedicated one and a half years to a job you're not crazy about, you should have no qualms about looking for work/shadowing experience elsewhere.

I'm sure the experience you've already had isn't wasted; just try to consider what your options may be from here on out, looking broadly at many areas.

Best of luck to you in all of your endeavors.

 

[ballerstatus666]

**** happens. stay in school. work hard. it'll work out

 

[RySerr21]

don't just quit........clearly you need to have a LONG conversation with the people who made the hiring decision. You deserve the right to know why you were hired. Tell them everything you just told us....you might not get hired, but they should know how much this mean to you. If you feel like they still dont care, then I'd quit.

 

[LizzyM]

Have you considered that they might be looking for someone who will stay with the job more than a year or two? It could be that they preferred someone who wanted to make a career of it rather than someone who hoped to make the job a stepping stone to medical school?

 

[zpiff]

Have you considered that they might be looking for someone who will stay with the job more than a year or two? It could be that they preferred someone who wanted to make a career of it rather than someone who hoped to make the job a stepping stone to medical school?

This might very well have something to do with it. There is a certain strigma associated with premeds and almost all of the places that I've worked (labs in biotech and pharma as well as academic labs) are dissapointed to find out that I am applying to medical schools instead of staying on. It costs the organization money to train people but they hope that it pays off in long term employees.

 

[silverhorse84]

Yeah I agree here. When I was getting ready to interview for the ambulance company I work with I did a practice interview with my old EMT teacher. When asked the question about my future I mentioned medical school. Afterwards he told me to be as vague about my future as possible without lying; he said if they find out I may not be around for long and there's no chance I'm going to medic school, they'll pass me over because they're hoping for long-term employees. He told me not to lie, if they ask specifically then tell the truth. Luckily, they didn't really ask much about my future and I was able to be vague. It sucks, but I wouldn't have gotten the job without doing it.

 

[pianola]

This might very well have something to do with it. There is a certain strigma associated with premeds and almost all of the places that I've worked (labs in biotech and pharma as well as academic labs) are dissapointed to find out that I am applying to medical schools instead of staying on. It costs the organization money to train people but they hope that it pays off in long term employees.

In my experience, the bias against pre-meds also works against students who want to work with children/neonates because employers tend to want long-term commitment/age experience from volunteers dealing with children who are very ill.

It happens a lot, actually.

 

[Livingapparatus]

This is not a reason to give up.

 

[amakhosidlo]

Thanks for the encouragement everyone.

Lizzy: The position itself was open only to students; once a person graduates, they must move out of the position. Qualified applicants usually have a year or two of lab experience (I had 1.5 in Path.), and thus are usually juniors who spend 1-2 years in the position. It isn't long term, it's a shorter-term internship.

Anyway I just had a talk with my boss. He said he wasn't at all happy with how the decision was made, reassured me he'd look into it, etc. On the one hand it's encouraging that he was sympathetic, but realistically? Other than the position I was going for, there isn't much else. Either you're tech, or you're in admin pushing paper.

The thing that bothers me the most is that none of my options are attractive at all. On the one hand I could stay and squander what little time I have, or I change jobs again, which would be the third time in less than a year (retail-->law office for hookups-->Current job obtained as a result of said hookups). Can you say lack of demonstrated commitment?

I just can't seem to find an opportunity for which I don't get passed over in favor of the "3.9, everyECunderthesun" candidate. I interview really well, and I get basically every position I interview for as long as it isn't medically related, thus drawing out the gunner crowd. It just leaves me to wonder: If I can't compete for an internship, how am I going to compete for an acceptance?

I don't mean to turn this into a pity party, it's just getting really frustrating and "I think you'd make a great autopsy person" from the gf isn't exactly the most useful feedback...

 

[footballrules]

So you got rejected for a job that you applied to. Welcome to the real world. This happens do people every day. Employers want people with experience and that will make a career out of the job. You are applying for a specific job. The employers want people TO WORK THE JOB LONG TERM.

If you need to lie to the HR and hiring manager during an interview about your future plans, then lie. Just don't expect a LOR if the relationship turns sour.

For pharma and biotech companies, they want you to work the job long term. Academic labs are not as hard ass about this. They hire you to do a job for them so they can make a profit.

 

[footballrules]

Thanks for the encouragement everyone.

Lizzy: The position itself was open only to students; once a person graduates, they must move out of the position. Qualified applicants usually have a year or two of lab experience (I had 1.5 in Path.), and thus are usually juniors who spend 1-2 years in the position.

Anyway I just had a talk with my boss. He said he wasn't at all happy with how the decision was made, reassured me he'd look into it, etc. On the one hand it's encouraging that he was sympathetic, but realistically? Other than the position I was going for, there isn't much else. Either you're tech, or you're in admin pushing paper.

The thing that bothers me the most is that none of my options are attractive at all. On the one hand I could stay and squander what little time I have, or I change jobs again, which would be the third time in less than a year (retail-->law office for hookups-->Current job obtained as a result of said hookups). Can you say lack of demonstrated commitment?

I just can't seem to find an opportunity for which I don't get passed over in favor of the "3.9, everyECunderthesun" candidate. I interview really well, and I get basically every position I interview for as long as it isn't medically related, thus drawing out the gunner crowd. It just leaves me to wonder: If I can't compete for an internship, how am I going to compete for an acceptance?

I don't mean to turn this into a pity party, it's just getting really frustrating and "I think you'd make a great autopsy person" from the gf isn't exactly the most useful feedback...

You basically have three options:

1: Forget your dream, your passion, what you enjoy and get a job in an unrelated field and hate yourself the rest of your life.

2: Apply to jobs you would like in other areas. Move and enjoy self. Don't talk about applying for medical school in the interview.

3: Move in with your parents and become depressed and work at the local garbage company.

 

[pianola]

You basically have three options:

1: Forget your dream, your passion, what you enjoy and get a job in an unrelated field and hate yourself the rest of your life.

2: Apply to jobs you would like in other areas. Move and enjoy self. Don't talk about applying for medical school in the interview.

3: Move in with your parents and become depressed and work at the local garbage company.

If you read the OP's second post, he indicates that most people in the position only work for 1-2 years as it is.

 

[Oceaner]

confidence friend, confidence.

-it's great you had a talk with them, make sure that they and everybody else who 'matters' know that this was a position that you wanted AND were qualified for (without sounding like a whinybeotch ofcourse)

-give up? on what? if you feel that this path is not going to take you anywhere you want to be, of course latch on to something else, and that's not 'giving up' it's making a reasonable decision. only losers give up.

-people face obstacles all the time, and pity parties are fun for the first few minutes. but the only people who ever get anywhere are the ones that dust themselves off and say "so what..."

 

[footballrules]

confidence friend, confidence.

-it's great you had a talk with them, make sure that they and everybody else who 'matters' know that this was a position that you wanted AND were qualified for (without sounding like a whinybeotch ofcourse)

-give up? on what? if you feel that this path is not going to take you anywhere you want to be, of course latch on to something else, and that's not 'giving up' it's making a reasonable decision. only losers give up.

-people face obstacles all the time, and pity parties are fun for the first few minutes. but the only people who ever get anywhere are the ones that dust themselves off and say "so what..."

This may be the first time the OP was rejected from something s/he really wanted. I've been rejected from stuff that I've really wanted in my life before. Life goes on. All you can do is ask how you can improve yourself, and then move on.

 

[RoadRunner17]

This may be the first time the OP was rejected from something s/he really wanted. I've been rejected from stuff that I've really wanted in my life before. Life goes on. All you can do is ask how you can improve yourself, and then move on.

Agreed. I've met people who are like this... though they go with lower goals/expectations, i.e. play it safe, so they don't have a large chance of rejection. So, when they do get rejected from something they want badly, they do not take it very well. Not a philosophy I agree with.

 

[amakhosidlo]

Agreed. I've met people who are like this... though they go with lower goals/expectations, i.e. play it safe, so they don't have a large chance of rejection. So, when they do get rejected from something they want badly, they do not take it very well. Not a philosophy I agree with.

Oh I've been rejected/passed over enough, believe me. Like I said, if I'm not qualified, fine. I can deal with that.

What fundamentally bothers me about this is that I WAS qualified, I HAVE relationships with the people doing the hiring, and I've invested so much time and effort trying to move my way into this position. Passing me over this time was tantamount to saying: "You've been doing an outstanding job for the past few months and we appreciate your enthusiasm, but we'd rather work with a perfect stranger who's never worked with let along SEEN a cadaver because they've got better numbers and activities."

 

[footballrules]

Oh I've been rejected/passed over enough, believe me. Like I said, if I'm not qualified, fine. I can deal with that.

What fundamentally bothers me about this is that I WAS qualified, I HAVE relationships with the people doing the hiring, and I've invested so much time and effort trying to move my way into this position. Passing me over this time was tantamount to saying: "You've been doing an outstanding job for the past few months and we appreciate your enthusiasm, but we'd rather work with a perfect stranger who's never worked with let along SEEN a cadaver because they've got better numbers and activities."

That doesn't mean you are going to get the job. Just knowing the hiring manager is not going to get your THE JOB OFFER. It can get you the job interview. Where you present during in the interview when the other applications got interviewed? If not, then you don't know what they brought to the table. Maybe the other person did a better job during the interview.

When I was looking for a job when I graduated college, I applied for a job that was exactly what I was already doing before I graduated. I didn't even get the interview. Oh well! I've been passed up by people with more experience for several jobs. There wasn't anything I could do about. So I just looked for other jobs. Now I'm raking in over 70,000 dollars my first 12 months out of college.

Start looking for the next job, apply, interview, and work.

 

[Handy388]

I don't mean to turn this into a pity party, it's just getting really frustrating and "I think you'd make a great autopsy person" from the gf isn't exactly the most useful feedback...

look at the bright side, at least you have an understanding girlfriend.

 

[amakhosidlo]

look at the bright side, at least you have an understanding girlfriend.

Hahaha...yeah. That I do.....

 

[schnauzr]

This could be your "difficult situation that you had to cope with."

 

[Greonis]

Another "caveat" of the real world to consider: not every person gets something because he or she is the most qualified to have it.

Perhaps this other candidate got the job solely due to being a relative/lifelong friend of whomever did the hiring. These things do happen, and finding out whether or not this was the case may help you boost your self-confidence (you'll know that you were passed over due to a trivial factor completely out of your control).

 

[Handy388]

Agreed. I've met people who are like this... though they go with lower goals/expectations, i.e. play it safe, so they don't have a large chance of rejection. So, when they do get rejected from something they want badly, they do not take it very well. Not a philosophy I agree with.

fight for the best, expect the worst.

 

[Wylde]

So I've spent the last few months working in administration department for a medical examiner, when I was hired I made it explicitly clear that I was interested in eventually working my way into autopsy.

When the position finally opened up in June I jumped on it and applied. I thought since I'd been working my ***** off consistently, and showed a genuine interest in the position (got up at 6am on multiple Saturdays to shadow the techs) that my efforts would be rewarded, or at least recognized.

After two rounds of interviews over the course of two months, my own department passed me up in favor of two other candidates who are completely foreign to the office.

I feel like I've been totally betrayed, slapped in the face and kicked in the stomach simultaneously. Everyone here knows I'm trying to get into med school, and they all know how badly I wanted this position. Now I'm going to have to work with these people who are obviously "more qualified" than the guy that's worked in the office for the last half a year and I feel like just giving up. I mean what am I going to say in interviews? Yeah I spent a 1.5 years typing transcriptions and talking to funeral directors?

You know you'd think if you try your best, and start at the bottom and work your way up by proving yourself that you're eventually going to get somewhere. I can accept getting turned down by med schools; maybe my grades weren't that great, maybe my ec's were a little too light, whatever. But after demonstrating a stellar work ethic and genuine enthusiasm through months of service, you'd think I'd catch a break from the people I bust my ***** for. Guess not.

This position was my one last hope of an interesting E.C. Other than that my profile is a joke, and I feel like pursuing "interesting" lines of work/life experiences has just left me holding a bag full of....

I mean I've passed up 3 different jobs that would have been infinitely more informative and relevant to my career goals because the A.I was something I really wanted to do. Now that it's pretty much guaranteed that my part-time job which I was assured would taken on a medical aspect actually won't, I feel like I passed those opportunities up for absolutely nothing.

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed my rant/vent. Now I have to decide whether I want to live with the humiliation of working around peers whose careers have been given an enormous boost over my own by people I considered friends, or at least was on good terms with, or turning in my letter of resignation.

Thoughts? Reasons not to give it all up? What the h3ll does one do now?

Do you really know any of the qualifications of the people that are now considered for the position?

In all honesty, you worked there for 6 months. That is NOT a long time. There is a high chance that other people were more qualified and equally ambitious/deserving/dedicated as you are. There are many people in the world and there will always be someone more qualified and better for a position.

Just because a 6 month commitment did not make a great turn-around immediately does not mean your life/career is over. There will be more opportunities to improve your application and one EC is not going to make or break your application.

 

[jult24er]

This could be your "difficult situation that you had to cope with."

 

[Amaranthinemoxi]

OP: It could be that you were too good at your current job, and the hiring manager didn't want to have to train two people instead of one. That is, they'd have to train you for the new position, and train someone else to replace you...

 

[amakhosidlo]

Do you really know any of the qualifications of the people that are now considered for the position?

In all honesty, you worked there for 6 months. That is NOT a long time. There is a high chance that other people were more qualified and equally ambitious/deserving/dedicated as you are. There are many people in the world and there will always be someone more qualified and better for a position.

Just because a 6 month commitment did not make a great turn-around immediately does not mean your life/career is over. There will be more opportunities to improve your application and one EC is not going to make or break your application.

Now that I've cooled off a bit, I suppose I see your point. In the grand scheme of things it isn't that much time; it's just frustrating to think that I could have used that time to do something more beneficial/productive.

Gah. All well. Guess I've got a date with the health sciences classifieds...

Oh, and to the overcoming adversity spin...hadn't thought of it like that.

 

[LizzyM]

OP: It could be that you were too good at your current job, and the hiring manager didn't want to have to train two people instead of one. That is, they'd have to train you for the new position, and train someone else to replace you...

I was thinking the same thing when it was explained a little bit more. Also, the OP may have come across in the interview as a little too cocky or entitled, a little too informal or familiar, or as if the interview were a mere formality.

We all experiences disappointments in life. Learning from them and learning how to move on is an important life skill.

 

[amakhosidlo]

I was thinking the same thing when it was explained a little bit more. Also, the OP may have come across in the interview as a little too cocky or entitled, a little too informal or familiar, or as if the interview were a mere formality.

That's actually my current hypothesis. I'll admit, if I don't have the "fear o' God' in me I tend to relax a little. Half the interviewers were on my level in that regard, I felt. The other half, who I guess didn't know me as well, might not have been...

We all experiences disappointments in life. Learning from them and learning how to move on is an important life skill.

Amen.

 

[45408]

This position was my one last hope of an interesting E.C. Other than that my profile is a joke, and I feel like pursuing "interesting" lines of work/life experiences has just left me holding a bag full of....

I mean I've passed up 3 different jobs that would have been infinitely more informative and relevant to my career goals because the A.I was something I really wanted to do. Now that it's pretty much guaranteed that my part-time job which I was assured would taken on a medical aspect actually won't, I feel like I passed those opportunities up for absolutely nothing.

This is what we call "putting all your eggs in one basket."

 

[Compass]

My advice. From now on, live by THIS line.


"Prepare for the worst. It can only get better from there."

Prepare a backup plan for everything you do that you think merits one. That way, if you miss your mark, you still have something to fall back to. Things never work out the way you want them to, but if you at least try to stabilize, you won't end up being disappointed.



Also, ask why you were rejected from the position. Good learning experience.

-Compass

 

[coffeebythelake]

Actually, it sounds like a lot of nagging. I wouldn't bring it up as a "difficult situation" unless you want your interviewer to think you were a spoiled kid.

 

[iampremed]

You know you'd think if you try your best, and start at the bottom and work your way up by proving yourself that you're eventually going to get somewhere. I can accept getting turned down by med schools; maybe my grades weren't that great, maybe my ec's were a little too light, whatever.

Thoughts? Reasons not to give it all up? What the h3ll does one do now?

If a seemingly trivial event such as this can cause you to completely hit rock-bottom and give up your career goal in medicine, I'm not sure I can believe the claim that you can handle med school rejections.

 

[amakhosidlo]

Rock bottom? I don't think I'd go that far.
Med school rejections are to be expected.
This was hardly expected.

I was using the idea in a rhetorical sense...

 

[seeya]

I actually work for the medical examiners office near me but didn't start out that way. I used to work in tox and just asked if I could observe. While observing once a week I tried to help out as much as I could and at the end of the summer I was told I could work there if I wanted next summer. So maybe you can just try and ask to observe even if you don't get the job eventually it's still a cool experience and you could definitely write it as an ec if you do it consistently.