Rejected by Longs

[pharmtastic]

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Hi all. I'm a P1 Student. I applied to Longs for an internship and got turned down. Can anybody please speculate why this might be. Is it bc Im a P1 with no previous pharm experience? Or I didnt perform very well in the phone interview? or sumthing else? I've always thought that retail is easy to get in...😀 but I guess not...
Thanks!

 

[davidgayz]

I applied to the Walmart pharmacy at one point and got rejected and look at me now. Well I'm not actually doing much better but I will be graduating in a few months, that's a feather in my cap. On a serious note, F*$k longs, go work at one of the other million pharmacies in your area (unless your in alaska or something).

 

[Caverject]

Hi all. I'm a P1 Student. I applied to Longs for an internship and got turned down. Can anybody please speculate why this might be. Is it bc Im a P1 with no previous pharm experience? Or I didnt perform very well in the phone interview? or sumthing else? I've always thought that retail is easy to get in...😀 but I guess not...
Thanks!

Perhaps they didn't like you or need you or both? Its not personal, it just happens sometimes

 

[rxlynn]

Hi all. I'm a P1 Student. I applied to Longs for an internship and got turned down. Can anybody please speculate why this might be. Is it bc Im a P1 with no previous pharm experience? Or I didnt perform very well in the phone interview? or sumthing else? I've always thought that retail is easy to get in...😀 but I guess not...
Thanks!

It might be that they decided they needed a tech who could work more hours per week than an intern in school typically would. It could be that they had other applicants who had extensive tech experience or intern experience somewhere else - therefore they did not want to have to train somebody with no experience whatsoever. Actually, I think the best time to get an intern job is probably right when school starts in August - stores have other interns/techs who want to cut their hours because school is starting. The worst time to get a tech job is April/May timeframe. Everybody wants to work in the summer, and typically the stores tech hours budget will actually be cut a little since volume goes down in the summer.

Unfortunately, in the past 6 years I've been working retail, it seems like the timing of when you apply vs. when the store needs a tech desparately is more important than it should be.

 

[sdn1977]

I got a call from a student looking for an intern position & I absolutely could NOT understand her. I had to ask her to repeat what she was saying 4 (FOUR) IV times!!!!

If English is not your first language....get a neighbor, friend, someone who you can practice speaking with. If I couldn't understand her....my immigrant population (from a different part of the world) wouldn't be able to understand her either.

I just referred to corporate where she'll get lost in the system!

 

[alwaystired]

I got a call from a student looking for an intern position & I absolutely could NOT understand her. I had to ask her to repeat what she was saying 4 (FOUR) IV times!!!!

If English is not your first language....get a neighbor, friend, someone who you can practice speaking with. If I couldn't understand her....my immigrant population (from a different part of the world) wouldn't be able to understand her either.

I just referred to corporate where she'll get lost in the system!

we just did the exact same thing. that, and the girl only wanted to work 4 hrs per wk, which is way too few to ever learn whats going on in the place w/ no prev. experience

 

[pharmtastic]

we just did the exact same thing. that, and the girl only wanted to work 4 hrs per wk, which is way too few to ever learn whats going on in the place w/ no prev. experience

I think probably this was the reason I got turned down: asked for too few hours. English isn't my problem and the answers I gave the interviewer were those I used during my pharmacy school interview. If those answers could get me into pharm school, there was no reason they couldn't get me into freaking Longs.
Anyway I asked this question wasn't bc Longs was the only place I wanted to work at. I just want to know what obstacles a P1 may face when applying for an internship.

 

[alwaystired]

I think probably this was the reason I got turned down: asked for too few hours. English isn't my problem and the answers I gave the interviewer were those I used during my pharmacy school interview. If those answers could get me into pharm school, there was no reason they couldn't get me into freaking Longs.
Anyway I asked this question wasn't bc Longs was the only place I wanted to work at. I just want to know what obstacles a P1 may face when applying for an internship.

that is probably the reason then. the problem w/ interns is that 1. they are flaky and always want to call in at the first sign of stress/test anxiety 2. they hardly want to work.

These 2 things are things I fight all the time as a intern. I want to be dependable to my pharmacists and store, but I also get stressed, work too much, and sometimes wish I worked less and want to call in. I never do it, and they appreciate it. My store wants and needs another intern, but they aren't going to just settle. They want someone with a drive to work and someone whose actually going to be around enough to learn whats going on and to help out on the short-staffed nights or weekends. Even 10 hours a week is better than 4.

 

[sdn1977]

that is probably the reason then. the problem w/ interns is that 1. they are flaky and always want to call in at the first sign of stress/test anxiety 2. they hardly want to work.

These 2 things are things I fight all the time as a intern. I want to be dependable to my pharmacists and store, but I also get stressed, work too much, and sometimes wish I worked less and want to call in. I never do it, and they appreciate it. My store wants and needs another intern, but they aren't going to just settle. They want someone with a drive to work and someone whose actually going to be around enough to learn whats going on and to help out on the short-staffed nights or weekends. Even 10 hours a week is better than 4.

I agree somewhat. The problems I have with interns are, like you - some are "flaky" & yeah....they want to call in. Well...when you work in the real world...you go to work sick (unless you are so sick you can't stand up). We all go to work with a headache, sore throat, stuffy head, cough, etc....we shouldn't, but we do just because there is no one to call to replace you as the pharmacist until hours later.

If you have exams.....you know that ahead of time - just talk to me. I can plan something else - but you know you get your exam schedule at the beginning of class.

These are not the op's problem - but problems which develop after you get the job.

Now..to the op: its expensive to train you! You have to be there during one whole day, regularly. There are some things you just can't learn if you're only there 4 hours. Also...they may be my busiest 4 hours or my least busy 4 hours. If they're my busiest....you won't learn a thing. I'll just put you at the register so I can get my work done so I can go home on time. If they're my least busy....you'll sit there twiddling your thumbs & you'll either have to come up with questions to ask me or I'll have to come up with situations to put before you - neither of which are real life circumstances, which I think is what you want to gain.

So....wait until you can find yourself one whole day - a Sat or Sun - 8 hours - in which you can devote yourself to working. If you don't want to give up your weekend days....find a 24hr store & work nights. But 4 hours - unless you are very, very experienced...that would only allow coverage for my regular tech's lunches.

Good luck!

 

[DownonthePharm]

In my state at least Interns have to work at the same time as a preceptor pharmacist. So if they dont need additional coverage at the time the preceptor is there they dont have a reason to hire you.