Second Job Interview - Need Help!

1 bruce 1

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[name] isn't even one of my references. That interviewer likely would have just said, a "Hey, I have this candidate who you know. What can you tell me about this person?" It could be an email, phone call, or chance encounter at a conference or something.





I have never been asked to provide contact information for previous supervisors or managers.



I assume they are? No one has ever asked for a list of my references. In any case, my references are people I have worked with and will give out positive honest information about my experience and abilities.



I have no presence on social media. No FB, Twitter, etc. I do have a LinkedIn profile but it's set to private. There are lots of people who have the same name as me. A Google search turns up plenty of doctors and artists and others who have the same name as me, including middle initial.



No. It's a brand new start up so all the staff are still being hired.
I just googled my own name for fun and found nothing. I don't do a lot of the facebook stuff and the twittering and the MTV X-boxes of whatever it is the kids are doing now but I did find a lot of obituaries for people that shared my name. That's kind of weird =/
I have googled the names of potential employees to make sure I wasn't dealing with a murderer, mugger, rapist, serial killer or someone who likes being arrested 3 times a month.
 
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LTS3

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Interview rescheduled:ohwell: The recruiter just called to say that one of the interviewers is out sick and it was important for him to interview me because I would be working closely with him. Guess he would be the supervisor or manager for the position. The recruiter wanted to reschefule for next Friday but I suggested next Monday as I'll have the day off (not officially yet. Was going to call out sick and that's not exactly a lie. I do have a doctor appointment that day I need to go to). The recruiter is going to check with the interviewers and get back to me with the new date. Next Friday is a bit too far off for me. I need an offer next week so I can resign while my supervisor is away on vacation and not have to deal with a severance package and all the gossip.
 

artiemom

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This sounds good... It really does... as if it is falling into place... fingers crossed...
 

KarenKat

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My boyfriend Randall has major anxiety (panic attacks, insomnia etc) and he’s also very introverted. What helps him at interviews is amping up with a song or something that makes him feel empowered.

I always like to look at it as I’m also interviewing them. Is their company right for me? Do I want to work with these people, or for that manager? I know it feels like they have all the power but it’s more a mutual fit.

Good luck!!
 
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LTS3

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The interview is now next Friday:sigh: The supervisor returns from vacation on June 28. I really need an offer, no matter how horrible, before then. Yes, I'm that desperate now:help: Do you think a company would make a decision within a few days of an interview? I honestly don't know how many candidates they are doing second interviews with or how many people they need to hire. I can take June 28 off as a personal day to buy a bit more time at my current job. I'm supposed to have a meeting with the supervisor and HR that day to discuss "teamwork updates". I honestly can't think of anything I have done wrong lately :dunno: I don't care if it looks suspicious that I'm taking the 28th off because of that meeting.

Would it be best to just take the severance package now and take a gamble of getting an offer?:think:
 

mazie

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First of all, YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG! Please get that thought out of your head. So, the earliest you can have that second interview is June 28? Have them schedule that second interview for you that very day! Use that day as a personal day. On June 29th, can you tell your current employer that you are interested in taking the Severance package. That way when July 1st comes along, you are still receiving a paycheck while waiting on hearing if they are going to employ you at this new job. Of course, if they tell you on the 28th you got the job, on June 29th, just tell your current employer adios, you have a new job!!;)
 
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LTS3

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So, the earliest you can have that second interview is June 28?
No, the earliest the company can reschedule with all the interviewers is June 22. I don't work on Fridays so I don't need to take any time off for the interview.

June 28 is when I have that "teamwork update" meeting with the supervisor and HR. Everyone on the team is telling the supervisor stuff about me and they exaggerate it, too. It's not accidentally bumping into someone with a cart and quickly apologizing. It's "deliberately and intentionally ramming carts" to get people to move out of the way. :censored: :yelling:


On June 29th, can you tell your current employer that you are interested in taking the Severance package.
HR wants an answer next Tuesday. The options are take the severance package now or do two more "performance plan" meetings and then be forced to take the severance package because the company will not extend the performance plan due to "lack of progress" and no doubt the false accusations the supervisor has made against me. HR already has a severance package ready. They're just waiting to give it to me, sooner rather than later.

Can I ask why you don't want a severance package?
It feel humiliating to be fired after 13 years at a company for "performance issues" aka begin quiet and introverted and not playing those stupid office politic games to make others look bad. Not only that, the department will send out a personnel update email and the way it will be worded will automatically make people know that I was fired. I've seen the emails that have been sent: "As of [date], [name] is no longer employed with [company name]. Please contact a supervisor if you have questions". Compare that to the emails that get sent when someone leaves for a new job: "[Name] will be leaving [company name] on [date] to pursue a new opportunity. Please join us in wishing [name] the best of luck". Whenever someone is fired, rumors and gossip are rampant. I have no doubt that the supervisor will add to the gossip and rumors by saying false things about me.


I would burn your vacation time while waiting too...then u get your vaca and sev...no sense giving them money back.
Not going to happen. Others on the team have already requested time off for the end of the month into early next month. And we just lost a person on the team so we're short staffed anyways. The supervisor is not going to let me take any vacation days. I think I still have at least 3 weeks left to use, too. I'm calling out sick on Monday. I already feel sick anyways with a headache and massive anxiety and stress. I'm getting a doctor's note as proof that I actually went to see a doctor just in case the supervisor demands for one. Yes, she's that kind of person :censored: I'm going to try for a personal day for June 28 but I don't know if that will be approved. I can't request that until Sunday. I'm not supposed to be checking or sending emails on my days off :nono:
 

Kitty Mommy

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In sorry thing are not working out well at the moment. How frustrating that your interview was rescheduled :gaah:

I can understand your frustration with your current job. It's certainly time to find something else when you are being treated so badly. Hang in there, something will work out for you :vibes:
 

arouetta

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Hey. :)

Up front, I want to help you. I'm not trying to be mean, I'm trying to say the things you need to hear.

No, the earliest the company can reschedule with all the interviewers is June 22. I don't work on Fridays so I don't need to take any time off for the interview.

June 28 is when I have that "teamwork update" meeting with the supervisor and HR. Everyone on the team is telling the supervisor stuff about me and they exaggerate it, too. It's not accidentally bumping into someone with a cart and quickly apologizing. It's "deliberately and intentionally ramming carts" to get people to move out of the way. :censored: :yelling:
Since you know you are leaving, that gives you a bit of power. You don't have to be super accommodating. Counter the accusations. What are they going to do? Fire you? You can clearly state "Why would I want to do this stuff deliberately? I'm not that mean."

HR wants an answer next Tuesday. The options are take the severance package now or do two more "performance plan" meetings and then be forced to take the severance package because the company will not extend the performance plan due to "lack of progress" and no doubt the false accusations the supervisor has made against me. HR already has a severance package ready. They're just waiting to give it to me, sooner rather than later.

It feel humiliating to be fired after 13 years at a company for "performance issues" aka begin quiet and introverted and not playing those stupid office politic games to make others look bad. Not only that, the department will send out a personnel update email and the way it will be worded will automatically make people know that I was fired. I've seen the emails that have been sent: "As of [date], [name] is no longer employed with [company name]. Please contact a supervisor if you have questions". Compare that to the emails that get sent when someone leaves for a new job: "[Name] will be leaving [company name] on [date] to pursue a new opportunity. Please join us in wishing [name] the best of luck". Whenever someone is fired, rumors and gossip are rampant. I have no doubt that the supervisor will add to the gossip and rumors by saying false things about me.
Since you're going to be gone, does it matter what the rumor mill says? Honestly? Not really. Who gives a crap about the rumor mill once they've left the mill location?

And with that, if you know the severance package is coming then now's not the time to worry about pride. Take it and run.


Not going to happen. Others on the team have already requested time off for the end of the month into early next month. And we just lost a person on the team so we're short staffed anyways. The supervisor is not going to let me take any vacation days. I think I still have at least 3 weeks left to use, too. I'm calling out sick on Monday. I already feel sick anyways with a headache and massive anxiety and stress. I'm getting a doctor's note as proof that I actually went to see a doctor just in case the supervisor demands for one. Yes, she's that kind of person :censored: I'm going to try for a personal day for June 28 but I don't know if that will be approved. I can't request that until Sunday. I'm not supposed to be checking or sending emails on my days off :nono:
I gave my heart and soul and physical health to a company and stayed far too long out of loyalty. They took a two office system and shoved it into one, and it was done so crappily that two people left really, really fast. I stayed as long as I could because they needed me. My physical health suffered because they needed me. I should have taken my 12 weeks of FMLA and ran, but because they needed me I used FMLA only to see the PT and doctors. I kept getting in trouble because ADA accommodations kept clashing with job expectations. Example, I got in trouble when someone I was training had problems using my left handed mouse configuration, IT had the settings locked so I couldn't switch it, and I said it wouldn't work when my supervisor said to just take her mouse out of her computer and put it in my computer.

And you know what I learned from that experience? No job is worth your heart and soul and physical health. None. Well, maybe a few, I'd happily die sampling gasses from an active volcano to determine when it'll erupt or like Tommy Lee Jones' character in Space Cowboys. But 99% of jobs out there, nope. So who gives a crap if you're short staffed. See what can be done to use up all that vacation (bypassing the supervisor), call out and use up that sick time, and use all that to either plan your next job or decompress from life in general.

You have a severance package. That gives you some time and money. Take it before it disappears, and once you have it tell them all to kiss your hiney. Heck, you can even go the way I did from the job - I gave my keys to an understanding coworker when it was just he and I closing, stuck post-it notes all over my desk about what was what, and told my understanding coworker that I didn't know if I was going to be there for my shift the next day. Hope they had fun deciphering the notes - FMLA, my hand was far too weak to write legibly.
 

KarenKat

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And with that, if you know the severance package is coming then now's not the time to worry about pride. Take it and run
I second this. It sounds like you are not happy there, and it sounds like you need a new job quickly. If you take the severance, you will have both money and time to better find a new job. Job searching can be hard and does take a lot of time. It’s tough to search while working. This could actually be a blessing. Financially I wished I had been in the final layoffs at my last company, but emotionally I did not wish to be told I was being let go. I understand the emotional impact of that but in the long run it is worth it.
 
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LTS3

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Counter the accusations. What are they going to do? Fire you? You can clearly state "Why would I want to do this stuff deliberately? I'm not that mean."

I have countered the accusations. HR does not believe me. They say it's a "she said / he said" thing and they believe what the supervisor is saying. And the supervisor believes everything the team tells her about me :gaah::yelling:

I'm pretty sure I was supposed to be fired at the end of April, given all the accusations at the time. But then I had to go on medical leave (unplanned). So I was out for awhile.

I've actually been looking for a new job since the day I started the job 2 years ago. The supervisor at the time deliberately mislead and lied to me about what the job duties were. Why? She had some deal with her two of her current staff members and the lab. If she got the two staff members and the entire lab to convince me to take the job, she would let the two staff members go work in the lab full time. So instead of dong all the technical stuff I was told I would be doing since I had those skills, I found myself up to my elbows at a sink hand washing several carts of dirty supplies because there was no proper machine to clean them :yelling: All we had was a dishwasher that doesn't do anything to remove stuck on debris, hence the need to hand scrub. I had discussed this many times with the supervisor but all she would say is to be patient and she has plans to get me to do the technical stuff soon. Never happened :headshake:
 

DreamerRose

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If they really fire you, you won't get any severance. When companies fire for cause, there isn't any severance. You get severance only if you are laid off, and your coworkers should know that. You would get paid for unused vacation and days off though.

If you are being offered severance now to leave, you better grab it before there is that little "meeting" with HR, and you get genuinely fired.

The severance is intended to support you until you can find another job, and after 13 years there, it should be substantial. Enough for quite a few weeks.

Getting laid off betters your chances to get another job, too. You can give that reason without an excuse because there are all sorts of legitimate reasons for being laid off that are no fault of your own, and that's what people will assume.

Please consider this before it's too late.

:goodluck::goodluck::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes:
 

Willowy

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I'm no expert (I've only had 2 jobs in my life), but if you know you aren't staying with that job, and you can get a severance package, take it and run. It should be enough for a few months, and then you can focus on finding a new job without worrying about scheduling conflicts.

And, yeah, they're probably waiting for you to get so frustrated that you yell at someone, and then they can fire you for cause and not give you the severance package.
 

ArchyCat

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Something else to consider. In some states, such as Texas, you lose your eligibility for unemployment compensation if you are fired from your job. Here there is a path to appeal that, but I have never heard of it being reversed.
 

DreamerRose

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Unemployment can be a big help, and you can apply for it even if you get severance. The two together are a considerable amount.
 

artiemom

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I you are fired, you cannot collect unemployment.. been that route, as has arouetta arouetta ... same thing happened to me as happened to aroutta and now to LTS3 LTS3

I think I would take the severance package and run.... you never want to go through dealing with Unemployment, when you are fired.. You are automatically denied it, and have to have a hearing, in front of your past employer's lawyers and a hearing officer... It can take a long time to go through this..

LTS3 needs money.. I saw to take the package, and just punt...

I will write more thoughts later...
 
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LTS3

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I

And, yeah, they're probably waiting for you to get so frustrated that you yell at someone, and then they can fire you for cause and not give you the severance package.
Hah! Raising my voice to be heard by others is enough to be considered "yelling and screaming" :yelling: I don't have a loud voice so sometimes it's hard for people standing right in front of me to hear me, especially in the noisy work area. But others do actually yell across the room to each other and that's ok for some reason :yelling:

. You get severance only if you are laid off, and your coworkers should know that.
We're actually in need of people so if I leave everyone would know it was because I was fired (no thanks to the way the personnel update email will be worded), not because I was laid off. And who knows what lies the supervisor will tell the team and others about why I left.

If you are being offered severance now to leave, you better grab it before there is that little "meeting" with HR, and you get genuinely fired.
The meeting next Tuesday with HR is when I have to tell them if I'll take the package now or do two more "performance meetings" first and then take the package.

Which option should I take? :confused2::confused2::confused2::confused2::confused2: I'm leaning towards the latter because if I get June 28 off:crossfingers:, the "performance meetings" wouldn't happen until the following week (supervisor is on vacation next week until June 28) so that gives me until the week of July 9 to find a new job:crossfingers:. Assuming the supervisor doesn't make any more false accusations :paranoid::paranoid:. I've been trying to play nice with everyone: talking with the team more, getting their feedback on these troubleshooting guides the supervisor has me working on, etc. I can't help them out with their work, though. I've been on work restrictions since returning from medical leave and HR is aware of that.

But.... if I get a job offer before the week of July 9, can I just resign and still take the package? Or tell them that I decided to take the package earlier than originally thought?
 
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