As happy as I am with my current job I have been keeping my eye out for other opportunities. There are several reasons for this: firstly my hours are officially part time and although I am currently getting good hours, they are inconsistent; secondly I have no contract and no security. Both these things combined do not work well when considering getting a mortgage.
A while ago my dream job was advertised, medicines information pharmacist at the Royal Melbourne hospital, and so I had to apply. Unfortunately I did not even get shortlisted for this position. A little disheartened I still continued to apply for other positions as they became available with a little coaxing from Barnadi. The last was for the Senior Renal Pharmacist at the Alfred Hospital, after my previous track record I wasn't expecting to hear back from them, so imagine my surprise when I got an e-mail saying I had been shortlisted for interview.
The interview was last Thursday at 11 o'clock and I made it to the Alfred with plenty of time despite the inevitable traffic on Hoddle street and Punt road. I was lucky enough to find a parking space as the large multi storey was already full, but not so lucky when I saw the parking rates for the hospital car park. Despite the modern outward appearance of the hospital, the inside was no different to any other hospital I had been too, and looked like it could do with a face lift. The pharmacy department was hidden in the basement although there was an outpatient shop up on the ground floor. As I looked for the room for the interview I was impressed and slightly jealous of their massive clinical trials unit. When I found the right room I was informed that they were running late and so I went back upstairs for a coffee. By 11:30 I still hadn't been called in for the interview and I was beginning to think that I might have to forfeit if I wanted to make it back to work in time. Just as I was getting myself ready to say sorry and leave, I was called in for my interview.
While still in the UK I had an interview with the Alfred over SKYPE. It turned out that one of the people on the interview panel was the same, and she instantly recognised me from that interview. The interview itself went better than I expected, but I couldn't help feeling distracted by the time, constantly keeping an eye on my watch. Even my presentation went well as I managed to do the whole thing without looking at my notes once.
Despite some positive feelings about the interview, it has been almost a week and I have had no word. I therefore feel it is unlikely that I will get offered the post. I had been weighing up the pros and cons for a while anyway, even if they did offer me the job I had to decide if I even wanted it. The advantages would be the pay for one, the security for another and perhaps most importantly it would mean doing a job where I could use my brain again. The negatives however are just as important to consider, commuting during rush hour traffic and the most dreaded on-calls. Still I would have to be offered the post before I need to face that decision.
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