BASKETS OF GOODIES AND OTHER TREATS PART 3

For the past three consecutive weekends, Vince and I had been out of town for job interviews/site visits. The experience was altogether new to me, so allow me to spill some of the details of my recent adventure, and let you know why these are no ordinary interviews ;)

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INTERVIEW #1: Wellsboro, Pennsylvania


INTERVIEW #2: Rushville, Illinois


INTERVIEW #3: Adel, Georgia

Vince and I didn't have a good start for this interview. Thursday afternoon, I was rushing to get my work done and finish packing at the same time. We left home a little past 4:00 p.m. and we're supposed to be at the airport by 5:00 p.m. at the latest. Along the way, I was praying for our flight to be delayed as I was so positive we already missed it. When I checked in at the airport while Vince parked our car, I was relieved to find out that our flight indeed had been delayed. That's good news. The bad news is, we might not be able to make it on time for our connection to Valdosta in Atlanta.

True enough, with our flight from Harrisburg delayed for an hour, Vince and I missed our connection in Atlanta. Unfortunately, that was the last flight, and the earliest flight the following day would be at 9:45 a.m. and would arrive in Valdosta at 10:45 a.m. Our interview was scheduled at 9:00 a.m., so rather than staying overnight in Atlanta, we decided to rent a car and just drive to Valdosta, which is about a three-hour drive or so. When we tried to get our checked-in luggage, the attendant informed us that it's already too late and they're not bringing baggages out anymore, so we had no choice but to pick it up the following day at Valdosta. We were so torn on what to do because whichever way, we won't be able to make our 9:00 a.m. interview, especially that Vince's suit is in our checked-in luggage. Vince informed the hospital CEO about our situation and went ahead with our decision to drive that night. Being that too late already, the supposed-to-be three-hour drive stretched to almost five hours. We stopped three times at hotel parking lots along the way, so that Vince could take a nap. By the time we got at Hilton Garden Inn in Valdosta, it was almost 5:00 a.m., but I perked up a bit when I saw these presents courtesy of the hospital waiting for us at the reception:

A basket full of pecan nuts, a tumbler, and a coffee pack.

We really appreciated the fact that the hospital accommodated us very well and adjusted our itinerary, as the flight delay and suitcase mishap really threw us off the schedule. Our interview was moved from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Our itinerary included:

1. Lunch with the CEO of the hospital and his staff.
2. Tour of the hospital.
3. Meeting with CEO.
4. Tour with real estate agent wherein we got to see several gorgeous houses for sale and apartments for rent.
5. Tour around the community and the school system.
6. Dinner with hospital staff including CEO and his wife, and a physician with his wife.
7. Breakfast with the CEO at IHOP.
8. We went to the CEO's son's peewee football game, and there we met the rest of his family and in-laws.
9. We had lunch with the CEO and his family.
10. Vince played golf with the CEO and another physician, while two ladies from the hospital took me shopping with them.
11. We attended an annual social event/dinner sponsored by the hospital.
12. We went to the CEO's house for an after-party. Vince and the boys (CEO, Dr. J and Mr. Mailman) watched football on TV while me and the girls (wives and a couple more guests) huddled over drinks and chips in the kitchen. Of course, the only drink I had was bottled water.

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Did I mention that all expenses we incurred during these interviews were paid for by the potential employers? They even made the necessary travel arrangements like our flights, hotel accommodations, and car rentals for us. I know, right? I have a friend who has bee going for interviews same as us, and he got an invitation from Hawaii, so his potential employer flew him from Georgia to Hawaii, and he stayed there for five cool days! Nice, eh?!

Anyway, all three interviews went well. They were kind of draining and exhausting especially with those places where we had to fly but overall it was a great experience. We got positive feedbacks from all three hospitals and the challenge we are currently facing is to decide which offer we are going to accept. It's hard because each of the three has something advantageous than the other two, but ultimately, we have to choose one. Vince has been in touch with each of them, and hopefully with God's leading, we can soon let them know what our decision is :) And you, guys, will definitely know whatever it is we decide upon *wink*

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