Should I apply for *this* particular job?

May 31, 2012 4:59 PM

Should I apply for *this* particular job?

I'm applying for a hospital pharmacist contract position. No expected level of experience stated in ad. Was told 12 months by an HR consultant not responsible for the position who asked around for me.

I fit all other selection criteria and feel my 12 months is more than what people would assume (temped in 4 hospitals in 4 states). Decided to start an application just to suss it out and first question is "how many years of experience do you have in a similar position?" which surprises me because it's usually "do you have hospital pharmacy experience?" (that was the second question instead). Do I:

i) Try and contact/convince the actual HR consultant responsible for this position?

ii) Talk to the site managers directly? (the consultant told me they usually do their own recruiting, but that then raises the question of why did they choose to go through HR this time? Does it mean they don't want to be bothered on this occasion?)

iii) Apply without making further contact? I have a choice of several answers for the years of experience question:

- "1 year". I've been registered, i.e. legally able to work on my own, for this length of time. However, since they obviously place so much emphasis on years of experience for it to be the first question, if I write this, am I likely to have my restounding "yes" to the "do you have hospital experience" question ignored and my CV and cover letter binned without being opened?

- "2 years including pre-registration". Pharmacists have to do a year's practical work after graduation to become registered, and my practical work was essentially an unregistered version of the jobs I've done since (which are the same as the advertised job). Am I at risk of being perceived as cheeky and therefore also being binned?

- "2 years". Be sneaky.

Regardless of which option I go with, should I then simply list months and years instead of duration of contracts so it seems as though I've had more cumulative experience than I really had? (I've listed the actual duration of contracts in weeks so far so I don't look suss, and it hasn't been an issue so far).

I also asked if there was a central list of pharmacists they call upon to fill temp positions as required for all the other sites they usually recruit for, and they said I could send my resume through. Is it bad form (if I do apply for this position) to send my resume for this as well as apply? Will I look like I'm too overbearing?

Thanks for your help.

posted by glache to Work & Money (3 answers total)

Apply and be honest. Tell them two years including pre-registration.
posted by kdar at 10:41 PM on May 31, 2012

Yep, you're overthinking. Tell them two years including pre-registration. Honestly job ads tend to be an idealized version of what they're looking for and your resume and cover letter is an idealized version of who you are and what you can do. Put your best foot forward and wait and see what happens. You never know if they have someone in mind already, how desperate they are, what the qualifications of others will be. It's basically one big crap shoot.
posted by Kimberly at 6:15 AM on June 1, 2012

My general rule is be as generous to yourself as possible in an application, but make sure to be clear about the reality of the situation in your cover letter/resume/interview. The application process (especially at a large employer like a hospital) is designed to automatically weed out people who are clearly unqualified. As long as your application indicates that you have the minimum posted requirements, you will make it through to the next round of screening which involves a person actually looking at your materials. I would indicate "2 Years" in the application, and then explain in more detail in your other materials.
posted by Rock Steady at 11:20 AM on June 1, 2012