14/03/2025
Public Health Job Confession:
Landing a paid job as an early-career public health professional feels nearly impossible these days. I recently had an exhausting experience with Healthy Home and Natural Care Pvt. Ltd., and I want to share it so others don’t go through the same frustration.
It all started when Jobeeje (a job agency) called, saying I had been shortlisted for a Branch Manager position. I was thrilled! Like many fresh graduates, I had been spending my days scrolling through job portals and applying everywhere, hoping to find something stable.
The next day, I showed up before time for my interview—excited, nervous, and ready. But then the waiting began. One and a half hours later, I finally got to meet the Operations Manager. The conversation went well, and I was given an assignment: a presentation on "Managing a Healthcare Branch: Strategies for Growth, Customer Satisfaction, and Crisis Handling."
The next day, I was told a panel, including the CEO and senior staff, would evaluate my presentation. I arrived early, again. Three hours passed, and only the Production Officer showed up. At this point, a part of me wanted to walk away, but I stayed, convincing myself that maybe it was just bad organization, not bad intentions.
A few days later, I was called for a third interview and offered the position—finally, some good news! But then I saw the catch: the training period would be unpaid. It wasn’t ideal, but I decided to give it a shot.
Then, on what was supposed to be my final day of interviews, something bizarre happened. Just before noon, I was suddenly asked to leave due to an “emergency board meeting.” At 5 PM, I received an email saying the company had changed its mind about hiring me, citing that I lacked the "experience, approach, and adaptability" they were looking for.
Confused and frustrated, I tried to follow up. My calls were ignored. When I finally got in touch with the Operations Manager on WhatsApp, I got the same generic response.
