I applied for this job for the same reasons that many on this website have: Epic found my resume via Monster/CareerBuilder/some job website and asked me to apply. As I’m currently relaxing between IT contracts, I thought I’d give it a go. As I’ve worked in IT in the healthcare industry and heard that Epic is the next big thing, I thought that I’d give it an extra big go.

I didn’t know much about Epic other than the “next big thing” tag, so I did my research, and the more I did, the less alluring a position with the company seemed. The very first thing to know about Epic is that, should you accept a position with them, you’re expected to relocate to the Madison, Wisconsin area. I didn’t think my partner here in northern Virginia would appreciate that, but I put that consideration to the side for the sake of gaining my own, fair assessment of the company.

Further research didn’t increase my desire to win the position. From opinions gained from this website and my own friends in the healthcare industry, Epic focuses heavily on hiring employees who are straight out of college. The fact that I graduated from high school more than 30 years ago and had no clue all these years on as to what my SAT scores were from then didn’t bode well for me when I saw the request for the same on the application. I mean, who cares? Do my 20+ years of work experience not count more than that? However, I soldiered on and continued with the application, now out of curiosity rather than hopes of attaining the position.

I was then asked to complete a personality test via the web. I did this and was then asked to do a phone interview with an Epic HR representative. The phone interview was the coldest, most boring, soulless one I’ve ever done. My interviewer sounded as though she was indeed straight out of college: robotic, clueless, and “just asking what I’ve been told to ask,” with no business savvy to put interviewees at ease. I basically went over my resume’s contents for the benefit of those who couldn’t read what I’d already written.

To my surprise, I was then asked to take an IQ test at a local testing station. Luckily, there were several within easy driving distance from my home. What wasn’t so nice was that there was a programming section on the exam (which several contributors here have mentioned) after the IQ/logic part. I did well (I think) on the latter, but the programming section was a waste of time for me.

Before you think me ungrateful for the opportunity, it’s appropriate to know that I applied for a position as a UK linguistic expert, a position that would make sure that Epic’s software is “Brit-friendly,” i.e., a proofreader, if you will, to make sure that the British would appreciate things spelled as they are in the UK. As I have seven years’ experience in working for the National Health Service of England – serving as everything from a medical secretary (where I edited many a medical abstract/article) to a senior IT manager – I thought myself more than qualified for the position. However, my lack of passing the programming section of the exam (which Epic termed in the intro to the exam section as indicative of problem-solving skills, even for those with no programming experience… yeah, right….) dumped me out of the running. Well… so be it. At this point, I’d grown very uncomfortable with the “Stepford Wives” air about the company.

I saw that someone else noted on this review site that if you’re over 30, the chances of getting an interview with Epic were very slim. That’s the way I felt after my interviews and personal investigations. After looking at the company website’s pictures and seeing what a “fun” and “great” place the company campus is (“Look, kids! You can wear what you want and put as many toys as you want on your desk! How great is that at the office?!”), I’m pretty sure that I wouldn’t have fit in. Maybe I am old-school in the fact that you go to work to work. Naturally, you should look forward to going to work, but the office isn't a playground. Maybe that’s how they get employees to tolerate the long, thankless work hours of which I’ve read, again, here on this website. Thus it was that I wasn’t very disappointed when the “Thank you for your interest in Epic…” rejection e-mail arrived yesterday.

Would I have really picked up sticks and moved to Wisconsin if an offer had come through? I’d have to say 95.7% unlikely. However, that 4.3% was mildly attractive as I’ve heard that Madison is a quite nice, livable metropolis. In the end, I at least have a freelance article out of the experience.

Good luck to Epic in their endeavors in finding someone with my experience in healthcare IT on both sides of the Atlantic. I have dual US/Irish citizenship, the latter of which allows me to work in any country of the European Union – which is the direction that Epic is taking – without any extra paperwork. However, their loss.

What were your SAT scores?