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[Jamesfrom818]

After 4 months of waiting, I finally hear from the government about the immigration services officer job. I passed the tests and background checks so now they want me to send in my resume and a couple other documents that verifies I am who I say I am then its off to Dallas for academy training.

 

[ollin]

How's the job market in the Dallas/Fort Worth area?

I have a Bachelor's degree in IT with no experience. Haven't been able to find work in NJ so I might have to stay with sister in Texas to look for work. Probably won't find a job in my field but I'm desperate to find some work after almost two years of being unemployed.

 

[clip]

I've actually heard good things about the Dallas area tech market.

 

[Zoe]

Good thing about DFW is there are several cities you could look in for work.

Bad thing about DFW is there are several cities you have to drive through to get to work.

 

[Valygar]

Got an e-mail about an internship in a very big industrial company. For one year, I would be studying a "MBA" in the mornings, plus some work at the company headquarters in the afternoons. I love what the company does. There are plenty of available positions (20 or so), but my studies are not perfectly related to the company profile. Still, this is the best opportunity I've got so far, and it's in the city my girlfriend is going to work for the next year (at least)! The interview is next week.

I'm very excited, but I don't know if I'll be picked or not. It all depends on how many interesting engineers apply, with the rampant unemployment at my country (Spain) I will have ferocious competition . I hope my good university results and decent English give me an edge.

I heard how another Industrial Engineer guy was accepted in a consultant company like the ones I've been interviewed for, he was payed the 60% of the salary first year, the second 80% and the third year they were going to pay 100%, but he decided to leave. They had him travelling 15 days a month, and when he wasn't travelling had to work from 9 to 9 at the company. People not willing to do this was fired. And no, they didn't pay the overtime. After leaving the company, he was unemployed for 9 months, and now has find a job... well, another internship. .

Wish me luck Gaf!

 

[dark_chris]

Feels great but after being out of a job since January, I finally got a job at Micro Center. =) Does feel like the curse has been lifted off of me.

 

[JonCha]

Had an interview for a position which is in a media/advertising/publishing company, and the role is phoning customers also and selling ad space to them. Everything sounded great until he said it's a 'really hard job', only second to door to door selling, and that they have certain targets to meet each week (though it's not OTE).

He also said that there would be a probationary period, which got me worried because I'm not sure if this job would be too much for me. Of course there would be training, but I'm really worried I just wouldn't be that good at this interview.

I've been thinking about whether I'd accept a job offer or not, as the interview went really well, and I just cannot decide. I'm actually almost scared about under performing massively if I got it.

Oh, he also said that there has been a high turnover rate of people leaving after six months because they couldn't do the job. Yikes.

 

[LosDaddie]

Had an interview for a position which is in a media/advertising/publishing company, and the role is phoning customers also and selling ad space to them.

Sounds absolutely dreadful. But hey, I'm an engineer, not a salesman.

 

[Frester]

Had a really great interview on Friday (no unexpected/really difficult questions, I had good questions prepared, interviewer knew of the small ass town I grew up in AND went to the same Oxford college for a summer program that I went to for a semester, etc.) but can't help but feel like it's not going to work out. I've been in this situation before--great interview, great company I would love to work for, perfect position in terms of entry level, skills/requirements, on the career path I want in a field I'm interested in, etc--and I've just been disappointed when I didn't get an offer. Blergh.

 

[Magnus]

Screw freelancing/contract TV work! Argh, lol. Always so short-lived and sporadic. The idea of a 9-to-5 with benefits sounds like fucking heaven.

 

[overcast]

Apparently it's impossible to get a first job. Nobody wants an 18 year old male it seems. Goddamn. I need some kind of income badly. Need a car. Shit.

 

[JonCha]

Had an office admin position today. Seemed to go well, I asked good questions at the end (though my brain blanked over the last questions which was the best) but occasionally got caught up over a few (familiarisation) which annoyed me. The worrying thing was despite my interview seeming to go well, I was in there for 10 minutes despite it seeming a lot longer. I have never had an interview that short. Another person who had an interview was in there for longer, which worries me a lot.

Will here a response today. Reaffirmed my interest as I left.

 

[Dynamite Shikoku]

Being unemployed really sucks. I was out of a job for about 4-5 months earlier this year. I'm working full time now for a shitty minimum wage at a job i dont really like, but i still like it better than looking for work.

 

[rCIZZLE]

Apparently it's impossible to get a first job. Nobody wants an 18 year old male it seems. Goddamn. I need some kind of income badly. Need a car. Shit.

Feels like nobody wants a college grad for an "entry position" unless they have 3-5 years experience. -_-

 

[JonCha]

Two rejections: overqualified, and no reason from the other. Great!

 

[cajunator]

There are "now hiring" signs all over my city and others in my state. Lots of jobs available. Problem is people don't seem to want to live in Louisiana because "its too hot and humid". The unemployment is 6.7% and falling though. Job growth is very positive.

 

[Ivan A Nguyen]

Good thing about DFW is there are several cities you could look in for work.

Bad thing about DFW is there are several cities you have to drive through to get to work.

So true. I commute about 45 minutes to and from work every day. My wife drives for an hour, and it's worse on Fridays. There are plenty of jobs in DFW and Texas, but we also boast the highest number of working poor.

"A job is better than no job," is a mantra down here.

 

[nib95]

Don't worry guys, the UK government might force you to work in Asda for 30 hours a week instead. Highly valuable experience and all for the paltry sum of £1.76 an hour! That's your JSA money, not extra pay. Smh...

Anyway, I wish you guys the best of luck. I know this is unscrupulous advice, but honestly my advice is exaggerate and lie on your CV's if necessary. The system is fucked and in order to rise above you sort of need to take advantage of it yourselves.

Talk to friends who own their own businesses, are managers at stores etc. Tell them you're adding work experience for their store/service on your CV, so if anyone rings up they'll acknowledge it. Also just write up references on their behalf and so forth.

It's jaded I know, but it works. Fluff your CV. Because otherwise it can be a never ending cycle. End of the day, selling yourself in an amplified way is a talent in itself. Long as the end result is a commendable one and you do a great job in the job.

 

[JonCha]

Don't worry guys, the UK government might force you to work in Asda for 30 hours a week instead. Highly valuable experience and all for the paltry sum of £1.76 an hour! That's your JSA money, not extra pay. Smh...

Anyway, I wish you guys the best of luck. I know this is unscrupulous advice, but honestly my advice is exaggerate and lie on your CV's if necessary. The system is fucked and in order to rise above you sort of need to take advantage of it yourselves.

Talk to friends who own their own businesses, are managers at stores etc. Tell them you're adding work experience for their store/service on your CV, so if anyone rings up they'll acknowledge it. Also just write up references on their behalf and so forth.

It's jaded I know, but it works. Fluff your CV. Because otherwise it can be a never ending cycle. End of the day, selling yourself in an amplified way is a talent in itself. Long as the end result is a commendable one and you do a great job in the job.

Re Asda: Morrisons advertising for 30 positions or so, and 200-300 were queuing up.

 

[Frester]

Feels like nobody wants a college grad for an "entry position" unless they have 3-5 years experience. -_-

Seriously. I interviewed for an entry-level job that the organization described as one you do for a couple years then go somewhere else (as it's a small organization and room for upward growth within depends on people leaving) or go to grad school. Who did they end up hiring? Someone who just FINISHED grad school.

 

[LosDaddie]

Seriously. I interviewed for an entry-level job that the organization described as one you do for a couple years then go somewhere else (as it's a small organization and room for upward growth within depends on people leaving) or go to grad school. Who did they end up hiring? Someone who just FINISHED grad school.

It's an employer's market. They know they can get overqualified people for entry-level positions and still pay them at entry-level wages. It's a total win-win for employers. This is why I try not to get discouraged on my job hunt

Spoiler

but at least I still have a job

.

Just have to keep trying. Keep plugging away. Never stop looking even if you have some promising job leads.

 

[Mihael Mello Keehl]

anybody knows how (works at) best buy hiring/interview process is? I had an interview in the summer and never got a call back or anything, re-applyig again and gonna see if I can do something differently this time around if I get called for another one.

 

[ameratsu]

Had an interview for a helpdesk-type position on friday. It went really well and I expect a call back sometime this week. Even though this has absolutely nothing to do with my major, I will be happy to work in a job that is full time, pays decently, has okay benefits.

Kind of an aside, but now that I look at all the jobs I've worked at in the last 5 years (including the one i was just interviewed for): I had some sort of 'in' at all of them. That doesn't mean you can fuck up the interview and still get a job; it means that if you know someone who works for a company that is hiring, or gives you a heads up, it's an immense advantage over throwing resumes at employers.

 

[Magnus]

Kind of an aside, but now that I look at all the jobs I've worked at in the last 5 years (including the one i was just interviewed for): I had some sort of 'in' at all of them. That doesn't mean you can fuck up the interview and still get a job; it means that if you know someone who works for a company that is hiring, or gives you a heads up, it's an immense advantage over throwing resumes at employers.

I know exactly two people among hundreds of friends/family that applied to a job without an 'in' and actually got it. It's rare as hell. It's always about having a prior connection, totally brutal.

 

[Patryn]

I know exactly two people among hundreds of friends/family that applied to a job without an 'in' and actually got it. It's rare as hell. It's always about having a prior connection, totally brutal.

This is why I always highly recommend to my friends that they seek out professional staffing agencies or recruiters. It's how I found my job when I moved to a new city and didn't know anyone in my field.

But always remember: If an agency asks for payment from you up front, it's a scam. Reputable agencies get their fees from the companies that hire you. It's part of what helps motivate them: Until you get a job, they don't get paid.

 

[ccbfan]

This is why I always highly recommend to my friends that they seek out professional staffing agencies or recruiters. It's how I found my job when I moved to a new city and didn't know anyone in my field.

But always remember: If an agency asks for payment from you up front, it's a scam. Reputable agencies get their fees from the companies that hire you. It's part of what helps motivate them: Until they help the employer find their employee, they don't get paid.

Fixed

 

[Frester]

It's an employer's market. They know they can get overqualified people for entry-level positions and still pay them at entry-level wages. It's a total win-win for employers. This is why I try not to get discouraged on my job hunt

Spoiler

but at least I still have a job

.

Just have to keep trying. Keep plugging away. Never stop looking even if you have some promising job leads.

Oh I know, believe me. Everyone keeps saying it's "just the market" and "you'll find something" but if that's just the way it is right now--and it is--then what that really means is that there isn't a whole lot more I can do beyond taking out loans and going to grad school. I've had 10-12 job interviews in the past year and not a single offer. Pretty much feel like giving up at this point.

Edit to add that I'm supposed to hear about a job I interviewed for a little over a week ago before Thanksgiving and still haven't heard anything.

 

[Valygar]

Today I've received my first rejection letter! And I've been rejected from at least 4 other jobs where I've been actually interviewed. Only in this one they actually informed me, and other where they just called me to my phone.

Actually, the HR guy that rejected me by phone has called also today telling me there's another position at the company, and I have an appointment for this friday, to do the interview with the department's director (It's a different deparment). I also have the big interview in Madrid on Thursday, almost my dream job (Great company, same city as my girlfriend, I do a paid MBA first). I wish I'm lucky with the thursday's interview, but if I don't, the friday interview is also for a good job (good pay, good position, in my home city, but it's only an internship with no probable future in the company).

If these were normal times, I would think I will be out of this mess one way or the other, but right now, I don't want to be optimistic to myself (yet I'll try to be optimistic in the interviews, because I would love to work at both places).

And yes, it's really difficult to find a job without an 'in'. This is my case (my father knows some people, but their companies are not recruiting), and with the rampant crisis finding a job without a close recommendation is very difficult. I'm almost certain that I'm going to go on Friday there just so they pick another guy that has already been selected, but they can say they've done a selection .

 

[dgenx]

guys i dont want to open a new thread but i just want to ask this,

how u feel about unpaid overtime?
but im no talkin about stayin at the office 2 or 3 more hours, im talkin about a bussines trip with ur bosses on freaking weekend. and of course i dont get shit for the extra time.

 

[Zoe]

guys i dont want to open a new thread but i just want to ask this,

how u feel about unpaid overtime?
but im no talkin about stayin at the office 2 or 3 more hours, im talkin about a bussines trip with ur bosses on freaking weekend. and of course i dont get shit for the extra time.

How are expenses handled? Do you get a per diem?

 

[dgenx]

How are expenses handled? Do you get a per diem?

they pay the food and gas (we are not traveling by bus but usoing the companies car) . and thats it. no per

what irks me is that its the weekend, they just dont care (btw they are chinese) im saying no , and that started a little fight here at the office

 

[Zoe]

It's not really unpaid overtime if you're salary and you wouldn't get any normally. If your company has a travel policy, see what it says about weekend travel, but you're probably out of luck. Sometimes it's just a necessity of the job.

 

[Aesius]

Apparently I have a group interview scheduled for Dec 1. Will be a first for me.

Any tips? Should I do a huge line of coke before I go in so that I'm the most amped and excited person there?

 

[MC Safety]

Apparently I have a group interview scheduled for Dec 1. Will be a first for me.

Any tips? Should I do a huge line of coke before I go in so that I'm the most amped and excited person there?

Group interviews are the worst. There's always someone who thinks the best way to get the job is to never let anyone get a word in.

Your best bet is to be super-prepared, where you can speak with authority about the company doing the hiring and why you, in particular, are best suited for the job.

 

[Valygar]

Group interviews are the worst. There's always someone who thinks the best way to get the job is to never let anyone get a word in.

Your best bet is to be super-prepared, where you can speak with authority about the company doing the hiring and why you, in particular, are best suited for the job.

Wow. When I read group interview, I thought it was a group dynamics game, then the real interview. Have done two of these in Spain (they usually explain the group a certain problem/case, and then you have to think of a solution together without voting) and I understand they help the recruiters know a bit how your personality is. But a group interview is crazy! People already never stop talking in the group dynamics (and probably won't get recruited, as they are being too much aggressive, depending in the job). If the actual interview was done in group it would be something very scary, people fighting with each other and nonsense. But maybe that's what they pretend...

In any case, the best thing you could do is trying to be assertive. It's difficult if there is someone too aggressive, but just try to say your things the best way, and short, try to stop the people talking if they are capitalizing the time, and if you see someone has not talked yet, give the turn to him instead of using it yourself (specially if you have already talked about that particular part of the interview).

I managed to do it quite well in the dynamic groups where we were all engineers (I was one of the 4 out of 11 that actually did the private interview), and also quite good in one I was the only engineer (but those damn business-like economic guys were more difficult to argue with, and there were several of them who knew they needed to be assertive).

PS: And of course what MC Safety says, read a lot of information about the company, its position in the market / similar companies, the skills needed for the position, whatever you can dig about it. They like that a lot, for sure, and it demonstrates a bit of initiative / love for the company.

 

[otakuderek]

I have more of a reduced hourly situation than unemployed but this is an appropriate thread.

I worked about 40 hours a week for the past couple months at my current employer. I came into work today to check my schedule and it has only 30 hours listed. I flipped out as this is a huge chunk of my pay that is used for savings and such. I have been guaranteed 40 hours per week per the contact we agreed upon before employment! I don't get paid vacation or sick time with this job either.

I think all this stems from where I requested next Friday off for my wife's birthday surprise. Now, I think he is screwing me into working next Friday to get my hours back. The boss always gets his days off for EVERYTHING! He rarely works weekends! EVER! Not to mention everyone else gets their requested days off. I'm not supposed to work Sundays either but guess what? Past two weeks in a row, I'm working.

What should I do GAF? I'm going to question it today when he comes to work. This has been tried before and I usually have to be firm with these situations. Do you think he is trying to make 30 hours permanent?

I guess I always have my trump card if I have to deal with it. He is leaving for a cruise in the beginning of March. What he doesn't know is that I am leaving March 1 for USAF BMT. I think that is a decent "screw off" way to leave.

 

[ameratsu]

Holy crap, i had to google group interview.

The format where there are a bunch of candidates in the room at once sounds horrible. I don't see the advantage of this other than culling most potential candidates in a short period of time.

The format where there are multiple people asking you questions really isn't that bad. For one job I was interviewed for, there was a few people in the room, but they also rang up the CEO (small company) at the start of the interview and had him listen in. He even interjected to ask some of those stereotypical interview questions ("how many marbles can you fit on a bus" type questions).

 

[crazy monkey]

• Designed and built mechanical systems accordance to industrial standards such as Ashare, ISO, ASME, CSA and CEC

grammar vise ^ is it correct or no? Thanks.

Please? I ask here.

 

[Zoe]

I have more of a reduced hourly situation than unemployed but this is an appropriate thread.

Reduction of hours sometimes qualifies for unemployment.

 

[Black-Wind]

I might as well be unemployed ... this lil White Castles job aint doing shit for me.
Mid-wage pay + shitty hours (6 to 11/ 5 to 11/ 3 to 11 ... yeah, every fucking time I work It ends with me getting off at 11pm for some reason) a long with hours that are about 8 hr a week and what do you get after alil over a month working there? A grand total of $220ish bucks ... with out the cost of using the bus taken out.

Feels like I'm fucking volunteering to work here at this point (I really think I should just leave but its seems my interview with CVS didn't go a well as I had hoped so I'm still without another option). How am I suppose to make money if the one week I get 4 hours and the next I get 13? I'm getting a ton of hours this week though ... because it's Turkey Time and all the people who have been there longer don't wont to work this week. I just fucking hope these potheads take it easy so that I can get through these next few days without being flooded with drive-through orders.

I hope this TSO position works out. I passed the CBT and now they're doing some credit check or something. Just got an e-mail asking me to complete some more test before or after doing the airport interview so that seems like it might be looking good.

 

[deadbeef]

Please? I ask here.

I would phrase it as

• Designed and built mechanical systems in accordance with industrial standards such as Ashare, ISO, ASME, CSA and CEC

 

[Valygar]

Wow. An hour ago (8:30 PM CMT) a HR from a big company has phoned me about a Master + internship at Madrid. This is the same company I've applied 3 similar positions for, and I told her, yes, I'm very interested. In fact, I have also applied for this other master+internship and have an interview on thursday.

The woman just froze and told me she didn't know that, that other HR person was the one doing those interviews, and she didn't know. She said the interview for this one would be on thursday as well, and that they don't want to superpose both "positions" for one same person. I was like... What? And she told me it was her fault, and which position was I more interested in. I replied that the other one, since it's a paid MBA and I prefer the city (I didn't explained the reasons), and she apologized again and wished me luck for thursday.

Now I feel I'm stupid. I should just have shut the fuck up, but I'm an honest guy, and I don't lie (ever), and just feel I should say the truth about this things. If I didn't say nothing, I would have possibly been interviewed for both of them (provided they weren't the same day). Pfff. After all, if they discovered afterwards, I could have said "I didn't know you didn't want people applying for both". My only hope of redemption is that she actually mentions this to the other HR guy, and he remembers my name afterwards and sees it as a "I'm really interested in your company, and even more interested in this position".

 

[otakuderek]

Reduction of hours sometimes qualifies for unemployment.

Maybe but Ohio will do anything to not have you on it. Oh well.

I see the issue that is going on though. Since it is a small business, I am a major part of the cost to run the business. I make quite a bit for the business compared to what I make as an employee. I think the owner is stressing out too much because he blows too much on advertising that doesn't work effectively and generally wastes money on useless junk. Of course, he is the same one that complains about not enough sales (greed at this point) but eats out every night at pricey restaurants. Idiot.

 

[canadian crowe]

I'm going to an open call for production assistants tomorrow. The job postings says that all candidates must be between 19-25 years old. The job starts in January. The problem is that I I turn 26 in January. So technically I'm within the age range now, but will that hurt me that I turn 26 when the job starts?

Why would they post an age limit?

 

[kyubajin]

After almost 1.5 years of unemployment as of today I'm no longer part of the 20% unemployed bulk that hinders Spain's economy. I accepted that it's so hard to get a decent job at least on par with my last one so I accepted to become a waiter again until I finish my postgradute studies and can finally move on to Japan or the UK.

 

[Kuro Madoushi]

I feel for all you guys and wish you the best of luck.

I think I need to come back here more often to realize I'm lucky to have a job no matter how crappy it is.

I just wish things would get better for all of us.

 

[FStop7]

I'm going to an open call for production assistants tomorrow. The job postings says that all candidates must be between 19-25 years old. The job starts in January. The problem is that I I turn 26 in January. So technically I'm within the age range now, but will that hurt me that I turn 26 when the job starts?

Why would they post an age limit?

Age discrimination for employment is legal in Canada??

 

[Combine]

Hmm, it's looking likely I will be back in the unemployed section next year. So many budget cuts going on and no one wants to hire when they can outsource.

Oh well, at least I have been given a heads up. That's a luxury in this economy. Gonna use the time wisely and try and specialize my skills (usually harder to outsource in the gaming industry).

 

[canadian crowe]

Age discrimination for employment is legal in Canada??

Apparently. Here is the full listing:

Production Assistant wanted for television show.

- Candidates must be a Canadian citizen with valid passport.
- Candidates must be 19-25 years of age.
- Education and/or experience an asset, but not required.

Open interviews will be held for this position on Thursday, November 24th at Casting Central (321 Davenport Rd, Toronto, On. M5R 1K5.). Interviews will be held between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm, and take place on a first come, first serve basis. Please bring a resume. Dress is casual.

It's a cattle call for sure, but I'm also highly educated and have a years experience. The problem is I've been unable to find work for a year and a half. This is a last ditch effort.

 

[MPW]

got a seasonal job

will keep me busy until i go back to school