The Shadow
Member
Ugh......My boss slacked off for over 6 weeks and now I have to write a presentation for him. Why won't anyone call me for an interview? (sob)
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Applying for jobs is exhausting and soul-crushing
- Thread starter Moofers
- Start date
As predicted. Off to update my resume.
Why? Did you like this job? Perhaps you can find an even better opportunity.
Wow I'm sorry, that is about as dirty as it gets. I used to think college financial aid staff where the scum of the earth but I now think it is HR staff. I have had so many missed appointments or unreturned calls. Almost always they just ignore requests for feedback.
After investing so much of our unpaid time in interview prep and travel, testing, etc they can't be bothered to even just politely send an email to say their policy is to not provide feedback? They just ignore you like you are garbage. This is not how civil people treat one another. It is unprofessional, rude and the cardinal sign of an unhappy and immoral person. I can't imagine treating people like that while I am at work let alone in my personal time.
I'm not saying they are all like this but the vast majority I have encountered are. I think like the DMV, no one really wants to end up in HR and when they do it is a byproduct of personal failure and leads to a bitter person angry at the world. Sad really.
Well, you don't sound bitter at all.
I ended a 10+ year relationship with my previous employer back at the end of April to move on to, what I hoped to be, greener pastures. I loved everything about my job with the exception of my boss, the owner and CEO, who had systematically gutted the entire company of high-skilled employees over the course of the last 3 to 4 years. This created a very hostile work environment for the few tenured employees that remained as we were just expected to pick up the slack resulting from the inadequacies of the people he hired to replace the people he fired. Additionally, my 10 years with the company went unrecognized, so that was a slap in the face.
I took the first couple of weeks following my resignation to get my head straight, and enjoy time without the stress of the job. I also spent time working on polishing up my resume that I had left untouched for some time, and did my best to ready myself for the interview process - something I hadn't practiced in over 10 years!
I started applying for jobs the second week of May, and received an email for an opening that I was very qualified for a few days after applying. The interviews that followed went very well (all four of them), so I knew I did something right. However, yesterday, after a couple weeks of waiting, it was announced that a more qualified candidate was chosen for the position (soul crushing negative), but that the hiring managers wanted me for another potential opening on the team as they felt I was a great fit (positive)! I can only surmise that I did a great job answering their "fit" questions, but didn't do the best job of selling them on my skills (I glossed over a lot of details thinking they were trivial - oops). Note to self: the person on the other side of the table has no idea what you're capable of.
I had purposefully chosen to forgo applying for other positions as this round of interviews seemed promising, and I wanted to make sure I didn't spread myself too thin and make mistake after mistake at multiple job interviews should I not be chosen. While I'm glad I took this approach I feel as if I've set myself back a few weeks. This is all part of the learning process, so I've chosen not to beat myself up about it (too much). Anyhow, it's time to get back to the job search, and to work on bettering the "sale" of my skills for future interviews.
Good luck, everyone!
I took the first couple of weeks following my resignation to get my head straight, and enjoy time without the stress of the job. I also spent time working on polishing up my resume that I had left untouched for some time, and did my best to ready myself for the interview process - something I hadn't practiced in over 10 years!
I started applying for jobs the second week of May, and received an email for an opening that I was very qualified for a few days after applying. The interviews that followed went very well (all four of them), so I knew I did something right. However, yesterday, after a couple weeks of waiting, it was announced that a more qualified candidate was chosen for the position (soul crushing negative), but that the hiring managers wanted me for another potential opening on the team as they felt I was a great fit (positive)! I can only surmise that I did a great job answering their "fit" questions, but didn't do the best job of selling them on my skills (I glossed over a lot of details thinking they were trivial - oops). Note to self: the person on the other side of the table has no idea what you're capable of.
I had purposefully chosen to forgo applying for other positions as this round of interviews seemed promising, and I wanted to make sure I didn't spread myself too thin and make mistake after mistake at multiple job interviews should I not be chosen. While I'm glad I took this approach I feel as if I've set myself back a few weeks. This is all part of the learning process, so I've chosen not to beat myself up about it (too much). Anyhow, it's time to get back to the job search, and to work on bettering the "sale" of my skills for future interviews.
Good luck, everyone!
backflip10019
Member
Oh man, I'm waiting on the result of a third round of interviews (these via Skype) with a massively prestigious company in my industry. Frankly, getting this job would be incredible for my career as I'd get to own and shape an entire discipline. Also hugely lucrative.
I've been in the interview process for a month, and I'm at the stage where I'm having anxiety dreams about getting the job. This company is notoriously slow for their hiring efforts, which doesn't help either. I'm just so damn excited about the job and know that I'm so close to getting it, considering the SVP who would be my boss said I had extremely impressive credentials. I just need them to pull the trigger already.
I've been in the interview process for a month, and I'm at the stage where I'm having anxiety dreams about getting the job. This company is notoriously slow for their hiring efforts, which doesn't help either. I'm just so damn excited about the job and know that I'm so close to getting it, considering the SVP who would be my boss said I had extremely impressive credentials. I just need them to pull the trigger already.
Syphon Filter
Member
I'm in the exact same situation. Had my 3rd interview after two skype interviews and share the same thoughts on dreaming and wanting it badly. Even though is sucks waiting its actually scary to see the answer because I want it so bad that I only want to see and hear that I got the job. Do you know if you had competitors and how many in that 3rd stage? Good luck!
backflip10019
Member
I have no idea about competitors, but it's a pretty niche job with specialized skills and knowledge. The one big indication that I am a front runner is how quickly the HR team was moving after my second interview. I had set up a round of third interviews by the following morning.
In total I've had one phoner with a recruiter, then a call with the hiring manager and finally video interviews with people who would be my coworkers (though I'd be working pretty independently from a silo office). So, it's been pretty extensive.
I just really need to hear yes or no soon. I know this stuff sometimes takes months, but I'm just so anxious.
Good luck to you as well! (Hope we're not applying for the same job!)
I just don't like to see good people get hurt. You can't just lay down and take it when others abuse you. You have to fight back. We cannot let them steal our joy for then we have truly lost.
And yes I will absolutely condemn unprofessional people that treat good people like trash. Failure to do so would imply a lack of personal moral integrity. What they did to him and so many of us was wrong and they are wrong for having done it.
It was a dream job honestly, interesting portfolio of work, inspiring staff, and had a lot of free reign and trust from my superiors which was rare for a position straight out from graduating university. I'm sure something will come along but it'll be a tough act to follow.
Jzero
Member
Just got back from another interview and holy fuck who changed all the interview rules these past few years. The first thing we had to do was pick a plush toy from the table and explain to everyone else why we chose it. The second question was "What 3 items would you take to a deserted island". Honestly what the fuck does this have to do with the job. I feel like i'm taking crazy pills.
Syphon Filter
Member
was it toys r us?
What the hell job is this for? It sounds like insanity.
Jzero
Member
No, it's for my old dead end restaurant job that was my last resort. What is the world coming to ;_;
Syphon Filter
Member
oh very weird then, only heard of toys r us doing that.
My old retail job started doing audition-style interviews, where all stores within the area visit one of the stores (one of them closes early on weekends) and basically do a workshop.
They get them to do scenarios in each department and go from there.
This is all after one general interview, I think. This would be the last stage before a final selection. Not sure if they do this now, I've been gone for over a year now.
NoblesseOblige
Banned
I would have to resist the urge to answer with "It's the one I found myself most sexually attracted towards."
The funniest part is that there are two different companies both doing this same craziness. I mean if you see one guy on the street rubbing jello in his hair you think he's crazy but you see two and you start to wonder if maybe you're the crazy one and there might be something to this whole jello thing after all.
ZackieChan
Member
Because they didn't reply to an email after rejecting you for a job? Holy shit, dude.
JetForceGemini
Banned
It's so difficult getting into Verizon... I think my luck might be changing soon though
I recently graduated with a degree in IT (also a business minor) and been trying to get some entry level help desk job but although I've gotten a few calls, no actual interview yet. Any tips? I feel like my qualifications are fine but competiion is stiff. I've been also eyeing some social media and writing jobs due to having some interest there too, but similar situation. Meanwhile I've gotten a number of emails from insurance companies for commission based jobs, but that's not something I want to pursue.
If I don't get something real soon I'll just need to get a retail job temporarily (assuming they haven't all filled up yet...).
If I don't get something real soon I'll just need to get a retail job temporarily (assuming they haven't all filled up yet...).
To be clear I was referring to what was done to esmith08734 where they withdrew an offer at the last minute and to the many others who have shared their stories within this thread. As the title implies it is a soul crushing process for many of us and it isn't because filling in the boxes online is hard. It is often because of what comes after. We all deserve to be treated with respect and I know that good things lay ahead for all of us because we won't give up.
ZackieChan
Member
Ahh, sorry. Thought you were referring to your post about HR not emailing you afterwards. In any case, that's the game, brehs.
I still think a lot of you struggling to find work for years should have started your own businesses years ago. Either you'd have a semi-successful business by now, or you'd at least have a resume filler instead of a huge gap. None of the people I asked about earlier even bothered to reply, though, so it seems to be falling on deaf ears.
Its been to weeks since my internship interview and I haven't heard back. Whats the best way to get a real job. Online or going into the building to get an application? I have another interview with a different company but that is for an internship for fall. I just want any job at this point.
Rebel Leader
THE POWER OF BUTTERSCOTCH BOTTOMS
Report: Nothing
Just as I predicted.
Just as I predicted.
Had a marathon video interview on Friday with a company. 5 different 30 minute interviews, it was exhausting. On the plus side the SVP told me flat out it was between me and one other candidate and that I was by far the best one. It's just that I'm more expensive, but he made it sound like that wouldn't be a problem. I'll know next week I suppose.
I really hope I get a solid offer with this position because I like the company and the team that I would be working with.
I really hope I get a solid offer with this position because I like the company and the team that I would be working with.
ReyBrujo
Member
I haven't been out looking for a job in a while, but many friends had and they told similar stuff, they are offered a candy and they ask why they did/didn't pick, why they chose one instead of the other, etc. Someone who was going for a tech support position was asked "You have 10 soldiers, form them in 4 rows of 5 members each". He didn't know what to answer. When he told me, I immediately told him, "I have no idea, but you obviously need to duplicate the amount of people you have, so the solution has something to do with forming creating gaps between them or reusing them in their current position". Of course, I wasn't in front of the interviewer risking, maybe, the future of my family, but in these situations you need to keep cold. Obviously, the interviewers know they might might surprise you, but they are more interested in how you react after the surprise sinks in. So, take a few seconds, review the conditions mentally, and then explain your line of thought in a loud voice. If you think you need more information, just ask, one of the advantages of being thrown such a random question without warning is that you can't be blamed if you ask for more information. "Must it be a square?" for example.
You could have picked any of the plush toys, and each might mean something for the interviewer, but unless you had picked a gun when being able to choose a teddy bear, a sweet and a flower, I'm guessing there's no "incorrect" answer per se. I heard taking acting lessons can help your mind and mouth work in unison, sometimes your mind can form a reply but your body is too shocked to interpret it, or sometimes you need your body to "act" giving your mind spare time to process a solution.
After I had my interview for a testing position (they also made me take the interview for programmer's position since I was qualified, even though I went for testing only), they invited the "finalists" to a dinner where we introduced each other, talked about our strong points, experience, and at the end each of us had to name aloud two persons whom we would like to work with, and explain why. This was, damn, 13 years ago. I'm now a software developer, while one of the guys I chose to work with in that interview is our testing group head.
I doubt every single interview nowadays is like this, but in such connected world where your whole CV is accessed by companies even before they actually look for you (via LinkedIn or similar), they already know what you mention you know other extra things.
PS: What surprises me is the amount of Skype/video interviews around. They cannot replace a "live" interview unless you want to test something very specific (for example, taking the interview in another language). I'm guessing they have so many applicants that they resort to it to quickly select a few of them).
Dreamwriter
Member
What surprised me with this job search was how many companies seem to only want to talk on the phone. After an initial screening call, a take-home technical test, and then a technical phone call, I expect to get an in-person interview - but nope, another phone interview! When I live half an hour from their HQ. Which sucks because I don't do good on the phone, I'm much better in-person.
Three months in this job search, I've had all of three in-person interviews, and a bazillion phone calls.
HarryHengst
Member
Well, i managed to land a traineeship aimed at retraining people who already have some years of working experience into an IT role. Its a 14 month program at a company which does energy distribution for roughly half of the Netherlands. They need dozens of new people each year and cannot find enough with just opening up job positions, so they decided to look for high potential people who want to move into IT and just train them themselves.
All that's left is an interview with two team leads to see at which division i want to be placed. Its a choice between either a division that does mobile app development for engineers in the field, or a division that is mostly based around developing geographical information systems. Both seem really cool and interesting to work on so im looking forward to hearing more and meeting the team leads i could be working with.
Still kinda shocked i managed to find something new within 3 weeks of being let go. Last time took me 7 months which sucked ass.
All that's left is an interview with two team leads to see at which division i want to be placed. Its a choice between either a division that does mobile app development for engineers in the field, or a division that is mostly based around developing geographical information systems. Both seem really cool and interesting to work on so im looking forward to hearing more and meeting the team leads i could be working with.
Still kinda shocked i managed to find something new within 3 weeks of being let go. Last time took me 7 months which sucked ass.
I'm struggling to get interviews. I'm more than qualified for the positions I'm applying for, but I think my CV is just utter arse. Do you guys have any examples of a good one or a template I can use? I googled it, but they're all vastly different and I don't know which is the best one to pick.
I'm currently working, in a position similar to the ones I'm applying for, which makes it even more frustrating.
I'm currently working, in a position similar to the ones I'm applying for, which makes it even more frustrating.
EverythingShiny
Member
Ugh, just had an interview where I had a technical quiz for the first time ever. I messed up at least half of the questions. It's too bad because I thought the rest of the interview went pretty well and I have a lot of the experience they're looking for otherwise.
I worked at Toys R Us years ago and I never had to do that. I did work in the Electronics Department though.
Glass Shark
Banned
I've had a really bizarre experience over the past several months.
I left my job of 8 years in September to join a startup company. That company ran out of money in January, and I was laid off with most of the rest of the staff. I started applying for jobs all over the place and eventually found one that was taking a big pay cut and not really doing what I wanted to do, but it was something to make ends meet.
After getting that job, I've kept applying for stuff and have had several interviews with companies for positions that are in my desired field. Most of them have gotten pretty far but fallen through after weeks or months of interviews.
Last week I randomly applied for a job, had an interview two days later, and had a verbal job offer the day after that. It's exactly the career field I want and it seems like a great team. They're still doing all the final paperwork for my written offer, but things seem to be progressing.
It's been a whirlwind, but it looks like I'm finally back on track.
I left my job of 8 years in September to join a startup company. That company ran out of money in January, and I was laid off with most of the rest of the staff. I started applying for jobs all over the place and eventually found one that was taking a big pay cut and not really doing what I wanted to do, but it was something to make ends meet.
After getting that job, I've kept applying for stuff and have had several interviews with companies for positions that are in my desired field. Most of them have gotten pretty far but fallen through after weeks or months of interviews.
Last week I randomly applied for a job, had an interview two days later, and had a verbal job offer the day after that. It's exactly the career field I want and it seems like a great team. They're still doing all the final paperwork for my written offer, but things seem to be progressing.
It's been a whirlwind, but it looks like I'm finally back on track.
Dreamwriter
Member
You ever get a job listing asking for your monthly salary requirements? I've never heard of that - just yearly, and hourly in the case of contract jobs, but this job listing I found says to include your "monthly rate" with the application.
ReyBrujo
Member
I can understand it if you are applying to jobs in different states and traveling there doesn't justify the cost in money and time. But it's in personal interviews where you can make the difference. The punctuality of your arrival, the way you shake hands, the way you dress, if your shoes are polished or not, whether you use an offensive perfume or not, the way you sit down, the way you gesture with the hands, whether you meet their eyes or if your voice trembles or not, those are all small things that add up for the final decision. Skype interviews are as useful as CV, you can only judge the capabilities of someone. And there will always be someone more capable than you. However, if you know how to sell yourself in person, then you would understand why I think you should be eager to meet them.
Maybe owners are Latins
Down here the higher your income the "higher" the measure of time, so CEOs and businessmen talk about yearly income, common people talk about "monthly", those working in manual labor talk about weekly or daily (people in the construction area, part-time jobs, etc), and "low quality" jobs (usually old women cleaning houses, etc) talk about hourly wages.Corporations are more lenient when it comes to applications for helpdesk jobs as they care more about historicals. if you can provide practical experience you should at least get an interview.
Yes you can. Even better, you can tell them to call one of your colleagues that you've worked with (if they are willing to refer you). I honestly think references don't mean much, but companies ask for them anyway.
Graduated with a CS degree in December, worked a very good internship for a year and a half. I've been absolutely struggling to find a job in my field for two months now. I'm at my wits end and I really don't know what to do in order to get my foot in the door.
Anyone here got any advice or want to review my resume? Got any good strategies for finding places that are hiring? I've been trying to use my connections to find places but none are hiring for entry level work. I've been largely relying on public boards like GlassDoor and Linkedin for applications but the results have been very grim.
Anyone here got any advice or want to review my resume? Got any good strategies for finding places that are hiring? I've been trying to use my connections to find places but none are hiring for entry level work. I've been largely relying on public boards like GlassDoor and Linkedin for applications but the results have been very grim.
I applied to a job through a staffing agency.
The staffing agent responded within minutes, and I'm not sure what I was thinking, but maybe I thought she wanted to set up an introductory phone interview about the job I'd applied for.
It's clear I was just added to some giant roster of potential clients. The woman didn't know what job I'd applied to. I had to read her the listing and she then suggested that particular job was in the purview of her agency's Southern California office.
I guess this is a lesson learned. Everything about the agency, from its Web site to the multiple offices, screams legitimate. But I can't imagine anything worthwhile is going to come from them.
The staffing agent responded within minutes, and I'm not sure what I was thinking, but maybe I thought she wanted to set up an introductory phone interview about the job I'd applied for.
It's clear I was just added to some giant roster of potential clients. The woman didn't know what job I'd applied to. I had to read her the listing and she then suggested that particular job was in the purview of her agency's Southern California office.
I guess this is a lesson learned. Everything about the agency, from its Web site to the multiple offices, screams legitimate. But I can't imagine anything worthwhile is going to come from them.
MasterOfPuppets
Member
Do you have any certifications? CompTIA Network+ and A+ should help. I've seen Network+ may be more beneficial, but some research would be a good idea. Good luck, I'm in the same boat.
Syphon Filter
Member
I'm not expert but I wouldn't mind checking your resume out. PM me it if you want. You got something with the internship, 2 months is nothing so just keep applying. Use craigslist,indeed and linkedin. Make sure you apply everyday, saturday and sunday you most likely won't see or hear anything since people are out of the office but make sure mon-fri is applying day.
No certs, just a degree. Generally the positions I've been applying to don't specify certs as required...but then again someone with certs might be applying and they hire him instead *shrug*