Support NeoGAF

[anonymous_abc]

I've been asked by my manager to draft a recommendation letter / job reference for myself.
Seeing as I am moving to the US I would like to make it useful for the US.
Any important do's and don'ts I should be aware of and keep in mind?

German certificates of employment are very specific in their wording that any HR person can easily read between the lines what is actually meant. They are a mess, so I just want to make sure what the deal is in the US prior to drafting.

 

[Rommel]

Just accepted a job offer. Took about 3 weeks from when I started looking. Time to put in my 2 weeks and prep for a cross country move.

Thank goodness for relocation packages, did not realize how expensive it is to move a house (was a poor college student in all my other moves so everything could fit in my car).

 

[backflip10019]

Round four of interviews with a company in a month. You'd think I was interviewing for the C-suite.

 

[Kisaya]

Have a phone interview tomorrow at 4:00 pm and I'm leaving my other job at 3:30 pm so that I can take it. There's no way I can make it home by 4:00 pm, so I wanted to ask you all what are the best public spaces to go to for a phone interview.

My job is right by a big university so I'm pretty sure I can go into one of their facilities, but the one thing I'm afraid of is cell phone reception (I go to one of their cafeteria's across the street from my job for lunch and I get NO service). Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[Dreamwriter]

Have a phone interview tomorrow at 4:00 pm and I'm leaving my other job at 3:30 pm so that I can take it. There's no way I can make it home by 4:00 pm, so I wanted to ask you all what are the best public spaces to go to for a phone interview.

My job is right by a big university so I'm pretty sure I can go into one of their facilities, but the one thing I'm afraid of is cell phone reception (I go to one of their cafeteria's across the street from my job for lunch and I get NO service). Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

I've done phone interviews in a library - specifically, in the hall just outside the library. I do suggest NOT doing it in a mall, I had a phone interview in a mall right after the mall opened on a weekday during the school year, and even then it was just way too noisy, hard for me to hear the person.

 

[EverythingShiny]

I must not have done as poorly as I thought during the phone interview on Monday as I was given the take-home project/coding challenge. I successfully completed it and I'm waiting to hear back about that.

Round four of interviews with a company in a month. You'd think I was interviewing for the C-suite.

I had four interviews (including a technical test) with a company for an internship... and then they changed their mind about what they were looking for at the last minute. Talk about frustrating. The company probably wants to make doubly sure that you're a good fit.

 

[Jzero]

I'm down to my last $100 and i still can't get a fucking job. I blame how shitty i am at interviews ;_;

 

[suberzat]

Where are you located and what field are you applying in?

 

[Trident]

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.

Try Hired.com and Triplebyte.com. Both will get you interviews at tech companies if you pass their qualifications.

 

[diaspora]

Hired.com has been at best a colossal waste of time IMO.

 

[SprachBrooks]

I'm starting a Master's degree in September and I'm currently employed full-time, but obviously I can't stay working full-time come September and as such I've been looking for part time work.

Currently employed as an administrator and looking for stuff similar on a part-time basis, and on my CV (resume) I've clearly stated that I'm looking for PT work as I'm beginning my studies.

Can't help but feel this has put a hamper on my opportunities for responses as I've been applying to lots of places with no response!

Do you guys recommend I wait until the interview until I tell them I'm studying next year and just leave it off my CV, or at least when they call me back? Just struggling so much and need to find something soon as I don't really have an opportunity to switch to part-time work in my current role and I'll need to be working in order to support myself for the next year and have something to tide me over after I finish my degree until I find a decent job.

I live in the UK if it's any help; and I appreciate any advice given.

 

[cheezcake]

Applying for jobs would be so much better if HR wasn't a huge clusterfuck in every corporation in the world. I know a lot of these companies are dealing with hundreds of applications at a time and that sifting through them is not their only job, but part of what makes applying so soulcrushing is knowing that the vast majority of applications you send in will get no response, some will get an initial response and then nothing, and a very small percentage will actually respond and continue to respond until they hire you or tell you they are no longer considering you. It can't be that hard to send a rejection e-mail.

My manager at my old job admitted that of the 10 minute video interview we all had to record for the application, they only watched the first 20 seconds of each one and if any of the 5 observers didn't like it, immediately veto'd it.

 

[EverythingShiny]

I'm starting a Master's degree in September and I'm currently employed full-time, but obviously I can't stay working full-time come September and as such I've been looking for part time work.

Currently employed as an administrator and looking for stuff similar on a part-time basis, and on my CV (resume) I've clearly stated that I'm looking for PT work as I'm beginning my studies.

Can't help but feel this has put a hamper on my opportunities for responses as I've been applying to lots of places with no response!

Do you guys recommend I wait until the interview until I tell them I'm studying next year and just leave it off my CV, or at least when they call me back? Just struggling so much and need to find something soon as I don't really have an opportunity to switch to part-time work in my current role and I'll need to be working in order to support myself for the next year and have something to tide me over after I finish my degree until I find a decent job.

I live in the UK if it's any help; and I appreciate any advice given.

You should probably leave it off your CV and bring it up later. Would classes interfere with your work schedule at all?

How many classes are you taking? It might be different in the UK, but plenty of people work full-time in the US while getting their Masters. Then again, a lot of the universities here have night classes specifically to make it easier for working professionals.

 

[SprachBrooks]

You should probably leave it off your CV and bring it up later. Would classes interfere with your work schedule at all?

How many classes are you taking? It might be different in the UK, but plenty of people work full-time in the US while getting their Masters. Then again, a lot of the universities here have night classes specifically to make it easier for working professionals.

The problem for me is primarily that the timetable has not been finalised so I'm unsure about time commitment! It's a pain in the ass; but I will email them to ask if they have a tentative idea of the days I'd have to be in. It also depends on the modules I choose.

Thanks for the advice: off to remove it off my CV.

 

[xillyriax]

Ugh, art test for a 3D printing job had me on edge for a week. Ended up getting a generic rejection email today.

Fuck this, so sick of working retail.

 

[Quick]

I was supposed to hear back by Friday from the job I interviewed for the week before if they're going to hire me or not.

I'll send the hiring manager an email tomorrow to follow-up. I was pretty much jumping at every email I'd get on Friday, and it seems that a lot of people decided to email me that day lol.

 

[EverythingShiny]

I was supposed to hear back by Friday from the job I interviewed for the week before if they're going to hire me or not.

I'll send the hiring manager an email tomorrow to follow-up. I was pretty much jumping at every email I'd get on Friday, and it seems that a lot of people decided to email me that day lol.

I hear you, it's really rough when you're waiting for that important email. I'm in that constant state right now, it stinks.

 

[SprachBrooks]

Spent this past year being employed on a temporary contract and it is soul crushing. Are there many people here who work temporary jobs?

Never again will I go into temporary employment; I'd rather stay unemployed until I can find a permanent position.

 

[Cormano]

How long does it usually take for an interviewer to get back to you, I had my phone interview almost two weeks ago and nothing back. (I called a week ago, and they told me they were still contacting candidates),

 

[AngryPuppyEsq]

Just off a phone interview involving mild aphasia and my stupid dry mouth completely forgetting how to say words like 'methodologies' or anything else over four syllables -_-

 

[vainya]

Spent this past year being employed on a temporary contract and it is soul crushing. Are there many people here who work temporary jobs?

Never again will I go into temporary employment; I'd rather stay unemployed until I can find a permanent position.

I used to say that I loved temporary employment. It was like having a paid internship and I got to try out new industries. Now, I'm on an open-ended temp assignment and it is soul-crushing. I get zero time off and only promises that this will turn into a full time position. It still beats unemployment, but I need a new job.

 

[xillyriax]

How long does it usually take for an interviewer to get back to you, I had my phone interview almost two weeks ago and nothing back. (I called a week ago, and they told me they were still contacting candidates),

most it took me was a month only to hear "we've decided to move along with another candidate"

:|

 

[EverythingShiny]

Just off a phone interview involving mild aphasia and my stupid dry mouth completely forgetting how to say words like 'methodologies' or anything else over four syllables -_-

I just got off a phone interview as well, and it was my first phone interview where I was on speaker phone and there were like 6 people in the room. It sucked.

Have you practiced some of your interview question answers before? Obviously you're not going to know what they're going to ask, but you can go over answers to some of the more common questions. I've found that helps to prevent me from drawing a blank or getting tripped up when I can't remember the right word for something.

 

[msv]

Muh, just had an interview with a big IT company. I explicitely said beforehand that I'm strictly in software engineering, NOT computer science - as in expertise in the field of datastructures, algorithms, proofs, compilers etc. vs large scale software, software design, architecture, usage of algorithms, libraries, etc.. Two very different fields IMO.

And still, specific questions about datastructures, oddly specific questions about terminal commands in Unix (I mean what, am I really supposed to know this by memory?). I was clear about everything, so it's kind of a waste of time to ask these questions.

In the end, I obviously didn't match their profile, as I expected more or less. Bummer.

 

[Cormano]

most it took me was a month only to hear "we've decided to move along with another candidate"

:|

Damn, I've been struggling for over a year to find a job.

The guy I talked to over the phone said he really liked what he heard from me and all that, but I can't really take anything for granted until I receive an offer.

 

[TabooV]

Applying for jobs really is depressing, especially when you suffer from Social Anxiety. I've been unemployed for 3 years now and am hoping I can find work soon.

 

[link1201]

Ok, here we go again. I have another job interview set for the 20th. I'm optimistic because I sent in my resume Tuesday and got a call Thursday.


Edit: Ok now I'm meeting with two partners instead of one... :/ #nerves

Just got back and it went very well. It's a great firm, just hope I get to the next interview. I still have the adrenaline rush going on. I wish I didn't get so nervous.

Hope everyone has luck on their journey.

 

[EverythingShiny]

I must not have done as poorly as I thought during the phone interview on Monday as I was given the take-home project/coding challenge. I successfully completed it and I'm waiting to hear back about that.

And they're not moving forward with my application. I'm so fucking depressed. I feel like I've wasted so much money on my MS degree since they clearly didn't prepare me well enough to get a job in my field. The only reason why I got these interviews was because someone forwarded my resume along... I haven't gotten a single callback from jobs I've applied to online. I'm at my wit's end.

 

[ロックマン]

Hoping it all works out for you. I've been there and it was one of the worst feelings in my life.

I felt like a bum. I felt like all the effort I put into attaining a degree was for nothing and my life was going nowhere. I became so depressed I don't even want to think about it.

Keep your chin up. My old roommate told me something and I'll never forget it, "It always works out in the end." Think about all the times something went wrong but you look back on it and realize it all worked out.

 

[ZackieChan]

Spent this past year being employed on a temporary contract and it is soul crushing. Are there many people here who work temporary jobs?

Never again will I go into temporary employment; I'd rather stay unemployed until I can find a permanent position.

What about it was soul crushing? That you knew it would end? That seems to be the best situation, rather than never knowing when you could be fired. At least you can be looking for the next contract while you're working.

Applying for jobs really is depressing, especially when you suffer from Social Anxiety. I've been unemployed for 3 years now and am hoping I can find work soon.

What do you do? Is it possible for you to work from home/for yourself?

 

[Rebel Leader]

Got an interview at BJs. Got a call and they want to do an interview today in 30 minutes

Applied for deli clerk and cashier


Any tips?

 

[Bacon]

Got an interview at BJs.

Applied for deli clerk and cashier


Any tips?

Just come across as a normal functioning adult and you are already ahead of the game for positions like that. Grocery stores really just need bodies so it's pretty hard to fuck up once you're in the interview stage.

 

[SprachBrooks]

Just come across as a normal functioning adult and you are already ahead of the game for positions like that. Grocery stores really just need bodies so it's pretty hard to fuck up once you're in the interview stage.

Lol this is definitely true. I would also add, customer service is key if they ask you questions that would lead to how you would deal with a particular situation.

My last resort it applying for my local supermarket if I can't find any other part-time jobs.

 

[Rebel Leader]

At the end they told me it was a 3 step process .

Never had any experience with cashier position

 

[diaspora]

I've had over a dozen in person interviews since my contract ended in early May and 0 offers. What on earth am I doing wrong?

 

[Syphon Filter]

I've had over a dozen in person interviews since my contract ended in early May and 0 offers. What on earth am I doing wrong?

I don't think it's guaranteed you did something wrong, its more of a luck game if you get to a close final interview with less competitors. At that point everyone is perfectly qualified so you have to hope they picked you, maybe for something small they preferred but it's really about luck. I'm over here waiting nearly 2 weeks for the decision for a recent interview I had.

 

[Rebel Leader]

Is being told that there's a 3 step interview process and that that one I just had was the 1st step a good sign?

 

[link1201]

Is being told that there's a 3 step interview process and that that one I just had was the 1st step a good sign?

Better than just "Thanks for coming in we are interviewing a lot so it may be a while " then never getting a call back lol..

 

[human onion]

I'm pretty sure I'm fucked out of a summer job at this point. Lots of places aren't looking for seasonal help anymore, and the stuff I applied for in May and early June has given me no luck. My grades in high school and college are pretty damn good, so I'm wondering about trying tutoring. Any advice for me? I really want to make some cash now that I'm home for the summer.

 

[Syphon Filter]

I'm pretty sure I'm fucked out of a summer job at this point. Lots of places aren't looking for seasonal help anymore, and the stuff I applied for in May and early June has given me no luck. My grades in high school and college are pretty damn good, so I'm wondering about trying tutoring. Any advice for me? I really want to make some cash now that I'm home for the summer.

Are you looking for any job or a job related to your field of study?

 

[human onion]

Are you looking for any job or a job related to your field of study?

Any job, really. Couldn't get a mechanical engineering internship when I was applying during the year.

 

[gwailo]

I think the whole notion of a summer job is pretty much dead now, unless it's for something like a pool, amusement park, camp, etc. and it's way too late into the season to apply for those. I would probably look into temp work.

 

[Sapiens]

Just thought you'd all enjoy this.

 

[HyperCroutons]

When I graduated from college in 2013 I applied for 100s of "College-degree" required jobs that year and was invited to about 30 or so interviews, I didn't get anything except this Order Expediter job at this Pro audio and video seller Company. I ended up leaving that job because I hated working in an cubicle and I went back to the Post Office as a mail carrier (used to do Temp work there). I eventually became a full-time mail carrier and I like it! I get to work outdoors, paid decently, and no supervisors breathing down your neck although it could be really physical at times (Winters are kind of rough). It didn't require a college degree and paid more than the "College Degree required" job, which is kind of funny. So sometimes a good job could be something you don't except.

 

[SprachBrooks]

At the end they told me it was a 3 step process .

Never had any experience with cashier position

A three-step process for such a position? Who the hell do these people think they are? Fucking hell lol. Good luck anyway, but if I went for something like that and they said it was a three-step process, I'd be like bye.

 

[mrklaw]

that feeling of finally getting some traction, and having a few interviews in the bag hoping at least one will progress to the next stage. And then blissful silence. Ahhh

:/

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

Just tried to apply to a place where you have to take several tests and one of them was to do 50 math intensive problems (more involved than normal) in 15 minutes. I think my issue is that I'm not a totally fast reader and I kind of rushed some shit. Fucking hell it's stupid...

 

[ZackieChan]

I had to do a math test before I tried out to be a blackjack dealer at one casino. Just do as many problems on the test as you could in a couple minutes.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

I had to take a 'math and logic' test for my upcoming position but it was less math and more wut. It had questions like "an apple costs $0.15, an orange $0.20, and a banana $0.25 - how much is a pear?"

 

[Rebel Leader]

A three-step process for such a position? Who the hell do these people think they are? Fucking hell lol. Good luck anyway, but if I went for something like that and they said it was a three-step process, I'd be like bye.

I know but I don't see why they would tell me that anyways regardless.

I rather go through it than not at all