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Applying for jobs is exhausting and soul-crushing

oni_saru

Member
I thought this advice might help for those in the interview process. Couple things I noticed that I would have liked to hear from a potential candidate that I interviewed today. Hope this is helpful.

1) Ask questions. Even if it's simple "what's the work environment like? what will my job duties entail? what will a typical work day look like?" Asking questions shows you're really interested. Also if person interviewing you asks you multiple times "Any questions" that means we want to hear questions. So always come prepared with at least one question.

2) Tailor your experiences. Imo any experience can be tailored even if it's not completely the same field. The candidate we had worked customer service which is quite different to the job position we are offering. Yet this candidate missed opportunities to highlight how even that experience could help them be ready working in our environment.

3) Examples. Examples. Examples. When you say you are detail oriented, give an example. When you say you have a strong work ethic, define what that means. Honestly if you make your answers too generic and by the books, you're not setting yourself apart. The best thing is to provide examples of the skills you are presenting.

Hope this advice may help.
 

gwailo

Banned
Assuming I don't fail the background check for some silly reason, I am not looking forward to the time period between Black Friday and Christmas, that's for sure.

I used to work for Target as a manager. Unless you have a felony or certain misdemeanors related to theft, you'll pass. As was said before it's a very general background check. You'll probably also have to do a drug test.

And yeah, I hated the Christmas period, and this was 12 years ago when Black Friday wasn't as crazy as it is now. You'll probably have to come in Thanksgiving night or VERY early Black Friday to help prep the store and your hours are going to be all over the place. You might be working anywhere plus or minus a couple of hours before/after the store is open.

For those of you who have been landing data entry positions, what was the interview process like? How lenient were they on requirements?

Most are through temp agencies and the interview process was pretty basic, but they did do tests on things like typing speed and Word/Excel knowledge. Data entry is pretty much bottom of the barrel when it comes to office jobs, I wouldn't worry too much about being underqualified. I worked with people that could barely turn on their computer in the morning.
 

Experien

Member
I applied for a new job on Monday evening. Forgot how so excited you get and make plans in your head but then have to bring yourself down in case you don't even get an interview :/
 

Izayoi

Banned
I applied for a new job on Monday evening. Forgot how so excited you get and make plans in your head but then have to bring yourself down in case you don't even get an interview :/
You should be casting a wide net. Apply for ten jobs, not just one. I'm employed and I still put out dozens of applications every month.
 
Holy shit, just got off the phone with a hiring manager at ADP. It's a great company.

He liked me a lot and my experience. More formal interview discussing the position and salary on Monday. This is wild.
 
I used to work for Target as a manager. Unless you have a felony or certain misdemeanors related to theft, you'll pass. As was said before it's a very general background check. You'll probably also have to do a drug test.

And yeah, I hated the Christmas period, and this was 12 years ago when Black Friday wasn't as crazy as it is now. You'll probably have to come in Thanksgiving night or VERY early Black Friday to help prep the store and your hours are going to be all over the place. You might be working anywhere plus or minus a couple of hours before/after the store is open.
Oh, thanks! I don't have to do a drug test though, they explicitly stated that, dunno why though.
 

B-Dubs

No Scrubs
Assuming I don't fail the background check for some silly reason, I am not looking forward to the time period between Black Friday and Christmas, that's for sure.

Yea, that's definitely no fun at all. January is usually pretty slow though, so it's a decent break.

Oh, thanks! I don't have to do a drug test though, they explicitly stated that, dunno why though.

Is weed legal where you live?
 

Skulldead

Member
Have to vent a little here, working in a big companies, pass a interview to get a promotion into a new team in the same companies. Get the interview , everything go smooth. He told me to keep it secret at my current boss because the situation is little tense right now because in my team a lot of people left and having really hard time to recruit. He call 2 weeks later to tell me i should really talk to my current boss to tell him that i postulate on another job and he could call in a few day to prepare the transfer. Also he ask me to send him a flag to tell him that I've talk to my boss.

In my head i'm like, great i got the job... got a call this morning to tell me that he haven't chose me and he give some of the most bullshit reason ever, probably got reject because they don't want to lose me in the other team, or internal political bullshit. I will never know the true. Right now my boss know that i'm looking elsewhere.... i feel so stupid to think i was going to get that promotion... my future in this team will be hell. Time to start to prepare my CV...
 

Artdayne

Member
I graduated a little over 2 months ago and am hopefully close to getting a job. I had a second interview with one company and I think it went well, I will know what they decide within a week or so. I have a second interview with another company next week. It's been pretty rough though, I've applied to about 70 different positions and only had about 5 in person interviews so far. Hopefully I find out soon.
 
The amount of experience required for entry level jobs is depressing. I saw a trainee role that required years of experience. Why would someone with years of experience go for a trainee role? The majority of my experience consists of something I don't want to do anymore..sigh.
 

entremet

Member
The amount of experience required for entry level jobs is depressing. I saw a trainee role that required years of experience. Why would someone with years of experience go for a trainee role? The majority of my experience consists of something I don't want to do anymore..sigh.

Think transferable skills not number of years at the job.
 
Holy shit, just got off the phone with a hiring manager at ADP. It's a great company.

He liked me a lot and my experience. More formal interview discussing the position and salary on Monday. This is wild.
Update! Just got off a 45 min conversation over the phone. Went great, liked me a lot and it was probably the most in-depth interview I've ever done. He got my life's story and got super detailed answers about all my experience.

Face to face interview next Tuesday is the last stop! I'm actually sitting here wondering what's left to ask me. What else is there?

Great to hear! Keep it up!
Thanks man!
 

Akim

Banned
Had a grueling interview at amazon, went 5 hours total, with 4 separate people.

It went terrible. I thought I was prepared, but I kind of got blindsided by a few questions and got flustered. 3/4 of my interviews went well, but the last one went so bad I know for sure I didn't get the gig.

Feels bad man.
 
Does putting down black or choosing not to disclose on that diveristy form hurt your chances of getting a job? I just wonder after all these years, why I still can't be shit.

If it did, then that employer would be in direct violation of EEO laws and you probably wouldn't want to work for them anyway.
 

Slacker

Member
Had a grueling interview at amazon, went 5 hours total, with 4 separate people.

It went terrible. I thought I was prepared, but I kind of got blindsided by a few questions and got flustered. 3/4 of my interviews went well, but the last one went so bad I know for sure I didn't get the gig.

Feels bad man.

A good friend of mine survived the interview process, hated the job, and bailed out in six months. And he wasn't even the quickest exit - while he was there two other people started after and quit before he did. I love Amazon and I'm glad my board games arrive in 2 days, but it seems like an objectively shit place to work. Use the experience to do better at your next opportunity.

Also, don't necessarily count yourself out. Amazon needs so many people I'm sure they overlook a poor interview answer here and there.

What are some questions you were asked? I have an interview at a creative type place soon and I'm concerned I'll get a bunch of "what color crayon are you" type stuff.
 

jwk94

Member
OMG!!! I got a response from a company! They want to talk to me here soon, but...I'm not sure if I'm qualified. I just hit them up out of the blue and they told me about a position and I should come talk with em. They have my resume, so I guess they believe I'm qualified, but idk myself. Have you guys ever gotten a job you didn't think you'd be qualified for? How'd that work out?
 

A Fish Aficionado

I am going to make it through this year if it kills me
OMG!!! I got a response from a company! They want to talk to me here soon, but...I'm not sure if I'm qualified. I just hit them up out of the blue and they told me about a position and I should come talk with em. They have my resume, so I guess they believe I'm qualified, but idk myself. Have you guys ever gotten a job you didn't think you'd be qualified for? How'd that work out?
Imposter syndrome. It's normal.
You got this.
 
OMG!!! I got a response from a company! They want to talk to me here soon, but...I'm not sure if I'm qualified. I just hit them up out of the blue and they told me about a position and I should come talk with em. They have my resume, so I guess they believe I'm qualified, but idk myself. Have you guys ever gotten a job you didn't think you'd be qualified for? How'd that work out?

Go for it, there is nothing to lose. Just prepare and research the company.
 
Skype interview this morning, I think it went alright. I haven't had an interview in forever though, so I feel like my answers were not that great now that I've had time to think of better ones.

Oh well, out of my hands now. Now for the next job application.
 

Aomber

Member
My sanity levels are at an all time low. I'm five months out of college, haven't had a single interview offer, connected with many people who could have helped lead to a job, but they all totally dropped the ball after tagging me along for weeks on end.

I have a very strong resume with great universities and internship experience. It's total bullshit, I never like to rely on people, but pure applications just feel like I'm throwing my resume into a black hole, then when I connect with people they lead me on and make all these promises they never keep.
 

Nyx

Member
The company that let me know I was overqualified for the position I applied to, gave me a call last week to tell me that they think I'm really interesting for their company and wanted another interview.
Had that one yesterday and they told me they do want me but for another position, had to do a test today which went well and after that they told me they're going to make me an offer.

It's been over 6 months, but it seems I'm finally getting back to work!
 

Makai

Member
I interviewed someone today. First time on the other side. Probably won't get the job since his C# knowledge was minimal.
 

LNBL

Member
Jesus, just did an assessment test from which my score has to be within the Master level norm. It included the Numerical sequence stuff, symbol test and language test.

Havent used my brain this intensively since i graduated. These thing alway increase in difficulty with 10000% in comparison to the stuff you train yourself with.
 

jstripes

Banned
It looks like today I finally got a job that I applied and interviewed for. (I'm never 100% relieved until I'm on the site and and working.) It's been so long.

My wife told me our daughter said "Yay! We don't have to move!"
 

LNBL

Member
ZZdlfz4.jpg


Thought Gaf was hiring for a moment haha
 

Slo

Member
ZZdlfz4.jpg


Thought Gaf was hiring for a moment haha

Get paid to post on GAF all day? Finally the "fullfilling" job that OTGAF has been pining over. Now let's hope that it pays a "livable wage."

Mods are going to have to negotiate with our union rep before issuing any bans.
 

PureYeti

Member
Yeesh how long does background check usually take? I did all the documents and I need to a fingerprint background check as my last one. One week has passed, I'm still waiting for the schedule to come and do it.
 
I'm currently thoroughly miserable in my present job. There's no chance of advancement, and the people I work with are thoroughly detestable. The management are more concerned with getting things done quickly and cheaply than getting them done properly. I've been applying for anything I can find. Sadly, I've had no bites yet.

An opportunity has presented itself.

Pro:
Literally 5mins walk from my house (no more being stuck in traffic)
New challenges
Higher salary

Con:
Only a 6month contract
Another god-damned office job.


Do I really want to give up a permanent position (however miserable) for a temporary one? I know full well that temporary contracts often have a chance of turning into something more permanent... but I'm still conflicted.

I can apply, of course, and turn it down if somehow I get anywhere with it, but I'm still unsure. Having recently had a son, I'm wary of job security.
 
I'm currently thoroughly miserable in my present job. There's no chance of advancement, and the people I work with are thoroughly detestable. The management are more concerned with getting things done quickly and cheaply than getting them done properly. I've been applying for anything I can find. Sadly, I've had no bites yet.

An opportunity has presented itself.

Pro:
Literally 5mins walk from my house (no more being stuck in traffic)
New challenges
Higher salary

Con:
Only a 6month contract
Another god-damned office job.


Do I really want to give up a permanent position (however miserable) for a temporary one? I know full well that temporary contracts often have a chance of turning into something more permanent... but I'm still conflicted.

I can apply, of course, and turn it down if somehow I get anywhere with it, but I'm still unsure. Having recently had a son, I'm wary of job security.
Yea it is a hard decision, I have similar situations. The best answer I can give you is to see if that 6 month contract is worth the experience. Does it have a chance to get hired full time? Is the role more in line with what you want to do and the direction you want to head to? Is the experience going to be worth it for your future?
 
I thought this advice might help for those in the interview process. Couple things I noticed that I would have liked to hear from a potential candidate that I interviewed today. Hope this is helpful.

1) Ask questions. Even if it's simple "what's the work environment like? what will my job duties entail? what will a typical work day look like?" Asking questions shows you're really interested. Also if person interviewing you asks you multiple times "Any questions" that means we want to hear questions. So always come prepared with at least one question.

2) Tailor your experiences. Imo any experience can be tailored even if it's not completely the same field. The candidate we had worked customer service which is quite different to the job position we are offering. Yet this candidate missed opportunities to highlight how even that experience could help them be ready working in our environment.

3) Examples. Examples. Examples. When you say you are detail oriented, give an example. When you say you have a strong work ethic, define what that means. Honestly if you make your answers too generic and by the books, you're not setting yourself apart. The best thing is to provide examples of the skills you are presenting.

Hope this advice may help.

I have an interview in the morning and this is great stuff! Thanks!
 

Slacker

Member
Man I keep on getting called for jobs I don't want but not the ones I want >.>

I have a few pretty marketable IT skills so as soon as I made my info searchable on a couple job sites I got inundated with messages from recruiters. I think I've actually been interested in about 1 out of 20.

Fortunately, I should have a skype interview with that 1 company tomorrow. :)
 

Quirah

Member
Oh found a thread about me. I graduated last summer and applying for jobs like crazy since then. I am living in Turkey and let me tell what happened at my last interview.

There was a good worldwide biochemistry company I got interviewed. They called me 2 or 2,5 weeks after I applied them. My interview went really good. I talked about like 1 hour with general manager first and then coordinator. They told me everything about job what do I have to do, what are restrictions, salary, etc. Everything. I was thinking like 'Yes! I did it!' inside myself when I was in interview but guess what happened.

There is a compulsory military service for males in Turkey. Government gives you 2 years free time to plan yourself. You can chose to do military, or you can chose to get in job. Also if you chose to do masters degree after 2 years you can have more free time.

Anyways. The company that I got talked in turned back to me in only one days. They didn't accept me into job because other female candidates were applying into this job too. So they didn't wanted a person who has to deal with legal military shitness and they chose that woman instead of me. It was like my dream job because company is really known in worldwide but yeah, military service is fucked into my dreams.

This happened this week. I am already thinking about going to military service but so much shit is going on in Turkey as you may know from news. I don't know what to do really.
 

Slacker

Member
Thanks for the encouragement, guys. Interview went well! Now to see if they want me back. fingers crossed.

Don't forget the "thanks for the interview" email. Use it to emphasize what you're excited about regarding the position and address anything you wish you would have answered differently.
 
Don't forget the "thanks for the interview" email. Use it to emphasize what you're excited about regarding the position and address anything you wish you would have answered differently.

Ah, my interview went well this morning, and I sent a, "thanks for the interview" email, but I just said, "thanks again for your time, it was great meeting you", etc.

Will definitely keep your advice in mind next time.
 

cyborg009

Banned
I just recently graduated from college in August and finding work for Information Technology is hard with no field experience. Currently doing an internship with the public schools in the area soon.
 

Kieli

Member
Not many entry coding positions in my area. I know basics of python and C#, C++ but only ever messed with Oracle Answerflow on an enterprise level.

I can list 3 reasons not to do QA/automation/dev ops. But especially not QA.

#1 - Pay is low.
#2 - Work isn't as respected by your peers. Which is why it's low pay to begin with.
#3 - Keeps getting outsourced.
#4 - Boring.
 
What's the best free website to make a resume ? Thank you

There isn't one. You need to tailor it based upon your target audience. And then you need to have an art-inclined person adjust it for layout, proper use of whitespace, and readability.

If it's meant for a .pdf, then you can stop there. (If not, then you'll need to find proper cardstock to print your resume on, too.)

You can Google tips on how to prepare the content for your resume, but it's also important that you turn your document into something easy (and pleasing) to read.
 
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