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[Lucario]

Had a great phone interview last Monday, answered all of their field-related questions in a cinch, and they outright told me I had the best cover letter and resume they'd seen so far. Sweet. I'm pretty damn awkward on the phone, but these guys seemed to love me.

They said they wanted to meet me in person next. I thanked them, and the call ended; nothing was scheduled at the time.

Got another call immediately after. They said they wanted a full time employee, and to have it filled quickly. Asked what I was looking for in terms of salary, and apparently my answer was a bit too high, but they said they wanted to continue with the hiring process anyway.

Both said they wanted to speak again ASAP. It's been 10 days with no response from either of them.

... Is this normal? Should I contact them asking what's up? Really confused.

Starting to think my irrelevant career experience is killing my chances of getting a job in my field. All of my internships were as a software developer, and I'm applying for a mixture of policy research jobs, unpaid policy internships, and IT support jobs to pay for food and housing while taking one of the unpaid internships.

 

[1.21Gigawatts]

In my experience the first job after graduation is the most difficult to land.
So do what you can while still at uni to get yourself into a good starting position.
Intern at companies you would like to work for, network there as much as possible. Anything to get your face known above a sea of other candidates.

The thing is that I'm right now studying something I'm interested in, but I don't see myself working in that field.


Right after school I had a job working with children, because I thought about becoming a teacher back than. I didn't hate it, but it also wasn't something I really enjoyed.
That was 5 years ago. Now I know that I like teaching, but I like teaching adults, not children. Worked as a tutor at my uni and I always enjoyed that and got good feedback.

My next job was at a brewery. I briefly thought about studying food chemistry back then so, this gave me a little insight. Wasn't my cup of tea at all.

Next job was at a engineering company, they're doing middle man work for companies like BMW and others(located in munich they're doing a lot of business with BMW and their office is right next to them, too). I've been there for small projects over the last 4 years now and I know the people, like them etc. The thing is that I'm not interested in engineering, but they already offered me an internship to maybe look into project management or the IT side of things. It would be a payed 6 months full time thing, so that has to wait till I have my degree. The good thing about this company is that they have an offshoot in the US and I always wanted to work in the US for some time.

I also worked in the start up of a friend for some time. Its a remote engineering thing. They're basically outsourcing engineering work from the middle east to german engineering students.
I helped overseeing a few projects there and traveled to the middle east to talk to partners over there. That was cool, but I don't know what I learned expect that the middle east is hot and locals somehow still manage to wear suits without melting.

Then I got a job at a german competitor of Netflix. Thats the perfect job for a student. Every month I can say how many days and which days I want to come in for work, so its very flexible.
The work itself is basic QA. Lots of IT. I'm studying IT so I should like that. But I don't. Its just a very chill job(on some days there is just no work and we get to watch movies all day) with good payment.

A few months ago I worked in a biology lab for a couple of weeks. I'm studying some cross thing between biology and IT(its called bioinformatics). That job was the reason why I don't see myself working in the field I'm currently studying. I love biology. I love knowing stuff about stuff. But doing the stuff in the lab, carefully making notes about everything I do. Thats not for me.

But I'm almost 23 now, and I don't think its a smart idea to start studying another field from scratch. Money is not a problem(university is free in germany), its more a mental thing. I don't like the thought of having wasted 5 years on things and then just starting a new thing.
I would do it if I were very sure about the new thing beeing the right thing this time, but I've never had that feeling about anything and I seriously doubt it even exists.


When I graduated from school and didn't know what I wanted to do people told me to just try some things and I'll figure it out. But I just got more confused by every new experience.
Right now my dream "job" would just be studying abroad for all eternity.


Why I am scared of applications is because I'm not a good liar. I don't think I can make people believe that I really want that particular job when I don't.
I also think my CV looks like the CV of someone who doesn't know what he wants(because thats exactly the case).

Maybe I should just take half a year off and travel through india or something like that.
Or has anyone any idea how to gain perspective and find out what I really like?

I'm sorry if this is too off topic.

 

[anonymous_abc]

Maybe I should just take half a year off and travel through india or something like that.
Or has anyone any idea how to gain perspective and find out what I really like?

It's a tough nut to crack.
I don't think there is anything wrong with changing course. It's fine to enjoy teaching adults for a couple of years and then figuring out your heart might lie somewhere else.
Maybe rather than going to India for 6 months, try to get out of everything for a week and go hiking in the mountains by yourself. Anything that can let your mind wonder uninterrupted and see if that helps you gain perspective. While you are still at uni, that should be reasonably easy to pull off, much more so than if you were working.

 

[openrob]

So how does everyone stay sane/occupy their day whilst looking for jobs?
I work a part time shift job, but there has been little work in Jan, and I thik it's slowly driving me mental.

 

[Watevaman]

Hey guys, I've been looking/applying to internships on and off since I finished my coursework, since I'm required to get one before I can get my degree (Geospatial/Enviro Analysis, GIS stuff). The first one I had, I met with the project manager and while he didn't have anything paid, he tried to pencil me in on one of their existing projects but it ended up fizzling out due to shitty communication. Then, I had an interview with a place against one other candidate and they ended up choosing him. That made me pretty sad but I kept applying. So this afternoon I have an interview with another organization for a paid internship and I'm nervous and wondering if you guys could help with some of my concerns.

-That last interview was my first ever formal interview and I feel like I totally messed up. I was nervous and my answers didn't roll off the tongue like I feel they should have. What's the best way to get over that nervousness for you guys?

-Whatever internship I find is partially there for the requirement, mostly for the experience and resume boosting. Is there any polite way to bring this up if I'm asked "why do you want this position?" or should I focus purely on why I like the job? The man interviewing me today received the same degree I'm going for back in 2009, so he should be familiar with my need for an internship.

-What are some good questions for me to ask the interviewers? I only had one question for the last interviewer and I'm not sure if I should've tried more or if that matters.

-This is a big one and it transcends job interviews into the actual job: how do you guys deal with having forgot about stuff you learned in school? I learned a lot of stuff in various software packages but since I finished my coursework last spring, I've since forgotten a lot of it. I remember basics, but I am honestly worried I will get the job, then the first day I'll look like a fool trying to do simple things that should be expected of me.


Thanks a bunch if you can answer these. If my lazy ass can get an interview, I'm sure all of you will be just fine!

 

[gwailo]

So how does everyone stay sane/occupy their day whilst looking for jobs?
I work a part time shift job, but there has been little work in Jan, and I thik it's slowly driving me mental.

Did a lot of housework and worked on my film review website. But you need to get out of the house too - I worked out and did gardening. Would also go to matinees of movies. Took some classes sponsored by the local unemployment office.

Got another call immediately after. They said they wanted a full time employee, and to have it filled quickly. Asked what I was looking for in terms of salary, and apparently my answer was a bit too high, but they said they wanted to continue with the hiring process anyway.

Both said they wanted to speak again ASAP. It's been 10 days with no response from either of them.

... Is this normal? Should I contact them asking what's up? Really confused.

10 days is a perfectly reasonable timeframe to do a followup call/email.

 

[Syphon Filter]

So how does everyone stay sane/occupy their day whilst looking for jobs?
I work a part time shift job, but there has been little work in Jan, and I thik it's slowly driving me mental.

Go to the gym, learn more about your field and also just walking outside for a while can help. Just going outside can literally make you feel better and different compared to staying inside. I feel, think and get inspired way more this way.

 

[kgtrep]

So how does everyone stay sane/occupy their day whilst looking for jobs?
I work a part time shift job, but there has been little work in Jan, and I thik it's slowly driving me mental.

I've started writing a blog. Not only do I get to write down and explain to readers and myself what I already know, but I also get to research new topics and learn more. It's a lot more work than one would expect.

 

[JetForceGemini]

So how does everyone stay sane/occupy their day whilst looking for jobs?
I work a part time shift job, but there has been little work in Jan, and I thik it's slowly driving me mental.

I started to learn sony vegas and started my own gaming youtube channel

 

[Fury Sense]

-That last interview was my first ever formal interview and I feel like I totally messed up. I was nervous and my answers didn't roll off the tongue like I feel they should have. What's the best way to get over that nervousness for you guys?

You just have to know your shit. You should know what your resume looks like to an employer and anticipate questions they'll ask. If you know the job responsibilities and required skills, you should be prepared to explain how X from your resume shows that you have developed Y skill from the job description with a simple story. when you're on top of the content, you shouldn't be uncomfortable at all.

-Whatever internship I find is partially there for the requirement, mostly for the experience and resume boosting. Is there any polite way to bring this up if I'm asked "why do you want this position?" or should I focus purely on why I like the job? The man interviewing me today received the same degree I'm going for back in 2009, so he should be familiar with my need for an internship.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn_PSJsl0LQ

Seriously though, convince yourself that you really want this job. Maybe the job description they wrote isn't very exciting, but it'll put you into a place where you're able to observe things and learn from the inside you. Like most things in life, you get out what you put in. If you apply yourself, you can turn something unappealing into an exciting opportunity. Just convince yourself that you want the job, whatever it takes.

-What are some good questions for me to ask the interviewers? I only had one question for the last interviewer and I'm not sure if I should've tried more or if that matters.

About the company: how many people, what's the management style, where do you see it in 5 years, what's the culture like?
About the role: how many other people work in this role? how would you define success in this role? what have others who have held this role gone on to do?
About the work itself: do the chickens have large talons? would i be able to learn [some skill] or get exposure to [some (other?) job function] on the job?

-This is a big one and it transcends job interviews into the actual job: how do you guys deal with having forgot about stuff you learned in school? I learned a lot of stuff in various software packages but since I finished my coursework last spring, I've since forgotten a lot of it. I remember basics, but I am honestly worried I will get the job, then the first day I'll look like a fool trying to do simple things that should be expected of me.

you're going to look like an even bigger fool if you pretend to remember everything perfectly. do your best and forget the rest

 

[NipplesAndToes23]

So how does everyone stay sane/occupy their day whilst looking for jobs?
I work a part time shift job, but there has been little work in Jan, and I thik it's slowly driving me mental.

I'm working on my book and I also write for a website, draw, and I'm also designing a game, but all this still doesn't prevent me from raging sometimes.

 

[1st Course]

Had a great phone interview last Monday, answered all of their field-related questions in a cinch, and they outright told me I had the best cover letter and resume they'd seen so far. Sweet. I'm pretty damn awkward on the phone, but these guys seemed to love me.

They said they wanted to meet me in person next. I thanked them, and the call ended; nothing was scheduled at the time.

Got another call immediately after. They said they wanted a full time employee, and to have it filled quickly. Asked what I was looking for in terms of salary, and apparently my answer was a bit too high, but they said they wanted to continue with the hiring process anyway.

Both said they wanted to speak again ASAP. It's been 10 days with no response from either of them.

... Is this normal? Should I contact them asking what's up? Really confused.

Starting to think my irrelevant career experience is killing my chances of getting a job in my field. All of my internships were as a software developer, and I'm applying for a mixture of policy research jobs, unpaid policy internships, and IT support jobs to pay for food and housing while taking one of the unpaid internships.

Is it an entry position? Pretty normal if so. I remember when I was looking for my first job I used to get responses 1-2 months after doing the interview.

 

[Watevaman]

You just have to know your shit. You should know what your resume looks like to an employer and anticipate questions they'll ask. If you know the job responsibilities and required skills, you should be prepared to explain how X from your resume shows that you have developed Y skill from the job description with a simple story. when you're on top of the content, you shouldn't be uncomfortable at all.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn_PSJsl0LQ

Seriously though, convince yourself that you really want this job. Maybe the job description they wrote isn't very exciting, but it'll put you into a place where you're able to observe things and learn from the inside you. Like most things in life, you get out what you put in. If you apply yourself, you can turn something unappealing into an exciting opportunity. Just convince yourself that you want the job, whatever it takes.


About the company: how many people, what's the management style, where do you see it in 5 years, what's the culture like?
About the role: how many other people work in this role? how would you define success in this role? what have others who have held this role gone on to do?
About the work itself: do the chickens have large talons? would i be able to learn [some skill] or get exposure to [some (other?) job function] on the job?


you're going to look like an even bigger fool if you pretend to remember everything perfectly. do your best and forget the rest

Thanks!

I feel this interview went a lot better than the other one. For starters, it was just me and the interviewer, whereas the first had me against two guys. Also, it was a lot less formal than the first, with a lot more back and forth rather than a structured list of questions.

 

[openrob]

YES!

I guess my last interview went better than I thought - because I just got the job!

I have had a few interviews so glad to be over with that. I just take it as failed interview were just free interview training

But yeah funny because this job had the most intense selection proccess out of all my applications.

I'm just super excited now haha

 

[Sylas]

Been working as a contract/temp worker for a pretty good company in NYC--got the job 2 weeks after moving here! Now my contract is about to be up and I know they aren't interested in renewing it.

However!

I interviewed for one permanent position at this company last week thanks to a glowing recommendation from one of the mangers and I think it went pretty well. My manager also has a position opening up on his team as soon as HR approves it and he's less-than-subtly hinted at the fact that I should apply ASAP once it goes live.

So I'm basically waiting while my contract ticks down (I still have 4 weeks left, but still) and I'm stressing out because all I can do is wait and see at this point. It's frustrating to have two very good opportunities to finally get out of the freelance/contract industry and do something a bit more stable but being unable to do anything other than wait on them for the time being.

Argh. Augh.

 

[diaspora]

The agency Randstad has refused to meet with me and I've been asking to set up an appointment for months to talk about office and administrative roles. Today they finally get in contact with me to talk about a role as a

Spoiler

forklift operator

. This shit makes me want to break a plate for someone's face.

 

[Sylas]

The agency Randstad has refused to meet with me and I've been asking to set up an appointment for months to talk about office and administrative roles. Today they finally get in contact with me to talk about a role as a

Spoiler

forklift operator

. This shit makes me want to break a plate for someone's face.

Randstad is certifiably shit.

 

[diaspora]

Randstad is certifiably shit.

Know of any Toronto alternatives?

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

I had two calls for armed security positions today. Pays a lot more than my $10.42 an hour. One is for G4S and the other CIS.

Also, although one date, I'm hoping things progress with her.

Hopefully things go only up from here.

 

[gwailo]

Know of any Toronto alternatives?

I had a good experience the one time I worked with Randstad. I did temp/contract work for about 10 years and there is really no one company that's better than the other. A lot of it comes down to whoever you're working with in that particular office.

Most of my time was with Robert Half/Accountemps/OfficeTeam and I had a really great recruiter I worked through that got me jobs pretty quickly after one ended. But she got a different position, so I was stuck with dealing with new people. So I would call in weekly to let them know I was available and the person would ask the same questions like "tell me about your experience", "what are you looking for", "what sort of pay" etc. and then they would offer crap like call center jobs even though I told them explicitly I didn't want to do those kinds of jobs.

After about the 8th week of going through that, I told them "why don't you look at my resume WHICH YOU ALREADY HAVE and my job history through your company WHICH YOU ALREADY HAVE and tell me if there are any similar jobs open." I never got another job through them, but honestly, most temp/contract jobs are shit, so it wasn't a big deal.

If an agency isn't getting back to you right away or are making you jump through a bunch of hoops, don't bother with them. There are plenty of agencies around and some of them actually have competent people. But a lot of "hiring managers" will just call you in and make you fill out a bunch of paperwork and tests so they can meet their quota, and will never get back to you.

 

[Fury Sense]

@openrob & Watevaman: Awesome news! Glad to see some good news in this thread!

Today is the 4th Tuesday of my job search. My update:

69 Applications
19 Rejections
6 Phone Interviews
3 On-site Interviews
1 Second Round On-site

Right now I'm still waiting to hear back from the place I interviewed twice for on Wednesday. I really think it could go either way, and I'm hoping for a call any day now. I'm not sure what the statute on following up is... Should I call them tomorrow? Email? I had an on-site yesterday which was somewhat tepid. I really do not look forward to that kind of work (basically creating lunch menus and satisfying clients), but I tried to be as optimistic as possible. I got both interviewers smiling and enjoying the conversation, but I'm not sure I convinced them I have the kind of inside-the-box mentality I think they're looking for. They'll let me know soon whether I make it to another round of on-site interviewing. Tomorrow morning I have my third on-site interview, this one is for a commission-heavy sales role. I think they're desperate for people and the base salary is so low that they must not be super thorough in their applicant search. If everything else falls through, I feel somewhat safe that I could get this job -- but I must tell myself I absolutely CANNOT rely on it.

Today I sent out 10 more applications and tried skipping the cover letters this time. One company rejected me in under 20 minutes LOL! Their loss, honestly. Trying really hard to stay positive. I also tried a professional networking service called Weave and met up with a product manager on Friday who said she'd send my resume to two companies she worked at. I'm not super hopeful about it, but it would be great if it worked out. I think my goal going forward (partially because I've exhausted nearly all job listings for "Customer Success" on LinkedIn and other job boards) is to find better ways to network. This will be a completely different challenge, and I hope it can pay off before my runway is depleted.

Latest takeaways:

• Be reading a business or industry book. Being able to talk about a book you're currently reading makes you stand out as a proactive and growth focused candidate. Having "recently" read a book is not good enough, must be currently reading.
• Don't let the interviewer bullshit you. There are some people out there who will just say stupid shit to test if you're going to call them out. Be honest and try to think before you answer in an interview rather than just agreeing/saying what you think they want to hear.
• Thank you notes are important. Use them to tell the person that you want the job.

 

[Kelia]

I applied for some jobs yesterday, and about two hours after one of the companies contacted me to ask if I was still interested in the job. I was helping with dinner at the time, and had left my phone upstairs, so I ended up missing the call. My mistake, as I should of had the phone with me, but I also did not expect a call within two hours! I did call back, but the number the hiring guy left me was the main number for the place. I called the number, but the operator was not available. After a few attempts I decided to leave a voice message and to try again tomorrow.

Same story earlier today with the operator not being available, so I just waited to see if I got a call back.

I decided to give a call around the same time that I got the missed call from the hiring guy, and this time I got through to an operator. They transferred me to the guy, but since he was not in the office I left a message on his actual voicemail. So now I am worried if anyone got the first voice message I left.

Just wish the hiring guy gave me his ext. number because at least then I could of left a voice message directly to him yesterday versus today.

 

[Syphon Filter]

I got an internship recently and I was wondering if I should be applying for jobs still? Or should I wait a bit so I can add the current company to give me a better chance at a full time position?

 

[NEO0MJ]

I got an internship recently and I was wondering if I should be applying for jobs still? Or should I wait a bit so I can add the current company to give me a better chance at a full time position?

An internship isn't a promise of employment so you might want to keep applying just in case.

 

[gwailo]

Tomorrow morning I have my third on-site interview for a commission-heavy sales role. I think they're desperate for people and the base salary is so low that they must not be super thorough in their applicant search. If everything else falls through, I feel somewhat safe that I could get this job -- but I must tell myself I absolutely CANNOT rely on it.

Three interviews for a SALES job? GTFO. That company sounds like a shitshow.

 

[Fury Sense]

Three interviews for a SALES job? GTFO. That company sounds like a shitshow.

Oh I wrote that the wrong way. It was the first onsite for that job, but the third company inviting me onsite. I'll edit.

Got a rejection mail from the company with the strange CEO. Felt pretty bad, and I'm sure I'd have done a great job if I hadn't bombed that weird interview.

Sales interview went really well. Kinda worried that one person said that they think I was "too smart" for their type of sales and that they thought I would get bored doing it. WTF. It might be true though; 2 years of 80 cold calls / day sounds like hell to me. But I'll give any job my best shot and try to find a way to enjoy it. Got a phone interview for another company today in 45 minutes, but I think I applied to this company by accident, as they don't even seem to be in this city.

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

So I have two interviews for armed security positions. One is G4S and the other CIS. CIS you're armed, and you patrol some bad neighborhoods. Pay is like over $11 an hour now, could be A LITTLE more depending on the unit you're attached. Doesn't sound too enticing considering you can put your life in danger.

G4S pays very good, armed security, but it's more like patrolling ports, etc, like that stuff. Should be relatively safe.

Now I just got a call yesterday for a phone interview for Platinum Claims Adjustment position for United Health Group. Pay? $16.60 an hour. No inbound calls. That's good money, but something I'm confused about. About the hours:

This position is full-time (40 hours/week) Monday - Friday. Employees are required to have flexibility to work any of our 8 hour shift schedules during our normal business hours of (8am to 8pm). It may be necessary, given the business need, to work occasional overtime or weekends. In this role, overtime averages between 5 and 10 hours per week.

Does it mean I'll be working 8am-8pm M-F, or I can work, let's say, I may work 9-6 or 10-7 shifts?

 

[gwailo]

Does it mean I'll be working 8am-8pm M-F, or I can work, let's say, I may work 9-6 or 10-7 shifts?

The second part. Your start time will be anywhere from 8AM (shift ending at 5PM) to 11AM (shift ending at 8PM).

As for that armed security job paying $11, fuuuuuuuuck that. You can make more than that doing data entry work and you won't be in physical danger.

 

[iMax]

I got an internship recently and I was wondering if I should be applying for jobs still? Or should I wait a bit so I can add the current company to give me a better chance at a full time position?

You should be applying for jobs whilst you're in a full-time job. Anything can and will happen. Always be prepared.

 

[Fury Sense]

After 4 weeks of searching for 30+ hours/week, today I was offered a sales position I and I accepted! I start on Monday.

I'll review my overall job search and try to find something useful I learned that I could share with all of you when I get to my desktop computer with my spreadsheet. Stay strong everyone!

 

[Lucario]

....Please tell me that not all interviews are going to be like this. I have two more scheduled for this week.

Went in for a technical interview that was described as "a series of logic puzzles and brainteasers". The interviewer explicitly stated that no programming questions would be asked, and laughed about how stressful it was to write code on a whiteboard. The first interview (a few weeks ago) was for a completely different role, but the interviewer decided he wanted me to work for him instead.

I walk in the door, and quickly realize that I wasn't actually scheduled to come in. The receptionist had no idea who I was, and had to interrupt a meeting to confirm that I wasn't just some weirdo who randomly walked in.

Waited in an empty office for an hour, listening to the sound of a woman being chewed out for something trivial. She's audibly sobbing.

Finally, my interviewer comes in, and asks me.... programming questions. It takes every ounce of strength in my body to prevent my eyes from rolling. I give him some algorithms, along with the standard tech support answers in various OSs, and he's unsatisfied.

I ask him what he's looking for, and he starts writing code on the whiteboard.

Finally, he admits he's not interested in hiring me, but would like me to come back after taking a programming course. He hands me a business card.

The course was $17,000. A bit more searching reveals that he would've received a $3,000 referral fee.

Is it an entry position? Pretty normal if so. I remember when I was looking for my first job I used to get responses 1-2 months after doing the interview.

Yup, just out of college. Thanks for the answer, was getting real worried and don't want to annoy them too much.

After 4 weeks of searching for 30+ hours/week, today I was offered a sales position I and I accepted! I start on Monday.

I'll review my overall job search and try to find something useful I learned that I could share with all of you when I get to my desktop computer with my spreadsheet. Stay strong everyone!

Congrats!

 

[meowmixer]

Got a temporary job at walmart to pay the bills after school and I've have been applying to corporate positions for some time now. Prob gotten rejected for some 30 or so which I was well qualified for.
Networking really seems the key to it all. I tried connecting through one manager who knew someone at the home office. Called his contact 11 times, never picked up, no voicemail. How do you not have voicemail?! Is he a caveman???

#whydoesgodhategoodpeople

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

Have a phone interview tomorrow for a platinum claims adjustment specialist. Pays $16.60 per hour, and I really want this job. The phone interview will be 45-60 minutes long.

It's for united health group. I'm curious what type of questions I'll be asked. An hour phone interview makes me nervous.

 

[Cth]

Well, my long nightmare is over finally.

After being laid off 4 years ago and only being able to find part time employment in unrelated jobs, I'm finally starting a full time job in the field I want to work in -- in 2 weeks.

Good luck everyone. It's insanely difficult and trying at times, but eventually it'll happen.

 

[kirby_fox]

I don't know what to do anymore GAF.

I feel like I've exhausted everything. Craigslist, CareerBuilder, Monster, Indeed, and I even just paid for FlexJobs to find literally 0 jobs I qualified for or part time that could work with my current 2nd shift job. Even with a job I've been applying since graduating 5+ years ago, thousands of jobs, and the only ones that ever called were scams, crappy sales jobs, and places spitting in my face by having me come in for a manager job only to offer me a minimum wage position because they don't think I have enough experience (despite being a manager that ran a small company for 3 years...)

I just don't know what to do. I've felt like this degree was 4 years of wasted time and debt I can't pay back. I feel so stuck and I just can't seem to get myself out from not being stuck, and I feel like even going back to school or getting certified in something else is just going to be wasted time and money. I can't even find freelance work anymore, because the market has been flooded with graphic artists who do way more than I can and proofreaders/copywriters that have jobs in their fields.

 

[gwailo]

Got a temporary job at walmart to pay the bills after school and I've have been applying to corporate positions for some time now. Prob gotten rejected for some 30 or so which I was well qualified for.
Networking really seems the key to it all. I tried connecting through one manager who knew someone at the home office. Called his contact 11 times, never picked up, no voicemail. How do you not have voicemail?! Is he a caveman???

#whydoesgodhategoodpeople

Are you sure it's the correct number?

But TBH based on my experience in retail (both in store and corporate) if you're cold calling someone at corporate to see if they have any jobs, they will probably just tell you to check with HR.

 

[Ogodei]

Interview with the local Diocese last week, which will be interesting because i'm not Catholic anymore, but used to be, so was rather selective in talking about my history (mentioning the past and where I was confirmed, talking about the Jesuit college i went to). Hope i didn't seem too transparent, because the job really sounds awesome and I don't have moral qualms with the church for the most part (sans abortion).

Phone interview later this week, too.

 

[ChaoticBlue]

God, I'm starting to go insane!

I just need to work. even a temporary job while i look for a full time job is fine with me. I just want to work dammit.

 

[gulma1]

I think I'll give up finding a job as a computer tech at near minimum wage as most jobs are too far for me. Been going to an employment program in Toronto but no luck after 3 months. Soul crushing is the perfect feeling to describe this.

 

[Camp1nCarl]

Anyone have any personal recommendations on Resume / Cover Letter reviews or builders? I'm applying for positions I am qualified for, but I'm having a problem even getting an interview (hence I think the initial resume/cover letter screening is screwing me).

Normally I would roll with a pretty clean and straightforward resume, and then would describe my specific qualifications for the job in the cover letter. I think a lot of jobs aren't even getting to the cover letter, hence I'm struggling to get interviews.

Besides one research position which I currently interviewing with, I think I'm going to stop looking for any kind of research/science work. Seems only big companies will even contact you with information regarding your application, and even then they're hesitant to even bother with someone not local even if you include your moving for employment (and don't want/need relocation assistance).

Applying for a job post graduation was a nightmare I was not anticipating lol.

 

[meowmixer]

I heard some people say they found jobs through craigslist, thought I would check it out. It's basically just a futuristic wanted pages from a newspaper right? What job am I going to get through there, mowing lawns?

First job listed wants "experienced" dishwashers. Wtf? Only the finest of elite plate cleaning skills will do. Farther down is a marketing assistant position that pays $13 an hour and wants a bachelors degree. Come on. You need a degree to get $13 an hour now?

"Must pass a background check, physical and drug screen". Wtf a physical? "Show me how many pounds you can bench press if you want this job!" What's next a game of Candyland is required? "Must pass all 8 worlds in Super Mario 3 on three lives, no use of magic whistle allowed."

 

[maxcriden]

God, I'm starting to go insane!

I just need to work. even a temporary job while i look for a full time job is fine with me. I just want to work dammit.

Have you tried something like textbroker just for part-time work?

 

[Nilaul]

May some one please take a look at my cover letter and give me some general advice (Architecture related). Quote to reveal my draft cover letter



Much appreciated

I am kinda wondering if a job will hire me if they will know I'm planning to go do my masters in October. However without having any actual working experience I'm afraid I will find my masters rather challenging. I guess I don't really have to tell them.

 

[RelentlessRolento]

I've currently got a job but my boss treats me like shit no matter the quality of my work + massively disorganized administration + I'm doing work opposite to what I was promised (minor point on job description became main focus... I was suppose to do AV work but am instead creating labels for a museum)...

So I've been applying to any and all jobs I fall under, but primarily a professorship is what I'm hoping for. I had a rough phone interview for teaching Game Art a week ago, and have another for digital art.

This all comes with saying that I will probably be putting my two weeks notice in about a month from now, but I hate the job grind all of you are feeling :-/

 

[James93]

I heard some people say they found jobs through craigslist, thought I would check it out. It's basically just a futuristic wanted pages from a newspaper right? What job am I going to get through there, mowing lawns?

First job listed wants "experienced" dishwashers. Wtf? Only the finest of elite plate cleaning skills will do. Farther down is a marketing assistant position that pays $13 an hour and wants a bachelors degree. Come on. You need a degree to get $13 an hour now?

"Must pass a background check, physical and drug screen". Wtf a physical? "Show me how many pounds you can bench press if you want this job!" What's next a game of Candyland is required? "Must pass all 8 worlds in Super Mario 3 on three lives, no use of magic whistle allowed."

Pay is getting pretty crappy for the average jobs. There are so many people who want them, companies realize they can pay college grads 12 an hour

 

[Nilaul]

First job listed wants "experienced" dishwashers. Wtf? Only the finest of elite plate cleaning skills will do. Farther down is a marketing assistant position that pays $13 an hour and wants a bachelors degree. Come on. You need a degree to get $13 an hour now?

"Must pass a background check, physical and drug screen". Wtf a physical? "Show me how many pounds you can bench press if you want this job!"

I have no words.. that is ridiculous. I think it must be a joke though.

 

[Makai]

I saw an ad for $12/hour that required a PhD. Just ignore the ads with absurd requirements. Nobody responds to them.

 

[shadowsdarknes]

If a job was posted 3-4 weeks ago, do you think it's still worth hiring if you're only somewhat qualified? I have to imagine that most of these positions are filled.

I saw an ad for $12/hour that required a PhD. Just ignore the ads with absurd requirements. Nobody responds to them.

Funny enough, my friend who has a doctorate in pharmacy keeps seeing ads that say,

"Become an Uber Driver, forget your career as a pharmacist"

 

[ISWThunder]

I saw an ad for $12/hour that required a PhD. Just ignore the ads with absurd requirements. Nobody responds to them.

My university is constantly sending me info about faculty/staff positions that require a Masters and start at like $32,000. Are you kidding me? Even the institute awarding the degree is admitting that it isn't worth the cost/effort.

 

[gwailo]

If a job was posted 3-4 weeks ago, do you think it's still worth hiring if you're only somewhat qualified? I have to imagine that most of these positions are filled.

It's not worth it. You're going to be competing with potentially hundreds of other applicants at that point - HR probably wouldn't even bother looking at your resume.

I heard some people say they found jobs through craigslist, thought I would check it out. It's basically just a futuristic wanted pages from a newspaper right? What job am I going to get through there, mowing lawns?

First job listed wants "experienced" dishwashers. Wtf? Only the finest of elite plate cleaning skills will do. Farther down is a marketing assistant position that pays $13 an hour and wants a bachelors degree. Come on. You need a degree to get $13 an hour now?

Craigslist is pretty hit or miss. For my industry (brokerage) it's hot garbage. But I have friends in the service industry (chefs, bartenders, etc) and they swear by it.

A degree has been pretty standard for anything other than minimum wage retail for a long time now. And even those jobs require one if you want to move into management.

Low wages have been the norm for a while also. The shitty economy gave the edge to employers, who can force their employees to do more work for less pay. I quit my last job because of this. My employer was making me do the work of 4 people and I was literally sick of it, to the point I was getting migranes from stress.