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Applying for jobs is exhausting and soul-crushing
- Thread starter Moofers
- Start date
Been there and done that. Monitor stands are life-savers - I have my monitors set up in a way that I don't have any heads directly in my eye-line as I'm working.
Regarding interviews, a couple random things:
1) Look up and practice answering common interview questions (tell me about yourself, what weaknesses do you have, where do you see yourself in the future, etc).
2) Don't approach the interview like it's the only job left in the world. There's a chance you won't get the first job you interview for, which is ok cause...
3) Like anything else in life, you get better at interviewing every time you do it. Write down what questions you were asked and think about if there were any answers you feel could have gone better. Speaking of which...
4) Send a thank you email after the interview, and use it as your opportunity to clear up anything you wish you would have said better or forgot to mention.
5) Finally, remember you're interviewing the company as well. Don't be arrogant of course, but go in there with questions ready that will hopefully help determine if the company is the right fit for you.
Good luck!
Forerunner
Member
My interview is next week, it's more of an informal interview. They call it a "meet and greet". Pretty much a group of us go and they just go over basic information about the agency with us. They interview us one on one and determine if you should move to the next phase. The next phase is the main interview. It's a panel interview and it's over an hour long...
At first I wasn't nervous, but I don't want to fuck this up.
At first I wasn't nervous, but I don't want to fuck this up.
Wolf Akela
Member
GAF, I just want to let this out.
I've been looking for other jobs for quite a while now. The reason is that I'm not happy being stuck with the stuff I'm doing, and I never felt the sacrifices I've done was appreciated ("great job!" doesn't do a lot for me), and salary growth was too slow. I've told my managers that I wanted to do other stuff as well, gave them a few months, but nothing changed. I was acing the interviews with a certain company, and felt great I'll pass it.
Manager had word with me after I broke the news that I was looking for other work and will use them as referees. I have not yet received I broke down while I explained about the issues I've had and I don't know why. It could be the pent-up frustration, or maybe because I just had the realization I won't be seeing these people anymore. Had a few more meetings, and got a counter offer. Told me I'll get the better title I want, a 16% salary bump, and will give me more of the work I want. They told me they've actually been working behind the scenes for the promotions, but they had to accelerate it because I was planning to leave.
Soon afterwards, I got an offer from the other company. I also get to do more of what I want, also get a better title, but I get a freaking huge bump up my salary (33%). The location is better for me because I can now cycle to work (might not matter next year), and they're getting a new office in a new building in a place that's new and actively developed too. Sounds like a no-brainer, but
I feel fucking miserable.
I actually broke down while I explained my grievances to my manager. Maybe it was the pent-up frustration, or maybe because I just realized I won't be regularly seeing the same people again. I'm still new to the country and it does feel lonely from time to time, so seeing familiar faces can also be comforting. I don't know how the new place will be, or if I'll jive with them. I'm terribly slow at getting close with people. If I screw fail this, I'd feel like a total ass if I did ever go back. Shit, I got teary-eyed just typing this.
So, removing the redundant pros/cons from both options:
If I stay, I get to be with the same people I've always been with, and I'm one of those employees that spent the longest time there, which kinda feels cool. So, pretty much comfortable with everything, and the issues I had will be fixed. Oh yeah, unlike the new company, the current place is pet friendly. It's a big plus because I'm adopting one next year, so puppy/kittysitting at work would be great, and everyone always wants a go.
If I move, I can accelerate my salary by years, get to work with new stuff, but I also have to deal with learning an entirely new system. Everyone will be a fresh face so I don't know, will be uncomfortable for a while. Spanking new office, get to cycle to work (which I've always wanted). Feel like an asshole for what feels like selling my colleagues for an extra salary bump.
I feel like I'm deciding between the brain and the heart. I mean, yeah, make no mistake, there were times where I absolutely hated what I was doing at my current work, but I still feel close to my colleagues and I can enjoy the eccentricity and goofing around we do. I don't know if it'll be the same.
I've been looking for other jobs for quite a while now. The reason is that I'm not happy being stuck with the stuff I'm doing, and I never felt the sacrifices I've done was appreciated ("great job!" doesn't do a lot for me), and salary growth was too slow. I've told my managers that I wanted to do other stuff as well, gave them a few months, but nothing changed. I was acing the interviews with a certain company, and felt great I'll pass it.
Manager had word with me after I broke the news that I was looking for other work and will use them as referees. I have not yet received I broke down while I explained about the issues I've had and I don't know why. It could be the pent-up frustration, or maybe because I just had the realization I won't be seeing these people anymore. Had a few more meetings, and got a counter offer. Told me I'll get the better title I want, a 16% salary bump, and will give me more of the work I want. They told me they've actually been working behind the scenes for the promotions, but they had to accelerate it because I was planning to leave.
Soon afterwards, I got an offer from the other company. I also get to do more of what I want, also get a better title, but I get a freaking huge bump up my salary (33%). The location is better for me because I can now cycle to work (might not matter next year), and they're getting a new office in a new building in a place that's new and actively developed too. Sounds like a no-brainer, but
I feel fucking miserable.
I actually broke down while I explained my grievances to my manager. Maybe it was the pent-up frustration, or maybe because I just realized I won't be regularly seeing the same people again. I'm still new to the country and it does feel lonely from time to time, so seeing familiar faces can also be comforting. I don't know how the new place will be, or if I'll jive with them. I'm terribly slow at getting close with people. If I screw fail this, I'd feel like a total ass if I did ever go back. Shit, I got teary-eyed just typing this.
So, removing the redundant pros/cons from both options:
If I stay, I get to be with the same people I've always been with, and I'm one of those employees that spent the longest time there, which kinda feels cool. So, pretty much comfortable with everything, and the issues I had will be fixed. Oh yeah, unlike the new company, the current place is pet friendly. It's a big plus because I'm adopting one next year, so puppy/kittysitting at work would be great, and everyone always wants a go.
If I move, I can accelerate my salary by years, get to work with new stuff, but I also have to deal with learning an entirely new system. Everyone will be a fresh face so I don't know, will be uncomfortable for a while. Spanking new office, get to cycle to work (which I've always wanted). Feel like an asshole for what feels like selling my colleagues for an extra salary bump.
I feel like I'm deciding between the brain and the heart. I mean, yeah, make no mistake, there were times where I absolutely hated what I was doing at my current work, but I still feel close to my colleagues and I can enjoy the eccentricity and goofing around we do. I don't know if it'll be the same.
Marian Rivera?
Captain Tuttle
Member
Personally for me good things have always happened whenever I've pushed myself outside of my comfort zone and my only regret is that I learned this later in life. Regrets are terrible things for me and god knows I have plenty
That said, you have to weigh your options. Cycling to work sounds great as does the money. On the other hand, pet friendly is extremely cool.
Maybe don't dwell too much in the present or short term future, try to look further out. Where do you see yourself in 2 years? In 5? Which position do you think will have the most opportunity for personal and professional growth?
Not an easy decision, good luck!
onken
Member
Late but don't do it. Hirers want to see people passionate about the job they are applying to, not an "any shit will do" attitude.
opticalmace
Member
It sounds like the new job is better in almost every way. How much of your trepidation is based on the fear of change rather than actually thinking your current job is a better fit for you? I know that's hard to answer.
This is a bit out of my wheelhouse but I think you should trust your gut on this kind of stuff. From what you wrote it sounds like the new job offers a lot, and it lets you wipe the slate clean with regards to personal relationships and whatnot (which has its upsides and downsides).
If the new job seems to offer good job security I would make the switch. The salary bump and being able to bike to work would offset the costs of taking care of a pet imo. But I am in the academic world, so my experience will be different from many others. If you decide to stick with your current company, make sure you do it for the right reasons. Good luck.
I have a question for y'all, about to start job hunting. My resume looks like this:
Job 1 - 3.5 years
Full time graduate student - 1 year
Job 2 - 10 months
Job 3 - 2 years (still employed here)
All three jobs are career jobs, there were no time gaps in between and as far as skills go I am in a really good place. For Job 2 I have a legitimately good reason for leaving. It was in the oil and gas industry and in 2014 the price of oil crashed and my company was laying off tons of employees. I knew as a new employee I would eventually be on the chopping block so I found my current job.
Should I leave Job 2 on my resume? I can stretch my time as a graduate student to two years(I was still in graduate school part time while working Job 2) and it will look like I have no gaps. I'm just concerned that if I take it off I am losing a year (almost) of good experience at a very large company. I am concerned, however, that HR and Hiring Managers will make snap judgments about my tenure there before I get to explain it. What would y'all do?
Job 1 - 3.5 years
Full time graduate student - 1 year
Job 2 - 10 months
Job 3 - 2 years (still employed here)
All three jobs are career jobs, there were no time gaps in between and as far as skills go I am in a really good place. For Job 2 I have a legitimately good reason for leaving. It was in the oil and gas industry and in 2014 the price of oil crashed and my company was laying off tons of employees. I knew as a new employee I would eventually be on the chopping block so I found my current job.
Should I leave Job 2 on my resume? I can stretch my time as a graduate student to two years(I was still in graduate school part time while working Job 2) and it will look like I have no gaps. I'm just concerned that if I take it off I am losing a year (almost) of good experience at a very large company. I am concerned, however, that HR and Hiring Managers will make snap judgments about my tenure there before I get to explain it. What would y'all do?
Forerunner
Member
I would leave it on there. Generally, anything less than 6 months you can leave off. However, you were there for almost a year and it was great experience with a big company. Having those 10 months would look better than stretching your graduate school for two years.
If you are currently at Job 3, that's all the HR managers are going to care about. I had a 3 year gap in employment before I got my current job 2 years ago I am job hunting now and no one asks about those years I was unemployed anymore. So keep job 2 on there.
AnathemicOne
Banned
2 months nearing 3 in a week of being unemployed ever since I graduated college and still applying to shit. Getting real sick and tired of making accounts on company websites and manually filling in the same info over and over again.
Autofill actually helps with that, i've found, as many of the companies use the same client software so Firefox or Chrome will recognize what you've typed there before.
A lot of them have really smart resume scanning software too, so you can just upload your resume and it'll autofill a lot of the fields.
I've got a phone interview tomorrow, a temp phone interview on Monday (which is possible to lead directly to a hiring decision), and an actual interview on Tuesday. Really hope i get one of the latter two, would get me back to work before my severance runs out.
Joelstinton14
Member
Hey guys. A bit of advice needed if that is ok.
After getting ultimately nowhere with applying for jobs since leaving university I decided to give myself a break and take a year out travelling. My plan is to do that next year.
My plan was to go travelling and spend a solid year shooting (photography) and writing on my travels and see where i stand at the end of it. I wanted to use the time and not just treat it as a 12 month holiday. I was also going to use the time and think about a career change along the way as well. Basically use the time to find/refresh myself. Comeback and start over.
I gave my self a break from applying for jobs for a couple several months, but i just recently had a browse and there are a couple of jobs recently that suit my skill set and experience for a couple of charities (basically retail co-rdinators/production assistants). I am halfway through applying these jobs at the moment. They are great companies and would be the start of something new.
I'm not sure whether to apply for these jobs or continue to focus on saving for my travels. Of course there is guarantee (if little) of actually getting the jobs anyway , but hey there may be a chance!
To make things more awkward i'm 31 as well, and it something i need to seriously think about. I could be fast approaching 34 by the time i come back from my intended travels. I haven't been able to properly travel because of lack of money - all my money went on rent which has meant being stuck in a rural area. For the first time next year I will be in a position to do so.
As for leaving my current job, it won't be a problem, it is something i have discussed with them, and it isn't a career job to begin with, it is just menial day to day work in retail, so effectively i am not leaving anything worthwhile.
Thanks. Joel.
After getting ultimately nowhere with applying for jobs since leaving university I decided to give myself a break and take a year out travelling. My plan is to do that next year.
My plan was to go travelling and spend a solid year shooting (photography) and writing on my travels and see where i stand at the end of it. I wanted to use the time and not just treat it as a 12 month holiday. I was also going to use the time and think about a career change along the way as well. Basically use the time to find/refresh myself. Comeback and start over.
I gave my self a break from applying for jobs for a couple several months, but i just recently had a browse and there are a couple of jobs recently that suit my skill set and experience for a couple of charities (basically retail co-rdinators/production assistants). I am halfway through applying these jobs at the moment. They are great companies and would be the start of something new.
I'm not sure whether to apply for these jobs or continue to focus on saving for my travels. Of course there is guarantee (if little) of actually getting the jobs anyway , but hey there may be a chance!
To make things more awkward i'm 31 as well, and it something i need to seriously think about. I could be fast approaching 34 by the time i come back from my intended travels. I haven't been able to properly travel because of lack of money - all my money went on rent which has meant being stuck in a rural area. For the first time next year I will be in a position to do so.
As for leaving my current job, it won't be a problem, it is something i have discussed with them, and it isn't a career job to begin with, it is just menial day to day work in retail, so effectively i am not leaving anything worthwhile.
Thanks. Joel.
I remember this struggle all too well when I graduated from school. It got to the point where it made more sense to enter Peace Corps and then search for work. Best of luck to you!
Fix-It Felix. Jr.
Member
Applied for a job at my school today. Like, it literally took me all day. I usually just go with a generic resume and cover letter with a few things changed, but this time I reworked a lot of stuff to make it seem as impressive as possible. Trying to work and go to school at the same time is terrible, so being able to work at the school and have hours that will prioritize my school schedule before anything else would be really nice.
Biggest obstacle I think will be that my school has a Computer Networking and Technical Support program, so if anyone from that program applies, they'll almost definitely have it locked in. Although, the description doesn't mention taking that program being an asset, which is what they usually do when a program directly relates to a job posting. Either way, there are seven openings, so here's to hoping my past experiences will be enough to help me slide in. If not, I'll just keep my eyes peeled for more postings. I was going to hold out for a Library Assistant opening since I've done that before, but I didn't want to risk that job only having one opening and someone else getting it over me. Ya know?
Deadline is August 24, so I'll have to wait a while before hearing anything back.
Biggest obstacle I think will be that my school has a Computer Networking and Technical Support program, so if anyone from that program applies, they'll almost definitely have it locked in. Although, the description doesn't mention taking that program being an asset, which is what they usually do when a program directly relates to a job posting. Either way, there are seven openings, so here's to hoping my past experiences will be enough to help me slide in. If not, I'll just keep my eyes peeled for more postings. I was going to hold out for a Library Assistant opening since I've done that before, but I didn't want to risk that job only having one opening and someone else getting it over me. Ya know?
Deadline is August 24, so I'll have to wait a while before hearing anything back.
So guys, I have a question:
I'm looking for jobs for the first time in my life. I finished my Master's degree last March (went straight there from doing my undergraduate's) but due to health-related reasons I had to go back to the family home, and couldn't really do anything until just now. I know having large gaps in your resume is not a good thing and I'm growing anxious about it because I know it's difficult to get a job straight away, especially when my only experience are a couple of internships and my country (hint: southwestern Europe) does not have the best job market for young people.
I guess my question is... how much of an effect does these type of gaps have when trying to get a job?
I'm looking for jobs for the first time in my life. I finished my Master's degree last March (went straight there from doing my undergraduate's) but due to health-related reasons I had to go back to the family home, and couldn't really do anything until just now. I know having large gaps in your resume is not a good thing and I'm growing anxious about it because I know it's difficult to get a job straight away, especially when my only experience are a couple of internships and my country (hint: southwestern Europe) does not have the best job market for young people.
I guess my question is... how much of an effect does these type of gaps have when trying to get a job?
Captain Tuttle
Member
Go for the jobs, if you don't get them reassess.
privitsan02
Member
Hi guys, I wanted some advice.
I'm currently on a contract that's about to end very soon. HR have been very open with me for months due to my own vocal desire to become a permanent employee, likely in another team and I'm supposed to get an offer this coming week, according to a very positive call I received from the team.
Now I'm very obviously happy about all of this, but my main concern is, would they lower my yearly salary to compensate for the fact that I'm going permanent and will be getting all the benefits?
I'm on a very good salary which is competitive with the market and the new position would be the same title and work, just in a different team. Is it possible that they would lowball me, forcing me to negotiate? I feel like that would be incredibly disrespectful and disheartening given how hard I've worked throughout this year and my current strong reputation in the company.
I don't think it will happen, but just wanted to know if anyone else here went from contract to permanent and had to deal with a situation like this. I'm not demanding a raise or anything, just status quo for now as I continue to grow here.
Best wishes.
I'm currently on a contract that's about to end very soon. HR have been very open with me for months due to my own vocal desire to become a permanent employee, likely in another team and I'm supposed to get an offer this coming week, according to a very positive call I received from the team.
Now I'm very obviously happy about all of this, but my main concern is, would they lower my yearly salary to compensate for the fact that I'm going permanent and will be getting all the benefits?
I'm on a very good salary which is competitive with the market and the new position would be the same title and work, just in a different team. Is it possible that they would lowball me, forcing me to negotiate? I feel like that would be incredibly disrespectful and disheartening given how hard I've worked throughout this year and my current strong reputation in the company.
I don't think it will happen, but just wanted to know if anyone else here went from contract to permanent and had to deal with a situation like this. I'm not demanding a raise or anything, just status quo for now as I continue to grow here.
Best wishes.
NeOak
Member
They might, but until you get the offer or someone from HR says anything before that, it's just a guess.
Would anyone know of any tolerable work that can be done at home? I was looking into being a transcriber, but I imagine the lifespan on that is very small.
I ask because the new job I have is, legit, one of the worst things I've ever done. It's the lowest paying job I've had to date -- I've worked in hospice, nursing, an ashram, and now a random do whatever job at a hospitality facility which I picked just to do something besides being a Zen student -- and it's just garbage. Eight hours of standing, no real breaks, and you can only sit when taking a shit. I picked up the job just to do something, as those who know me already know I live a live a life of poverty by choice. I'd like to be a student and teacher on the mind, but until that's mapped out, I'd like to have some small income coming in, even if I have no expenses due to the minimalist lifestyle I've already ascribed and made an oath towards. The issue at present isn't how much is coming in, but really can something come in.
The lack of interest is playing a hard role in apathy, too. Hospice, nursing, and the ashram all focused on dealing with suffering on some manner, and I think that's the most important thing to deal with, even if I never dealt with the core problems I find directly. What I have now is just nonsense: I don't give a shit about weddings, I give a shit about the precariat. I don't care about cakes, I care about inequality. I know any online gigs that exist don't deal with that, but I'd at least have my sanity knowing that if I were on break I would not be asked to stop eating and do more things (and eating while standing up!!!), which is a constant where I presently am.
I ask because the new job I have is, legit, one of the worst things I've ever done. It's the lowest paying job I've had to date -- I've worked in hospice, nursing, an ashram, and now a random do whatever job at a hospitality facility which I picked just to do something besides being a Zen student -- and it's just garbage. Eight hours of standing, no real breaks, and you can only sit when taking a shit. I picked up the job just to do something, as those who know me already know I live a live a life of poverty by choice. I'd like to be a student and teacher on the mind, but until that's mapped out, I'd like to have some small income coming in, even if I have no expenses due to the minimalist lifestyle I've already ascribed and made an oath towards. The issue at present isn't how much is coming in, but really can something come in.
The lack of interest is playing a hard role in apathy, too. Hospice, nursing, and the ashram all focused on dealing with suffering on some manner, and I think that's the most important thing to deal with, even if I never dealt with the core problems I find directly. What I have now is just nonsense: I don't give a shit about weddings, I give a shit about the precariat. I don't care about cakes, I care about inequality. I know any online gigs that exist don't deal with that, but I'd at least have my sanity knowing that if I were on break I would not be asked to stop eating and do more things (and eating while standing up!!!), which is a constant where I presently am.
Programming. You also have a moral imperative to becoming a machine learning expert given your prognosis for human society.
Would you be able to elaborate? I know the imperative bit, but I guess I am asking about programming in terms of what to learn and good ways of learning it.
I learned Java and I think some C++ in my community college days, but that was years ago and I likely forgot most of it. I might as well be a blank canvas again.
https://www.kaggle.com/c/titanic
Do one of the Python tutorials for this problem, then go from there. This will be a long term project, but eventually you will get good enough that you can make your own predictive models.
Kaggle is where they have machine learning challenges, yeah? I recall Jeremy Howard speaking about Kaggle before, but I forget the context.
I assume this is aimed at me?
You can say more than three letters. Do you find my situation humorous? It's not that bad, as I can abandon it. It surely ain't humorous for the precariat who don't have the freedom to bail and say no to subpar conditions, and it's me understanding that which makes me dislike the position even more: I see people who are clearly stuck in the system. Das no good for anybody. I didn't say it earlier, and I probably should have: I want to do something now as my eligibility for grants is still a ways away. I am eligible for two major grants by December. I'd like my "do nothing" time to be during zazen and sesshin, if I can leave it there, that'd be fine. Further, this job and my Zen efforts create an impasse: the time I would need for monastery stuff directly competes with busy seasons. This was always short-lived, so I was expecting and am now asking for something light to juggle for the interim.
And people should be able to sit on breaks. Just sayin'.
Brawly Likes to Brawl
Member
Got an email from a certain electronics store last week asking me to schedule a phone interview for a job I applied for. Replied ASAP like I was told to and they never called me during the timeframe. Sent another reply asking what happened and if I was still under consideration and I still haven't gotten an answer.
This is so incredibly frustrating. I really want to work there, but this is the second time in a year of applying with them where they contact me directly and then completely ghost on a scheduled notification.
This is so incredibly frustrating. I really want to work there, but this is the second time in a year of applying with them where they contact me directly and then completely ghost on a scheduled notification.
Kaggle is where they have machine learning challenges, yeah? I recall Jeremy Howard speaking about Kaggle before, but I forget the context.
I assume this is aimed at me?
You can say more than three letters. Do you find my situation humorous? It's not that bad, as I can abandon it. It surely ain't humorous for the precariat who don't have the freedom to bail and say no to subpar conditions, and it's me understanding that which makes me dislike the position even more: I see people who are clearly stuck in the system. Das no good for anybody. I didn't say it earlier, and I probably should have: I want to do something now as my eligibility for grants is still a ways away. I am eligible for two major grants by December. I'd like my "do nothing" time to be during zazen and sesshin, if I can leave it there, that'd be fine. Further, this job and my Zen efforts create an impasse: the time I would need for monastery stuff directly competes with busy seasons. This was always short-lived, so I was expecting and am now asking for something light to juggle for the interim.
And people should be able to sit on breaks. Just sayin'.
I don't wish anything but the best for you, but I do find that entire exchange funny for several reasons. Mostly because I am familiar with many of your posts and you and I have different views on several issues relating to employment.
Since you asked:
1) As you can tell from this thread, programming jobs are highly sought after and highly competitive. The idea of someone trying to pick it up to casually as a life hack to avoid having to get a real job is funny. Having seen many of your posts, I think you'd strongly resent your corporate employer asking you to work extra hard and break your back in order to satisfy their arbitrary metrics and deadlines.
2) Machine Learning is a cutting edge field that requires a ton of math. A person would either need to study extremely hard to become adequate in ML, or they'd have to be a CS/Stats savant. I dunno, maybe that's you. Even then, nobody is looking for a part time, self taught, entry level, ML programmer who wants to work from home.
3) The idea of you becoming a ML/AI expert and therefore becoming a participant in the automation of jobs is really counter to your entire being.
4) As someone who can hire programmers, you'd be wise to leave the "I live in poverty by choice" and "I only want to work on projects that lesson human suffering" bits from your cover letters unless you've got rock star credentials.
Again, I hope you find something that works for you and your situation.
I understand your points. I can entertain ML/AI largely to keep an open space, if that makes sense. I don't feel it fits "me" and what I care about, tho. I know Makai has tried to push me in that direction before, so I gave his suggestion some entertainment. I also believe Makai wasn't suggesting it as light placeholder work. Maybe he wants me to team up with him on something?
I did originally take your "lol" to be one of mockery, largely because of our contrasting views on employment. Thank you for elaborating on your perspective, for I appreciate it. I am happy that you weren't makin' fun of me.
I do think, if I were to limit my goals to a scope, it would be one of the following.
- Deal with the mind directly, be it as a teacher of some sort. That could be psychological, clinical work or just a meditation teacher. I do not feel qualified for this at present, and that's probably part of the reason I haven't sprinted and gotten this done yet. I can talk a good talk, but when it comes giving that talk to others, I do not feel well-equipped to express techniques and ideas clear enough at this time.
- Working on the issues of precarity and inequality. I would imagine myself working better on the advocacy/research end, as I've done projects related to this in the past. This is actually where the grant stuff is coming from.
- Find something loose enough that it can overlap with the issues of suffering and/or inequality in general.
Suffice to say, I think I've picked some very esoteric, very difficult criteria regarding career or full-time jazz that I imagine do not have easy answers. That's why I'd like something light as I juggle forward with some of this stuff.
Short answer: Expect a lowball, it doesn't matter how good you are. Usually saving money is all that matters.
Long answer:
I had a similar situation, the difference is that I went from a temp job to another temp job on a different team.
Because I was unemployed I took the first temp job with a pretty low salary, when they offered me to stay and do another temp job, they told me they wanted me to have a permanent position but that they didn't have an opening at the time.
They didn't say anything about my salary changing, so it was implied that it was the same. I explicitly told them I had to think about the salary before making a decision.
Then I asked for a 20% raise and they gave it to me. I knew they were very happy with my performance and that it would cost them more to get someone from outside the company.
It was a bit disheartening that they tried to get me to keep working for the same salary, but we need to understand that they have goals to meet, if they can save money they will.
But it was pretty refreshing how easily they gave me the raise, I was expecting a counteroffer.
It might be happening lads! Just finished the final assessment for a traineeship that went really well and have a final meeting tomorrow for another one!
Let's say one of them calls me tomorrow and tells me they want me to join their traineeship, what's a strategic and good response if i want to wait for the result of my other application that is in the final round as well?
Edit: Ayeeee, it happened. The first company called me with good news like an hour after my final assessment. Hopefully I can nail tomorrow's meeting as well. Told the first company that I was happy about their decision and that I would like some time to read through the contract once they send it.
Let's say one of them calls me tomorrow and tells me they want me to join their traineeship, what's a strategic and good response if i want to wait for the result of my other application that is in the final round as well?
Edit: Ayeeee, it happened. The first company called me with good news like an hour after my final assessment. Hopefully I can nail tomorrow's meeting as well. Told the first company that I was happy about their decision and that I would like some time to read through the contract once they send it.
privitsan02
Member
Thanks for your answers guys.
I spoke with HR today, haven't gotten the offer yet, but it's still expected to come through this week. Regarding the salary, they did tell me that it's impossible that it will decrease, which is a relief. They did mention that maybe my year-end increase would be applied to this offer, but I won't be getting a year-end increase until the end of 2018. This would still have to be discussed over by them though.
So it definitely is a relief, hell I'm still at the end of the day glad that I'm actually going permanent.
MissDeviling
Member
4th interview in the past month and a bit. Rejected by 2 companies already, and I have to wait for more than 2 weeks for a response from the 3rd. I don't feel like I made a strong enough impression on the 4th.
God, I hope someone takes me in soon. I don't want to work for my current shit company.
God, I hope someone takes me in soon. I don't want to work for my current shit company.
Forsaken82
Member
What are you afraid of people seeing?
privitsan02
Member
I for one can't stand the smaller desks. It feels like you have less private space and less space to put your stuff or to personalize your area, especially if you're coming from a bigger desk or an office.
I get that it's the new modern way of modelling offices, but it's pretty invasive. My company is doing the same thing and I'm definitely not a fan.
Best wishes.
BeforeU
Oft hope is born when all is forlorn.
Has anyone have any experience with LinkedIn premium? Is it worth the money?
I may have unknowingly used my free trial years ago when I was still at university. So I was wondering if I should try it out for 30.99 CAD/month
I don't understand whats so bad about that. Its work place, not your home.
I may have unknowingly used my free trial years ago when I was still at university. So I was wondering if I should try it out for 30.99 CAD/month
I don't understand whats so bad about that. Its work place, not your home.
Forerunner
Member
It went well for me today. It was a small group of us and they pretty much just went over the rest of the application process. After that we just did one on one informal interview to see if you are competitive enough to continue. We also had to sign NDAs, so I cant really go in detail about things. Overall, it was positive though. They liked me and also my experience, so I have a good feeling about it.
Hambulance
Member
I guess I'll be joining the club for awhile.
Ten_Fold
Member
Working at this dead end factory making 11 an hour an 16 on weekends is starting to wear or me, sure the hours are nice an after working 7 days in a row my check is nice, but its not what I enjoy, I guess since I get off at 3pm everyday I should at least learn some programming, looking for september to be my last month an wanna see how fast can i learn basic programming skills an get a basic entry level job by October.
NipplesAndToes23
Member
I understand that work can be monotonous or very physical and hard. I would get out as soon as you can.
Went on another interview today and got another job offer. So now I have three job offers. Not sure what to do. I got one at this clothing store that pays only $8.50 an hour, the one out of town that's black owned, but I'm not sure how much I would get paid, but she says it will be more than $9 an hour, and the one I just got offered at a drug store is $15 an hour, but I'll be the only black person there.
The one out of town said I could do some work for her from home until I can move down there. I am tired of NC so I really want to go with that one, but this drug store is tempting, though I'd have walk kind of far for it since the bus doesn't go out that far. I'm tempted to see if I could do the drug store and the black owned one. What do you think?
Ten_Fold
Member
The $15 an hour job sounds nice, but being the only black guy at work can feel very off I've had that feeling of someone being really fake but acting like they are cool, but if you can deal with that you should be ok, if you feel better working the $9 take that till you can find something else. Anyways I think next month will be my last month working factory, gonna look for a desk job.
BigBeauford
Member
I understand your points. I can entertain ML/AI largely to keep an open space, if that makes sense. I don't feel it fits "me" and what I care about, tho. I know Makai has tried to push me in that direction before, so I gave his suggestion some entertainment. I also believe Makai wasn't suggesting it as light placeholder work. Maybe he wants me to team up with him on something?
I did originally take your "lol" to be one of mockery, largely because of our contrasting views on employment. Thank you for elaborating on your perspective, for I appreciate it. I am happy that you weren't makin' fun of me.
I do think, if I were to limit my goals to a scope, it would be one of the following.
- Deal with the mind directly, be it as a teacher of some sort. That could be psychological, clinical work or just a meditation teacher. I do not feel qualified for this at present, and that's probably part of the reason I haven't sprinted and gotten this done yet. I can talk a good talk, but when it comes giving that talk to others, I do not feel well-equipped to express techniques and ideas clear enough at this time.
- Working on the issues of precarity and inequality. I would imagine myself working better on the advocacy/research end, as I've done projects related to this in the past. This is actually where the grant stuff is coming from.
- Find something loose enough that it can overlap with the issues of suffering and/or inequality in general.
Suffice to say, I think I've picked some very esoteric, very difficult criteria regarding career or full-time jazz that I imagine do not have easy answers. That's why I'd like something light as I juggle forward with some of this stuff.
Look into obtaining a CPC certification, and code medical records for healthcare organizations. Makes good money and the vast majority work from home.
Alright job-search GAF, here's my story:
I graudated with an EE degree and worked for about 1.5 years before walking out of the office (I didn't actually walk out, gave my boss a 1 or 2 month notice to find a replacement and train them) to try and start my own business. That was 2 years ago and after 2 failed businesses, I'm ready to go back to a more stable job situation.
The big issue is that in these last 2 years I developed skills completely outside of my profession of electrical engineering. I freelanced as a mechanical engineer and fabricator in motorsports and then went and joined a startup brewery. Now that I'm looking at job postings in my profession, I'm worse off than when I graduated college. I've gotten a bunch of rust and my field is even more competitive than ever. I've been trying to work in my experience over the past 2 years but it doesn't feel like a good look to me. Any advice?
In the meantime, I've been trying to land an hourly job just to stay afloat since the brewery took a bunch of my money and I've acquired some debt because of it. Before acquiring my degree I worked hourly jobs and seasonal jobs such as U-HAUL, fishing, and being a tourist guide. I figured it wouldn't be too difficult to grab, but even these jobs aren't replying back. Is there something filtering me out?
Thanks, and I think it's awesome that we've got a community that is willing to help each other improve their chances at landing jobs. I never though I'd need this thread, but I'm glad I found you guys now.
I graudated with an EE degree and worked for about 1.5 years before walking out of the office (I didn't actually walk out, gave my boss a 1 or 2 month notice to find a replacement and train them) to try and start my own business. That was 2 years ago and after 2 failed businesses, I'm ready to go back to a more stable job situation.
The big issue is that in these last 2 years I developed skills completely outside of my profession of electrical engineering. I freelanced as a mechanical engineer and fabricator in motorsports and then went and joined a startup brewery. Now that I'm looking at job postings in my profession, I'm worse off than when I graduated college. I've gotten a bunch of rust and my field is even more competitive than ever. I've been trying to work in my experience over the past 2 years but it doesn't feel like a good look to me. Any advice?
In the meantime, I've been trying to land an hourly job just to stay afloat since the brewery took a bunch of my money and I've acquired some debt because of it. Before acquiring my degree I worked hourly jobs and seasonal jobs such as U-HAUL, fishing, and being a tourist guide. I figured it wouldn't be too difficult to grab, but even these jobs aren't replying back. Is there something filtering me out?
Thanks, and I think it's awesome that we've got a community that is willing to help each other improve their chances at landing jobs. I never though I'd need this thread, but I'm glad I found you guys now.
Hi All,
I'm reposting this for those that want some interview question help. I work in HR and Talent Acquisition and these are fairly common. Also gives you a good strategy and practice tackling them.
I use it and find it valuable because I can compare the applicant demographics and see what percentile I would fall in if I applied. You can also be on the top of the list when recruiters view the applications for the requisition. LinkedIn Salary is good to have for salary negotiations and if you are relocating to a new area. However, I think its way overpriced. I haven't ever heard of a recruiter choosing anyone that was Premium over Regular and most places willstill make you submit an actual application if you use their LinkedIn Apply so they can document EEO questions (only if they are a federal contractor). If you have companies in mind, the InMail messages are good to cold-contact recruiters but you only get 5, I say, if you get desparate and want some additional visibility with companies you have in mind it is. Otherwise, hold off and wait.
I'm reposting this for those that want some interview question help. I work in HR and Talent Acquisition and these are fairly common. Also gives you a good strategy and practice tackling them.
I use it and find it valuable because I can compare the applicant demographics and see what percentile I would fall in if I applied. You can also be on the top of the list when recruiters view the applications for the requisition. LinkedIn Salary is good to have for salary negotiations and if you are relocating to a new area. However, I think its way overpriced. I haven't ever heard of a recruiter choosing anyone that was Premium over Regular and most places willstill make you submit an actual application if you use their LinkedIn Apply so they can document EEO questions (only if they are a federal contractor). If you have companies in mind, the InMail messages are good to cold-contact recruiters but you only get 5, I say, if you get desparate and want some additional visibility with companies you have in mind it is. Otherwise, hold off and wait.
If it's a work from home position, how would one get certified for it? Would it be at a school or also home learning? I ask because it's likely wouldn't take much for the latter to have scams everywhere.
Ugh...couldn't take a call since I was at my desk and it turns out it was from a recruiter for a job I applied for a while back
They left a message saying to call back but no answer when I call, have left a message but it's extremely frustrating. It has been almost 2 days now and still nothing, any ideas on what I should do?
They left a message saying to call back but no answer when I call, have left a message but it's extremely frustrating. It has been almost 2 days now and still nothing, any ideas on what I should do?
Heh, same exact thing happened to me, though in my case the call skipped straight to voice mail (which my carrier does occasionally, though less frequently lately than a few years ago). Missed them the first time and all attempts to connect since have been futile.
That's why email's much better for initial outreach. You have a more solid line on them then if they called you from a work phone number.
Phone interview today, speaking of. Took it on my lunch break (i did clinch that temp job. I enjoy it, but they're not even sure that it'll convert to permanent and the commute is nasty).
Interview Tuesday went well, but they want to go for a third round and i'm waiting to hear if i made the cut.
BigBeauford
Member
A CPC cert is very legit, and again nearly all of medical coders work remotely. Where you choose to get a CPC is something I don't know much about (I have an RHIA which is a bachelors) but I imagine CPC certs can be obtained at a community college.
I don't know much about the EE field, but in CS trying to start your own company looks fantastic on a resume, regardless of whether or not it failed. I don't think it could possibly hurt you if you put yourself down as CEO/Founder on an engineering company on your resume.
It's all how you frame it. Just make sure you have good answers about what what wrong and what you'd do different.
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