posted
I am considering taking any job I can find. The problem is I can't seem to get any job I can find, even at Ocean State Job Lot. I think I should have lied. I could even get a part time job at a bank teller because they checked my credit ><.
I'm going to try to figure out how to make an interviewer want to hire me... and if i can get a job at Borders.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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I'm guessing you're just kidding, but don't lie on your resume or during an interview. That's the quickest way not to get hired, or to get fired if they don't find out until later.
Posts: 3950 | Registered: Mar 2006
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I probably should not have told Ocean State Job Lot that I went to college. Folks are always saying if you are applying for retail pretend that you didn't go to college because they'll think you're over qualified. I dislike lying... But this place is close to home though.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Syn, if you would consider trying LDS Employment Services, I was impressed with their services here in Atlanta--they offer exactly the type of interview coaching, videotaping, etc. that some in this thread have advised. I don't know if they have a center near you or if that center offers all that the one here has, but I'd say it's worth a shot. It's free, and you certainly don't have to be Mormon. LinkyPosts: 3149 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote: I'm going to try to figure out how to make an interviewer want to hire me...
Or -- and I'm just throwing this out again as a wacky idea that just might work -- you could go in for interview training. It's usually free, and from what you've said I'm certain it'll be useful.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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quote:At the local congregational level, Church leaders and others help people find work. Leaders can obtain support from employment centers, which provide ideas, materials, resources, and other assistance.
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Q: Who can use the employment resource services of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?
A: LDS Employment Resource Services offers assistance to anyone in need, regardless of religious affiliation.
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Q: Are there any fees for using the Church's employment resource services?
A: No fees are charged to individuals or organizations who use the services offered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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Q: Do I have to go to a center to receive service?
A: Almost half of the people who receive help never come to a center. They are assisted by local Latter-day Saint ward and stake employment specialists, with support from Employment Resource Services staff. You can also receive help by using the other resources on this Web site or by contacting Employment Resource Services staff by phone or e-mail. To find the ward, stake, or employment center in your area, use the Locations feature of this Web site, or visit www.mormon.org.
That's pretty darn cool.
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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They were REALLY helpful in overhauling my husband's resume (people charge for that kind of thing-- they do it for free!) They also have access to leads that no one else has, and they do offer interview training and workshops as well.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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I will call them up tomorrow along with most of my temp agencies and Borders. I will also check the Mass unemployment site for nearby services.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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I don't know if you've ever waited tables or not, but it pays money. It's a hard job, the hours are often disgusting and you have to live on tips, but if you're moderately good at it, you'll probably make enough to live on.
It was the one thing I said I'd never do, after all I had a college degree, and I was a double major! Frankly, I didn't have much other choice, it was that or working at a gas station. I'm glad that I took the job though. It gave me time to get myself together along with my resume, so that when the right job was available, I was able to get it on the first attempt.
Posts: 1214 | Registered: Aug 2005
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I worked for BYU Grounds Crew *way* longer than I had ever intended, all because it took me a long time to find a job straight out of college. It was the worst job I ever had, if it snowed the hours were terrible, and I really disliked the work I was doing. Even though I hated it, it paid the bills and had flexible enough hours that I could take time off for job interviews just about any time I wanted.
I had quite a few job interviews, and all I can say is that I had to get rejected a *lot* before I could really start to pick up on how to behave in an interview. After having an interview, take an honest look at how it went: Were you nervous? Were you clear? Were you nice? Were you professional? I found that I had a tendency to get nervous and stutter, and really tried to correct that in subsequent interviews. On the first interview that I really felt I did a good job on I started actually getting positive vibes from the employers, like they were really interested in the answers I was giving, and I was visibly excited about the work they were describing. I *still* didn't get the job. That happens. The next job I interviewed for, I did get an offer. It's not perfect, but it's an improvement in every possible way to my old job.
Next interview you have, go in with a positive attitude that you are going to dazzle them with your skills and personality. If you believe it, so will they.
Posts: 4089 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
I think that the oddest interview story I've heard came from a friend of mine who was interviewing candidates for a job as a research librarian. One candidate really stood out, and all but had the job. He was intelligent, articulate, personable, and very well qualified for the position. My friend had a few more interviews to conduct, but was pretty sure that they were a formality--or at least he did until the interviewee was caught in the library's stacks licking books.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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My sister was once temping and they were looking to hire someone. The job really was higher then my sister could have expected with her experience level and was not a natural progression. As she was bringing her temp boss some papers he was looking for, he looked at the stack of resumees and said, dang, this is too much work. I don't want to do all those interviews and crap. Would you like the job? My sister immediately said yes and moved into a pretty decent job. She had been offered a full time job prior to that, but before the probation time was over, the boss's nephew asked for a job so they got rid of her.
Posts: 1001 | Registered: Mar 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Noemon: I think that the oddest interview story I've heard came from a friend of mine who was interviewing candidates for a job as a research librarian. One candidate really stood out, and all but had the job. He was intelligent, articulate, personable, and very well qualified for the position. My friend had a few more interviews to conduct, but was pretty sure that they were a formality--or at least he did until the interviewee was caught in the library's stacks licking books.
That is funny. I love books but not that much.
Dang, why doesn't anything like that happen to me? I worked 5 months for Blue Card, got contacted again and worked a year and no awesome full time job doing something wrist aching I really liked. Alas. I've got to call this place about interview help. I just got voice mail. I called about 6 of my temp places and they all said the same thing every ONE! Also, I did not get the job I interviewed for on Friday so it's getting hard to think positive.
I think Maybe I'll learn how to make curry or something.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Synesthesia, it's like you are in a holding pattern, and you just can't break free. What you are doing -- no matter if it seems to you like it should work -- just isn't working. Something has to change.
I think the interview training is a good start. The LDS services are free, but you have to be the one to make the call. There are some simple things they can tell you that may help. For example, good eye contact does not mean a lot of eye contact. Too much direct eye contact is just as bad as too little. Those are things you can work on with skilled people.
Good luck! Enjoy your weekend, too. Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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The economy needs to improve? I called them up today, but got a voicemail. I'll call again on monday.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Synesthesia, there are other people at your skill level who are finding work. The economy doesn't need to change in order for things to get better for you, and that sort of change in the world might not have been enough, anyway.
But look at you! You're doing this! You are making the calls and taking the steps. That can be so hard, but it's oh-so-worthwhile. Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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My cover letter skills have improved. But, I've been working temp jobs since 2005. It's never been this hard to get a simple single temporary job. The last one I had was in November. It was supposed to last for 6 weeks but I got let go in 3 days because there really wasn't any work... The last time I was out of work for a long time was last July, and it only took me a few days to get a new job. Things seem to be a lot different now. In 2005 when the Blue Card assignment ended, I got another short assignment within a few days. The next assigment, the same thing. The longest I was out in 2006 was 3 weeks. There is seriously something wrong, but I need a permanant job. It's possible to get one, but it's never been this difficult just to get a few week assigment and that's what every agency has been telling me.
b ut I do hope I'm getting close.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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It's sure likely the market is worse, and maybe even worse than typical where you are. But you can do this!
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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posted
I was unemployed for nine months in 2000, after the economy started its collapse into recession at that time. It wasn't pleasant, and I wound up having to move to Wisconsin to find any job at all.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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The problem with temp work is that it is temporary, and unfortunately there are times when there is very little temp work. If you've been temping for years and never had trouble getting a job before then you've been lucky. The temp market is typically down after the holidays if only because people aren't taking vacation time and because people don't use sick time if they can avoid it in order to pay off the accumulated holiday bills. When I was temping a few years ago, there were months where I couldn't get a job and the agency told me that it was usual for that time of year to have very few jobs come available.
Posts: 1214 | Registered: Aug 2005
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Syn, how are you listing your temp assignments on your resume? Are you listing each individual assignment or are you listing your affiliation with the agency? That could make a huge difference.
Seeing a lot of short-term jobs on a resume will definitely scare away a potential employer. It looks as if either (a) you didn't have the job skills required for that position and you were released quickly, (b) you bore easily and bail out, or (c) there some other intangible "wrongness" that prompted early termination. I'm not saying that any of these are truly the case. Just that with no other information to go by, you'll often be eliminated just on that basis.
You may be better with a skill-based resume rather than a job-based one. I hope you do contact LDS Employment Services, they'll be able to help you with this as well.
Posts: 4515 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
Someone suggested that I delete the months from my resume, so I did. The BCBS MA gig lasted off and on for nearly 2 years.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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To back up what MightyCow is saying... I'm not looking for a reason to hire you, I am looking for reasons to not hire you because there are X amount of other equally qualified candidates and I want to eliminate eveyone except the best candidate for the job. It doesn't take much to fail an interview and I have interviewed many many people. If I understand what you are saying clearly, you are being offered jobs, just not close enough for you?
Posts: 1918 | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
Was it here on Hatrack that I heard the story about the HR manager that would drop half the resumes in the trash without reading them, justifying this by saying he didn't want to hire anyone unlucky?
I told that story to my mom, the 30-years of experience HR exec, and she laughed but not because it was preposterous - rather that it was a clever way of explaining something they all do. She will discard resumes because they're on colored paper, or she doesn't like the font they use, or especially if there are any typos or grammatical errors in them or the cover letter. If she calls a candidate and they don't have voice mail, she will never call again, because she says if they really wanted the job, they' answer their phone or have voice mail. She would discard any resume with significant gaps that weren't explained, or that had too many jobs over too short a time period.
They are definitely looking at ways to weed out people, and all sorts of things can influence that. Interviewing takes a lot of time, and time is money - so you don't want to interview unless you're sure there's a good chance you want that person. But once you get to interviews, there's a whole nother set of things you can use to weed out. And, though it sounds petty, the hat thing could easily be one of them. How you're dressed, how you answer questions, how you carry yourself.
You also have to remember that sometimes it's not about you. Sometimes the interviewer has a problem, and you just happen to push their buttons somehow. You're probably better off not working there, in that case. But, if you're having repeated trouble finding and keeping jobs, then you do need to take a look at yourself and see what needs to change. Be aware, too - as Goody pointed out - if your resume shows this turbulent work history, that's a big strike against you. You say the BCBS gig lasted two years like that's a really good thing - most employers want to see stable work history of 3-5 years per place. No one expects people to stay at one job their whole career anymore, but stability is usually defined by 3-5 years, as opposed to two.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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quote:Originally posted by TomDavidson: I was unemployed for nine months in 2000, after the economy started its collapse into recession at that time. It wasn't pleasant, and I wound up having to move to Wisconsin to find any job at all.
Hey! I resent that your last hope for employment was in the frozen wastelands of Wisconsin.
Posts: 4753 | Registered: May 2002
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quote:Originally posted by DarkKnight: To If I understand what you are saying clearly, you are being offered jobs, just not close enough for you?
Yes. and I currently do not have a car. I called the folks at the LDS Employment Services. They seem helpful. I just hope I can get a job by the 3rd of March or something. I wish I was starting one of the jobs I didn't get even if it means taking the 6:45 am train which is soooooo early.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Working as the front desk receptionist is the bottom rung of the HR ladder in several companies I have been aware of.
Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Someone will contact me from there. There's a ward nearby in Hingham. I pass there on the way to Bernie's vet. I also have an interview for YET another staffing agency on Wednesday But I have got to find a way to not tell folks unnessasary information.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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quote: Perhaps I am too soft for such a job and should write instead as that is what I want to do anyway.
Syn, I wish you the very best of luck.
However, making a living as a writer is not usually for people who are "soft." I don't mean to put you off of it, but I hope that I can dispel the notion that even the deserving, talented writers are able to make ends meet on their writing alone.
Suppose that you're able to produce professional quality short stories immediately. Let's assume you're a sci-fi writer. All right-- suppose also that your first short story gets accepted by Baen's (the highest paying pro-sci-fi market these days, clocking in at around $.08-$.10/word. I think); assume that you make ~$500 for the sale.
You have to wait for that check to arrive, you know. And that's only $500. Assume you're Jay Lake, who (by some accounts) can produce a short story once a week-- that's still only $2000/month, before taxes. For the sake of argument, let's say the government takes out $100 per month. That's $1900/month, totaling ~$23,000/year.
Now, if you're selling fiction to Playboy every month, you could double your income. But selling to Playboy every month is a feat NO author has been able to accomplish.
Now, let's add a bit more-- let's say you write a novel along with the four short-stories per month you're writing, and you get an agent immediately, who gets you a contract immediately. The normal advance for a novel is around $5000.
That's it.
Economics aside, being a writer usually demands a LOT of work. Again, I'm not trying to discourage you, but to show you the average reality of what it means to be a writer. If you go after it without any type of backup plan, it's likely you'll be burned, financially speaking.
That's true no matter how talented, no matter how motivated you are.
If you think you're a fair writer, and have a good grasp of grammar/usage, why don't you try looking for work as a technical writer? If you enjoy writing (and there's a great deal of creativity in technical writing, if it's approached correctly), it's a good side job while you work on that novel.
Posts: 14554 | Registered: Dec 1999
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I'm glad you called LDS employment, Synesthesia. It sounds like they don't have the same resources there that the office has here, though, or they would have had you come in. I hope they are helpful--those email lists can be great and show a lot of unadvertised jobs. Good luck to you. I'm in the same boat right now, actually.
Posts: 3149 | Registered: Jul 2005
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I know it's work, but it's been my dream for ages... It's been a struggle just to get the details of these characters worked out since 1999. So I have every intention of publishing and finishing this thing. But I am seriously nearly at the end of my rope and I have no idea WHEN I'm going to get a job or how at this point... It's extremely irratating. Perhaps I have no direction other than trying to get some sort of decent job so I can get caught up.
What is technical writing and how do I get into it? Maybe I can work for a publisher or something. I don't know.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
I took a tire into the shop the other day to get repaired, and while I was sitting there waiting, some guy came into the shop looking for a job.
It was the most amusing conversation I've ever heard.
He was a very nice looking, mature, clean-cut guy. The shop manager asked him to fill out an app, which he did. Then the shop manager started asking him questions about his previous work.
All seemed pretty good until the manager said something about "which <lube shop> did you work at?"
And the conversation then when something like:
JobSeeker: "Which one at which time? They moved me all around."
Manager: "Well, then which ones"
JS : *rattles off several of the different branches this lube place has in town* THEN he says, "see, at <lube shop> if they don't like you they just move you around."
"they never fire any mostly - just move them around -- in fact, I was the first person to get fired from there (said proudly) in a few years."
"But, of course, it was just a personality conflict with that boss. He's just an asshole. We had words."
And he continued along that line of thought the entire rest of the interview
(By this time, my eyes are wide open and I'm nearly bursting out laughing)
My son was with me -- I said, "That is how to NOT do a job interview!"
Posts: 9538 | Registered: Aug 2003
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Blayne Bradley
unregistered
posted
we're more alike then we let on.
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quote:What is technical writing and how do I get into it?
Technical writing means taking a complex technical process-- say, for example, software design-- and composing the processes in standard English so that it can be processed by decision makers who are not technical people.
There's a great need for technical writers in the defense/government industries because we allow auditors to see processes at a glance, so they can make decisions about a program's viability much more easily.
Technical writers also do lots of research; some of us are employed by schools or libraries who have scientists come in and request all the information available on X subject. A technical writer will interview the client, discover what they need, then do the research for them and write up a synopsis of what they've found.
Technical writing entails 2 parts writing capability, and 2 parts people skills. You have to be a good communicator, and you have to be able to deal with people who are NOT especially good at communicating.
quote:Maybe I can work for a publisher or something. I don't know.
Well.. you could, but that's not technical writing. Posts: 14554 | Registered: Dec 1999
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posted
Oh But it's what it makes me think about for some reason. Editing. And maybe a job taking bad English translated by Japanese people who do not know English and turning it into good plan English.
At least I have a grammar manual.
Someone from the LDS Job service called me. I think I shall have to call her back...
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Usually yes, if someone calls you and they intend to help you it falls to you to call them back.
Honestly, Syn, I don't know how to help you. I'm beginning to wonder if any of this is true, I get the feeling you're laughing at us somehow.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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quote:Originally posted by Belle: Usually yes, if someone calls you and they intend to help you it falls to you to call them back.
Honestly, Syn, I don't know how to help you. I'm beginning to wonder if any of this is true, I get the feeling you're laughing at us somehow.
I WISH IT WASN'T TRUE! This is driving me crazy! Every day i've got to wake up with a sore jaw and shooting head pains and these dumb IBS pains from how crazy this is driving me! I hate not having a job. It should not be this difficult to get a simple decent paying job if you got the skills and want to work...
anyway, I'm not the sort of person who lies about herself on the internet, but dang, do I wish this wasn't the case and that I was posting during breaks at a job paying $20 dollars per hour. Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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quote:I WISH IT WASN'T TRUE! This is driving me crazy!
Syn, I'm actually thinking that therapy and job assistance are absolute musts for you.
I'm already seeing a counselor... But I'm beginning to think I should not talk about any of this stuff because it makes me feel so pathetic and stupid to find myself in this position over and over.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Talking about it is good if you are listening and try to apply some of the advice.
And hey, this time it put you in contact with some employment trainers. That could be really useful.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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posted
I suck at job interviews. Liberal amounts of suck. I can have the whole thing perfected, the perfect sparkly answers memorized and practiced, my teeth whitened, my smile disarming, my portfolio ready to change their world, and my resume hand-crafted by Edward Tufte himself, and still walk in and five minutes later be sitting there like I'm caught in headlights.
Every once in a while, though, I get lucky and get into a situation where I actually get to demonstrate how good I'd be at the job I'm applying for, instead of coming up with my best politician response to what my greatest weakness is or how I'd handle things in the likely situation that my co-workers rebelled and established their own nation in the 3rd floor women's bathroom.
So I feel for you, Syn. In the temp job market you're probably facing a lot of interviewers who do it straight off the script and who lost any sense of humor they had years ago.
It can't be helped. Sometimes all you can do is get a good grip on your bootstraps and pull.
Do take the initiative and prepare yourself every way possible. Put together a killer interview outfit, freaking polish that smile and handshake, arm yourself with examples of why you rock at what you do, and tell yourself that, for this one half hour at least, you're going to do it by their rules and be the person they want to hire.
I echo everyone else who is advising you to get some job counseling. Do that, and stick to it. Change your life a little if you have to. Set some goals and focus your life on them.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
Been trying that, but the whole thing is just making me so fed up and annoyed. I've got an interview for yet another staffing agency tomorrow so I'll wear my respectable suit and see what happens. This lady from the job counseling left me a message saying she will put me on a list of some sort. I'm having a bit of trouble calling back, because I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to ask about the next step in a way that will not sound incredably dense and stupid. not to mention my aversion to calling people I don't know and leaving answering machine messages....
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
As an aside, a handshake needs to be responsive, rather than always firm. It's kind of like the eye contact thing.
There are some books out there like Instant Rapport that teach some of the "skills" that employers won't admit they are looking for (or possibly don't know they are looking for.)
One thing we haven't talked about much is that you are a minority. Most people don't think they discriminate against minorities, but there are a bunch of habits one develops as a minority that can get in the way. This whole thing about the hat and the coat, that may have been an example.
In the end you have to be able to be yourself, but it might be worth asking which parts of yourself are really indispensible to being who you are.
Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
Could my natural looking hair be off putting? I've got to cut it later on but it's been getting a bit longer...
I got an offer for a job, but it's $10.50 per hour going to Cambridge. The train station is a 30 minute walk from my house. To go to Braintree is 2.50. To go to Cambridge from Braintree, 1.70. 21 dollars a week. Going straight to Boston 5.75 + 1.70 to get to Cambridge. 37.25 per week. Plus if I take the cab to the train station or home due to the weather that's extra money. Frustrating. But it's a laid back job, but I'm paying 200 bucks a week for rent here...
I totally did take off my coat too, but I still had my hat on until she reminded me about that. I usually forget to take it off since it was super cold. Indispensible : o(
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
If it is a full time job, that is $84 a day, $420 a week. If travel costs even as high as $40 a week, you are still making $380 more a week then you were before.
Posts: 1001 | Registered: Mar 2006
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