Jobless and Frustrated NTers check in VOL. WE NOT-WORKIN!!!

[dman14]

 

Don't do this.

Why?

I got my current job by doing just that. Perhaps you have to be sensitive to the kind of environment you're in and how things work there. I work at a health center where the managers were readily available and visible so maybe it wasn't a huge deal.

But I've never had a problem walking in somewhere and introducing myself to the manager for a few minutes.

this. really depends on the environment. obviously, if the guy has a receptionist or someone you have to check in with, it'd be difficult

 

[NewWave90]

"Antidope"

So you know the issue I'm referring to. Coming from the south to the north.

 

[suberzat1]

I moved from Louisiana to DC

 

[NewWave90]

I moved from Louisiana to DC

Something like that seems like easier transition, because the wages and cost of living are higher in DC. I'm in Jersey looking to move to Texas and the salary they're offering down there is borderline disrespectful compared to up here.

 

[suberzat1]

 

I moved from Louisiana to DC

Something like that seems like easier transition, because the wages and cost of living are higher in DC. I'm in Jersey looking to move to Texas and the salary they're offering down there is borderline disrespectful compared to up here.

What industry are you working in?

Is it a 10k-20k drop in salary or 30k<

you already know about the cost of living. 

 

[adi934liife]

so whats a job in sales like? is it really cold calling and knocking on doors and stuff like that? you get no sales and get the axe, or get sales and next month manager wants 20% increase and what not? got an interview with wb mason for a entry level sales position but if its anything from what ive heard i do not want it.

 

[NewWave90]

I'm in the water treatment industry. In Texas is particular where I was actively looking it was 10-25k drop in salary.

 

[suberzat1]

You should be able to make that back up in a year or two in Texas depending on the area.

 

[robinvandamn]

Cover Letters

If you all don’t have a cover letter template written up so you can just fill in the blanks during a job hunt, you’re doing yourself a major disservice bc man does it look professional and it can be SO fast and easy if you do it beforehand.

This is what mine looks like:

Date

Your Name

Company Name

Company Street Address

City, State, Zip

Dear Hiring Manager/Hiring Department (pick 1 depending on how big the company sounds)

I am interested in applying for the (Insert job position here) that was (insert how you found the job here). My resume is included for your review.

My background includes extensive customer service experience in fast-paced environments (If you were in a lot of fast food/retail). Through those experiences I’ve developed a large focus on customer experience and satisfaction, that would easily fit within your company’s dedication to positive customer relations. Insert something specific to the company’s creed here. My skills include (relevant program/being eager to learn new skills), (a thing you can do), and (probably something like “reliable work pace”).

I would sincerely appreciate getting to meet with you to talk about this opportunity further. Please feel free to email me or call to get in contact with me. Thank you very much for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Your name again

Enclosure (it means a resume is attached too)

Short, sweet, to the point, and totally valid in p much any workplace. I wrote this up as a homework assignment for a business class and oh man it’s helped me out so much. 

• If you wanna write your own just keep the general structure the same: 
• 1st paragraph: what the job is, how you found it, you have a resume for them
• 2nd paragraph: Your background, what you learned, how you would fit in, show you read a little bit abt the company, what you can do
• 3rd paragraph: You wanna talk abt this in an interview, call or email you, thank them for their time

You can do this, cover letters don’t have to be intimidating!

 
Like A Boss: Writing A Resume

Resumes are possibly the hardest things you’ll ever write. Who knew one little page could be so problematic? Here are some of my tips on writing an effective resume: 

1. The purpose of a resume is to get you an interview NOT a job!
2. Formatting is HUGE! 
   1. You will want to use 1-inch margins all around (if you have a lot to fit use 0.5 margins all around).
   2. Do NOT use Microsoft word templates. Recruiters can spot these a mile away and most of them don’t scan well.
   3. Use bullet points instead of long block paragraphs.
   4. 12 pt Times New Roman is always a safe bet.
   5. Centered at the top should be your name in all caps with your city, state, zipcode | phone number | email underneath (this is for U.S.). 
   6. All your dates should be aligned to the right side of the document.
   7. Your sections should be in bold and should be: education, related academic experience (if applicable), work experience, volunteer experience, acknowledgements, skills. You can rearrange these sections depending on which you think are stronger. 
3. Content is IMPORTANT 
   1. Use parallelism in your bullets. For example they should all begin with action verbs (think: managed, conducted, analyzed, derived, and so on). 
   2. Use similar wording to what they used in the job description. If in the job description they mention analytical skills 3 times your resume better say “developed analytical skills by…” somewhere.
   3. A good way to structure your bullet points is to start with what  you did, followed by how  you did it and ending with why  you did it.
   4. If you don’t have much work experience you can totally use projects you have done in courses that directly relate to the job or internship you are applying to.
   5. CUSTOMIZE YOUR RESUME TO EACH JOB YOU APPLY TO!! 
4. Printed Resumes
   1. Use nicer quality paper (think slightly heavier paper or paper with a higher cotton percentage). 
   2. Make sure the paper is not wrinkled or has any kind of damage to it. 
5. NO TYPOS
   1. Recruiters receive many more resumes than they care to look at. Do NOT get tossed in the trash pile because of a simple typo. Read and reread your resume to make sure it is error free! 

If you want someone to give a quick once over to your resume feel free to send it my way! 

 
Right now, I’m sifting through 50+ applications for a new entry-level position. Here’s some advice from the person who will actually be looking at your CV/resume and cover letter:

• ‘You must include a cover letter’ does not mean ‘write a single line about why you want this position’. If you can’t be bothered to write at least one actual paragraphs about why you want this job, I can’t be bothered to read your CV.
• Don’t bother including a list of your interests if all you can think of is ‘socialising with friends’ and ‘listening to music’.  Everyone likes those things. Unless you can explain why the stuff you do enriches you as a person and a candidate (e.g. playing an instrument or a sport shows dedication and discipline) then I honestly don’t care how you spend your time. I won’t be looking at your CV thinking ‘huh, they haven’t included their interests, they must have none’, I’m just looking for what you have  included.
• Even if you apply online,  I can see the filename  you used for your CV. Filenames that don’t include YOUR name are annoying. Filenames like ‘CV - media’ tell me that you’ve got several CVs you send off depending on the kind of job advertised and that you probably didn’t tailor it for this position. ‘[Full name] CV’ is best.
• USE. A. PDF.  All the meta information, including how long you worked on it, when you created it, times, etc, is right there in a Word doc. PDFs are far more professional looking and clean and mean that I can’t make any (unconscious or not) decisions about you based on information about the file.
• I don’t care what the duties in your previous unrelated jobs were unless you can tell me why they’re useful  to this job. If you worked in a shop, and you’re applying for an office job which involves talking to lots of people, don’t give me a list of stuff you did, write a sentence about how much you enjoyed working in a team to help everyone you interacted with and did your best to make them leave the shop with a smile. I want to know what makes you happy in a job, because I want you to be happy within the job I’m advertising.
• Does the application pack say who you’ll be reporting to? Can you find their name on the company website? Address your application to them. It’s super easy and shows that you give enough of a **** to google something. 95% of people don’t do this.
• Tell me who you are. Tell me what makes you want to get up in the morning and go to work and feel fulfilled. Tell me what you’re  looking for, not just what you think I’m looking for.
• I will skim your CV. If you have a bunch of bullet points, make every one of them count. Make the first one the best one. If it’s not interesting to you, it’s probably not interesting to me. I’m overworked and tired. Make my job easy.
• “I work well in a team or individually” okay cool, you and everyone else. If the job means you’ll be part of a big team, talk about how much you love teamwork and how collaborating with people is the best way to solve problems. If the job requires lots of independence, talk about how you are great at taking direction and running with it, and how you have the confidence to follow your own ideas and seek out the insight of others when necessary. I am profoundly uninterested in cookie-cutter statements. I want to know how you actually  work, not how a teacher once told you you should work.
• For an entry-level role, tell me how you’re looking forward to growing and developing and learning as much as you can. I will hire genuine enthusiasm and drive over cherry-picked skills any day. You can teach someone to use Excel, but you can’t teach someone to give a ****. It makes a real difference.

This is my advice for small, independent orgs like charities, etc. We usually don’t go through agencies, and the person reading through the applications is usually the person who will manage you, so it helps if you can give them a real sense of who you are and how you’ll grab hold of that entry level position and give it all you’ve got. This stuff might not apply to big companies with actual HR departments - it’s up to you to figure out the culture and what they’re looking for and mirror it. Do they use buzzwords? Use the same buzzwords! Do they write in a friendly, informal way? Do the same! And remember, 95% of job hunting (beyond who you know and flat-out nepotism, ugh) is luck. If you keep getting rejected, it’s not because you suck. You might just need a different approach, or it might just take the right pair of eyes landing on your CV.

And if you get rejected, it’s worthwhile asking why. You’ve already been rejected, the worst has already happened, there’s really nothing bad that can come out of you asking them for some constructive feedback (politely, informally, “if it isn’t too much trouble”). Pretty much all of us have been hopeless jobseekers at one point or another. We know it’s ****** and hard and soul-crushing. Friendliness goes a long way. Even if it’s just one line like “your cover letter wasn’t inspiring" at least you know where to start.

And seriously, if you have any friends that do any kind of hiring or have any involvement with that side of things, ask them to look at your CV with a big red pen and brutal honesty. I do this all the time, and the most important thing I do is making it so their CV doesn’t read exactly like that of every other person who took the same ‘how-to-get-a-job’ class in school. If your CV has a paragraph that starts with something like ‘I am a highly motivated and punctual individual who–’ then oh my god I AM ALREADY ASLEEP.

 

[nike4kja05]

Sup yall,

First time posting in this thread and I just got a question I need some feedback on cause I do not know what to do right now and how I should approach this situation.

Quick background:
Left my previous job in October 2016 and started freelancing in Jan 2017 (Graphic Designer).

So I had an interview this morning for a digital designer position and it was going well until I met the boss of the design/marketing team. He was cutting me off every time I tried to explain what I did at my previous job or why I chose to do this or that for some of the pieces in my portfolio. He wasn't really letting me explain my thought process behind everything and it was pretty frustrating.

He was also questioning me on my degree and saying "oh have you this degree, but you don't know how to do this for a certain situation" or something along those lines. And I explained to him that I was never taught to do that in school so I couldn't answer his question directly but he kept going on and on about it and I told him the same thing. Its like he thinks every design school teaches the same criteria but they don't and I know that for a fact because I have been to other design school showcases and you can see the differences amongst the schools and their work.

I don't mind the constructive criticism of my work or my portfolio but he seemed like he didn't really care about any of that. It was a frustrating interview and something I didn't really prep for so it left me undecided on what I should do next if HR contacts me about another interview or if they send an offer.

My question is that if they want to me come in for another interview should I just take it and see how it goes from there or let HR know that I have had a change of heart and don't want to considered for the position anymore before they even email me about another interview?

My bad on the long read, this was just a frustrating interview and pissed me off that this guy really didn't give a **** about my previous experience or skill set.

I know they are looking to hire someone quick, probably by the end of the month so I expect an email within the next week from HR about the next steps going forward.

 

[23kidd]

Props to keeping your cool, i probably wouldve gotten smart with him.

it seems like the managers a douche or something.

 

[vtotheinay]

would anyone in here mind taking a look at my resume? looking into applying for possible marketing jobs in Arizona (tempe and surrounding cities) and would love someone who can be brutally honest to make corrections where necessary.

 

[wayniac211]

Need info on an "informal" interview. That a good thing?

 

[hiphopsays]

Need info on an "informal" interview. That a good thing?

it's akin to asking a person you like on a date ... and instead of a night time date they curve you for a lunchtime 'coffee outing'. It's a good thing if you can swing it into a formal interview or an offer (not a soft offer ... ie: we would love to have you at the company...). The bad thing is if the organization/interview has a concern which its looking to address through the informal interview and well you don't know what it is. 

I have done a couple of informal interviews ... a group version: candidates were invited to an event where a few different units looking to higher in the organization was present. and a one-on-one informal interview. With the group interview I found it helpful to approach it as away to see the competition's strong suits and use the info I gleaned about them to bolster my case for me being hired. 

 

[slighted]

Need info on an "informal" interview. That a good thing?

On this job search/networking game, I'll drop some knowledge:

- Treat every "informal" interview / coffee / drinks / [any meeting] as a formal interview.

- You want to be dressed appropriately. It's better to be overdressed than underdressed -- no one will ever fault you for being #NThandsome.

- Always have your best foot forward. Show your personality.

- Smile. Enthusiasm is contagious.

- Strong handshake. Nothing should piss you off more than someone who gives you a limp handshake -- yes, I've even gotten terrible handshakes from millionaires/ballers.

 

[fantastic4our]

You should be able to make that back up in a year or two in Texas depending on the area.

Yep. Plus, no income tax in Texas. Depending on where in Texas, even the big cities will be significantly lower in cost of living than Jersey.

 

[wayniac211]

On this job search/networking game, I'll drop some knowledge:

- Treat every "informal" interview / coffee / drinks / [any meeting] as a formal interview.
- You want to be dressed appropriately. It's better to be overdressed than underdressed -- no one will ever fault you for being #NThandsome.
- Always have your best foot forward. Show your personality.
- Smile. Enthusiasm is contagious.
- Strong handshake. Nothing should piss you off more than someone who gives you a limp handshake -- yes, I've even gotten terrible handshakes from millionaires/ballers.

it's akin to asking a person you like on a date ... and instead of a night time date they curve you for a lunchtime 'coffee outing'. It's a good thing if you can swing it into a formal interview or an offer (not a soft offer ... ie: we would love to have you at the company...). The bad thing is if the organization/interview has a concern which its looking to address through the informal interview and well you don't know what it is. 

I have done a couple of informal interviews ... a group version: candidates were invited to an event where a few different units looking to higher in the organization was present. and a one-on-one informal interview. With the group interview I found it helpful to approach it as away to see the competition's strong suits and use the info I gleaned about them to bolster my case for me being hired. 

Good looking out yo. Was thinking of wearing kix but scratch that. It's a 2nd interview btw. 1st one was formal. Im thinking they might offer me the gig. Well see..

again, good look on the advice. Repped

 

[foamtothedome]

.

 

[foamtothedome]

Went in for a government policy consultantcy interview today.... had to write a case study test at the end, test itself wasnt difficult, the time limit was 

anyone with a similiar expereince writing a test after an interview?

 

[Thierry Henry]

Back to being unemployed

I hate filling out these apps man

They ask you to upload your resume and then you have to fill out all that info over again >:

 

[AZwildcats]

Keep ya head up man, you'll find something. I know hat feeling all too well

 

[foamtothedome]

do any of you guys do follow up emails? and if so how long do you wait before sending? 

 

[antidope]

do any of you guys do follow up emails? and if so how long do you wait before sending? 

Within 24 hours or you're no longer top of mind for those people

 

[38816]

lmao my very garbage day job literally just paid me 23% of my paycheck today.

i would take all the money out of the two registers but it's only like 48 bucks total.

funny thing is, before i went in tonite i thought to myself "watch my check be ****** up..."

 

[getback]

People flourishing in here. Dope!

I recently decided to go back to school in the fall for physical therapy, eventually specializing in sports medicine. So many options with this, I don't even know where to start or where I want to end up or how it's gonna happen. Got me overwhelmed.

In the meanwhile, personal training didn't work out so I'm on the hunt for something like a physical therapy aide to gain some experience in the environment. Not really sure where to go from here.

Last six months since I left the office has been rocky. Trying to look long term and trust in the process, but it's hard.

I want to go to school for PT, but I'm $2000 away from paying off my undergrad debt and I really don't feel like going down that road again