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General => General Discussion => Topic started by: Ħ on September 25, 2012, 04:40:10 PM

Title: How to get a job?
Post by: Ħ on September 25, 2012, 04:40:10 PM
Okay, this is me asking DTF for help. I've never had a job before cause I was born with a fat silver spoon in my mouth. I really got to get a grip on that. Problem is I dunno wtf to do or where to start. The catch 22 of employers looking for people with previous work experience is very daunting. I've got good book smarts and academic habits but really no street smarts so gotta work on that. So like, how do you start this process? How can I get some experience under the belt? One and a half years til graduation, so time is ticking...What do??
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: theseoafs on September 25, 2012, 04:51:00 PM
Ouch.  You're getting started pretty late, man.  I'd be lying if I said that wouldn't hurt.  I mean, I got my first job in the summer after graduating from high school, and sometimes I feel like that was way too late.

You're in college, which is a good thing.  Your college almost definitely has a career advising department, so definitely start there.  They'll help you get your resume up to snuff, and they probably have some sort of searchable career database to get you started in your field.

You'll want to get some tangible work experience under your belt as soon as possible.  Don't be afraid of minimum wage jobs that don't have anything to do with what you want to do with the rest of your life, like calling center worker or burrito wrapper.  A job is a job and a good recommendation is a good recommendation.

Best of luck.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Fiery Winds on September 25, 2012, 04:51:22 PM
Since you're still in school, there should be some opportunities to work on campus.  Generally easier to get without experience, but will count as something when you want to move on to something else.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Sigz on September 25, 2012, 04:52:35 PM
^that.

If you can get any connections through friends and family, that helps as well.

If you really need experience, you can look for volunteer positions as well, which at least give you something for a resume.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: theseoafs on September 25, 2012, 05:01:29 PM
Oh, definitely see if there are any open positions in whatever department you're in at school.  I'll be a grader for the intro to computer science class this quarter, for example.  If you're successful in school (and it seems like you are), previous profs will generally snap you up if they need some grunt work done since you're familiar with the material and have already proven to be a hard worker.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Ħ on September 25, 2012, 05:15:36 PM
Chestlist:

-career advising department
-check for student jobs
-check for volunteer positions in the meantime

Two other things I was thinking of doing. One would be sending applications to local stores (it's gotta be local, don't have a car). Another would be actively checking craigslist. I would not be wasting time doing either of those things, right?
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Adami on September 25, 2012, 05:19:10 PM
Apply.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Sigz on September 25, 2012, 05:19:24 PM
Not at all, just be sure to follow up at the places you apply. Craigslist is a good place for job postings. Just make sure they're specific about the position/who they are, cause there are scammers out there.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: bosk1 on September 25, 2012, 05:21:09 PM
What do you ultimately want to do?  If you have even a rough idea of what you want to do when you get out of school, one of the absolute best things you can do is use your school's career services office and alumni services office to find people who are already doing what you ultimately want to do.  They you write letters, cold call, and do whatever else you have to do to try to set up VERY brief informational interviews with them.  Ask for 15 minutes of their time where you can either come to their offices, buy them a coffee at Starbuck's, or something like that, and ask what they would recommend.  You will likely get VERY few positive responses, but the ones that you do get will be gold and will help you (1) properly set your expectations for what you can get coming right out of school, and (2) help you get the kind of entry-level or pre-entry-level jobs that will productively pave the way.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: theseoafs on September 25, 2012, 05:23:32 PM
Chestlist:

lol
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: bosk1 on September 25, 2012, 05:26:33 PM
Chestlist:

-career advising department
-check for student jobs
-check for volunteer positions in the meantime

Yeah...um...here's another item to add:  Spellcheck and proof read your resume and other documents.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Perpetual Change on September 25, 2012, 05:44:13 PM
Just finished my Master's and I'm pretty much in the same boat. I have tons of unpaid experience in my field, but nothing professional. I hate the waiting game. You put in applications, and then wait, and then maybe 3 or 4 weeks later you hear back from a few of them if you're lucky. I've put like 30 applications in over the last month, and that yielded two phone interviews. Meanwhile, I'm just sitting at home burning through my (very modest) savings. It absolutely sucks. I have been in school for six years, working 1-3 part time jobs throughout. Every app I send out and fail to hear anything back from is just another tiny blow at my confidence. Honestly, I'm getting depressed.   :|

Of course, I have tons of work experience and "job" experience. The problem is, very little of that is relevant to my career. If need be, I'll go back to retail in time for the holidays. But I really don't want to have to do that. And honestly, I'm not sure if I can. Do retail stores normally hire people with Master's degrees?

So I don't really have any help to offer you, Hayden. I feel like I need a lot of help myself. But if it's really bothering you, I'd say just take anything unless you can afford to keep waiting.  While you have time, and still have money, try doing some volunteer work related to your field. It'll keep your resume from looking bad, and you'll barely have time to do anything for anyone else if you ultimately have to take a temporary job as a burrito wrapper. That's what I'm going to be doing if something doesn't come through soon.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: TioJorge on September 25, 2012, 05:54:41 PM
You need to put yourself out there, literally. Just go out, talk to people at your college about the stores and businesses surrounding the area, then go talk to them; build up a network of people who know your name and be relentless about it. You can't be shy and if you are (like I am...verily), suck it up and know that if you don't do it, you're going to be drowning in shit creek, again, like I was. After hearing people bullshit you about the economy and how difficult it is to get a job, you realize sooner or later that it isn't hard if you truly need a job. I don't mean 'want' or 'Yeah I need to get a job'. I mean, you're going to be fucking homeless, sucking dick for a bottle of water and a piece of bread and YOU FUCKING HAVE TO HAVE THIS FUCKING JOB FUUUUUUUUUUUCK ARI GOLLLLLLLLLD.

I'm sure none of this helped, but maybe it did. I don't know. I don't care. I just know that once my father cut me off and I realized how spoiled I was ('silver spoon' is a bit too much, I wasn't rich by any means and I grew up dirt poor, but throughout my teenage years I've definitely been upper-middle-class) and how little I had of myself; spending about a week in an apartment that was the size of my room in my old house and having to smell shit and deal with druggies and threats of robbery and yadda yadda 'Merica problems...I stopped being shy real fuckin' quick. That said, you alos learn the ropes of who to suck up to, who not to take shit from, who to go to when you really need to get a job, all the 'who's' of the world is all that matters when you first get started. It is extremely helpful and sometimes necessary.

As another said, do not be afraid of working grunt jobs and being that lowly peon. As long as you strive for the top and work hard, you'll get noticed; and those degrees at that point will start to help out and you'll be noticed even more. But working your way up the ladder is the best way to go, I believe. Every degree in this world won't give a future employer the same impression as seeing how much hard work you put into building yourself up and getting yourself out there. You've just got to do it in a way that suits you best. College is a great start but even then, if you aren't resolute about it, if you don't stay on top of it then you may as well start over.

This was more of a yadda yadda for myself I guess but if you take anything from my insanity, here have a lemon.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Perpetual Change on September 25, 2012, 05:58:01 PM
Yeah, I lost my network, sort of.

I had a good network when I was finishing up my BA. But then I decided I wanted to do a Master's abroad. Then, I had a great network there, and could have landed something good. But I wanted and needed to come home. The network I had upon finishing my BA is pretty much disintegrated. I had people who wanted to help me two years ago, but I did something else, and they moved on to help other people. That's just life. You get off the train and someone else gets on.

Oh well. I will become the volunteer king!
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: theseoafs on September 25, 2012, 06:03:28 PM
You put in applications, and then wait, and then maybe 3 or 4 weeks later you hear back from a few of them if you're lucky. I've put like 30 applications in over the last month, and that yielded two phone interviews. Meanwhile, I'm just sitting at home burning through my (very modest) savings.

For what it's worth, the job application process doesn't have to be a waiting game if you take an active role in it.  It's always a good idea to follow up on job applications you put in; that will let your potential employers know you mean business.

The absolute worst-case scenario if you call in to check on the status of an app is they'll say "no, we filled that position years ago" or "sorry but your app sucked monkey balls", but even in that case it's great to have a solid answer.  That way, you'll be able to focus your energies on the pursuit of other opportunities rather than waiting on contact regarding a job that you were never going to be offered in the first place.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: TioJorge on September 25, 2012, 06:08:08 PM
You put in applications, and then wait, and then maybe 3 or 4 weeks later you hear back from a few of them if you're lucky. I've put like 30 applications in over the last month, and that yielded two phone interviews. Meanwhile, I'm just sitting at home burning through my (very modest) savings.

For what it's worth, the job application process doesn't have to be a waiting game if you take an active role in it.  It's always a good idea to follow up on job applications you put in; that will let your potential employers know you mean business.

The absolute worst-case scenario if you call in to check on the status of an app is they'll say "no, we filled that position years ago" or "sorry but your app sucked monkey balls", but even in that case it's great to have a solid answer.  That way, you'll be able to focus your energies on the pursuit of other opportunities rather than waiting on contact regarding a job that you were never going to be offered in the first place.

Wonderful advice. When looking for a job, 'waiting' should never be an option. You should always be on the move, filling your day with writing so many applications and going back to the ones you've filled for a follow up that you consider that your actual job: finding a job. Because it is. Just as if you're full-time in school, that is essentially your job unless you're one of those crazy badasses that does full-time school and full-time work.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Ħ on September 25, 2012, 06:09:40 PM
With resume building, is it more important to be honest or to portray yourself in the best light possible? For example, I got some dirt low grades in a couple chem classes, but I passed. So like, if I'm applying for working in a lab or something, should I include my grade in the resume, or just write the class down?
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: theseoafs on September 25, 2012, 06:11:40 PM
Fuck no.  You took the class and passed it.  Only include specifics if they're really good specifics.  (For example, the advice my counselor gave me regarding resumes is to include your GPA only if it's above 3.5.)
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Ħ on September 25, 2012, 06:12:03 PM
On a side note, Nick told me that DTF mods are paid $25 per ban. What's the DTF application process?
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: TioJorge on September 25, 2012, 06:13:24 PM
 :lol

Oh fuck I'm crying

 :rollin :rollin
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Perpetual Change on September 25, 2012, 06:15:03 PM
I am not sold on the idea of calling to follow-up on an application. I talked to some HR people about it once, and it just seemed to piss them off.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Ħ on September 25, 2012, 06:16:40 PM
(For example, the advice my counselor gave me regarding resumes is to include your GPA only if it's above 3.5.)
Well, if I'm not including my GPA in my resume, I basically don't have a resume other than the fact I graduated high school.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: theseoafs on September 25, 2012, 06:19:39 PM
 :lol  A GPA from 3.0 to 3.5 could be fine too.  Keep in mind that your professional resume will still be a good place to dump your extracurriculars until you've been out of college for a year or two.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Ħ on September 25, 2012, 06:21:49 PM
Er, like marching band from high school? Or National Honor Society, from high school? Or helping out with the church youth group? Do employers care about that stuff?
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: theseoafs on September 25, 2012, 06:24:08 PM
Well, it should be the stuff you did in college.  High school won't matter so much right now.  But yeah, you can use extracurriculars to fill up some space if your work experience is lacking.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Ħ on September 25, 2012, 06:27:27 PM
Well, it should be the stuff you did in college.
OK. Literally the only things I did in college were 1) Circle K club with about 50 hours of volunteering for various things, and 2) volunteering at church. So, those two things, plus graduating high school, plus relevant college courses taken will make up my resume. And also font size 72 WordArt that says "The Greatest Resume Ever".
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: theseoafs on September 25, 2012, 06:29:18 PM
Hell yeah. 
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Ħ on September 25, 2012, 06:33:07 PM
All right. So, step by step, tomorrow will be checking out the career center and constructing the resume. College GPA is a 2.91 as of now so that is not going to be included. High school GPA was 4.05 valedictorian so I think I'll actually include that one. Will report back tomorrow.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: snapple on September 25, 2012, 06:33:41 PM
Apparently they're taking complete idiots for NFL refs. Apply. You'll do better than what they have.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: j on September 25, 2012, 08:16:45 PM
And also font size 72 WordArt that says "The Greatest Resume Ever".

I've heard that most employers actually prefer Comic Sans font to WordArt.  Insider info.

-J
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Blazinarps on September 25, 2012, 08:31:06 PM
I used to be a career consultant. Many of the suggestions here are good enough. Anyone that has specific questions, I will be more than happy to help. FWIW, I worked with severely disabled people, many of them had no skills or work history. They got jobs. So can you. It's not as hard as the media makes it seem.

Bullet points are:

Career objective. List short and long term goals. What kind of job are you looking for? Pay, hours, location, job duties.

Build a  resume. You can make a functional resume without work history. List your skills, schooling etc. Get references.

Apply. Most applications are done online. Learn how to effectively search. Post your resume on job boards.

Create a contact list for jobs you've applied to. Include dates of application, anybody you spoke to, hiring manager, their openings etc.

Follow up on every contact. You apply... Call them a few days later. You can ask for the manager.

I will post more later.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: lonestar on September 25, 2012, 11:51:30 PM


Bottom line, apply, a lot. If you throw 100 pieces of shit against a wall, one of them is bound to stick.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: ReaPsTA on September 26, 2012, 12:20:02 AM
What kind of job are you trying to get?  Just a college job for extra money?  Those are easy to get.  Inevitably, someone's looking for a minimum wage student worker to help out.  Or, if you don't want to do that, you don't really need much prior experience to interview for the opportunity to tell someone to have a nice day after you ring them up.

Look at the ages of people working in certain places.  There's a grocery store a couple minutes from where I live that hires a lot of high schoolers.  Assuming you applied there, they wouldn't care so much about your previous lack of experience.

Any job you can find through personal connections has a much higher chance of getting you hired.

Like someone else said, apply a lot.  Somebody will say yes.

BTW - Something I figured out just in time that I'll stress to you:  The job market in the US is terrible right now.  Make sure you enjoy your college experience blah blah blah yada yada yada.  But for godssakes find out what makes you more employable in your future career and get a head start on it now.  I'm a broadcasting major, and for some reason I only just realized this summer that I should produce as many legitimate, real, actual videos as possible so I can show potential employers reasons to hire me.  Whatever the equivalent of this is for you, do it.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Perpetual Change on September 26, 2012, 07:43:09 AM
I used to be a career consultant. Many of the suggestions here are good enough. Anyone that has specific questions, I will be more than happy to help. FWIW, I worked with severely disabled people, many of them had no skills or work history. They got jobs. So can you. It's not as hard as the media makes it seem.

Bullet points are:

Career objective. List short and long term goals. What kind of job are you looking for? Pay, hours, location, job duties.

Build a  resume. You can make a functional resume without work history. List your skills, schooling etc. Get references.

Apply. Most applications are done online. Learn how to effectively search. Post your resume on job boards.

Create a contact list for jobs you've applied to. Include dates of application, anybody you spoke to, hiring manager, their openings etc.

Follow up on every contact. You apply... Call them a few days later. You can ask for the manager.

I will post more later.

Quick question-- how should a subject line on a e-mail look? Is, say, "Application for Associate Editor position" fine? Or should it be something more descriptive like, "Experienced recent grad for Associate Editor"?
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: ReaPsTA on September 26, 2012, 08:34:29 AM
Quick question-- how should a subject line on a e-mail look? Is, say, "Application for Associate Editor position" fine? Or should it be something more descriptive like, "Experienced recent grad for Associate Editor"?

Are you talking about editing as in video editing?
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Perpetual Change on September 26, 2012, 09:20:57 AM
Quick question-- how should a subject line on a e-mail look? Is, say, "Application for Associate Editor position" fine? Or should it be something more descriptive like, "Experienced recent grad for Associate Editor"?

Are you talking about editing as in video editing?

No, writing.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Blazinarps on September 26, 2012, 10:17:10 AM
PC-

Quick question-- how should a subject line on a e-mail look? Is, say, "Application for Associate Editor position" fine? Or should it be something more descriptive like, "Experienced recent grad for Associate Editor"?

It depends on if you're responding to an actual job posting, or if you're just giving them an application/resume blindly.

I would say if it's in response to a job posting, then "Application (or resume depending on the circumstance) for Associate Editor Position would work.

If it's just you giving them your resume, the second would be fine.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Blazinarps on September 26, 2012, 10:27:27 AM
To follow up with a prior post, contact sheets/logs are probably one of the most important parts of a job search.

When you make first contact, you can write down what was said, and by whom. You can reference this when you speak to someone the next time. Some people have the opinion that you should never miss a call from a potential employer. I do not.

I think it's better to let a call go to voicemail, organize yourself, and prepare yourself to talk to whoever is calling you. Get your contact sheet out, find out what the last contact with them was, and call back.  It's much better to make a manager wait a couple minutes to hear you at your best, than to talk to them immediately and have a scrambled idea of what is going on. "Sorry Steve, I was in the other room when you called."

Resumes need to look good. There are computer programs nowadays that compare words on resume to words on job description/posting. The more words that are in common, the better chance your resume will be reviewed by human eyes. This of course is mainly with very large corporations, not a family owned grocery store... Take your time and look at job posting, and compare it to your resume.

Resumes should be neat, and not more than one page, plus one page for references. Everything needs to be uniform. If you have your first employers name in 14 size font, the other employers names need to be to. Your job duties are bullet pointed? Better make sure they all are.

Whether to put dates of employment is a big debate. I think, from speaking to managers, they prefer not to have dates. Dates can give away how old you are, and they don't need any hint of discrimination based on age i.e. you worked for one company for 27 years. Congrats, but that also lets them know you are late 40's at least.

Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Ħ on September 26, 2012, 11:05:19 AM
Just got an email back from the Intermediate Symbolic Logic professor I had this summer. I got an A+ in his class, and I got an A+ in the Beginner Symbolic Logic course too. I had asked him if there were any academic internships or supporting research positions he knew of in the philosophy department.

He said that there was nothing like that, although some faculty will support students through research funds (but mostly grad students). He then said "we can meet and chat about this, if you want". I'll take him up on it. But from the sounds of it, it's just a "hand-out" thing rather than some kind of employment I can use for experience.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Perpetual Change on September 26, 2012, 11:13:17 AM
Thanks, Blazinarps.

@H, Being a funded research student is not accepting a "hand-out". It's how good students get to do graduate school. You'll get your Master degree while doing work for the department and your professors. It's good experience. And it's definitely the type of experience you should be putting on a resume.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Ħ on September 26, 2012, 11:15:40 AM
Being a funded research student is not accepting a "hand-out". It's how good students get to do graduate school. You'll get your Master degree while doing work for the department and your professors. It's good experience. And it's definitely the type of experience you should be putting on a resume.
OK. I'm just kinda confused by all the different terminology. It sounded like the grad students, who are required to do research regardless, are just fundraising from different profs. Like financial aid. But if it is what you say it is, where it's an actual research project assigned by the prof, I would totally be on board with that.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: theseoafs on September 26, 2012, 11:19:00 AM
Yes.  Professors don't give free booze money out to students.  Research grants would be tied to a research project.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: kirksnosehair on September 26, 2012, 11:33:55 AM
I am not sold on the idea of calling to follow-up on an application. I talked to some HR people about it once, and it just seemed to piss them off.


I will tell you that this hiring manager doesn't call back job applicants.  Every single person I've ever hired has been someone who applied to work here then called me back after applying to follow up. It shows interest and initiative.  Two good qualities I look for in my staff.   Any HR people who are "pissed off" about a prospective employee following up on a job application sound more like baggage than good employees to me.  We've got a few of them around here.  They show up late, leave early, spend most of the day on Facebook or gossiping with co-"workers"  ::)  and generally don't give a shit about their jobs.  I've never seen any of them last more than a year or two before getting the can.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Perpetual Change on September 26, 2012, 12:12:41 PM
They show up late, leave early, spend most of the day on Facebook or gossiping with co-"workers"  ::)

As opposed to DTF?  ;) ;) ;)

But yeah, I get your point of view. And I've seen it shared by some. But there also seem to be a lot of people who'd prefer you not call to follow up, at least until after you'd been interviewed. I guess it depends on the personality. I definitely thank you for sharing your expertise with me  :)

Out of curiosity, when do you prefer applicants follow up? Right away, or a few weeks later?
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: kirksnosehair on September 26, 2012, 12:23:20 PM
When I tell them to.


It's one of the first things I do to test applicants, tells me if they can follow instructions.


"Call me Tuesday at 9"

Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: RuRoRul on September 26, 2012, 12:35:00 PM
I am not sold on the idea of calling to follow-up on an application. I talked to some HR people about it once, and it just seemed to piss them off.


I will tell you that this hiring manager doesn't call back job applicants.
I can't imagine wanting to work for an employer that operated like this. I am not an employer nor particularly experienced in going through these processes but none of the ones I've gone through in the past have ever worked like that. Perhaps it is different if you are just sending them your resume of your own volition rather than applying for a specific position but I can't imagine emailing or calling up someone from HR in a large company to "follow up" on your application for a graduate job would improve your chances at all. From what I've seen most employers will respond to these applications (even if it's with a simple "no") and you pestering someone who has responsibilities other than picking a candidate for this particular role doesn't seem like it would change your eventual response to a "yes".
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: kirksnosehair on September 26, 2012, 12:45:14 PM
I am not sold on the idea of calling to follow-up on an application. I talked to some HR people about it once, and it just seemed to piss them off.


I will tell you that this hiring manager doesn't call back job applicants.
I can't imagine wanting to work for an employer that operated like this. I am not an employer nor particularly experienced in going through these processes but none of the ones I've gone through in the past have ever worked like that. Perhaps it is different if you are just sending them your resume of your own volition rather than applying for a specific position but I can't imagine emailing or calling up someone from HR in a large company to "follow up" on your application for a graduate job would improve your chances at all. From what I've seen most employers will respond to these applications (even if it's with a simple "no") and you pestering someone who has responsibilities other than picking a candidate for this particular role doesn't seem like it would change your eventual response to a "yes".


Well, I don't think I suggesting pestering.  *scans post*  Nope, I didn't suggest that at all  :)


Quote
3. What you can do is this: A few days or a week after applying, it’s okay to follow up with the hiring manager to reiterate your interest in the job. It’s important to do this well, however. Note that many hiring managers despise the common job-search advice to call “to schedule an interview,” which can come across as overly aggressive and even presumptuous. A good-follow call or email might sound something like this: “I submitted my application for your __ position last week, and I just want to make sure you received my materials. I also want to reiterate my interest in the position; I think it might be a great match, and I'd love to talk with you about it when you're ready to begin scheduling interviews.”

Source (https://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2011/05/16/tips-for-following-up-on-your-job-application)



Wanna guess how I got my job?  I applied, then followed up with the guy who interviewed me.  All I did was leave him a voice mail.  And he called me back.  Wanna know what he told me when he hired me?  He told me I was the only applicant out of 12 who called him back.  That was 13 years ago and now I have his job.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: RuRoRul on September 26, 2012, 01:31:48 PM
I am not sold on the idea of calling to follow-up on an application. I talked to some HR people about it once, and it just seemed to piss them off.


I will tell you that this hiring manager doesn't call back job applicants.
I can't imagine wanting to work for an employer that operated like this. I am not an employer nor particularly experienced in going through these processes but none of the ones I've gone through in the past have ever worked like that. Perhaps it is different if you are just sending them your resume of your own volition rather than applying for a specific position but I can't imagine emailing or calling up someone from HR in a large company to "follow up" on your application for a graduate job would improve your chances at all. From what I've seen most employers will respond to these applications (even if it's with a simple "no") and you pestering someone who has responsibilities other than picking a candidate for this particular role doesn't seem like it would change your eventual response to a "yes".


Well, I don't think I suggesting pestering.  *scans post*  Nope, I didn't suggest that at all  :)


Quote
3. What you can do is this: A few days or a week after applying, it’s okay to follow up with the hiring manager to reiterate your interest in the job. It’s important to do this well, however. Note that many hiring managers despise the common job-search advice to call “to schedule an interview,” which can come across as overly aggressive and even presumptuous. A good-follow call or email might sound something like this: “I submitted my application for your __ position last week, and I just want to make sure you received my materials. I also want to reiterate my interest in the position; I think it might be a great match, and I'd love to talk with you about it when you're ready to begin scheduling interviews.”

Source (https://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2011/05/16/tips-for-following-up-on-your-job-application)



Wanna guess how I got my job?  I applied, then followed up with the guy who interviewed me.  All I did was leave him a voice mail.  And he called me back.  Wanna know what he told me when he hired me?  He told me I was the only applicant out of 12 who called him back.  That was 13 years ago and now I have his job.
I know you didn't suggest pestering them, but I can't help but thinking that suggesting that you must get in contact to follow up about an application in order to get the job is going to lead to people doing that. Perhaps the types of jobs I am thinking of are different to what you are talking about but I haven't come across an application process for graduate level jobs that don't confirm that they have recieved your application, that don't get back to you about whether your application was successful or not, that don't contact you about scheduling your interview, the results of your interview, etc. If you haven't heard back about an application or interview within a reasonable timeframe (bearing min mind hiring someone for that particular position is not always going to be a company's top priority) I'd definitely suggest getting into contact with the employer, but I think it's a decision to be made on a case by case basis rather than "You must show initiative and contact them to get a job".

But then I'm not exactly the best person to be taking advice from since I am still at university and don't have a job yet.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: wolfandwolfandwolf on September 26, 2012, 01:37:21 PM
H, you can do all the administrative stuff I have to at my job that I don't like doing.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Ħ on September 26, 2012, 01:39:03 PM
Wait are you serious?
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Perpetual Change on September 26, 2012, 01:43:01 PM
Contacting someone after an interview and calling up an HR rep after submitting an application are two completely different animals. The former is expected, and you're well within your rights to do that. The latter is not, and is seen as an annoyance.

Also, @Hayden:

Unless you're a trust-fund baby OR you don't mind going into debt in exchange for only marginally enhancing your career prospects, you don't pay for graduate school. You get tuition waved and (hopefully) a meager salary working as a personal slave for your adviser and academic department Research/Teacher Assistant, where you'll help the department and your adviser with stuff that ideally has to do with your field and (probably) teach a tutorial class or two. That's how you do it, if you're smart. Unless you're going into something that promises you big bucks later to pay off student loan debts (i.e., law school or med school-- and then you still better be careful!), you don't want to be driving yourself into debt for your Master in Fine Arts  (Or any advanced degree without immediate practical use :biggrin: )

I'm sure your professor will tell you all about this-- and more-- though.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Ħ on September 26, 2012, 01:44:18 PM
Wow, didn't know that. I figured most people just did financial aid and paid it off later, like for your undergrad.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Perpetual Change on September 26, 2012, 01:51:53 PM
Wow, didn't know that. I figured most people just did financial aid and paid it off later, like for your undergrad.

Well, some people do. But it's not the best move. I've noticed a couple different categories of grad student:

1.) Kids that are good students but not necessarily wealthy enough to pursue graduate school without going into debt. These are usually the good students who form good relationships with their professors as undergrads, and by doing so wind-up studying a graduate degree and working as an RA/TA under the guidance of those professors OR their friends in other universities. This is what category I belonged to.

2.) People out of the military, who've served a term (or are going to) and are having Uncle Sam pay for their grad school. I hardly notice people in the humanities like this: usually, these people are getting the law or med degrees or something practical. I did know someone who went into History and wound up becoming a professor, however.

3.) Rich yuppie kids whose parents will pay whatever to let their children follow their dreams. If this is you, awesome. But, the people in category one will still have an edge on you because they'll get work experience working as RA's and TA's and they'll develop their connections in the field.

4.) Working, part-time people who are doing their advanced degrees on their own dime in addition to full-time work so they can get promoted.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Adami on September 26, 2012, 01:54:13 PM
Everyone I knew in graduate school was paying for it, usually with loans. I didn't meet a single person who was having their tuition waved.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: theseoafs on September 26, 2012, 01:56:10 PM
Well, people in doctoral programs are more likely to have their tuition waived than people in master's programs.  It's ideal, and possible, to have your tuition waived as a master's student, but I'm not sure that it's very common.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: kirksnosehair on September 26, 2012, 01:56:43 PM
Contacting someone after an interview and calling up an HR rep after submitting an application are two completely different animals. The former is expected, and you're well within your rights to do that. The latter is not, and is seen as an annoyance.



I'm sorry, I don't know where you're getting that from, but I disagree.


It can be an annoyance if you don't handle it properly, but what I'm suggesting is the people who get and stay employed in this world are the people are out there going and getting those jobs.   And you don't necessarily go and get that job you want by tossing your application into a pile in the front office of Big Huge Company, Inc. and never following up on it with anyone.   In an economy where an entry level landscaping position advertised on Craig's List or Jobs.com nets and employer 400 applications in two days, I'm suggesting that it just might be in the best interest of the applicant who really wants and needs to get hired as soon as possible that reaching out to the people who are processing those applications in a professional, polite and courteous manner may just be the difference between getting that interview and not getting that interview.




Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Perpetual Change on September 26, 2012, 02:01:35 PM
Everyone I knew in graduate school was paying for it, usually with loans. I didn't meet a single person who was having their tuition waved.

That is, by far, the most common scenario at the Master's level. But it's also the least preferable, IMO. Well, aside from maybe the military option. At least in a country this belligerent.

Contacting someone after an interview and calling up an HR rep after submitting an application are two completely different animals. The former is expected, and you're well within your rights to do that. The latter is not, and is seen as an annoyance.



I'm sorry, I don't know where you're getting that from, but I disagree.


It can be an annoyance if you don't handle it properly, but what I'm suggesting is the people who get and stay employed in this world are the people are out there going and getting those jobs.   And you don't necessarily go and get that job you want by tossing your application into a pile in the front office of Big Huge Company, Inc. and never following up on it with anyone.   In an economy where an entry level landscaping position advertised on Craig's List or Jobs.com nets and employer 400 applications in two days, I'm suggesting that it just might be in the best interest of the applicant who really wants and needs to get hired as soon as possible that reaching out to the people who are processing those applications in a professional, polite and courteous manner may just be the difference between getting that interview and not getting that interview.

I get that completely. But not all employers like that. I've spoken to ones who've told me they hate it, and it doesn't help at all. I'm not sure why this seems to be making you so upset.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: theseoafs on September 26, 2012, 02:02:41 PM
I get that completely. But not all employers like that. I've spoken to ones who've told me they hate it, and it doesn't help at all. I'm not sure why this seems to be making you so upset.

Probably because you're giving H bad advice.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Adami on September 26, 2012, 02:08:06 PM
Everyone I knew in graduate school was paying for it, usually with loans. I didn't meet a single person who was having their tuition waved.

That is, by far, the most common scenario at the Master's level. But it's also the least preferable, IMO.

Well obviously paying for it is not preferable.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Perpetual Change on September 26, 2012, 02:08:54 PM
I get that completely. But not all employers like that. I've spoken to ones who've told me they hate it, and it doesn't help at all. I'm not sure why this seems to be making you so upset.

Probably because you're giving H bad advice.

Um, OK?

I know plenty of people who work in professional level jobs. Which they've gotten in "this economy". And none of them called to "check in" on the status of an application. After an interview? Sure. After sending an app out? No.

I never said it was a bad idea to call. But it's not necessarily a good idea, either.  And just because someone with an aggressive personality like kirsnosehair likes it does not mean everyone will.

Well obviously paying for it is not preferable.

That's what I'm getting at. And it's not preferable for more reasons than just financial ones. I was simply trying to stress to H that an assistantship is more than just a "hand-out".
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: kirksnosehair on September 26, 2012, 02:28:10 PM
Good luck with your job hunt, H.  :)
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: jcmistat on September 26, 2012, 03:22:11 PM
Having connections is the best thing. It mainly depends on what job you're looking for. Any job just to make some cash like retail, food, lower wage jobs just apply you should get in. If you have a friend or family member that works there have them put in a word for you. Of course while they're hiring is a plus.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: rumborak on September 27, 2012, 04:11:27 PM
Chestlist:

-career advising department
-check for student jobs
-check for volunteer positions in the meantime

Yeah...um...here's another item to add:  Spellcheck and proof read your resume and other documents.

Let me emphasize this. I was in email correspondence with a candidate who wrote

"Could you please send E-Mail that what time slot would work"

and

"We can finger this out Tomorrow"

 No job for you!!
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: wkiml on September 28, 2012, 12:11:49 PM
Late to the party here and didn't read the whole thread but my suggestion is find out who is in charge of hiring and offer sexual favors
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Ħ on September 28, 2012, 12:46:48 PM
ok

Well I got back from talking to the philosophy professor. He gave me the rundown on how to do what he is doing. Basically at a 3.0 GPA, things are not looking so good for applying for a phd program. But as a philosphy/biochem double major, I have an advantage over plain old philosophy majors. Since there's no way I can really bolster my GPA this far in the game at university (maybe I could get it to a 3.25), I will likely have to do a MA program first. Since there aren't academic internships or research positions in the department, I will also have to sugarcoat my resume with extracurriculars such as joining the Philosophy Club (oh boy!), trying to win philosophy department contests (Paper of the Year!), or by trying to submit papers to an undergraduate journal.

In the meantime, I'm applying to food service on campus. I have a friend who's a manager who can basically pull my application out of the stack. Yay!
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: DebraKadabra on September 28, 2012, 01:32:20 PM
There is always this though...

Late to the party here and didn't read the whole thread but my suggestion is find out who is in charge of hiring and offer sexual favors

 ;)
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Ħ on November 01, 2012, 12:53:50 PM
Yeahhh got a food service interview later today. Let you know how it goes. My friend says there's like an 80% success rate. Time to dominate.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: TioJorge on November 01, 2012, 01:44:00 PM
Best of luck to ya! I'm going in for my first day as a bartender for a pretty fancy shmancy restaurant. Been studying up on my liquors and mixed drinks and whatnot. It's a shame I'll be making 'em and not drinking 'em for a while.  :P Hopefully it'll be a smooth first day; I used to be a server so I know the deal, it's just a different gig this time around. Food service is definitely not the most glamorous of jobs but if you work hard you'll be making some good money to help with school, which is exactly what I'm doing. We can do it! My dad always tells me how he worked two jobs through his entire college career so thinking about that makes the 'butterflies' kind of disappear.
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: snapple on November 01, 2012, 02:06:52 PM
What I did:

walk into the employer's office
whip my dick out
"it ain't gonna suck itself"
get the job and a blow job
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: theseoafs on November 01, 2012, 02:13:33 PM
Yeahhh got a food service interview later today. Let you know how it goes. My friend says there's like an 80% success rate. Time to dominate.

 :metal :metal
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Ħ on November 01, 2012, 03:47:34 PM
What I did:

walk into the employer's office
whip my dick out
"it ain't gonna suck itself"
get the job and a blow job
wut

yeahhhh got the second interview :metal
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: DebraKadabra on November 02, 2012, 03:53:19 PM
Sweet!  Keep us updated, dude! :metal
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: theseoafs on November 02, 2012, 03:59:21 PM
Sweet!  Keep us updated, dude! :metal

 :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Ħ on November 02, 2012, 04:48:09 PM
yeah the hell! got the job! :metal
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: theseoafs on November 02, 2012, 05:23:32 PM
yeah the hell! got the job! :metal

 :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal

This: the most metal thread ever
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: Ħ on November 02, 2012, 05:26:43 PM
thanks bro! your purple spirit was guiding me the entire time.

and thanks to everyone who gave me such good advice!!!
Title: Re: How to get a job?
Post by: DebraKadabra on November 03, 2012, 04:08:49 AM
yeah the hell! got the job! :metal

All RIGHT, Hayden, way to go!!! :2metal: