Just had a telephone interview, for what amounts to a high-powered secretarial job that I’m not too enthusiastic about. I did feel a thousand percent more prepared than the last one. I took time to do some research so I knew more what to expect.
I’m gonna write up some scripts for FAQs from interviewers. I’m kind of surprised at myself that I haven’t already done so.
Oh man, do I hate this. I’ve been 7 years in my current job and forgot how stressful and humiliating it is.
It’s worse than asking a woman out on a date. At least they tend to make up some kind words like, “Oh, it not about you… It’s me, I’m just not in a position to get in a relationship”. With employers, it’s YOU. You are not good enough for them. Period. End of story.
I’ve applied for a lot of jobs this past week, but I’m not sure how many of them are real and how many are just agencies trolling for candidates to put on their registers - even so, I guess they’d be doing that for a reason, so perhaps it might still come to something.
I’m chewing over whether to apply for a job I just saw in an email of automated search results - the top end of the salary range is somewhat below my last salary, and it although I have relevant experience, I’d have to combine it in an unexpected way*. On the plus side though, it’s local (I could actually walk there), so the saving in travel expense (in fact, not needing a car at all) would probably offset the drop in salary.
Also, the job comes with a commitment to study for a well-respected qualification - which sounds pretty good.
Still can’t quite decide though…
*I did purchasing, then moved into IT. The job is IT Buyer - they’re looking for someone with experience of buying IT, and who keeps up-to-date on what’s out there. It requires a bit of chopping and reassembly of my experience to make it appear to fit.
A friend of mine asked me for some advice on telephone interviews and as it turned out, what I gave him seemed to help - here are my suggestions (not actual scripted responses - more about prep):
prepare by writing down a load of notes - each topic on a separate sheet - spread them out on a table when the call is due. The notes should cover:
-Reasons why you think you’re a good candidate for the job
-Significant achievements in previous jobs (particularly those relevant to this job)
-Key strengths and abilities
-What you think you can bring to the role (i.e. diligence, tireless enthusiasm, service ethic, eternal optimism, piercing insight - those sorts of things)
-A list of intelligent-sounding questions to ask (“What are the key strengths and weaknesses/vulnerabilities of your company?”, “How long has this position been open, and why?”, “Do you expect growth and expansion/ how has your company been affected by the prevailing economic climate?”, as well as any mundane details about the job, the workplace, the company structure, etc, but NOT the pay and benefits, at this point, unless they bring it up)
-Your CV (Resumé)
They may ask you what you think is your most significant weakness - you ought to rehearse something that is expressed as a weakness, but is in fact a strength - for example “I don’t like to sign off on a job that I don’t consider adequately completed, and I’ve noticed this to irritate some people in the past, who maybe thought near enough was good enough”, or something like that. This part of the interview is little more than a game, but you have no choice but to play.
They may ask, right at the end, if there’s anything else you’d like to ask or clarify - if it hasn’t otherwise come up by this point, you should ask what is the next step in the recruitment process and when you might expect to hear from them.
Apparently, you’ll come across better if you speak standing up.
Also, have pen, paper, calculator and a glass of water on standby.
I am likely going to go with the opportunity that came from my London meet, but another opportunity has come up and I would be surprised if I couldn’t get it.
It is a little complex, but here it is: A company that I worked for two jobs ago is looking for a software manager for a group that was considered the “sister” group to the one I once managed. I was told that my name came up from 3 different people - one of them a form VP.
I have agreed to talk to them - I’m not sure when.
The part-time gig is going well – working on the first of the nine weekly supplements. Had a meeting with two interns and a freelancer who will be helping me with stuff, that went great – and a writer friend of mine said he could knock out some quick stuff for me if needed. (I hadn’t wanted to ask him, because he’s a regular professional writer, but things are slow for him right now as he waits for his book to come out in November, so he wouldn’t mind picking up a hundred bucks here or there.)
No word back on either of the jobs that seemed like good fits for me – oh well …
Both of the positions I had phone interviews for said I should have heard back by Friday if they wanted another interview…no call or email from either one yet.
Most rejection letters so far I’ve gotten from planning commissions have been very straightforward and polite; one even sounded apologetic they were not interviewing me despite my qualifications. Now , my “qualifications” so far is a rather lame internship and a master’s in city planning, but the letter was reassuring. Yesterday, I get this gem from another PC in Illinois:
“We perceive that another candidate has the qualifications we desire.”
Well, eff you very much. I hope they take the crystal ball they’re perceiving with and shove it up a dark place.
Maybe it doesn’t come off the same in the retelling, but it sure left a bad taste in my mouth. The job was advertised as ENTRY LEVEL, minimum BACHELOR’S degree, one year’s experience (and I have a year’s internship.)
I think I’ll give up on being a planner, ever. By the time the recession is over, I’ll be past the “best by” date.
I got an email from one of the jobs this morning…they decided to “pursue other candidates.” So now I’m just a little in the dark about the other position, which is actually the one I would prefer and the one I think I did better during the phone interview on.
I’m kind of in limbo too, waiting to hear about several apps. The last time I got antsy and did a followup inquiry on 3 of may apps, two told me no and the last one hasn’t answered yet.
I sure chose a bad time to get back to work. Rates for my area have dropped markedly and competition is up. So I may have to leave this house soon. Hopefully, I’ll be able to rent it out.
I have an interview at 4:00 PM today. They have already contacted my old boss to ask him his opinion and he gave me a glowing review. As I said I will likely go with the opportunity that came from the London meeting, but it is nice to have a backup plan.
My interview went well. I interviewed with two people, one of whom would be my immediate supervisor. He seemed like a good guy and some of the things he said could have come right out of my mouth. Both people made it clear that the position was not yet open and it would be weeks before anything happened. That suits me fine, as I’m still trying to get a handle on whether things will proceed as I wish from the London opportunity.
A week ago I put in an online job application ar the UW Hospital and Clinics. Once I uploaded my resume and cover leter, I was prompted to take a test, required for all applicants.
It was basically a multiple choice personality test. I was asked to state preferences, given statements to either agree or disagree with, and asked to choose what action to take among several choices. There was nothing at all factually oriented, no questions the could be answered right or wrong in a factual sense.
Today I got an email from their HR department. Based on the results of what they called the “behavioral assessment”, not only was I turned down for this job, but I would not be considered for ANY job for the next calendar year. After which time the results would be expired and I could test again and get re-scored.
So it doesn’t matter that I do virtually the same job now, for seven years, and have nothing but superior performance reviews. Because I don’t fit into the hive mind, I am unfit for employment anywhere in the joint.
One of my co-workers said, “Jim, you should never tell the truth on those crappy tests”, and there’s a degree of truth in that. Oddly enough, had I lied and passed, they would now be considering me based on a results less reliable than had I told the truth.
If you want to, just for the hell of it, submit a job app and take the test. It’s pretty clear to me they want educated Smurf villagers.
Hmmm, so whatever “behavior” or “personality” that the test supposedly tested for, is something that could change within a year? I guess they want to account for the possibility that you’ll get a lobotomy in the coming year?
Oh, and I’ve been a member of the group for a while now, just haven’t posted yet. I’m working on a career change, and I’m lucky enough to have a full-time job while I look for a new one (my boss is completely supportive of this, he’s happy that I’m willing to stick around in the meantime). But the job search is no less a pain in the ass. Four interviews in the past four months, but nothing more…
I’m in the process of applying for a position that is absolutely made to measure for me - it’s an application and business support manager position billed as being very diverse, requiring initiative and enthusiasm to learn.
The slightly unusual thing here is that there’s no application form and they don’t just accept CVs with covering letters - they want applicants to write a letter addressing each of the specific job/person description points in detail, including descriptive examples from experience/employment history.
I have no trouble doing this - as I say, the role is really quite an astonishingly good fit for me - my only concern is the length of such a document - there are 10 points to be addressed - a couple of them are similar enough to be grouped and answered, but even so, it’s looking like a three-page application letter - and that’s without the CV.
Do they really want me to write such a long letter? I don’t want to skimp or miss out anything important, but I also don’t want them to just say TLDR.
Is this by any chance a civil service position? The reason I ask is that from what I’ve heard (I’ve never applied) this is the Australian public [civil] service style. In this style you are supposed to address each element individually, and it does turn out long, but this is what is expected.
As I recall, you might even be marked down if you group items together. I have heard of tender processes that work in this way, and what they may do (at least at the shortlist stage) is cut and paste your answers for each particular item with other candidates’ answers for the same item so they can compare. If this is what they are doing, you will piss them off if you have grouped your answers. I don’t think three pages sounds too long if they are looking for specific answers to ten points.
