When I was still in school, I was asked in an interview to describe how I would generate and verify experimental data.
I asked whether it was for school (i.e. for a class lab) or for a real world work situation.
They were momentarily nonplussed, and then (reasonably) asked, “Why?”.
“Well”, I said, “labs are a real hassle and the data never come out right, and everyone is copying from last year’s reports anyway, so it’s a lot easier to just fudge the numbers. Obviously, in the real world I would need to pay attention to data integrity using the following…” etc etc.
They smiled, nodded, and went on to the next question, and I thought for sure that I had impressed them with my pragmatism and real-world savvy.
Needless to say I did not get the job. No, I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking. :smack: :wally:
Or, when submitting a business proposal as a potential contractor, do not say, “Hi! I am keen to doing your project. I am having experience in write many technical documents…”
Hi! is far too casual, I don’t care if you’re “keen” to do something for me, especially if it’s relating to my business - whether you’re keen or not is irrelevant. If you’re able and have experience doing it, that’s another thing entirely. And for god’s sake, if you claim to have writing experience, please master the english language first before you make such claims. You will be far more likely to actually get a contract.
I can’t understand any overpowering need to use a “cute” email address, nor do I see any insurmountable obstacles to having a business address. But if someone else insists on a cute address, as long as it’s not blatantly offensive or socially inappropriate, then, well…whatever. I admit I haven’t been in the position of hiring people, but it just doesn’t seem like that big a deal. You’ll have to be content with my ambivalence.
Note to those who insist on having a geeky email address: Find a resume format that has your email address at the bottom. Then at least they’ll see your qualifications and experience before they read your email address.
QUOTE=Ponder Stibbons]Geez, this has already been addressed a dozen times, but let me add the following.
There is nothing wrong with this approach if you are extremely skilled in an area of expertise that is in very high demand. If people are beating down your door to try to hire you, believe you me, it doesn’t matter if your email is fuckyou@serialkiller.com, they’ll be flooding your inbox.
However, if you are in the position of the remaining 99.99% of us, then what will happen is your resume will be in a pile with thousands of other resumes. The poor schlub who has to wade through all the crap has to have some way to filter out the obvious losers. And having an unprofessional-sounding email addy is almost certainly going to trigger that automatic filter.
[/QUOTE]
This makes sense. I’ll agree wether or not you change your address is more situational than I previously made it out to be. Joethegoplayguy@yahoo.com might be a goofy, but it doesn’t require a change if I’m applying for a few low demand jobs. Assman69@hotmail.com would probably want to consider changing his email addy regardless of the kind of job he was going for. Even the porn industry requires some proffesionalism. However, I still find it hard to believe a startrek reference would seriously hurt my chances of finding a job…but then I have nill experience in the higher paying, and more prestigous jobs out there in the jobmarket. I’m 18 and have little experience.
Agreed. Job searching isn’t just being screened by various companies who you may or may not want to work for, it includes the person searching for a job screening the jobs available, as well as the potential employers. If the job market is down the crapper and you’re job search insn’t going well, then it’s time to lower your standards and take whatever you can get, with or without your current email address. Or course I’d rather bust ass at a busy resteraunt than work in an office under a prude with no sense of humor. Neither option is appealing, but those are the hypothetical breaks.
Well seeing as how I’m currently employed, not all managers are going to spit on the ground, and then throw away joethegoplayguy’s application away upon looking at his name. There is something to be said for taking a look at the the amount of experience a guy has, and there are several fields that businesses have added to their applications to get a feel for a guy’s personality. Yes, on this message board I am stating my dissaproval towards changing my email address for the sake of possibly being employed by someone who dissaproves of my being quirky, but other than my email address, I fill out applications as professionaly as I can. And any potential employer who snubs my application simply because my email address is goofy or “geeky” isn’t excericising the best judment as far as I’m concerned, and probably doesn’t get out much him/herself if that person cannot come to the realization that people of all kinds watch Star Trek, not just the smelly shut ins. I’m a team player at my job, and in my life, and work on plans, strategies, and toward goals I don’t think will work or are worthwhile all the time. That, and being able to cooperate and communicate, is what teamwork is all about. If they don’t want to hire me because of my name- Fine. Consider it me screening them.
A yahoo account takes 5 minutes to create. Creating an additional account is no problem, but I see no reason to maintain another account logging in and out of it to make sure yahoo doesn’t delete it, in my time off. For all I know, whatever company hiring me may not even send me an email for the enitre time I work at there. It’s not worth my time to create and maintain an additional email address, or my company’s to actually care what I’m known as in cyberspace, unless the name is esspecialy…rmmm…provacative.
My only story is a guy I helped interview a while back. My part was very informal, and I had virtually no say in whether or not he was hired. However, I still found it odd that he spent the whole time trying to tell me what questions to ask next. For example, I would ask a question, he would give some long answer (he was a talker) often straying off into tangent X, and then finish with “you probably have more questions about X, so we can talk about that next.” I invariably changed the subject every time he did that, but I don’t think he even noticed. He was a talker.
Am I the only one who read that as “I’m not Senor Blah”? I must have stared at that sentence for a full minute as I wondered “who the hell is ‘Senor Blah’?” Then the reading comprehension portion of my brain kicked in.
Reason for leaving previous job: “Manager was all up in my face.”
Reason for leaving previous job: “Uhhh… well, like, for my family, for my baby girl. But they hired me again after that, but then I left again after four months when I got in a fight with my boss.”
Reason for leaving previous job (a similar position): “I just couldn’t take it anymore.”
Ask repeatedly what happens if you violate rules once you get the position.
Ask me how much money I make. Press hard about it. Press hard about how much money you will get in raises and how soon it will be. Start naming figures and expect me to answer you.
Huff and moan about having to actually, you know, spend fifteen minutes with an employee to see what the job is like before the interview, but without getting paid for your time.
When asked for a question about a previous experience being flexible in the workplace, instead tell me about the difficulty of running your high school’s Key Club.
Talk extensively about your cats. Be filthy. Pick a tick off your face and smash it on the interview table and laugh.
Hey, he never said he was good at it, and if the “technical documents” that come with every TV, VCR, DVD player, or stereo I’ve bought in my life is any indication, you just passed over the most successful technical writer in the field.
Ermm…waves little flag…unless you can PROVE the interviewer actually did write down the wrong date and/or time.
I once went for an interview at 11.Arrived 10:55,greeted the body at reception who told me to take a seat and Mr.X would be along soon to interview me.So I waited.By 11.10 I thought I’ve given Mr.X long enough to finish whatever he was up to and so I let the receptionist know I was still here.She rang through to Mr.X again—‘Yes,I have your 11.00 here.Yes,I know it’s 11.10 already.I know he’s late,shall I still send him up?’
Not ONCE did she mention that actually I’d been sitting in front of her for 15 minutes having arrived on time,and let Mr.X think I’d turned up late for his interview.
And please…interviewers…make sure you get the right person.I got a rejection from one company.When I rang back to get feedback,one of the points they mentioned was that they’d expected me to be wearing a suit.Hang on-I WAS wearing a suit.We’d spent half a day in the shop finding one for me.Turns out they’d got their candidate names mixed up.Grrr
:mad:
I have gone to four job interviews this month already. More are to follow. My work-related email address, which is right at the top of my resume, contains my real first and last name. Dull and boring, but at least no one ever asks where I came up with it.
Things not to do at job interviews:
Forget to eat beforehand, and have your stomach rumble loudly as you are trying to answer the interviewer’s questions. Also, fainting is bad form.
Tell a female interviewer she has a nice rack.
Offer interviewers “favors” if they hire you or get you hired.
Bring out a snack and starting eating it in front of the interviewer–even if you offer him or her some of it.
Can you tell I went to my interview Wednesday a little hungry? My stomach fortunately did not rumble.
Couldn’t agree more. A few weeks ago, I arrived for an interview at ten to three (10 minutes early as per standard) and then waited half a friggin’ hour before the interviewer showed up and greeted me with the words:“Weren’t you supposed to be here at four ?” Ehm, no. At three. We triple-checked that, because you managed to give the headhunter two different dates for the interview before we pinned you down and forced you to make up your mind.
(Amazingly, it actually went downhill from there. I cut the interview short and left 15 minutes later. Hint to interviewers: An accurate job description saves both your time and mine.)
I disagree here…I got a job 5 years ago with a publishing company because I had jtkirk01 as my email. Turns out the hiring manager was also a Start Trek fan. You just can’t underestimate the power of Star Trek, especially in the tech world.
I don’t think that anyone would debate that it can get the prospective employee a job, but rather it’s not the best strategy to use if one is trying to get the best reaction out of more employers.
Here’s a tip on getting an interview in the first place:
When you mail in a resume and cover letter, make sure the cover letter is laser printed. Scribbled in pencil lowers your chances. And put it on good quality paper. Notebook paper is not as good, especially when it is torn. And pay some attention to spelling, including the name of the company you are applying to.
This goes double if you are applying to a language school, and triple if you are applying for the position of English teacher.
Why shouldn’t my friend John Assman be able to use his name?
Well as a 32 year old professional, let me tell you that a Star Trek or Pokeman or Kid Rock email address makes you look 18, unprofessional and like someone not to be taken seriously.
What makes you think the restuarant manager takes his business any less seriously than the office guy? What (I assume) you will learn is that being adult does not mean having a stick up your ass. It means being serious when it is time to be serious and having fun when it’s time to have fun.
I think you are missing the point. HE doesn’t care about what YOU think about HIS judgement. He already has his job while you are living in your parents basement realizing that you are now 20 somthing and don’t want to spend the rest of your life waiting tables .
I can’t possibly fathom why you would insist on using such an email account which not only looks unprofessional but also would be confusing as it is not your actual name. But suit yourself. I’m a big Star Wars fan but if I saw Darth.Bob.Johnson@aol.com as an email, I’d be like “hey that’s clever”, and then chuck it in the garbage.
