# What Position Did I Apply For? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 29, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-position-did-i-apply-for/594529 "2011-08-29T18:58:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AndyLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AndyLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyLee)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-position-did-i-apply-for/594529/1 "2011-08-29T18:58:33Z")
OK I’m recently out of work, so I have been hitting Internet, payment, temp agencies etx. A lot of these Internet Ads are blind box ads. I need a job fast, so I’m willing to do anything. Long story short, I applied to a lot of different jobs, I cuold handled. Cashier, reception, front desk, admin assistant, runner, various stores. Anyway I got a call for an interview tomorrow and she says, “Hi Andy, we got your resume and would like you to come in for an interivew.” OK I wrote down the name of the place and got the time and that was that. Then it dawned on my, I have no idead what I applied for. I keep copies of all the places I apply to, but a lot of them, especially Craigslist or Tribune are blind box ads. I looked through and found no ad for this, well call it’ AndyLee Company. So now I have an interview tomorrow and no idea what position I applied for. Any ideas how to go about faking this? I have been applying for both part and full time jobs, so I haven’t a clue. Any idea how to handle this? I hate to start with “Tell me what job I applied for?” LOL ---
**Author:** ![jonesj2205](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecc23a/32.png) [@jonesj2205](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonesj2205)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-position-did-i-apply-for/594529/2 "2011-08-29T19:51:57Z")
> [@AndyLee](#): > > Any idea how to handle this? I hate to start with “Tell me what job I applied for?” “What would my duties be?” ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-position-did-i-apply-for/594529/3 "2011-08-30T03:38:03Z")
If I were you, first, I’d try to research. While a lot of companies do hide in Craigslist, others crosspost the same ad anonymously in some places and openly in others (Craigslist hides your email by default). So, search for a string of text in the ads in question and try to link one back to the company that called you. Alternately, see if there are job listings on their website. Even if they don’t include your job, it might tip you off as to what they typically hire for. Then, search non-Craigslist job ads for that specific company to again see if you can find a similar ad to one of the things you applied for. If research doesn’t pan out then I would try to wing it if I could. They’ll probably tip you off by the questions they ask, or by just telling you about the job, or it’ll be apparent once you get there. If not, and they start asking questions like “What qualifies you for this position?” then I’d just be honest and explain, as you said in the OP, that you applied for several positions with no identified company and it wasn’t clear which ad the interview came from. Hopefully it won’t come to that though. If you can get to the “Do you have any questions?” part, then it’s easy – ask “What would a typical day be like?” “What would your ideal applicant be?” and similar questions to get a good idea really quick. For what it’s worth, though, don’t hesitate to ask during the call. I wasn’t clear from your OP if you forgot to ask or if you just didn’t want to, but that’s the time to clear all that up. Plus you can try to weed out the junk ‘jobs’ (e.g. Cutco knife sales). ---
**Author:** ![Critical\_Mass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@Critical\_Mass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical_Mass)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-position-did-i-apply-for/594529/4 "2011-08-30T03:42:53Z")
Did a phone number come up on call display? Google the number to look for a company name. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-position-did-i-apply-for/594529/5 "2011-08-30T04:03:47Z")
Call them and speak to s secretary to ask for a printed job description- “for your records”. Have it faxd or emailed to you. Be exceptionally polite. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-position-did-i-apply-for/594529/6 "2011-08-30T14:04:06Z")
Ask if they can describe a typical day. That should give you an idea about what you’d be doing without appearing totally clueless. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-position-did-i-apply-for/594529/7 "2011-08-30T14:16:14Z")
I posted an ad for minions. Welcome to my Legion of Doom! ---
**Author:** ![AndyLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AndyLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyLee)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-position-did-i-apply-for/594529/8 "2011-08-30T18:28:26Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > Ask if they can describe a typical day. That should give you an idea about what you’d be doing without appearing totally clueless. I guess I’ll go with this. I am on the way to the interview so we’ll find out 🙂 I Googled the company but really since I need a job, I’ve been applying for almost anything, I think I can handle Thanks for the advice. I’ll have to be a little more careful in the futrue when I set appointments. What would be a good way to ask? Oh you’re from the Andy Company, and this job again was for? Or does that sound to tacky. I hear employers don’t like to hire desperate employees so I don’t want to appear like I am applying for anything, which I am. I knew I was getting laid off, so I devoted at least 4 hours a day to applying and looking for work. Now that I’m unemployed I’m trying to bring that to at least eight. So it’s bound to happen again. Suggestions if it happens in the future? ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-position-did-i-apply-for/594529/9 "2011-08-30T18:29:38Z")
Ask for a copy of the job description or ad. ---
**Author:** ![Kalea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b487fb/32.png) [@Kalea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalea)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-position-did-i-apply-for/594529/10 "2011-08-30T18:58:25Z")
For future reference: employers know that people apply to more than one job at a time. There’s no harm in asking which position they are calling about, especially at the level you’re talking about. A simple “could you tell me a little about the position” will not only remind you, it makes you come off as discerning rather than desperate. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-position-did-i-apply-for/594529/11 "2011-08-31T01:49:53Z")
Yeah, I think it would be okay to ask which position you are interviewing for when they call you to offer you an interview. Phrase it like, “And which position will I be interviewing for on Thursday?” When I apply for jobs at companies in my industry, I generally apply for several different positions within the same company (claim rep, claim handler, call center grunt, billing tech, etc), and during an intensive job search I’d be looking at multiple jobs at multiple companies. I would NEED to ask this question, even if I knew which company was calling me. ---
**Author:** ![AndyLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AndyLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyLee)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-position-did-i-apply-for/594529/12 "2011-09-01T18:16:52Z")
Well I got the job, it’s only part time, but the funny thing was, I went into the office and the clerk says, “I’ll let Mary know you’re here, and you can start filling out the application.” He hands it to me and right on the cover page, it says NAME DATE POSITION YOU’RE APPLYING FOR I almost wanted to cry…LOL I left that blank and filled out the rest, and I got lucky as Mary grabbed me before I was finished filling out the application and took me in her office as she did, she was said, “You’re applying for the clerk positon.” Of course I still have to keep looking for a real job, but I tell you it was funny looking back. Thanks for the ideas ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-position-did-i-apply-for/594529/13 "2011-09-01T18:21:58Z")
> [@AndyLee](#): > > NAME > DATE > POSITION YOU’RE APPLYING FOR Since it worked out ok… Bwahahahahahaha!