Job advice

[Shahaku]

I think a few of us on here are looking for work right now. Personally, I don't necessarily need a new job, but the one I have is getting damn near unbearable for me so I'm in the market, looking for something, anything. And having no damn luck. Honestly, I don't have clue what I'm doing and could use some good advice. I honestly think I got pretty damn lucky getting this job. So....

What's the best way to conduct a job search?

How do you balance honesty and giving the answer you know they want to hear at an interview?

References? I have none. At least not the professional kind. What the hell should I do?

Are temp services worth the time and effort?

What could I potentially do as an introvert with very little in the way of practical skills or physical strength that I might actually enjoy?

And any other good advice you might have.

[Rowanwood]

Re: Job advice

I think a few of us on here are looking for work right now. Personally, I don't necessarily need a new job, but the one I have is getting damn near unbearable for me so I'm in the market, looking for something, anything. And having no damn luck. Honestly, I don't have clue what I'm doing and could use some good advice. I honestly think I got pretty damn lucky getting this job. So....

What's the best way to conduct a job search?

How do you balance honesty and giving the answer you know they want to hear at an interview?

References? I have none. At least not the professional kind. What the hell should I do?

Are temp services worth the time and effort?

What could I potentially do as an introvert with very little in the way of practical skills or physical strength that I might actually enjoy?

And any other good advice you might have.

I've had the same job for a long time now (10 years on the 17th) but I have had multiple positions in this company since I started, so I've done my fair share of interviews and job shadows, so I'm happy to offer what I can.

There's a lot of different methods to find the jobs out there -- I suggest using all the available options. Job centers, newspapers, online ads, local company's websites. That last one is important. Some companies are big enough they don't look too far to get what they need. Temp agencies can help with this too, since these days a lot of companies are temp to hire only. We were for a long time, though that changed because we just weren't getting people who wanted to really put forth the right sort of effort through the agencies.

Lying in an interview is just bad. But oversharing is just as bad. They don't need to know you are leaving your job because your boss is a POS and the guy you sit next to doesn't bathe. So the "looking for growth opportunities, new challenges, new outlook, new pace" whatever, those are all legit and the truth too. Hiring managers can see right through brown nosed answers. I have been complimented more than once on my honesty and have gotten all but two jobs I interviewed for. I know for a fact I overshared at both of those and it was my own fault.

References don't have to be professional, though that helps. Anyone who isn't a relative works, but to be honest, they rarely call. Just make sure its a real person and they really know you.

And as far as introversion? Don't let that limit you. I'm an introvert and I work in front line customer support. You'd think that would be the totally wrong line of work for me, but I'm damn good at what I do hence that comfort level trumps everything else. You need to be flexible and also understand that they pay you...because it isn't fun. If a job was "fun" they wouldn't pay squat. Because if there are 25 people looking for the same fun job, they can pay dramatically less. That's why I'm not an artist or any of the other fun things I'd love to do...because I like to eat.

Best of luck!

[Medusa]

Re: Job advice

I have experience in looking for work. I usually work a place for like 8 years. So then looking for work feels like it's the first time. Last time I used the internet. I made looking for work my part time job every single day. I would get up and spend hours filling out forms on-line. I would keep a running file on my desktop of every place I contacted and the date etc. I had my co-workers as references and made sure to let them know they might get contacted. As for where to look?
~Craigslist
~Monster.com
~Career builders
~My county unemployment website

Though I got this job through a single post on FB. I asked if any of my friend's work were hiring. And sure enough, I got an offer. And here I am at Harbor Freight Tools going on 3 years.

[DanieMarie]

Re: Job advice

I second everything Rowanwood said.

Also, I know that people rarely do written references there because they don't in Canada either, but I found it helpful to get written ones. It always gave me an edge, because while most potential employers won't actually contact a reference, they will read a glowing letter of recommendation. It's pretty standard to have them here and in academic circles everywhere and it's a practice worth trying. Like Rowanwood said, they don't have to be employers. They can be teachers, people you collaborated with, volunteer coordinators (one of mine is from a volunteer position), or anything like that.

[thalassa]

Re: Job advice

One thing that I found helpful when going back to work after being pretty much unemployed (I was a stay-at-home-mom) after being in the military (I went to college, but really, not many places want to hire anyone right out of school...also, being in the military wasn't much help as a woman--my experience was highly reflective of the studies that show that hiring bosses tend to think women in the military, are pretty much coo coo twice, once for joining and again because they must have PTSD from *something*), was volunteering. Also, NETWORK to find jobs...and don't be picky, any job is better than no job (assuming you are unemployed and need money), you can work a crappy job while looking for a better one. And...probably, learn to write a good resume.

Most places don't want to hire anyone that is unemployed...and lets face it, being a stay-at-home-mom is being unemployed (please, don't give me that unrealistic pandering BS about being the CEO of the home--it requires no where near the same skill set of any professional job, even if some of the individual duties overlap here and there). So my first advice for getting a job is not quitting your old one until you are for sure starting the new one, and don't get fired. If, though, for some reason, you find yourself not working, volunteer somewhere. Volunteering IS working...just not for money. Try to volunteer at something close to what you want to do. Volunteer opportunities often involve training, which you can also put on your resume. Volunteering can also become a job...when I worked at the museum, I was one of three hired on at the time, and the only one of the three that wasn't a volunteer there already (I just had a really great resume, that hit all of what they were looking for). Another option--intern and externships...if you think there is something you might want to do (particularly if it involves training that you need to pay for first) go in and have them put you to work as free labor...my best friend had a job she wanted that she knew came available upon occasion, but had no experience at...so she went to the business and said "Hey, I'm really interested in learning about _________! I don't have any experience, but I'd like the opportunity to come in and learn about it!", on her days off from her other job she'd go in to shadow the job, and 4 months later, she had the job when they had an opening.

So...Medusa talked about asking friends if they know of places hiring---absolutely! Ask the person at the stores that you like to shop at (hello discount!) if you are looking for retail...ask your neighbors, your parent's friends, whatever. Look at temp places, but remember they are TEMPORARY--use that time to look for permanent employment. Summer jobs start hiring now--camps, summer programs, amusement parks. Also, during the school year, most big school districts always need substitute teachers (requirements vary by state--you need at least *some* college, possibly a degree for most places in the US), playground and lunch monitors, crossing guards, bus drivers, etc. If you don't have a car, look for businesses along the nearest public transport routes. Check out city, county, state, and federal websites--they often have everything from office assistants to professional jobs...the pay is often so-so, but (furlough discounting) its usually dependable and generally has good benefits. If you look for a job in the US with the federal govt, use the USA jobs website--resumes are initially judged on keyword searches, so tailor your resume using the jobs descriptor (lots of websites do this).

Which comes to writing an awesome resume. Write the resume for the job you are competing for. This might mean you have 4 or 5 different resumes that emphasize different things, for different types of jobs. Don't be too picky when you are looking. I'm not working in a field I ever thought I'd work in, I applied for this job purely because I met the requirements. I don't really fit well into all that I just wrote, because where I work now was obligated to hire me based on their hiring practices regarding veterans in general, and disabled veterans in particular. I pretty much got this job on a lark. And, I'm sticking with it because the pay and benefits are good and the hours are consistent but flexible. Its not the best job, but it doesn't totally suck either.

[Satu]

Re: Job advice

What kind of job are you hoping to get?

Try indeed.com. If you do software or web development, also look up StackOverflow Careers. Check meetup.com to see if there are professional meetings of people who hold job(s) that you want.

As for honest answers vs saying what they want to hear: the idea seems to be not to tell wild lies about yourself (and don't lie about anything that can be verified by a background check). Put a positive spin on what you can, talk about what you learned and what you're doing to move past whatever you can't put a positive spin on. When talking about former bosses, coworkers, etc., avoid badmouthing. Even if they were the nastiest people on the face of the planet, don't badmouth.

Not sure what to say with references. I got lucky with those.

Temp services could be a good option. My cousin got a really good job after about a year of working a bunch of temp-to-hire jobs.

I'm an introvert, too. That's one of the reasons why I chose software development. You should do some research to find jobs that don't require a lot of contact with people, then decide if you've got the chops for one of 'em.

[Shahaku]

Re: Job advice

Thanks for all the advice!

I'm pretty proficient with HTML, and took several classes in graphic design, but around here, jobs related to that are only hiring people with a minimum 10 yrs experience. I also have two years experience in supervisory level jobs. But that's part of the problem I'm having now. Between not knowing what the hell I was doing when I got the job, and my personality, I just don't make the best supervisor at least not where I'm at. I'm working on it, but I really don't want to be in that position again until I've had some time to learn the job and the people at the company.

Interviewing can be pretty hard for me. My current job involves confronting customers a lot. And that's not really good customer service, it makes for some really difficult situations. And explaining in an interview that my most difficult customer service experiences (a pretty common question) involve taking money away from people... I don't think it looks that good. On top of that, while my job really is customer service oriented, it's not sale, not retail, it's peculiar. I work in a casino, in slots. If I'm selling anything, it's the idea that putting money in a machine and hitting a button to watch image flash across a screen is entertainment... So answering situational questions is very difficult to do honestly and still make it look like I'm a good fit for the job. If I'm purely honest, my most difficult situations and the way I handled them would make any normal manager cringe, but I handled them the way I had to at the casino, according to our policy and/or state law.

I may start volunteering, it's a good idea, though I hate the idea of spending any more time than necessary away from the baby right now. Maybe I can find something where I could tow her along for the time being. It would at least help me get some references outside of the personal ones...

[DanieMarie]

Re: Job advice

I would think that there would be a lot of volunteer jobs that would let you take your baby! Volunteer work is social by nature (at least from my experience).

[anunitu]

Re: Job advice

I had a friend who worked construction..His way of getting a job was perhaps only something that would work in that profession. He would go to a perspective boss,and tell them he would work for a week or two for free,and then if they liked his work they would hire him. I should say he was a VERY good worker,and also worked as a foreman on many jobs.

[MaskedOne]

Re: Job advice

Either tell the truth or lie well. Yes this should be self evident but...

I've had someone hand me an application where the criminal history section is blank and then hand me Department of Corrections paperwork to sign off that he'd spoken to me. This gets an application circular-filed once you walk out the door.
Also, if you walk in with a friend who is thrice as motivated to find you a job as you are to get one then the judgemental bastard of a store manager will write you off before reading your application and spend their remaining time thinking of how to hire your friend. First impressions suck that way. This too should be self-evident but I've been the judgemental bastard of a store manager sitting through such a comedy of errors before.