Job searchers: check in here?

[Storygirl]

My phone interview with the bookstore went well on Saturday, and she invited me to a second interview in the store with the store manager on Friday. This job is 15-20 hours per week, 3-4 days, which is perfect for me. A reason to get out of the house and interact with others (otherwise I am a homebody) and be around books, which I love. DS19 (ASD and hard to get along with) just graduated and is not going to college and right now only works one shift a week at Goodwill, and it will be good for multiple reasons for him to see me regularly spending time out of the house.

[Halftime Hope]

I'm waiting for feedback on a Friday job interview, and I've been offered a job I don't want, and is seriously below market pay.  Ughh...I hate nail biters.

 

[dirty ethel rackham]

I had an in-person interview at a place that I didn't really think I'd want.  It's farther than I'd like, but within the realm of doable.  Likely an hour door-to-door, with the traffic flex time added in.  The reviews in Indeed were pretty mixed.  When I got there, I was early as planned so I had to use the rest-room.  I was back in the waiting room with 3 minutes to spare.  I waited for over 30 minutes for my interview and was getting pretty annoyed.  Mostly because they didn't prepare me for that or explain why and because one of the front desk people had a really annoying voice and she came across as pretty rude and doesn't realize her voice carries.  

I had a quick scanning interview with one of the techs and that went really well despite using a machine I had never seen before and didn't know where the important controls were.  I was able to demonstrate that I could find the needed anatomy and document the important things.  Then I had an interview with one of the doctors in the practice.   I got a really good vibe from him.  And I just got off the phone with the practice manager and had a really good feeling from him as well.  If they were closer, it would be number 1 on my list.  

Did I actually type that ... having a list to have a #1?  

On Thursday, I have a phone interview for a hospital job, but it is day shift and no call, but it may involve some weekends.  I'd prefer clinic, but this hospital is close.  Maybe 20 minutes with traffic.  

[Laura Corin]

I was turned down for another job before interview,  but it was a long shot anyway. Two more applications on the go.

And developments in my own department make it more likely that staying could be a positive move. So that's good.

[Halftime Hope]

I've had positive feedback from the recruiter for the Friday interview: the HR person in the hiring company told her we had a good interview, and although she is also interviewing others for the role, I haven't been written off. I'm also pursuing next steps on the job I was offered. (Hubby helped me see it from a better perspective.)

[AbcdeDooDah]

Eek! I was contacted for an interview. Likely will be Wednesday, just waiting on a time. Am I right to assume bare toes in heel sandals is a no no? They are the only dress shoes I have. Was thinking black dress pants and a black and white blouse? I will shop for shoes this weekend. Anything to look for or avoid? The interview is at a government legal office.

Edited May 24, 2023 by AbcdeDooDah

[AbcdeDooDah]

Omgosh. The interviewer just asked me to move the interview up to this Thursday. I chose next Wednesday because it would give more time to think about it (worry). Now I have two days! I have not had a job in 27 years. Freaking out a little bit. 

[Laura Corin]

1 hour ago, AbcdeDooDah said:

Omgosh. The interviewer just asked me to move the interview up to this Thursday. I chose next Wednesday because it would give more time to think about it (worry). Now I have two days! I have not had a job in 27 years. Freaking out a little bit. 

Best of luck! Deep breaths.

I find it helpful to go online and look up the kinds of questions that might be asked. In my experience,  interviewers aren't very imaginative,  so the preparation has paid off for me and made me feel more in control. 

[AbcdeDooDah]

13 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

Best of luck! Deep breaths.

I find it helpful to go online and look up the kinds of questions that might be asked. In my experience,  interviewers aren't very imaginative,  so the preparation has paid off for me and made me feel more in control. 

Great idea! Thank you!

[Halftime Hope]

16 hours ago, AbcdeDooDah said:

Omgosh. The interviewer just asked me to move the interview up to this Thursday. I chose next Wednesday because it would give more time to think about it (worry). Now I have two days! I have not had a job in 27 years. Freaking out a little bit. 

@AbcdeDooDah I have been immensely helped by watching HR or career coach short videos on Instagram and FB. Some of them are about interviewing skills and preparing for interviews, others have touched on negotiation after an offer, others on professional demeanor, attitude, and boundary-setting, and so one. Some of my favorites:  Anna Papalia (on FB) also shiftprofile.com, @apowermood (on IG), @careercoachdarci (IG), @advicewitherin, @langstaff.greg (IG), @allifromcorporate (IG), @realisticrecruiting (IG).  Anna Papalia and the girl from @apowermood have their reels or stories categorized by topic on their IG profile page (for @apowermood) and on Anna's website.  

You should also google behavioral interview questions, or use the link I pasted below.  They fall into about 5 general categories -- so it's not really that hard, then I copied them into a Word doc, converted into a table, and then started lining up questions with anecdotes, because they always want you to answer with, essentially, a (short) story that includes the Situation, Task, Action, and Result.  https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/how-to-use-the-star-interview-response-technique.  I have found that I can adapt an anecdote and frame it to fit the question, for the most part.  Then you must practice, practice, practice. (My husband came through the living room while I was doing an HR interview the other morning, and he commented on how professional and knowing-what-I-wanted I sounded, compared with when we first started practicing a few months ago, so it really does help!)

The ChatGPT knock-off (in Bing, for free) has been invaluable for gathering research about a company, about the company's principles; it's like a go-to researcher. 🙂 It doesn't work very well for analysis, I've found.

When you are scheduled for an interview, you should know what kind of an interview it is (screening with HR? with the hiring manager? with a potential colleague? with the team, assessing for fit?). If it is anything more than a "mom and pop shop" without a website, ask for the name and bio of the person if you can't find it on the organization's website, and if you don't have a job description, they should provide that, too, so you can prepare to address the salient requirements and responsibilities in your interview. (If it's a mom and pop shop, the HR person should be able to tell you about the hiring manager, even if they don't have a bio.)

ETA: also learn how to answer the usual opening question, tell me about yourself (or versions of it, such as what brought you to this point, how did you get here, etc.): it's the opportunity to give your professional summary and a personal item that makes you an interesting person, a bit of humanity as it were.  For me -- unique to my situation -- it also gives me a chance to address the elephant in the room, why my employment history ends in March. (Lay-offs) As an EA, it has to be addressed, because who lays off an EA?!?

Good luck!

Edited May 24, 2023 by Halftime Hope

[AbcdeDooDah]

I'm not sure what to do. The supervisor asked me yesterday to let her know what time and I replied back asking if 10am works for her. That was around 5 pm yesterday. I have not heard back. Do I send another email before 5 pm?

 

 

[Halftime Hope]

7 minutes ago, AbcdeDooDah said:

I'm not sure what to do. The supervisor asked me yesterday to let her know what time and I replied back asking if 10am works for her. That was around 5 pm yesterday. I have not heard back. Do I send another email before 5 pm?

 

 

Yes; forward the email you had sent to her and write a second message on top, something similar to: 

Supervisor Name,

I had not heard from you in response to my email yesterday afternoon regarding an interview.

I wanted to follow up with you, in case you had not seen my reply. That said, I am happy to wait if there circumstances that have prevented you from replying with a confirmed time for our interview. 

Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you at your convenience.

Sincerely, Abcedoodah. 

 

 

[AbcdeDooDah]

54 minutes ago, Halftime Hope said:

Yes; forward the email you had sent to her and write a second message on top, something similar to: 

Supervisor Name,

I had not heard from you in response to my email yesterday afternoon regarding an interview.

I wanted to follow up with you, in case you had not seen my reply. That said, I am happy to wait if there circumstances that have prevented you from replying with a confirmed time for our interview. 

Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you at your convenience.

Sincerely, Abcedoodah. 

 

 

I was about to send one and she emailed back confirming the time! 

[Halftime Hope]

2 hours ago, AbcdeDooDah said:

I was about to send one and she emailed back confirming the time! 

Great news! I didn't understand that your time til the interview was so short! 

At this point, it feels to me like the two critical questions to have answers for tomorrow could be 1) "tell me a bit about yourself," and 2) some version of "why do you want this job?" 

All the best -- we're all cheering for you!

 

[dirty ethel rackham]

@AbcdeDooDah Good luck!

 

[Laura Corin]

I've been invited for a test on Wednesday and interview online on Thursday. This is for the job that might be too much finance. I know they've been having a hard time filling the post.

[dirty ethel rackham]

This morning, I had a phone interview with a local hospital but they lied on their job posting.  They said it was day shift and it is rotation shifts including overnights.  Thank you, bye!  

Good news.  I was offered the job at the cardiology office that is a bit of a commute but manageable.  They said I could work 4 ten hour shifts.  And they will work around my trip to NZ in September!!  So I accepted.  

[Halftime Hope]

17 minutes ago, dirty ethel rackham said:

This morning, I had a phone interview with a local hospital but they lied on their job posting.  They said it was day shift and it is rotation shifts including overnights.  Thank you, bye!  

Good news.  I was offered the job at the cardiology office that is a bit of a commute but manageable.  They said I could work 4 ten hour shifts.  And they will work around my trip to NZ in September!!  So I accepted.  

Congratulations! I'm so pleased for you...what a triumph! Hooray for you, D.E.R.! 👏

[Halftime Hope]

Well, more roller coaster. The corporate job I was really interested in just hired an internal candidate. The recruiter was not amused.

[Laura Corin]

1 hour ago, dirty ethel rackham said:

This morning, I had a phone interview with a local hospital but they lied on their job posting.  They said it was day shift and it is rotation shifts including overnights.  Thank you, bye!  

Good news.  I was offered the job at the cardiology office that is a bit of a commute but manageable.  They said I could work 4 ten hour shifts.  And they will work around my trip to NZ in September!!  So I accepted.  

Congratulations! 

[Laura Corin]

1 hour ago, Halftime Hope said:

Well, more roller coaster. The corporate job I was really interested in just hired an internal candidate. The recruiter was not amused.

If only people would treat  applicants fairly.

I'm a bit bemused by not having heard about the other job I applied for. It's 8 days since the closing date. I already do absolutely every one of the tasks in the job description at the same level, using the same technology. I'm starting to wonder if there is some kind of illicit skewing of the process.

[Halftime Hope]

32 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

If only people would treat  applicants fairly.

I'm a bit bemused by not having heard about the other job I applied for. It's 8 days since the closing date. I already do absolutely every one of the tasks in the job description at the same level, using the same technology. I'm starting to wonder if there is some kind of illicit skewing of the process.

Husband, with 40 years of corporate, has taught me a lot. By federal law, here in the US, companies (at least ones of a certain size) are required to post jobs publicly and interview 3 candidates prior to hiring. His company often times had a candidate in mind for the open position, an internal transfer, but they had to bring in outside candidates as a formality.

That's one of the reasons it's beneficial to have a recruiter, because the company has gone to the trouble of hiring the recruiter and the recruiter is sourcing candidates for them. Whether or not there is a game in that process, I have no idea, but from today's recruiter's reaction, I'd say not.

I'm sorry you haven't heard anything yet. My friend had a similar situation within a municipal government; it took several years and personnel changes for her to be given the job she applied for, after she'd been doing all the responsibilities of the position, while the company kept looking for outside candidates.

[Laura Corin]

3 minutes ago, Halftime Hope said:

Husband, with 40 years of corporate, has taught me a lot. By federal law, here in the US, companies (at least ones of a certain size) are required to post jobs publicly and interview 3 candidates prior to hiring. His company often times had a candidate in mind for the open position, an internal transfer, but they had to bring in outside candidates as a formality.

That's one of the reasons it's beneficial to have a recruiter, because the company has gone to the trouble of hiring the recruiter and the recruiter is sourcing candidates for them. Whether or not there is a game in that process, I have no idea, but from today's recruiter's reaction, I'd say not.

I'm sorry you haven't heard anything yet. My friend had a similar situation within a municipal government; it took several years and personnel changes for her to be given the job she applied for, after she'd been doing all the responsibilities of the position, while the company kept looking for outside candidates.

I'm actually doing the same job - more or less  - in a parallel department,  so it's not that my current position is unrecognised. 

I have all the necessary skills,  so it will be odd if I'm not invited for interview.  According to company rules, if it's an advertised position, each candidate should be judged on the same criteria, and notes kept of how decisions were made that can be audited.  We shall see.

[AbcdeDooDah]

On 5/24/2023 at 6:22 PM, Halftime Hope said:

Great news! I didn't understand that your time til the interview was so short! 

At this point, it feels to me like the two critical questions to have answers for tomorrow could be 1) "tell me a bit about yourself," and 2) some version of "why do you want this job?" 

All the best -- we're all cheering for you!

 

Thank you! Those two questions for sure and also my greatest strength/weakness, and how I handle angry customers/clients/etc.

I don’t know how it went but I felt pretty at ease/comfortable. We’ll find out soon, I guess.

Edited May 26, 2023 by AbcdeDooDah

[Halftime Hope]

@AbcdeDooDah, I'm glad it went well and you felt comfortable! Crossing my fingers for you...

[Laura Corin]

20 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

If only people would treat  applicants fairly.

I'm a bit bemused by not having heard about the other job I applied for. It's 8 days since the closing date. I already do absolutely every one of the tasks in the job description at the same level, using the same technology. I'm starting to wonder if there is some kind of illicit skewing of the process.

I contacted the administrator who is handling this vacancy, and apparently it hasn't been shortlisted yet and they convenor is on leave until Tuesday.  So it will be at least two weeks from the vacancy closing to their inviting people for interview.  Not reassuring and completely out of sync with the other job, which closed later.  Oh well.

[mommyto4]

I am officially on the supply teacher list at the school -- felt good!  I told them I could start at the end of May so I am hoping to get an early morning call soon.  It's a bit tricky as I still have one homeschool student, but I am hoping that they call on a day I can work all the details out.

And then today, I sent in a resume for a Teacher's Assistant position at the same school for the fall.  Not sure we can handle me working full-time but I thought I would apply and hear the details if they are interested in me.  

All the best to the other job hunters!  It's a lot of work, isn't it?

[Storygirl]

I think I got the bookseller job! The second interview went well today, and the store manager told me that he needs to check my references and run a background check to cross the T's and dot the I's -- which may take a week -- but that he expects that I will be called with the job offer toward the end of next week.

[Halftime Hope]

11 minutes ago, Storygirl said:

I think I got the bookseller job! The second interview went well today, and the store manager told me that he needs to check my references and run a background check to cross the T's and dot the I's -- which may take a week -- but that he expects that I will be called with the job offer toward the end of next week.

Congrats! I hope it's a wonderful job for you!

[ScoutTN]

On 5/25/2023 at 2:13 PM, dirty ethel rackham said:

This morning, I had a phone interview with a local hospital but they lied on their job posting.  They said it was day shift and it is rotation shifts including overnights.  Thank you, bye!  

Good news.  I was offered the job at the cardiology office that is a bit of a commute but manageable.  They said I could work 4 ten hour shifts.  And they will work around my trip to NZ in September!!  So I accepted.  

Congratulations!!!

[ScoutTN]

I interviewed for a pt job teaching at a homeschool tutorial. It’s an intriguing possibility, though not a lot of $/hr because of lots of prep needed. Great community of families. Wait n see. 

[Jaybee]

I'm not sure I could ever work at a bookstore, even though I love the environment. I'm afraid I'd spend all my paycheck and wouldn't have any take-home pay.

[Halftime Hope]

On 5/26/2023 at 5:00 PM, ScoutTN said:

I interviewed for a pt job teaching at a homeschool tutorial. It’s an intriguing possibility, though not a lot of $/hr because of lots of prep needed. Great community of families. Wait n see. 

The only way to make that work out well is if you're teaching your own kid in the class, and you're happy with the level of learning. (That's how I got into teaching an American Lit unit study with a heavy composition emphasis.) Otherwise, it's just peanuts and you're doing it for other reasons, which are valid if you're happy with them.  🙂 

ETA: I don't mean to sound negative, and I'm glad that I have something on my resume for the years prior to working full-time.

Edited May 28, 2023 by Halftime Hope

[Laura Corin]

I've been invited for interview for the second job, so now I have interviews on the 1st and 8th. 

[wintermom]

17 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

I've been invited for interview for the second job, so now I have interviews on the 1st and 8th. 

That's wonderful news!!! Good luck for both interviews!

[AbcdeDooDah]

I have a second interview on Friday. Same position in another county. 

I sent a follow-up email to the first interviewer, thanking her for the interview and sharing some things that I appreciated learning about the position. 

[Soror]

I haven't posted but I've been following along and cheering you ladies 😀

[ScoutTN]

On 5/28/2023 at 10:48 AM, Halftime Hope said:

The only way to make that work out well is if you're teaching your own kid in the class, and you're happy with the level of learning. (That's how I got into teaching an American Lit unit study with a heavy composition emphasis.) Otherwise, it's just peanuts and you're doing it for other reasons, which are valid if you're happy with them.  🙂 

ETA: I don't mean to sound negative, and I'm glad that I have something on my resume for the years prior to working full-time.

I’ve graduated my only homeschooler, so no kid in the class. Just trying to figure out what comes next. I have two pt jobs, but would like to up my income.

They haven’t offered me the job at this point, so I’m not giving it much thought right now. 

[Laura Corin]

Interview at 12.00 today; job offer at 2pm.  Now I just need to work out if I want the job - they've given me until Monday to decide.  I'm going to talk to my current boss about it too.

[AbcdeDooDah]

On 5/30/2023 at 1:32 PM, AbcdeDooDah said:

 

I sent a follow-up email to the first interviewer, thanking her for the interview and sharing some things that I appreciated learning about the position. 

She emailed back thanking me for my email and said “just so you know, your interview went very well.” She said she talked to her supervisors and will hopefully start the background soon and looks forward to working with me! I refuse to get excited but I am cautiously hopeful. The position opens up at the end of summer. 

 

[Hannah]

3 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

Interview at 12.00 today; job offer at 2pm.  Now I just need to work out if I want the job - they've given me until Monday to decide.  I'm going to talk to my current boss about it too.

Well done Laura! And good luck deciding.

 

[wintermom]

4 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

Interview at 12.00 today; job offer at 2pm.  Now I just need to work out if I want the job - they've given me until Monday to decide.  I'm going to talk to my current boss about it too.

Congratulations!!! That's so exciting for you! All the best going forward, be it the new job or a better version of your current job! ☺️

[wintermom]

On 5/30/2023 at 4:41 PM, Soror said:

I haven't posted but I've been following along and cheering you ladies 😀

Me, too!  I remember vividly how scary job interviews are. I've been at my current job for 2 years, but it still feels very new. 

Cheers to all of you wonderful ladies going forward with your career changes! All the very best!!! 🌺

[dirty ethel rackham]

4 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

Interview at 12.00 today; job offer at 2pm.  Now I just need to work out if I want the job - they've given me until Monday to decide.  I'm going to talk to my current boss about it too.

Congratulations!!  Good luck with the decision.  

[Laura Corin]

On 6/1/2023 at 3:52 PM, Laura Corin said:

Interview at 12.00 today; job offer at 2pm.  Now I just need to work out if I want the job - they've given me until Monday to decide.  I'm going to talk to my current boss about it too.

It's been an interesting 24 hours. I told my boss yesterday about the offer and he looked shocked. He said it was a disaster. 

He very sweetly talked through what he could and couldn't do to match the other offer - as we are in the middle of a re-org he doesn't have full authority. By 5.20 this evening he had pledges from his boss,  the Dean and the head of HR to get my wishes fulfilled.

Love bombing, for sure, but he's a good man and a good boss, and he's pulling out all the stops to show me how much I am valued.

[Hannah]

14 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

he had pledges from his boss,  the Dean and the head of HR to get my wishes fulfilled.

Can you get anything in writing Laura?  Is the new organisation structure finalised yet?

[Laura Corin]

1 hour ago, Hannah said:

Can you get anything in writing Laura?  Is the new organisation structure finalised yet?

No, I can't get anything in writing because the structure is not in place. So nothing is certain.  The other job I was offered is not a dream job, however, so I  am inclining towards staying put and seeing if they come good on their assurances within the next six months. If not, I can think again.

I also think that I am mentally a bit volatile at the moment. The pandemic years plus my mother's death and this reorganisation have been a lot, and I think that my sudden job searching may have been a symptom of that, rather than a considered move. I'm not sure, on reflection,  that I'm strong enough for a big change right now.

Edited June 3, 2023 by Laura Corin

[Hannah]

16 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

No, I can't get anything in writing because the structure is not in place. So nothing is certain.  The other job I was offered is not a dream job, however, so I  am inclining towards staying put and seeing if they come good on their assurances within the next six months. If not, I can think again.

I also think that I am mentally a bit volatile at the moment. The pandemic years plus my mother's death and this reorganisation have been a lot, and I think that my sudden job searching may have been a symptom of that, rather than a considered move. I'm not sure, on reflection,  that I'm strong enough for a big change right now.

Even without the pandemic and your mother's death, the uncertainty around reorganisation and job security is stressful in itself, especially as this seems to be a drawn-out process.  Through the search and job-offer you've proven to yourself that there are other opportunities available to you (even if not ideal) and its a wake-up call to your own department that they need to make sure that they look after you in the reorganisation process.

Since the job you were offered is not a dream job, it makes sense to stay put where you are.  Nothing stops you from continuing to look though.  

[LifeLovePassion]

I start Monday doing summer school at my new position. I can get a feel for things, but it won't quite be accurate as summer school is always so different than the regular year. But I can set up the classroom and organize supplies as they come in. 

[Halftime Hope]

6 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

No, I can't get anything in writing because the structure is not in place. So nothing is certain.  The other job I was offered is not a dream job, however, so I  am inclining towards staying put and seeing if they come good on their assurances within the next six months. If not, I can think again.

I also think that I am mentally a bit volatile at the moment. The pandemic years plus my mother's death and this reorganisation have been a lot, and I think that my sudden job searching may have been a symptom of that, rather than a considered move. I'm not sure, on reflection,  that I'm strong enough for a big change right now.

Laura, somehow I missed (or forgot -- ughhh) that your mother had passed away. I didn't know that. That is such a huge change...I hope you go easy on yourself and take the time needed to grieve that massive change in your life. 

I hope this is a wake-up call for your current colleagues, and they make good on treasuring you! 🙂