|
Well, the company ended up going with an internal hire, but they said they absolutely loved me and had it not been for that I'd have been hired right on the spot, according to what the recruiter told me-- so I guess that's something, right?  Anyway, I'm at a loss as to what to look for as far as work goes. I'm in no rush for a job as I'm being paid by my father to keep the house and fleet of vehicles running (both of which are full-time jobs in themselves, without any facetiousness), but I'd love to know a direction to throw my resume toward. The job I applied for was looking for a jack-of-all-trades sort of person like me, and the word of advice they gave to me was to hold out for similar offers because I'm desirable for my combined skill set. They said that despite them being rare, they do exist, and I'd be snatched up given time. I did graphic design for my mother's company many years ago, including consulting with clients to explain the various products and services we offered, so I can work my way through Photoshop fairly decently-- but nothing to the levels of true graphic designers. I can do basic macros and tables in Excel, have a working knowledge of statistical software (Stata/SPSS/R) and undergrad experience in data analysis with high marks and professors' praises. People tell me I'm an excellent and very eloquent conversationalist. I'm in the process of learning the ins and outs of Illustrator. I also have audio engineering experience, both in-studio and from my home. I can draw, play instruments, and can take apart and put back together any vehicle in existence. That said, anybody happen to know of some great fields to look for openings in? I'm in the greater San Diego area if that helps.
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2013 02:05
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 24, 2024 13:29 |
|
|
Goddamn, I hate interviews where it's obvious that the interviewer is reading from "the big book of interview questions". I got some of the most generic questions possible and had to try and answer them to actually be relevant for the position. It was the second interview, the first one was done by HR and knew what they were doing, but this second one was a manager that obviously didn't have any expertise in it. I hate questions like "have you ever gone behind your manager to do something he didn't agree with?", or "have you ever been late with reaching project milestones and didn't give ample notice?" Like, even if they had, who would admit to such things? Bloody waste of time and almost insulting.
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2013 05:40
|
|
|
Original_Z posted:Goddamn, I hate interviews where it's obvious that the interviewer is reading from "the big book of interview questions". I got some of the most generic questions possible and had to try and answer them to actually be relevant for the position. It was the second interview, the first one was done by HR and knew what they were doing, but this second one was a manager that obviously didn't have any expertise in it. Those are both valuable questions. The first one eliminates people more often than you think; alternatively it can show a person who is honest, was humbled and learned a lesson about command structure and team work. The second is similar. My suggestion would be to spend time analyzing why questions might be valuable rather than dismissing something you may have the need to impress someone with in the future.
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2013 19:28
|
|
|
Stangg posted:I want to ask a question in a 2nd round interview with a HR Manager and Senior Manager in a Japanese Investment Bank. Basically I want to feel out how they view the IT department as I know from experience that not having a positive view from senior management on the IT side of things makes for a pretty miserable life working there, how do you think it would be best to word this? At the moment I have something along the lines of "How do you envisage a typical day for someone in my position?" I'd go with "Can you tell me more about the team I would be a part of?" That will give you a general sense of how they feel, plus you could respond with "I think that my skills in X will really complement the team's Y."
|
|
#
?
Jul 20, 2013 19:00
|
|
|
Konstantin posted:I'd go with "Can you tell me more about the team I would be a part of?" That will give you a general sense of how they feel, plus you could respond with "I think that my skills in X will really complement the team's Y." That's a good one thanks, I've also been suggested "What are the current business challenges you are facing?", if they bring up something technology related it would give me a chance to start a dialogue about it.
|
|
#
?
Jul 21, 2013 13:52
|
|
|
the Japanese thing throws me so this might be terrible advice: I work IT development for a financial business and was kind of hesitant about joining. When they asked why, I pretty much said straight up that most finance places view IT as a commodity/cost-center and I want to be somewhere I can help drive and expand the business (implied: be rewarded for doing so and not stuck in a closet somewhere ). Turns out that was actually a very good question because they were looking for that kind of thing and so was I so "hooray" because it might have been what got me the job, plus I felt good about the firm. Thats pretty forward and might be considered rude at a Japanese firm, I have no idea.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2013 16:11
|
|
|
I can't remember if I've already thanked FAN OF NICKELBACK for this, but I nailed an interview March of this year because of all the awesome advice in the A/T thread, and I'm now 3 months into a job I really like. So thanks, dude! Anyway, how are you supposed to answer when they ask you if you're applying to other jobs? I imagine most people are applying for multiple jobs at once, but I don't really know if you're supposed to come out and say that. Intuitively, it feels like you should say yes, but be vague/generic?
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2013 23:51
|
|
|
I had a very promising all-day interview last week for a tech company- it ended with the recruiter basically saying they were open to anything within reason to get me to join. Then on Monday I got a call from him after the interviewers had a meeting. They want me to come back in next week to meet the team for one of the roles we discussed, which isn't quite the role I applied for. I'm not quite sure what's up- I was under the impression that a single all-day interview is the norm. I'm sure recruiters are experts at flattering you to sell the company, but I really expected a job offer or a declination. What should I expect from this 'meet the team' meeting? Does it sound like they're looking for a culture fit as a last screen, or am I basically starting at square one with a new role?
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2013 02:29
|
|
|
Unfortunately recruiters and HR people don't really make the decision, but want to have something to say and tell you whatever to make sure you stay interested. I don't know if this means you are back to square 1 or not. They are probably arguing behind the scenes of how great you are and where to put you. It's definitely not a good sign that you have to do more to impress them. Things change so fast and they don't communicate with each other.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2013 02:36
|
|
|
Out of the blue (more or less) I got an e-mail from a recruitment agency that had found my CV on one of those job portals where such things are posted. The e-mail said I seemed qualified to several of the positions they were trying to fill and that they wanted me to fill out a boiler plate form and return it with an updated CV. Now all this is fine. I've been let go from my current employer and need to find someone to feed me, ideally within a month or two, so I've been updating my profile on all those online places and I expect (and hope for!) a certain amount of queries like this one. I found some of the questions on the form to be a bit odd, though, and wanted to share.  quote:7. What are your hourly rate/ salary expectations? Now a lot of the other questions are about specific positions and can't really be answered in this context, but the whole thing leaves me a bit unimpressed with the company itself. I guess I'll just fill out more or less what they can already see from my résumé and put in a comment that I'll be more detailed when they give me something to be detailed about.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2013 10:04
|
|
|
bondetamp posted:Out of the blue (more or less) I got an e-mail from a recruitment agency that had found my CV on one of those job portals where such things are posted. 7: Negotiable 8: Many 21. Excellent It's possible they're a crummy company and won't do anything for you but there's no point in closing any doors, especially since you probably have a lot of time on your hands right now.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2013 16:02
|
|
|
Xguard86 posted:the Japanese thing throws me so this might be terrible advice: Well I ended up getting the job, I first of all explained that I specifically wanted her point of view on the It department (because she told if I had any questions towards the IT director that I had forgotten to ask before) and went with "What business challenges are you currently facing, particularly with technology?" and "What do you think separates an outstanding senior analyst from an ok one?". She answered both questions really enthusiastically and with some decent degree of knowledge on the IT workings of the business which was a green flag as far as I was concerned. My only interaction with the Japanese side of things was at the end a senior manager came in to say hello to me, it was all a bit surreal, when he came in the HR director made a point of telling him that she told me to take my jacket off because it was too hot in the room (I guess its a massive faux pas to remove your jacket). It was quite difficult to understand what he was saying, he would mumble some words and laugh a lot. One of his questions was him staring at me and just saying "sports", when I replied with rock climbing he was incredulous and burst into fits of laughter. Then he escorted me out and when I got home the job offer was waiting. From what I've been told the office is 50/50 Japanese and locals, all of senior management are Japanese as well as half the trade floor so I will get to learn about their business culture without having to be fully immersed in it.
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2013 00:37
|
|
|
I really need to practice my interview bullshitting skills. In the middle of July I applied for a graduate job with a big four accounting firm to start in September which required a certain level of a specific rare language, so it wasn't as if they were tripping over candidates for the job. I have excellent academics across the board, graduated from a global top five university, and can speak the rare language to the required level and more. Alas, in the telephone interview I failed to show that I had sufficient career motivation. No job for me and no-one to fill that position for them, I guess.
|
|
#
?
Jul 27, 2013 20:15
|
|
|
Teddles posted:I really need to practice my interview bullshitting skills. In the middle of July I applied for a graduate job with a big four accounting firm to start in September which required a certain level of a specific rare language, so it wasn't as if they were tripping over candidates for the job. I have excellent academics across the board, graduated from a global top five university, and can speak the rare language to the required level and more. Alas, in the telephone interview I failed to show that I had sufficient career motivation. No job for me and no-one to fill that position for them, I guess. What language?
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2013 20:17
|
|
|
Vomik posted:What language? Japanese 
Morton Salt Grrl fucked around with this message at 17:49 on Jul 29, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2013 17:34
|
|
|
I have an interview for a recruitment job in a few days. I don't have any experience in recruitment or HR though, and I'm a bit worried about the interviewers bringing this up at some point. Would the best way to address a question about my lack of experience in the field just be to try and emphasise my organisational and communication skills and hope for the best? The OP is very helpful by the way, cheers FAN OF NICKELBACK!
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2013 21:16
|
|
|
Teddles posted:Japanese Japanese isn't rare. You were probably competing with a handful of other bilingual candidates, also from top schools, many of whom have better/native Japanese. Even in London... especially in London.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 01:22
|
|
|
zmcnulty posted:Japanese isn't rare. You were probably competing with a handful of other bilingual candidates, also from top schools, many of whom have better/native Japanese. Even in London... especially in London. Yeah I was going to say the same. I wouldn't take it so personally Teddles, because a big 4 is definitely going to get plenty of people who can speak Japanese. Now if they were desperately in need of a fluent Aramaic speaker then I'd be worried about your ability.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 01:27
|
|
|
Dd they specifically tell you that you failed to show sufficient career motivation or did you infer that when you didn't get the job?
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 01:42
|
|
|
zmcnulty posted:Japanese isn't rare. You were probably competing with a handful of other bilingual candidates, also from top schools, many of whom have better/native Japanese. Even in London... especially in London. Vomik posted:Yeah I was going to say the same. I wouldn't take it so personally Teddles, because a big 4 is definitely going to get plenty of people who can speak Japanese. I'd only agree that Japanese isn't rare if we don't exclude the "Konnichiwa, watashi wa anime ga daisuki " selftaught  crowd. Of the Big Four, three recruit directly into Japanese departments via the graduate program, which starts hiring in August/September; as of right now, almost ten months after these positions opened, two of the three are still open - the ones which require actual Japanese ability, N3 and business-level fluency respectively. The one which doesn't require Japanese ability went only last week. So what with these positions which only hire one or two graduates at most being available nine months on, to start in September - and one of them requiring a low Japanese level that I think would actually be pretty useless in a business context - I don't think that it's fair to say that hordes of high-level Japanese speakers are beating their way to their doors. I'm not saying that I'd be the very best at the job, but I'd probably be above average, and certainly better than thin air, which is who they're currently on target to recruit. I only applied to two, the N3 and no-Japanese required one - business level Japanese is a bridge too far, I think. The no-Japanese one went while I was still in the preliminary testing phase, which is fair enough; if it's gone, it's gone. I failed the N3 one at telephone interview; again, I wouldn't mind, but being criticised for my career motivation by an organisation at which the mass exodus of graduates who've used and abused it to get their qualifications and then say "gently caress you bye" is practically an annual tradition stings a bit. I would have stayed, you silly geese. Xandu posted:Dd they specifically tell you that you failed to show sufficient career motivation or did you infer that when you didn't get the job? I got feedback, which was actually pretty good of them, but the unrealistic nature of what they were looking for really opened my eyes to just how much you need to embellish, exaggerate and, as the partner of a Big Four firm told me, make poo poo up to get in. Morton Salt Grrl fucked around with this message at 11:01 on Jul 30, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 10:58
|
|
|
Teddles posted:I'd only agree that Japanese isn't rare if we don't exclude the "Konnichiwa, watashi wa anime ga daisuki Now I don't know the particulars of this situation but I work at a big 4 (consulting side though) and just because a job is listed doesn't mean they didnt hire someone. At least in my area they are always looking to hire if you're qualified. Now, of course, you may be right and I'm not certain how I would convey career motivation myself in an interview. (I came in experienced not entry level so it's a different style) Do you have any idea what they may have been talking about? Possibly an answer to some question you remember?
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 17:00
|
|
|
Vomik posted:Now I don't know the particulars of this situation but I work at a big 4 (consulting side though) and just because a job is listed doesn't mean they didnt hire someone. At least in my area they are always looking to hire if you're qualified. Now, of course, you may be right and I'm not certain how I would convey career motivation myself in an interview. (I came in experienced not entry level so it's a different style) There were some questions about what I thought I would be doing for the first two years, why I wanted the position, etc. I thought I answered pretty well, I'd done my research and I legitimately thought the qualification I would get would be better than in other places, but apparently I didn't do as well as I thought.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2013 17:24
|
|
|
Why did you say you wanted the position, and what your first two years would be like? as close to verbatim as possible, if you can.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2013 17:49
|
|
|
After my second interview with a company I got a verbal offer and submitted paperwork for a background check. It is my understanding that a written offer will come pending my check results (which should be clean). That's all very straightforward. What's confusing me is they've mentioned a starting date of [verbal offer + 2 weeks], when I likely won't receive the written offer until a few days before then. Is it expected that people will give notice following a verbal offer? That sounds idiotic to me.
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2013 20:09
|
|
|
Teddles posted:There were some questions about what I thought I would be doing for the first two years, why I wanted the position, etc. I thought I answered pretty well, I'd done my research and I legitimately thought the qualification I would get would be better than in other places, but apparently I didn't do as well as I thought. Did you tell them you were going for the job because it would get you a better qualification? Because that paired with: Teddles posted:again, I wouldn't mind, but being criticised for my career motivation by an organisation at which the mass exodus of graduates who've used and abused it to get their qualifications and then say "gently caress you bye" is practically an annual tradition stings a bit. makes it sound like you're just in it to get the Big 4 name and then peace like everyone else does once the qualification is on your resume. I'm starting with a Big 4 next year and the attrition rate is pretty insane though. They want you to say you'll stay for 3-5+ years, but mask that in bs about being excited for the exciting work you'll handle during those years. Or something like that.
|
|
#
?
Aug 2, 2013 03:52
|
|
|
FAN OF NICKELBACK posted:Why did you say you wanted the position, and what your first two years would be like? as close to verbatim as possible, if you can. I wanted to use my language in the business world rather than the translation world, Tax was interesting to me, my first two years would be spent studying for the qualification and doing stuff like tax returns. I queried something I'd seen on their website about a general two-year schedule for graduates which didn't make sense, and was told it was because they'd updated it for 2014 intake. Democratic Pirate posted:Did you tell them you were going for the job because it would get you a better qualification? Because that paired with: Nah, I intended to stay - it's not like I can use Japanese at a small local firm, after all. By that quote I meant that I resented being criticised for my career motivation by an organisation which is clearly bollocks at judging it.
|
|
#
?
Aug 2, 2013 09:17
|
|
|
Julio Cesar Fatass posted:After my second interview with a company I got a verbal offer and submitted paperwork for a background check. It is my understanding that a written offer will come pending my check results (which should be clean). That's all very straightforward.
|
|
#
?
Aug 2, 2013 22:05
|
|
|
So I have a full in-person interview on Tuesday that is based around exercises to see if I'm not some kind of idiot. These exercises include logic cases, business cases, and a behavior interview over the spam of four hours. The issue is that I'm some kind of idiot and have no idea where to start. The phone interview had me doing some algebra profit maximization problems to see if I remember half-decade old math, which I somehow miraculously did but it definitely was not confidence-inspiring. Anybody know of some good resources to brush up on case and logic studies? If I do get this job (first one out of college) they'd start me at 50k which is more money in a year than I've made my entire life working minimum wage. 
|
|
#
?
Aug 2, 2013 23:52
|
|
|
So I've been interviewing engineering candidates for a long time, for a large company. We'd do the typical process (for us technical guys) of asking a series of engineering problems related to the job we were hiring for. Most engineering candidates expect this and it went fine. We each made up our own complex questions and design scenarios so as to avoid the stuff popping up on the interwebs. Now, I'm starting to interview non-engineering candidates for my new company: artists, sound guys, etc. I wonder how effective these sort of "working interviews" would be with that crowd? Is that the kind of thing these candidates are prepared for? I was thinking, for artists, to have them sketch out during the interview an object, or scene, described in words. I have no idea what I'd do for the sound guys but yea, stuff like that. Oh, if you have questions about how we actually decided to hire which people, feel free to ask, I won't mention the company so I can discuss the details. And I no longer work for them anyway.
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2013 18:01
|
|
|
I have a friend that is currently looking for a job and getting a few interviews here and there. However, I worry that she may be losing points in the interview due to "speaking fob." By that I mean adding and leaving S's off of words, improper verb conjugation, etc. I feel like this is a subject that interviewers won't mention to an interviewee if they ask for feedback and I was looking for opinions from those with more experience on the subject.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2013 17:55
|
|
|
Pilkington posted:I have a friend that is currently looking for a job and getting a few interviews here and there. However, I worry that she may be losing points in the interview due to "speaking fob." By that I mean adding and leaving S's off of words, improper verb conjugation, etc. I feel like this is a subject that interviewers won't mention to an interviewee if they ask for feedback and I was looking for opinions from those with more experience on the subject. It could be an issue, especially if the position is any way customer facing. Your people represent your company, and someone who cannot communicate in proper English might not be the best fit for the job. Thinking about it though, I don't think I've ever given it much conscious thought, more or less lumped it in with how they generally presented themselves which is why someone might not get feedback on that sort of thing directly.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2013 18:21
|
|
|
What's the consensus on sending a thank you note/email after an interview? Is it expected now?
|
|
#
?
Aug 7, 2013 04:22
|
|
|
I'm preparing for a second interview with a japanese electronics company for a Junior Accountant/AP job. In the first interview I was asked if I had reviewed the company's financials on the website and I said no. Despita that I did score a What should I keep in mind when reviewing the financials before an interview? Also any additional advice on interviewing for a junior accounting position or at a japanese company would be appreciated.
|
|
#
?
Aug 7, 2013 06:06
|
|
|
Julio Cesar Fatass posted:After my second interview with a company I got a verbal offer and submitted paperwork for a background check. It is my understanding that a written offer will come pending my check results (which should be clean). That's all very straightforward. Just tell them you're willing to start two weeks from the date that you have an actual offer in your hand. They'll understand. Things change, and you don't want to be out on your bum because they rescinded the offer because the background check company mixed you up with Julio Caeaser Fatass and they thing you urinated on a playground 8 years ago.
|
|
#
?
Aug 7, 2013 15:14
|
|
|
Ron Don Volante posted:What's the consensus on sending a thank you note/email after an interview? Is it expected now? Don't send a thank you note unless you're a 70 year old grandmother. People often send thank you emails but they aren't required and don't really help your chances. As for "required now" no... They used to be more common but have started disappearing.
|
|
#
?
Aug 7, 2013 16:09
|
|
|
My first interview I mailed "a nice handwritten note" per my mom's advice. Looking back, I think it made me look really green and kind of weird. I didn't get the job and that prob wasn't the only reason but I doubt it helped. Sitting on the other side of the table: I think a short email is ideal. They may not care but its never going to hurt. For my job now I sent an email to everyone saying thank you, that I was very interested in what they were doing and I would be a great fit because my specific value to them would be x in role y. It was like three sentences written fairly casually. Sending something in the mail or handing over paper is going to be looked at strangely unless you know they would go for that kind of thing or there is some specific circumstance.
|
|
#
?
Aug 7, 2013 17:52
|
|
|
I gave a written thank-you note and the hiring manager told me he was impressed by that during the second interview. This was for a job at a super traditional office in the south, so your mileage will definitely vary.
|
|
#
?
Aug 7, 2013 19:22
|
|
|
Ron Don Volante posted:What's the consensus on sending a thank you note/email after an interview? Is it expected now? I've never sent a thank you note to an interviewer. I was told by my current employer that the only time he would send thank you notes was if he felt he messed something up in the interview and used the thank you note as a way to smooth it over: "Thanks for having me in today. I really appreciated the opportunity to talk about xyz and was glad I could tell you about some of the experience I have with xyz. Please don't hesitate to call or e-mail if you have any additional questions or need further clarification." etc. I also recently got the opportunity to interview a few people for an entry level staff accounting position where I work and no one has sent me a thank you letter and I don't think any less of them for it.
|
|
#
?
Aug 7, 2013 21:47
|
|
|
I think it's an insurance policy. I've never met a hiring manager that's been offended by one, and when I hire it's a small plus in my book. You might as well do it to cover your bases. Especially in any job where they want strong follow-up or following leads. It's sort of demonstrating that you have basic follow-up skills. Keep it really short though or you'll blow it.
|
|
#
?
Aug 7, 2013 22:54
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 24, 2024 13:29 |
|
|
Mad Wack posted:I think it's an insurance policy. I've never met a hiring manager that's been offended by one, and when I hire it's a small plus in my book. You might as well do it to cover your bases. Especially in any job where they want strong follow-up or following leads. It's sort of demonstrating that you have basic follow-up skills. Keep it really short though or you'll blow it. That's a really good point re: leads. My interview was for a sales position, and showing that you have follow-through on contacts is really important for those.
|
|
#
?
Aug 8, 2013 03:38
|
|