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So I think I might have a job. There's a local graphics firm that needs an administrative assistant. I contacted them and spoke with the person who I would replace. She knows my name and gave me the direct line to the office so I'm on a first-name basis. She offered her email but I didn't get it down, unfortunately. I'm going to lean in on this offer and try to get the job. How often should I call? How often is pestering?
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Aug 29, 2013 00:24
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Benny the Snake posted:So I think I might have a job. There's a local graphics firm that needs an administrative assistant. I contacted them and spoke with the person who I would replace. She knows my name and gave me the direct line to the office so I'm on a first-name basis. She offered her email but I didn't get it down, unfortunately. I'm going to lean in on this offer and try to get the job. How often should I call? How often is pestering? Did you actually submit a resume? Why in god's name couldn't you manage to write down an email address on the first try, or at least ask her to repeat it? Any call about this position would be pestering because you are not a viable candidate. They would be wasting valuable time they could use to find an employee who is capable of carrying out the world's most common administrative task.
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Aug 29, 2013 00:39
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Tiny Brontosaurus posted:Did you actually submit a resume? Why in god's name couldn't you manage to write down an email address on the first try, or at least ask her to repeat it? Any call about this position would be pestering because you are not a viable candidate. They would be wasting valuable time they could use to find an employee who is capable of carrying out the world's most common administrative task.
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Aug 29, 2013 00:52
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How the gently caress do you fail to get the email address of someone who might hire you? Do not inflict yourself on this person, Benny. They need a competent administrative assistant, not someone who needs to be convinced that the phone needs to be answered every time.
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Aug 29, 2013 00:52
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TheScott2K posted:How the gently caress do you fail to get the email address of someone who might hire you? I don't mean to be harsh, Benny, but I second this. I don't understand how you could fail to get her email address, or that it didn't even occur to you. As an administrative assistant, that's going to be important. They need someone organized and competent and right now you aren't any of those things. At the moment you should focus on getting your medications correct and your mind stable, then look for another retail job. You said you were a good cashier, so focus on something like that instead. But please, don't try to be anyone's secretary. You're going to end up doing your employers more harm than good.
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Aug 29, 2013 00:58
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Benny the Snake posted:I got a name and number. I submitted a resume and cover letter-twice to make sure it went through. As for the email, it didn't dawn on me. I sent it thru their company adress but not to my contact personally is what I'm saying. Don't ever submit a resume/cover letter twice. Be a functional human being who can send an email properly the first time and tell when it "goes through." And you said you spoke to this person, indicating some kind of phone call or in-person conversation, and she offered her email. If she offered it why didn't you take it. Why. Why why why.
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Aug 29, 2013 00:58
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Benny the Snake posted:I got a name and number. I submitted a resume and cover letter-twice to make sure it went through. As for the email, it didn't dawn on me. I sent it thru their company adress but not to my contact personally is what I'm saying. What do you mean, "twice to make sure it went through"? Was there an error the first time you sent it or did you just freak out and send it again because you hadn't gotten an immediate response? Did you use the Request Read Receipt function in your mail program? A company isn't going to want an admin assistant who can't handle basic email.
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Aug 29, 2013 00:58
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Because it didn't occur to him that it might be important.
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Aug 29, 2013 00:59
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I assumed it was him copying it down and falling behind at some point and not wanting to look bad so he didn't have her repeat it. That seems to be the sort of thing Benny would do. Benny, you need to try to stop doing things like that. A very good secretary probably would have gotten down the address the first time but even just an ok one would have asked again. Not taking the note at all? That is unacceptable. I worry you could do some serious damage to this business, Benny. Maybe you should look elsewhere.
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Aug 29, 2013 01:08
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CravingSolace posted:Because it didn't occur to him that it might be important.  I'll call tomorrow and ask if she got it and then ask for her email.
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Aug 29, 2013 01:09
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Benny the Snake posted:Well okay. I find the job off CL. I write up a cover letter and attach my resume to an email. I call the place and talk to the person who the ad would replace. I talk to her about the position and the requirements. She asked if I sent my resume and I said yes-I sent her a resume on a blank email and then went back to my cover letter email and sent that too just in case. She asked if I wanted her personal email to send my resume to but I said I'd just send it thru the listed email. In hindsight, I should've taken her personal email You sent a blank email to a job posting? Benny, any email you attach a resume to is a de-facto cover letter. You need a one-paragraph version of your cover letter (proofread, since you need your hand held about everything) that you can paste into emails like that if you can't manage to write a fresh one every time.
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Aug 29, 2013 01:11
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Benny the Snake posted:Well okay. I find the job off CL. I write up a cover letter and attach my resume to an email. I call the place and talk to the person who the ad would replace. I talk to her about the position and the requirements. She asked if I sent my resume and I said yes-I sent her a resume on a blank email and then went back to my cover letter email and sent that too just in case. She asked if I wanted her personal email to send my resume to but I said I'd just send it thru the listed email. In hindsight, I should've taken her personal email Not quite the LOL I FORGOT TO GET IMPORTANT INFORMATION that people are assuming, but yeah, in future, if someone offers you their email in a professional capacity, take them up on it. It doesn't hurt to call to make sure they received your resume, and maybe ask a few questions about the job (note, not the pay or the benefits, but about the company, stuff to make them believe you're interested) but after that, let it rest for a little while.
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Aug 29, 2013 01:12
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Benny the Snake posted:Well okay. I found the job off CL. I wrote up a cover letter and attached my resume to an email. I called the place and talked to the person who the ad would replace. I talk to her about the position and the requirements. She asked if I sent my resume and I said yes-I sent her a resume on a blank email and then went back to my cover letter email and sent that too just in case. She then asked if I wanted her personal email to send my resume to but I said I'd just send it thru the listed email. In hindsight, I should've taken her personal email Benny, as a secretary there are 3 things I always ask for when I speak to a client: 1. Their first and last name. 2. Their phone number. 3. An email address. I repeat the information back to them afterward to make sure I have everything written down correctly in case I ever need to get in touch with them. If a client were to offer me any information, I gladly take it. You never know if you might need it. If a potential EMPLOYER offers you any information, you write it down. As someone who has been job-searching for months now, I don't understand how this isn't second nature to you. This job is not for you. I pray they don't call you back.
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Aug 29, 2013 01:15
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Benny the Snake posted:Well okay. I found the job off CL. I wrote up a cover letter and attached my resume to an email. I called the place and talked to the person who the ad would replace. I talk to her about the position and the requirements. She asked if I sent my resume and I said yes-I sent her a resume on a blank email and then went back to my cover letter email and sent that too just in case. She then asked if I wanted her personal email to send my resume to but I said I'd just send it thru the listed email. In hindsight, I should've taken her personal email Leave this poor company alone, Benny. It is beyond your current capabilities to perform the job of administrative assistant to anyone. Over the course of this thread, you have demonstrated a clear inability to perform the basic functions of an adult with a job - showing up on time when scheduled, performing menial tasks without incident, not calling in hung over - while at the same time compounding the situation by making your own ill-advised decisions regarding drugs prescribed for the sake of your mental health. You don't need to be an administrative assistant right now. In fact, you shouldn't be in any sort of office job. You would just gently caress those up and waste their time, just like you wasted that restaurant's time, and that Target's time, and god knows who else's time. You need to find a job that requires you to stand in front of a button next to a phone for an entire shift. When the phone rings, you pick it up and the caller tells you to push the button, and you do that. You don't question pushing the button, you don't fit it in among your other priorities, and you don't scrape the paint off of the button by trying to stand on it while wearing ice skates. You just stand there for a shift and push the button when someone tells you, for about six weeks' worth of shifts. Unfortunately, this kind of job only really exists in the government and you're not a veteran, so you don't really have a shot at one of those sweet mindless button jobs. That leaves one option - doing it for free. Put a button in your back yard, and stand next to it. It can be a fake cardboard button, that's fine. Tell some people you know to call you periodically and tell you to push the button. If you go twelve shifts without missing a button-push, congratulations, you now have the self-discipline necessary to maintain an employment status comparable to the average seventeen year old. Now head on over to the grocery store and ask for a job sweeping the floors. Work your way up as gradually as possible - you don't want to shock your delicate system after all - and in about 20 years you might be at a point where you can call this company back for the administrative assistant job. It's a long slog, but when you're frustrated just remember this one thing: it's not your fault. It's your mom's fault. Because she doesn't like lesbians.
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Aug 29, 2013 01:23
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bringer posted:What do you mean, "twice to make sure it went through"? Was there an error the first time you sent it or did you just freak out and send it again because you hadn't gotten an immediate response? 
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Aug 29, 2013 01:26
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CravingSolace posted:Benny, as a secretary there are 3 things I always ask for when I speak to a client:
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Aug 29, 2013 01:29
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Benny the Snake posted:I have her name, address, and direct phone number for what it's worth. Just no direct email. Dude in addition to being useful information you just up and refused, it's also socially weird to have someone go "let me give you my email!" and you go "nah, no thanks." Business etiquette involves a lot more paying-attention and critical thinking than you are capable of. Benny honestly and not in a making GBS threads-on-you way, have you ever been given an IQ test?
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Aug 29, 2013 01:42
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Don't listen to people saying not to seek this job.
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Aug 29, 2013 01:52
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Jeffrey posted:Don't listen to people saying not to seek this job. Benny, I mean this in the best way possible: I believe that you can be a terrible administrative assistant.
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Aug 29, 2013 01:56
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I still don't understand calling. People want to make their own decisions. Why would you interrupt someone's day to pester them? Let your cover letter and qualifications make you a great candidate, not your ability to call to "lean in" on a role.
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Aug 29, 2013 01:57
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When I first read Benny's post about an in with a job, I thought it would be a family member, or a friend of a friend, or something. Instead his in is 'I talked to someone on the phone'. Awesome.
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Aug 29, 2013 02:04
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Eris posted:I still don't understand calling. People want to make their own decisions. Why would you interrupt someone's day to pester them?
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Aug 29, 2013 02:09
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There's a line between letting the company know that you exist and are interested in the position, and making a total obsessive rear end of yourself by calling every day. I believe that Benny is capable of clumsily stumbling across that line, in either direction. Honestly man, while you're still getting your psych med regimen working for you might not be the best time to jump into a stressful situation like a new job. But an opportunity's an opportunity and it certainly doesn't hurt to get more applying-for-work and interviewing practice in in the meantime. If you do get an actual job offer, that's when it's time to evaluate whether you can take it or not, but for now, you lose nothing by going for it. Also, there is no reason to tell your prospective employers about your psych issues. It is none of their business and I'm fairly certain they're not even allowed to ask. In other words DO NOT REPEAT DO NOT TELL THEM. ...you've already told them, haven't you?
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Aug 29, 2013 02:12
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Seven Hundred Bee posted:When I first read Benny's post about an in with a job, I thought it would be a family member, or a friend of a friend, or something. I caught that too. Benny, "talking with someone about a job on the phone" != I think I have a job. You can think you have a job when you pass the screening phase and you're down to the last 3 or so. Also (and this may have been addressed months ago I only picked up this thread early August), on the subject of things that jumped out, is 67 (or ballpark figure) wpm with 98% accuracy that stellar that it's worth bragging about in a cover letter? I'm no typist (took it in high school, am competent enough to type relatively fast if need be) and I just called up a random typing test web site and pulled mid-60s wpm with 97% accuracy. I thought top-teir typists were like 90-100 wpm? And is it relavent? I figure back in the days of transcribing you could just mindlessly plow through reams of text, but with the advent of cut-and-paste I'd think any speed is fine, as the limiting step would be thinking about what you want to type? Sorry for the derail just struck me as odd.
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Aug 29, 2013 02:13
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Benny the Snake posted:I always follow up on a job I apply to by calling and asking if the position is still available and when interviews will be conducted. But why? All of that information is for your benefit, not theirs. It's a thinly veiled attempt to get yourself "noticed," but you're likely attracting the wrong attention. I'm much more likely to hire the guy I think is going to make my life easier, not the guy who needed special hand holding or information I wasn't supplying in the job description.
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Aug 29, 2013 02:24
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docbeard posted:There's a line between letting the company know that you exist and are interested in the position, and making a total obsessive rear end of yourself by calling every day. I believe that Benny is capable of clumsily stumbling across that line, in either direction.
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Aug 29, 2013 02:26
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Aagar posted:Also (and this may have been addressed months ago I only picked up this thread early August), on the subject of things that jumped out, is 67 (or ballpark figure) wpm with 98% accuracy that stellar that it's worth bragging about in a cover letter?
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Aug 29, 2013 02:45
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Go for it dude. Show up in your best work-slacks and tie, stare deeply into the current receptionist's eyes and ask if she's gotten your email. If she as much acknowledges your looming presence it means you're in. Immediately scream that there can be only one and decap that slut-whore. That's how you get a job in America these days. Best of luck! Fake it til you make it son.
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Aug 29, 2013 02:49
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Aagar posted:I caught that too. Typing speed is only really relevant in a few situations. If you're somewhere you're going to be typing an ungodly amount of poo poo with a quota every day it matters. It also matters if you're so inept at it you hunt and peck super slowly. For the most part you're correct, most office/admin work consists of stuff that can be copy/pasted or emails you have to write that are brief enough that the difference between competent and master typist isn't going to be a big deal. What will really torpedo Benny is his poo poo grammar and otherwise awful butchering of the English language he just loves to do. Having a semi-literate retard send out all the company communications through the front desk is going to reflect poorly on the company as a whole.
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Aug 29, 2013 03:05
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Aagar posted:I caught that too. Yeah I just checked and I got a 98 wpm with 6 mistakes (that I left in and didn't correct as I went along). I think for people in their mid 20's that should be the baseline since we all grew up with computers as the "new" thing, and we're not young enough to have really bad finger pecking styles. Hell, starting in grade 4 for my school we all had little keyboards with displays to learn how to type properly since computers were going to be the next big thing (and they are). I wouldn't even mention WPM unless the job actually called for it if I got a 67 with mistakes - I'd just mention that I'm computer and tech competent instead. Most places are going to want you to learn their database programs, excel sheets and knowing how to trouble shoot that stuff in case poo poo goes bad instead of "I type real fast." edit- Hell, I'm one of the only people in my college classes that can write legible cursive so maybe my standards are just higher than others.
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Aug 29, 2013 05:12
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natetimm posted:Having a semi-literate retard send out all the company communications through the front desk is going to reflect poorly on the company as a whole. Honesty, having worked for a number of large companies before finally joining academia I can attest that easily 35% of the business emails I got were from semi-literate knuckle-draggers who whiffed their way through college with a C average and learned the most basic usage of MS Word, and maybe Powerpoint, so Benny would almost fit right in. However, this was also almost a decade ago when "average" people could still find jobs, instead of every company only really having room to hire the best.
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Aug 29, 2013 05:39
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Benny the Snake posted:So I think I might have a job. There's a local graphics firm that needs an administrative assistant. I contacted them and spoke with the person who I would replace. She knows my name and gave me the direct line to the office so I'm on a first-name basis. She offered her email but I didn't get it down, unfortunately. I'm going to lean in on this offer and try to get the job. How often should I call? How often is pestering? Translation: I contacted someone about a job. I called and got a hold of someone who is leaving in the next two weeks and just does not care that much anymore. Amazingly she gave me her phone number (Note that this is a low-tier achievement comparable to starting the game with a new character and beating the first level and not one akin to headshotting 100 mutant bears). She heard my name and promptly forgot it and gave me hers. She offered me an email but I chose not to write it down. I am somehow going to use the fact that I have this girl's name and phone number (but not email) to make sure I get this job. Also Benny.....blank email? Really? Do you know what I do if I get a blank email with an attachment at work from someone I do not know? Delete it. Did you at least put something in the subject line?
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Aug 29, 2013 07:00
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Xenocides posted:Translation: Excactly - being polite on phone is par for the course. How else is an employer going to act screening applicants? For the jobs that I have applied for, if I wanted to delude myself I could say that based on their attitude towards me they were for sure going to hire me after the screening process. For the job I have now I interviewed against six people (after screening) and still didn't get the job. Luckily they had another opening shortly after and I was second on the list (rather than go through interviews all over again). I think with someone like Benny's MO, it is easier to cling to random things during the application process ("they said that my personal hygeine is above reproach!") than to be introspective about why you aren't getting jobs after interviews and to try and shore up your shortcomings. quote:Also Benny.....blank email? Really? Do you know what I do if I get a blank email with an attachment at work from someone I do not know? Delete it. Did you at least put something in the subject line? Good catch - that didn't even occur to me. I wouldn't be surprised if spam filters didn't just automatically dump it as flagged for potential viruses. Horrible Smutbeast posted:Yeah I just checked and I got a 98 wpm with 6 mistakes (that I left in and didn't correct as I went along). I think for people in their mid 20's that should be the baseline since we all grew up with computers as the "new" thing, and we're not young enough to have really bad finger pecking styles. Hell, starting in grade 4 for my school we all had little keyboards with displays to learn how to type properly since computers were going to be the next big thing (and they are). drat - 98? I need more practice. But yeah, what you, natetimm and Accretionist say fits with what I sort of assumed (skill everyone has to some degree in the modern computer world, better to show competency with various software packages). Or who knows? Maybe you can get a "wow" factor and stand out from the crowd by sneaking in totally outdated compentencies on your resume/cover letter. "Can produced 20 ditto copies/minute" or "Can sort a bucket of change in under an hour." Benny: I'm not trying to be a jerk by replying about you like you're not here. It's just that it's painfully obvious by now that you cherry pick what you want to hear, so I have no great hope that writing actual advice to you is worth my time.
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Aug 29, 2013 10:55
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Aagar posted:Also (and this may have been addressed months ago I only picked up this thread early August), on the subject of things that jumped out, is 67 (or ballpark figure) wpm with 98% accuracy that stellar that it's worth bragging about in a cover letter? I'm no typist (took it in high school, am competent enough to type relatively fast if need be) and I just called up a random typing test web site and pulled mid-60s wpm with 97% accuracy. I thought top-teir typists were like 90-100 wpm? And is it relavent? I figure back in the days of transcribing you could just mindlessly plow through reams of text, but with the advent of cut-and-paste I'd think any speed is fine, as the limiting step would be thinking about what you want to type? I've seen plenty of job listings that require a minimum 45 wpm, that seems to be a baseline requirement. So 60 wpm is not bad, it shows basic competency.
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Aug 29, 2013 11:22
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Angela Christine posted:I've seen plenty of job listings that require a minimum 45 wpm, that seems to be a baseline requirement. So 60 wpm is not bad, it shows basic competency. This will be the only post he reads. Man i wish i lived in a world where "talked to the company" means i got a job. Benny, I actually get to hire people at my office from time to time, and if I offer you an email and you say "no" I’m probably going to stumble over my still drunk from last night middle management thought process. I might remember you yes, but it’s the same type of remembrance that I get from people who's University career board told them to print their resume on pink paper. Yes I will notice it, I will probably also think you’re a blithering idiot. (Also why did you send me a paper copy of the email). Also, blank email from outside the domain with an attachment? You bet your rear end that’s going to spam.
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Aug 29, 2013 12:49
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Now I'm curious -- is there an online typing test that uses the same rules for measuring error rate as the real deal?
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Aug 29, 2013 13:36
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Anonymous Zebra posted:Honesty, having worked for a number of large companies before finally joining academia I can attest that easily 35% of the business emails I got were from semi-literate knuckle-draggers who whiffed their way through college with a C average and learned the most basic usage of MS Word, and maybe Powerpoint, so Benny would almost fit right in. However, this was also almost a decade ago when "average" people could still find jobs, instead of every company only really having room to hire the best. Most front desk people I've come across are at least competently literate and decent at typing. If you want to start diving deeper in the engineering/management/trade positions, then yeah, you get a lot of mutants.
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Aug 29, 2013 13:38
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Tell your therapist that you have no executive functioning abilities and would like to work on building some, in order to function. Google "executive functioning" and read about it. Anonymous Zebra posted:Honesty, having worked for a number of large companies before finally joining academia I can attest that easily 35% of the business emails I got were from semi-literate knuckle-draggers who whiffed their way through college with a C average and learned the most basic usage of MS Word, and maybe Powerpoint, so Benny would almost fit right in. However, this was also almost a decade ago when "average" people could still find jobs, instead of every company only really having room to hire the best. Don't put ideas in Benny's head. Usually, when an individual displays horrible ineptitude in one area, they make up for it in another. We have a very talented CoffeeScript developer who writes emails containing AIMchat and Leetspeak. cname fucked around with this message at 18:30 on Aug 29, 2013 |
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Aug 29, 2013 18:10
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kimbo305 posted:Now I'm curious -- is there an online typing test that uses the same rules for measuring error rate as the real deal? The one I did only counted any mistakes when time ran out, so if you corrected it as you went along it was okay. I'm sure there's some out there that are more strict but whatever.
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Aug 29, 2013 18:19
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cname posted:Don't put ideas in Benny's head. Usually, when an individual displays horrible ineptitude in one area, they make up for it in another. We have a very talented CoffeeScript developer who writes emails containing AIMchat and Leetspeak. Uhm. Really?
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Aug 29, 2013 19:07
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