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Aqua Bear posted:Benny can you please go back to writing out all of your activities for the day like you used to? Do you think you have improved at all?  The biggest improvement is that I'm no longer paranoid, and I have my psych to thank for that.
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Jan 16, 2014 03:49
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20 jobs every two weeks?! You could easily apply for 20 jobs in less than a day. Applying for jobs should be your full time job. Not two applications a day and then doing... Whatever it is you do all day long.
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Jan 16, 2014 07:36
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Wait so after literally one year's time the OP's progress is filling out an unemployment form?
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Jan 16, 2014 07:57
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Benny the Snake posted:I guess I could That's great news, Benny. Good luck with the unemployment office, just try as hard as you can.
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Jan 16, 2014 10:41
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Wangsbig posted:Wait so after literally one year's time the OP's progress is filling out an unemployment form? It's like a big, beautiful glacier that calls in hungover.
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Jan 16, 2014 14:23
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Wangsbig posted:Wait so after literally one year's time the OP's progress is filling out an unemployment form? Hey, this is progress! I'm pretty sure the vast majority of my posts ITT have included suggestions he finally go to the Dept of Labor/Unemployment Office, Goodwill, etc. to get job references, help with interview skills, etc.
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Jan 16, 2014 14:34
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MBPearls posted:20 jobs every two weeks?! You could easily apply for 20 jobs in less than a day. Applying for jobs should be your full time job. Not two applications a day and then doing... Whatever it is you do all day long. I don't think that's realistic, unless you're shooting for sheer numbers and spamming out your cover letter/resume to every URL you come across on job search sites. I highly doubt that anyone would ever submit 20 applications/cover letters/resumes in a day, let alone less than a day. Typically you're supposed to tailor your cover letter/resume to the more desirable posts and send/spam the less desirable. Keep in mind, this is for those shooting for salaried, office positions. Benny might apply for one office position, for every 5 retail/food positions. The type of work Benny is looking for will most likely require an in-person visit where he would participate in a semi-formal interview, conversation and QA type thing. Tough to put into words, but you know what I'm referencing if you've ever held down a waitstaff job. You go in, the manager has time to talk, you sit at an empty table in the corner and goes over stuff like "Tell me about yourself." "Do you have any experience in the food industry?" "What do you like to do for hobbies?" then you go fill out a hand-written application. He's also in the suburbs, from what I can gather, so it's not as though he has a thousand places to pick from. 10 applications a week is completely fair and reasonable. Think about it. Monday-Friday he needs to apply to two places a day. When you factor in preparation, traveling, writing letters, altering his resume, bit of goofing off and procrastination, interview time, hour for lunch, etc. you've got a typical, run of the mill, 8 hour day. cname fucked around with this message at 15:26 on Jan 16, 2014 |
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Jan 16, 2014 15:16
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cname posted:I don't think that's realistic, unless you're shooting for sheer numbers and spamming out your cover letter/resume to every URL you come across on job search sites. I highly doubt that anyone would ever submit 20 applications/cover letters/resumes in a day, let alone less than a day. No office is going to hire him with his work experience, degree or not. Competition for those few office jobs is fierce as hell right now. new phone who dis fucked around with this message at 15:36 on Jan 16, 2014 |
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Jan 16, 2014 15:19
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natetimm posted:No office is going to hire him with his worl experience, degree or not. Competition for those few office jobs is fierce as hell right now. That's why I gave him the 1:5 office:retail/food ratio. I'm sure he could acquire a data entry job or minion work for a massive IT office, or something. (Holding down the position is another story.) Potential employers aren't gonna be reading this thread, so they might overlook any red flags. My organization could probably use a few zero experience yokels to float from department to department doing brainless, robot tasks. The other day, a co-worker was binding information pamphlets together. His job involves designing flyers, info packets, magazines, etc. His salary probably translates down to $25 an hour. The fact that he didn't have someone else to do that for him meant we lost a good deal of money, in the grand scheme of things. (We're not gonna hire someone just to bind books all day, but someone else might.)
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Jan 16, 2014 15:34
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He's in a tight spot because every single job he could potentially list on his resume ended poorly and quickly. So his options are to either list them and try to explain his way out of it, which we know he is terrible at, or list no experience, which actually makes him a bigger liability because who wants to hire a 25ish year old dude with a college degree and no experience when you can get an 18 year old without college who has a much higher chance of staying?
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Jan 16, 2014 15:39
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Benny the Snake posted:I guess I could I don't know poo poo about brain problems, but good job not feeling paranoid. For the other stuff, reading the thread it seems like applying for 20 jobs in a day is too much. And honestly Benny I can't remember the kind of job you were looking for besides professor and librarian which you aren't ever going to be qualified for at the rate you're going, so make a point to keep applying for retail and restaurant jobs with the goal of landing it and keeping it for a year. Try applying for five or six jobs a day. Someone suggested a 1:5 ratio of office to retail so go with that. Really, this is nothing that hasn't been said dozens of times throughout this thread at this point. Just do it every day. Try to be employed by February 1st or something. I wasn't really serious about the list thing, detailing your whole day and all, because that will only help you if you're specific with it and honest with yourself. I just want to know what you spend all day doing with all this free time.
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Jan 16, 2014 18:25
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cname posted:I don't think that's realistic, unless you're shooting for sheer numbers and spamming out your cover letter/resume to every URL you come across on job search sites. I highly doubt that anyone would ever submit 20 applications/cover letters/resumes in a day, let alone less than a day. If you just spammed your resume to every job listing on a website like careerbuilder you could probably do 20/day without trying - but you'd be applying to jobs that you're utterly unqualified for. When I was unemployed in 2012 I averaged about 6/week, but that was targeted applications to positions I was actually qualified for.
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Jan 16, 2014 18:54
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So what kind of comic books are we talking about here?
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Jan 16, 2014 18:58
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I spoke with my advisor. He did tell me that with a 3.0 I wouldn't be able to get into a competitive program, but Cal Poly Pomona accepts 3.0 students into their masters program. He told me that realistically with a Master's I could teach at the community college level but for the university level I'd need a PhD. I've put off my goal of writing for a living since I have no interest in doing it at all and I haven't written in months. Maybe I should just kill it altogether, I don't know. But for now, I'm going to find employment. My grandmother offered to lend me money towards a car but I won't do so until I have a means to pay her back. So first I'll find a job and then get a car. Once I have a car, I can broaden my search into finding a better job. I was actually contacted a few months ago by a tutoring company which was interested in hiring me but I'd need my own transportation. When I get a car, I'll get into tutoring and from there I can see whether I'm cut out for a teaching position. Right now, grad school and teaching is a pipe dream and nothing more. I'm going to make it a goal: a job by February 1st. I've already applied to some jobs today and I'll continue to apply for jobs tomorrow and Saturday. I wasn't able to get interview counseling at the career center because it wasn't available today. I'll instead attend the interview workshop at the unemployment office next week. For the first time in a long time, I actually have a plan and I feel optimistic.
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Jan 17, 2014 00:38
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Benny, everything you just said makes sense and are good decisions. Good for you.
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Jan 17, 2014 01:03
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natetimm posted:Benny, everything you just said makes sense and are good decisions. Good for you. Except his eventual plans for acadamia which there's no way he can actually handle, the short term goals are reasonable and decently thought out. Follow through with the plan Benny and just take it one step at a time.
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Jan 17, 2014 02:20
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20 jobs in one day is probably an unrealistic expectation. But 4-5 in a day could be doable. Best thing to do is start the morning (and I mean morning, like 8 or 9 AM) finding 4-5 things you're interested in and could do via Craigslist, Monster, Careerbuilder, etc. Start by doing those that have you fill out the application online or email a resume and cover letter to them. If there are options stating "apply in person," go do them that afternoon. Also, Benny, you made an ok cashier and apparently interview well enough to get your foot in the door in places. Which means you're ok at talking and dealing with money. Have you considered applying for call center and/or bank teller work? They're both pretty good at training people in general, and neither require a ton of physical work (i.e., you have no chance of running the cart pusher into a car). Personally, I'm a terrible food service worker, and I sucked at Target when they made me do carts...though I was a good cashier, CSR, and music and movie dept. runner, my general clumsiness and lack of coordination made me a pretty crappy emergency cart attendant. Something where "people skills" are more important than being able to slam things through quickly might be a better fit.
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Jan 17, 2014 02:41
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Those short term goals sound well thought out, Benny. Bravo, and best of luck in the job search.
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Jan 17, 2014 03:16
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blackmet posted:20 jobs in one day is probably an unrealistic expectation. But 4-5 in a day could be doable.
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Jan 17, 2014 04:26
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Benny the Snake posted:Wouldn't I have to of majored in business for that? You actually don't even need a college degree for either of those things.
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Jan 17, 2014 04:28
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Benny the Snake posted:Wouldn't I have to of majored in business for that? Maybe you should of majored in business instead of English. Should HAVE, Benny. Should loving HAVE.
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Jan 17, 2014 04:40
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blackmet posted:Also, Benny, you made an ok cashier and apparently interview well enough to get your foot in the door in places. Which means you're ok at talking and dealing with money. Have you considered applying for call center and/or bank teller work? They're both pretty good at training people in general, and neither require a ton of physical work (i.e., you have no chance of running the cart pusher into a car). This sounds good in practice, but the top call center job in Benny's city is this: Call Center Listing on Monster posted:Applicant must have a pleasant/agreeable phone personality. As much as I'm rooting for the home team here, I... just don't know if this is quite the right fit for Benny. :/
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Jan 17, 2014 04:52
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Benny the Snake posted:Wouldn't I have to of majored in business for that? I work for a banking call center. My degree was in Communication. 4/5 of the people here have no degree or a degree in something like history. We have stockbrokers in the same building where the same things could be said. As long as you can do basic math, look presentable, follow instructions, show up on time, and be polite to people who don't necessarily deserve it, you can do call center or bank teller work. Whatever you end up doing: ASK FOR HELP WHEN YOU NEED IT and BE HONEST IF YOU MAKE A MISTAKE.
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Jan 17, 2014 05:08
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Apply for a job at the movie theater.
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Jan 17, 2014 05:37
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blackmet posted:I work for a banking call center. My degree was in Communication. 4/5 of the people here have no degree or a degree in something like history. We have stockbrokers in the same building where the same things could be said.
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Jan 17, 2014 05:52
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Benny the Snake posted:Wouldn't I have to of majored in business for that?
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Jan 17, 2014 06:19
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I almost never post, but I've just read most of this thread, and I wanted to say thanks to whoever mentioned eLance way back near the beginning. I've been looking for freelance writing/editing to do in my downtime at work and I hadn't seen that. Benny, are you still wanting to be an author? Personally, I think that's going to be even harder than the other stuff you've been up to. For one, you seem to lack the ability to pass a basic usage test. People have ragged on you for almost a year now over simple usage errors in your posts, and you refuse to improve. As much as it's a funny joke to go "ha ha English grad can't English," it's also really sad to go "guy who wants to be a writer can't write." Your claim that forums posting requires lower effort than other forms of writing is bullshit because, even with internet anonymity, everything you write is a chance to sell yourself as a writer. Someone reading this forum right now could come across you, think "wow, BA in English... this guy could proofread my writing," read your posts, and then go "oh, never mind." Opportunity is everywhere, and throwing any chances you have away is a huge mistake. Besides that, writing is an even more cutthroat field than the stuff I've seen you apply to. Publishers see hundreds of query letters a day and are looking for any reason to throw yours into the trash. Something like "I would of sent this letter sooner, but [bullshit excuse]" is going to get you rejected twice, both for the wrong preposition and for being bad at selling yourself. Yeah, I'm aware my  are pretty well wasted here, but something about Benny's willingness to absorb everything that's been thrown at him and even take some of it to heart makes me think there's still hope for the guy.
Mister Morn fucked around with this message at 16:06 on Jan 17, 2014 |
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Jan 17, 2014 06:41
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Benny the Snake posted:Will do, then. I'll apply to my local banks then. In fact, I think my local credit union might have an opening. Apply there tomorrow.
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Jan 17, 2014 06:49
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Cicero posted:I want to root for you Benny, but it's like you're the English major equivalent of CS majors that can't FizzBuzz their way out of a wet paper sack. Man what is up with those guys? I once ran an interview that turned into an impromptu lesson on what "recursion" was.
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Jan 17, 2014 07:56
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MBPearls posted:20 jobs every two weeks?! You could easily apply for 20 jobs in less than a day. Applying for jobs should be your full time job. Not two applications a day and then doing... Whatever it is you do all day long. Depends on the programme. A lot of employment programmes realised that people are submitting low effort applications for jobs they're not qualified for. You can't submit twenty quality, position-specific applications per day. Two a day sounds like a reasonable target for Benny at this point. If this programme runs interview workshops then it probably also regularly looks at the quality of the applications the participants are submitting and teaches them how to adapt their resume for different positions, write individual cover letters and all the rest of the stuff that helps you get more interviews from your applications. And yeah, I'm not sure Benny is suited to call centre work. You mightn't need formal qualifications but you definitely need personal qualities which Benny seems to lack.
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Jan 17, 2014 10:19
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Benny the English Major posted:Wouldn't I have to of majored in business for that? Hahahaha Never give up on your dreams, champ!
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Jan 17, 2014 13:58
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Aqua Bear posted:Apply for a job at the movie theater. This was my first ever job, it was pretty fun because they schedule all the movies so that there's about an half hour gap of time where you pretty much just walk around with a vaccum cleaner and gently caress off.
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Jan 17, 2014 14:01
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Good morning, Benny. It is almost 10 o'clock in California, did you apply for the job at the bank or credit union or whatever yet? Have you been making progress this morning? Edit: Seriously, apply for a job at the movie theater. Greg Legg fucked around with this message at 18:55 on Jan 17, 2014 |
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Jan 17, 2014 18:53
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Lolie posted:You can't submit twenty quality, position-specific applications per day. Unless you're tweaking your resume for each individual position - and there's enough of a difference between all of them that you'd have to make significant changes for all of them - an unemployed person shouldn't have much trouble applying to 20 positions a day. I'd say the bigger issue would be finding 20 open jobs daily that you're actually qualified for.
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Jan 17, 2014 19:04
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Benny the Snake posted:Wouldn't I have to of majored in business for that? In what subject are you qualified to be a tutor?
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Jan 17, 2014 19:57
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Benny the Snake posted:Wouldn't I have to of majored in business for that? I know you said this is just SA and you save your "real" writing for projects and your novel stuff, but COME THE gently caress ON. What does "of majored" mean?! I'm embarassed for the institution that awarded you a degree.
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Jan 17, 2014 23:47
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I just searched online for bank teller jobs. I searched several banks in my area and none of them are hiring for tellers: they're hiring for bank managers and financial advisers. So after finding nothing I applied to four more retail jobs online. I'll look online for open bank teller positions again.
Benny the Snake fucked around with this message at 00:06 on Jan 18, 2014 |
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Jan 18, 2014 00:04
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Benny the Snake posted:I just searched online for bank teller jobs. I searched several banks in my area and none of them are hiring for tellers: they're hiring for bank managers and financial advisers. So after finding nothing I applied to four more retail jobs online. I'll look online for open bank teller positions again. Go to the bank and ask to speak to the manager. Or at least make a phone call. My 16 year old niece put more effort into her summer job search.
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Jan 18, 2014 00:29
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Arch Stanton posted:In what subject are you qualified to be a tutor? Chill, dude, he said he saves his real writing for his blog, and doesn't have time for the hours of effort it would take to proofread posts on the internet for basic goddamn second-grade-level mistakes in his chosen ma--hahahahahahahahah Benny, good luck, man, and Godspeed. You are not qualified to be an English tutor, but you'll find something.
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Jan 18, 2014 02:39
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He's just saving it, like the Al Gore of words. You don't want all the proper English to run out of stock, do you?
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Jan 18, 2014 03:00
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