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Uranium 235 posted:Be prepared because in some of the phone screens I've had, they've asked for my salary expectations. If you aren't expecting that, it can catch you off guard and you can say something you don't want to say. Revealing your salary expectations in a phone screen is a bad idea. (see: How to negotiate thread) One phone screen I had did this and I wasn't expecting it. I first responded by giving a small range that encompassed the mean/median (in this case they happened to be about the same) starting salary reported for that position in this province. I thought that was a good answer despite my being ill-prepared for it ...then I for some stupid reason (again, caught me off guard, but I guess my desperation got the best of me) I extended the range to include 5th percentile (i.e. LOWEST) reported in salary surveys. Almost $15k lower.  I didn't get the job. In fact, the Interview was horrible and I probably am best off not working there, so I'm not crying over it.
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Jul 12, 2014 17:11
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On phone screens my friends and I have had a pretty decent time deflecting the salary question by saying "I'd need some time to do a detailed check of the cost of living in the area and put a budget together". I don't know if this is wrong but everyone on the other end has reacted like this is a totally reasonable stance and has never pushed me further to estimate on the spot.
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Jul 12, 2014 17:23
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Uranium 235 posted:Be prepared because in some of the phone screens I've had, they've asked for my salary expectations. If you aren't expecting that, it can catch you off guard and you can say something you don't want to say. Revealing your salary expectations in a phone screen is a bad idea. (see: How to negotiate thread) What's the "right" answer to that question then? Can you say it would depend on what the role ends up being to hedge until later in the application process?
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Jul 12, 2014 17:54
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Could someone have a look at my buddy's resume? An opening for a programmer is there at the company I started working at recently and I'm going to send his resume over to HR for him after they explicitly asked us for referrals to fill open positions. I'd really like to help him out since he's starting to look for work since he's nearly done with his Master's degree, and the company I work at is in super expansion mode right now so I think it'd be a really good first job for him. I'm not a programmer myself so I don't really know what kind of things he should be focusing on in here. Oh, and I copied the job description and put it on the second page of the word doc. I really appreciate any help. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/429295/SScrubbed.docx
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Jul 12, 2014 19:26
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KernelSlanders posted:What's the "right" answer to that question then? Can you say it would depend on what the role ends up being to hedge until later in the application process? I had someone call to schedule an interview and pull the salary question last week. I thought it was a bit awkward. Told her it depended on the complete package, she said she wanted to have an idea of my expectations so as not to waste anyone's time, told her I knew how much they paid (it's a small industry) and they were within my range. But pulling that poo poo on an unscheduled first contact call? Not cool, HR.
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Jul 12, 2014 20:32
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FrozenVent posted:I had someone call to schedule an interview and pull the salary question last week. I thought it was a bit awkward. For the first job, I didn't expect the question and I gave them a number. That was bad because I didn't know what the salary range was for the city, which had a much higher cost of living than where I lived at that time. Even though I knew it was more expensive, I didn't want to guess at a number that was too high, so I estimated low. Way too low. So low that they offered me above what I asked for in the phone screen and I couldn't negotiate without looking like a tool. It was at the rock bottom of the pay scale for the city, so I really hosed up. For the second job, I was ready. I anticipated the question and politely declined to discuss compensation, and later on I was able to negotiate effectively. KernelSlanders posted:What's the "right" answer to that question then? Can you say it would depend on what the role ends up being to hedge until later in the application process? Bear in mind that they may not ask you what your salary expectation is. Instead, they may flat out ask what you make at your current or last job. Do not tell them! You can still say that you don't want to discuss compensation before you know more about this position, or you can tell them you don't want to share that information with third parties. Anyway, you should check out the "How to negotiate" thread in this forum. If it's not on the first page, it's on the second page. Pretty much everything you need to know is in there. edit: I'll just link it http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3603093 Uranium 235 fucked around with this message at 02:57 on Jul 13, 2014 |
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Jul 13, 2014 02:44
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Uranium 235 posted:Instead, they may flat out ask what you make at your current or last job. Do not tell them! Now I'm curious. Why is it so bad?
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Jul 13, 2014 08:23
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It pegs your new potential salary at your old salary level. Maybe that's okay in some situations, but it limits your ability to negotiate higher.
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Jul 13, 2014 08:27
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100 HOGS AGREE posted:Could someone have a look at my buddy's resume? An opening for a programmer is there at the company I started working at recently and I'm going to send his resume over to HR for him after they explicitly asked us for referrals to fill open positions. I'd really like to help him out since he's starting to look for work since he's nearly done with his Master's degree, and the company I work at is in super expansion mode right now so I think it'd be a really good first job for him. There is so much wrong with your friend's resume. Even with these fixes it would still be far from good unfortunately. I hope the friend is someone open to advice and does not take the feedback the wrong way. 
Goon Approved Resume and CV Writing Service
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Jul 13, 2014 16:52
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Whenever I click one of your resume advice pieces it links me straight to your resume service thread and I can't seem to figure out how to get the expanded image instead. Am I doing something wrong, or does it not play nice with my Firefox browser or something?
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Jul 13, 2014 16:59
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Pureauthor posted:Whenever I click one of your resume advice pieces it links me straight to your resume service thread and I can't seem to figure out how to get the expanded image instead. Here is a direct link to the latest critique. I will start posting the direct links along with the image during future resume critiques. http://postimg.org/image/9k518ba6v/
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Jul 13, 2014 17:00
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DustingDuvet posted:Here is a direct link to the latest critique. I will start posting the direct links along with the image during future resume critiques. Thanks for that.
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Jul 13, 2014 17:03
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So I'm wanting to beat my head off of a wall trying to get a decent cover letter written. I'm running into some "creative" problems though. I know it's short, "position stuff, why I'm good for it, thanks". I'm not so good at creative writing, so kind of running into the "rehashing resume/generic/boring" kind of thing. Mainly the purpose of the cover letter is to get you to stand out, but how can I do that without rehashing my resume. Is it a good practice to talk about the qualifications in the job posting, even if those are somewhat redundant? Also how much talking about the company is too much? Like I know it's good to show that you've "done your homework" but at what point does it become blowing sunshine up their asses?
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Jul 13, 2014 19:04
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Yeah I'll sit down with him. He's never had a professional job before so he doesn't know what he's doing. And honestly not like I'm all that much help here either, thanks for the assistance.
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Jul 13, 2014 19:13
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UrielX posted:So I'm wanting to beat my head off of a wall trying to get a decent cover letter written. I'm running into some "creative" problems though. My dad's advice is always to keep it relevant. So if you talk about how awesome they are it's in the context of why you want to work there. The main things are supposedly to highlight reasons they should hire you that are different from what everyone else will be saying - so not what they require for the job, cause every serious applicant will have that, but why you in particular are uniquely good for it. So take as read that you have what's a 'must have', and tell them what you have that's over and beyond that. It's also good to talk about personal qualities that may not be on your resume, or to go into depth on a personal quality you list in a way that wouldn't be appropriate on a resume. But that's mostly 'what my dad says' and what in my experience has gotten me an extremely good (in comparison to anecdata of my peers) application-to-interview ratio. Edit: realised I was randomly attributing poo poo to my dad without explaining why that's a good source: Careers Department Head of a major British University, 30+ years as a careers advisor and related jobs. loki k zen fucked around with this message at 21:19 on Jul 13, 2014 |
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Jul 13, 2014 21:16
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My charcoal suit is sort of ill-fitting and could use a pressing; my light gray suit is freshly pressed and more comfortable. Considering it's the middle of summer, how big of a deal is it to wear gray to an interview for an office job? (Let's not talk about the navy suit.)
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Jul 14, 2014 03:07
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FrozenVent posted:My charcoal suit is sort of ill-fitting and could use a pressing; my light gray suit is freshly pressed and more comfortable. Considering it's the middle of summer, how big of a deal is it to wear gray to an interview for an office job? Literally nobody will care what color your suit is unless you are interviewing at an investment bank or some other horrible place in which case you probably should wear the navy one.
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Jul 14, 2014 04:22
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FrozenVent posted:My charcoal suit is sort of ill-fitting and could use a pressing; my light gray suit is freshly pressed and more comfortable. Considering it's the middle of summer, how big of a deal is it to wear gray to an interview for an office job? edit: but you should take your charcoal suit and get it tailored/dry cleaned ASAP if that will fix the problems. Otherwise you should consider buying a new one. It's always a good idea to have at least one good charcoal suit and one good navy suit ready to go at any time. Uranium 235 fucked around with this message at 11:44 on Jul 14, 2014 |
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Jul 14, 2014 11:32
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Sorry if this has been answered, but I didn't see anything about it in the OP. Basically, I'm a huge loser who failed out of uni due to being a lazy jerk. All I have now is my AA (Associate of Arts) and a mountain of crippling debt and regret. In order to not be a huge loser, I've been studying for the A+ cert to get into IT because I like computers, and have even built one for myself. My question is: What do I tell the companies I'm applying for about my education? Do I tell them the truth, or just leave it at the AA? If they ask what I've been doing since then, my only real answer (besides skipping classes for two years) is that I've been working full time at a hotel to pay the bills. Also, would I be able to put on a resume that a built a computer (only one, but that's more than a lot of people)? If so, where would I put that?
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Jul 14, 2014 14:52
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For your education question, just list the Associate's. No reason to let anyone know you were trying for anything else. The question you in particular will face is "why are you switching to IT?" Now the truth is something like "because gently caress this hotel and its hotel bullshit" but absolutely leave that part out. Just make it clear that you are switching because you like the IT field and the work. You absolutely will not get a great job with an A+ though, be prepared to be the most janitorial of computer janitors and just keep learning and building your provable skills to get out of that particular pit. If you have done any computer troubleshooting at the hotel stress the poo poo out of that on your resume. Computer building I guess would go in a hobbies section if you really wanted to, not sure how people view that. DustingDuvet is going to be the best person to know where to put that.
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Jul 14, 2014 16:07
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If I'm interviewing for a finance job and they ask why I want to work in finance, how acceptable is it say for the money?
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Jul 14, 2014 16:47
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Thanks for the reply! Luckily, I'm fully aware that I'll start out as a computer janitor, and I'm okay with that. I haven't done too much troubleshooting here but if I think about it I'm sure I can come up with a few instances of me having to fix a computer thing.
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Jul 14, 2014 16:47
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Xandu posted:If I'm interviewing for a finance job and they ask why I want to work in finance, how acceptable is it say for the money? Unless you get the vibe that they're the elbow-nudging joke-saying type early on, I would say it isn't.
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Jul 14, 2014 17:11
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I've got a question that I'm not sure is best suited for this particular thread, but it looks like the best place to ask that I can see... I saw a job posting the other day that I am very interested in and would like to apply for. Problem is, I'm committed to my current position until the end of next January. Full disclosure, I guess, as that may lend better advice – it's for a non-profit in the city where my girlfriend and I are planning/hoping to move next year after we finish our service terms with AmeriCorps VISTA (national service program). My question is: how (un?)advisable is it to send an e-mail in regards to this position with my resume attached explaining I am interested, qualified and would be a great hire, but am committed to my current position until next January, and then go on to ask if they might have openings then, and what might be some ways I can make myself more attractive to them in the meanwhile? Or something like that? Six months go by quick, and with a location in mind, I really want to have a job there waiting before I'm done with VISTA. Any advice welcome. Thanks.
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Jul 14, 2014 17:59
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Literally the very worst thing that can happen is that they ignore you. Six months is a fair time for future openings to be made. If you are moving, and you know it, putting out feelers and makinflg contacts six months in advance is a good thing. One of my friends was able to line up a job over six months in advance when he learned he hates teaching high school (anyone who knew him could have told him that would be the case but he's not the listening type) and the company respected his wish to finish out the one school year. Anecdotal but companies are also interested in future opportunities.
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Jul 14, 2014 18:31
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Mak0rz posted:Unless you get the vibe that they're the elbow-nudging joke-saying type early on, I would say it isn't. Yeah it's just tough, because that literally is why people go to work in finance, it's just a question of how much you need to dress it up.
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Jul 14, 2014 19:14
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Xandu posted:Yeah it's just tough, because that literally is why people go to work in finance, it's just a question of how much you need to dress it up. Oh wait you mean you were sincerely going to answer "because it pays well" instead of making some lame dad joke about how a finance career by definition is in the business of money? Yeah. Don't do that.
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Jul 14, 2014 19:51
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Xandu posted:Yeah it's just tough, because that literally is why people go to work in finance, it's just a question of how much you need to dress it up. The consensus on Wall Street Oasis is that "models and bottles" is very much the wrong answer, unless you're just really like spending time with LBO models. This is particularly true since for the first few years you aren't going to have any time to actually enjoy your money. It might be time to drink the Coolaid. Finance is how a capitalist society decides how to allocate real resources, what projects to undertake, and which institutions are best suited to undertaking them. Finance is at the most basic level the business of connecting people with resources to people who need them, improving the efficiency of the entire market system along the way. There is, in that sense, no greater undertaking more fundamental to the functioning of modern society than finance. I worked briefly in fixed income at a large investment bank before the housing crash and everyone in my division believed they were doing the world a service by finding ways to lower people's mortgage rates. 
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Jul 14, 2014 22:24
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Shugojin posted:Literally the very worst thing that can happen is that they ignore you. Six months is a fair time for future openings to be made. If you are moving, and you know it, putting out feelers and makinflg contacts six months in advance is a good thing.
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Jul 14, 2014 23:23
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Alright, I'm in the beginnings of the process for a contract-to-hire position. Ordinarily my phonescreen would be coordinated through the agency but the manager for the section I'm going for likes to do it all himself. SO. I'm expecting an out-of-the-blue call from a potential employer for a phonescreen - is there any reason at all I should NOT just say it's a bad time, I don't really have the 30ish minutes right then, and use the opportunity to set up a proper screen? I sure as hell can't think of any.
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Jul 15, 2014 14:38
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I'm crossposting this from the Interview Strategies thread because it doesn't get any traffic and got buried on the bottom of a page anyway: I want to contact this friend of an acquaintance for an informational interview and I have absolutely no idea where to begin with this. Do I basically just email him and straight-up say "Yo let's grab lunch" or what? What should I wear or bring? What should I ask him about?
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Jul 15, 2014 15:21
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Would anyone mind taking a look at my resume? I'm currently working a decent but dead-end admin job, but now that my master's thesis has been accepted I've been checking out the market for something better. I came across an ad for a writing/editing gig with an agency that does government work. Basically it seems like the role is composing and editing correspondence and administrative responses. Word: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzgI4L7IbF4VUnJSdjEtWnJnbkU/edit?usp=sharing PDF: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzgI4L7IbF4VQ2Z2dDV0OXFkcVk/edit?usp=sharing JPG: http://imgur.com/aWUjI06
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Jul 17, 2014 05:42
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What should I do when a corporation's online system only allows you to have ONE cover letter and ONE resume on file? I've run into a few like this now and it's incredibly irritating because I can't really tailor them to specific positions 
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Jul 17, 2014 22:32
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Well, you could create a new profile. It's not very efficient or convenient, but it will work.
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Jul 18, 2014 00:02
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Uranium 235 posted:Well, you could create a new profile. It's not very efficient or convenient, but it will work. Tried. Accounts are tethered to your email address and duplicates aren't allowed in any of the systems I've encountered.
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Jul 18, 2014 00:26
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Mak0rz posted:Tried. Accounts are tethered to your email address and duplicates aren't allowed in any of the systems I've encountered.
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Jul 18, 2014 00:40
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How terrible is it if your cover letter doesn't personally address the hiring manager of the company? I'm applying for a job at the Dallas office of a company that's headquartered in California. The company's not huge. I have no idea if the person doing the hiring is in California or Texas. I can't find the phone number of the Texas office or even its location. LinkedIn shows me an HR manager who's in California. Not sure how I should address it. Edit: I'll note I'm applying through the company's website, not by mail or email.
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Jul 18, 2014 01:34
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It's not that big of a deal.
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Jul 18, 2014 01:35
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Yeah you come up with some polite but general formal address. If it's a small company then you should be able to address the person directly. Unless the job posting had a name attached, in a large company god only knows who is actually going to read the thing.
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Jul 18, 2014 01:39
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I tend to stick with 'hiring manager' unless I know a name.
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Jul 18, 2014 02:29
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