Friday 31 May 2013

The Job Hunts (Cont.)

It's not what you know, but who you know. This saying has been (for me at least) more and more accurate and I run around trying to find full-time work. I mean, remember the internship I recently got? A friend linked me to a website filled with internship openings and from there I applied until something stuck.

And so, when two friends forwarded me emails regarded an full-time entry-level position at some Fortune 500 company, I jumped on it immediately.

Everyone who has helped me is getting free beer.

Alright, so someone replied to email wants to have an phone interview with me. We'll call her Recruiter A. Now, I personally hate talking on the phone. If I talk to someone in person, I can read their body language, facial expressions, and make hand gestures. If I talk to someone online, I can delay my responses so to better think and give well thought-out replies.

Talking on the phone let's me do neither.

Worse yet, is that the interview was first thing in the morning. I am not a morning person, my brain doesn't officially start working until about 1PM in the day. So I hope that whatever I said to her during the interview was coherent.

And preferably intelligent.

If they liked my phone interview, I was supposed to get an email later with further instructions for a video interview and some other online application. I checked my email constantly, had my cellphone on me at all times, and this went on for a week and half of silence. I was convinced I had screwed up and began looking at courses for the fall term.

But then I get a text message from my Mother: "Someone left a message for you on Tuesday, something about an interview?".

My idiot brother actually heard the message on Tuesday. And failed to tell me because he "forgot" in his haste to go play League of Legends with his friends. 

I wanted to wring his little neck.

PLAY A REAL GAME LIKE STARCRAFT YOU BABY.

But whatever, at least they contacted me, said to call her back whenever so there wasn't any pressing deadlines. We'll call this person Recruiter B. I immediately starting calling Recruiter B every weekday at least once, and kept hitting her voicemail. So I left voice messages and hoped that something would happen.

It didn't.

Eventually I got through to Recruiter B one morning another week later. She didn't acknowledge any of my voice messages which I found odd, but fine. She then said within 15 minutes she would email me the next interview package for me to do. And if there were any problems, just call her.

6 hours later nothing. Calling her that afternoon also directed me to her voicemail. I started wanting to wring her neck as well.

HOW ARE YOU THE SENIOR RECRUITER?!

Fine, next morning I call and shockingly get to her. She acts surprised that I didn't get the email but promises to send it again. I have my doubts but whatever. But here's where it gets awesome. I get a call from Recruiter A. And she wants to know why I haven't done any of the online applications yet. Her superiors really want to get that video interview from me.

And so a few minutes later after I explain my situation with Recruiter B, Recruiter A must have done something, because the online application package was in my inbox the next time I checked. I finished those quickly.

The video interview I received the next day. Basically, I have a bunch of pre-recorded questions thrown at me, and I sit in front of a webcam and I give a response. It's certainly different, I've never done one before but I think it went ok? My hair certainly looked poofier than I would have liked.

I hope I looked presentable.

So now I'm on standby. If they liked what they saw I'll be hearing from them ideally on Monday. If they don't like what they saw, I'll also probably hear from them on Monday. Fingers crossed.

And the strangest thing happened while I was working at my fast food job too. A managed to get talking to a customer and she asked me how long I worked there for. I told her "way too long" and that in this economy it was tough finding anything else.

She ended up taking my number, saying that her husband would get in touch with me. So, if one job doesn't work, maybe I can go with another.

Note: Thank you for all the concern regarding my ex in my last post. I assure you that when I said "I guess we're friends, and we'll see where it goes" I meant we would stay as friends. I'm not trying to sway her into getting back in a relationship with me.

29 comments:

  1. Ha ha ha you made me laugh good two times in a row today.

    1st when I read your comment on my blog about domain and now while reading your job hunting experience.

    I really find it funny when you said "so GoDaddy can go die" ha ha ha... and then about your brother simply forgetting to tell you about the recruiter's call...

    or maybe I'm just too shallow today ha ha :P THANKS for the humor DWei

    Note: Go get yourself another girl that will make you happy ok? Forget the ex. There's a reason why they are called "ex" = or "X" = cross her out of your heart ;)


    ReplyDelete
  2. sadly, whom you know is almost always more important in today's world than what you know, even when you don't know a thing :(

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good luck! I really need to find a new job, my current one is getting worse and worse (supermarket work sucks). I've searched online but it really is hard to find a job these days! I hope you get yours :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Good luck, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. yes, that saying at the start is entirely true, always has been. Don't go ringing any necks either haha good luck

    ReplyDelete
  6. Good God, they are doing "video interviews" now? I guess maybe I should be happy about that since I make videos at youtube (though most people hate them), and I am probably more familiar with doing it than most people. But another part of me is thinking that is kind of cold and impersonal, and something out of a bad Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. But it sounds like it is working out for you, in any event.

    ReplyDelete
  7. That's a pretty random thing to happen at the fast food job. I hope something can come out of it. I don't really know if you're much of a believer in fate or predestiny or anything like that but a random occurrence is a random occurrence. The situation sounds a little confusing but I am just a little out of it. The way I see it though it seems like you might have a better job soon, which would be great.

    ReplyDelete
  8. That's a really nice opportunity that presented itself there, with the fastfood customer situation. Lucky! Hope the other folks get back to you about the video interview soon. Haven't heard of those kinds of interviews before, but sounds like a good way to scout without having to have hundreds of people stop by their office of something.

    (Also, implying games can't be played for fun regardless of "maturity" or "realness".)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Best of Luck.
    Hang in there.
    Interviews can sometimes be a pain in the neck and if they are not, they can make our neck stiff.
    We have to be the one to relax.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Whoa, how frustrating. Glad you persevered...and hope one of these jobs pans out for you.

    ReplyDelete
  11. That is a very impersonal approach for interviewing! But best of luck.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Glad to hear that you're moving in the right direction Damien, I've never even thought of people doing a video interview here although when you think about it, it's probably the future. Hopefully things continue to move forward and you get this internship. That sounds like something my brother would do, I don't think it's deliberate but still stupid and frustrating as hell!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Fingers crossed you hear good news soon!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I remember getting a email response after an interview. It said "no sorry blah blah etc." like five minutes after I left. Rather depressing

    ReplyDelete
  15. I hope you hear good news soon on the job front and I hope you have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Good luck! I haven't done video interviews, I think that would be unnerving.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Eek! I have high hopes for you, however...good luck!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. not first second or third sure you will find it keep trying it

    ReplyDelete
  19. I hate phone interviews. I don't much like talking on the phone, period.

    I hope one of the two options works out for you!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Goodness me - what a palaver as they say!! But you got through to stage 2 and there is also a plan B so fingers and everything crossed for you that one or the other or BOTH come through ok!! Take care
    x

    ReplyDelete
  21. Well they can tell you are very keen anyway. Good luck!!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I got offered a job on the job once. The problem was it paid a lot less... not.. really worth it at all. I'm glad you're getting all these positive turns though. I believe I mentioned they'd inevitably come.

    Also, simple SEO tip. When you mention a previous post, link it. Why not multiply those views?

    ReplyDelete
  23. I think I'd want to wring everyone's neck at that point.
    Hope you get to the next stage without Recruiter C messing up the process!

    ReplyDelete
  24. I've never been offered a job while on the job. That's pretty damn cool. I hope at least one of them works out for you. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  25. ugh, what a frustrating nightmare! it all sounds stressful, and a major pain. welcome to the job market in our time. blah.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Good luck with the job hunt. A video interview is new to me. Ack, I would hate a phone interview for the reasons you listed bu also it's easy to talk over someone if you misread/hear a pause.

    ReplyDelete