Job Hunt Thread

[Steve9347]

A bit of a random question:

At the end of the three interviews I have had, they typically end with "do you have any questions?" The ones I normally think of are work hours, on-call time, and compensation (pay). Is there anything else I should be asking that I am not thinking of?

Whenever I interview, I study the company's website and come up with some ultra-detailed question about their business practice to show that I'm already thinking about being in the future job.

 

It works like a charm. I've had three interviews in my post-internship life, and offers for each one.

[Steve9347]

I say something along the lines of "This tends to be the uncomfortable question: but when is the proper time to discus compensation?" One of my interviews actually told me the pay (or the pay range) before I even interviewed.

In all honesty, that might be one of the worst questions you could possibly ask. They will tell you when it's time to discuss compensation.

[BigSqwert]

Whenever I interview, I study the company's website and come up with some ultra-detailed question about their business practice to show that I'm already thinking about being in the future job.

 

It works like a charm. I've had three interviews in my post-internship life, and offers for each one.

Definitely a good tip.

 

And athomeboy, since you're in the IT field I would suggest coming up with questions about emerging technologies and how/if the organization plans to adopt any of them (i.e, cloud computing, mobile device payments, QR code marketing, social media, etc).

Edited July 19, 2011 by BigSqwert

[Steve9347]

It's fairly easy to find the best questions to ask during an interview, here's a bunch from Career Builder.

 

• What do you see ahead for your company in the next five years?
• How do you see the future for this industry?
• What do you consider to be your firm's most important assets?
• What can you tell me about your new product or plans for growth?
• How do you rate your competition? The position's history Asking about why the position is vacant can provide insight into the company and the potential for advancement. According to Annie Stevens and Greg Gostanian, managing partners at executive and career development firm ClearRock, good questions include:
• What happened to the last person who held this job?
• What were the major strengths and weaknesses of the last person who held this job?
• What types of skills do you NOT already have onboard that you're looking to fill with a new hire? The department Asking about your department's workers and role in the company can help you understand more about the company's culture and hierarchy. Stanford suggests asking:
• What is the overall structure of the company and how does your department fit the structure?
• What are the career paths in this department?
• What have been the department's successes in the last couple of years?
• How do you view your group/division/department? The job's responsibilities To avoid any confusion later on, it pays to gain a solid understanding of the position. FGP International's Eddie Payne recommends inquiring:
• What would you consider to be the most important aspects of this job?
• What are the skills and attributes you value most for someone being hired for this position?
• Where have successful employees previously in this position progressed to within the company?
• Could you describe a typical day or week in this position? The typical client or customer I would be dealing with? The expectations To determine how and when you will evaluated, Payne recommend advises asking:
• What are the most immediate challenges of the position that need to be addressed in the first three months?
• What are the performance expectations of this position over the first 12 months?
• How will I be evaluated at XYZ company, and how often? The next steps At the end of the interview, don't forget to ask:
• What are the next steps in the interview process?

 

Like a boss.

[HuskyCaucasian]

Excellent idea, thanks everyone!

[iamshack]

Hah, I love the one "what happened to the last person who held this job"?

 

"Uhh, he's dead...couldn't hack it..."

 

In all honestly I agree with BS and Steve...find out what challenges are facing that industry/company and ask how they intend to overcome them. One never wants to be the "outsider" who thinks he knows more about the industry than those inside it, however, it is impressive when you have a good handle on what the company is facing in the near future.

 

One question I like to ask is "What does the ideal candidate for this position look like"?

 

This is great for negotiating an offer because you have info straight from the horse's mouth as to what qualities/experience they value most.

Edited July 19, 2011 by iamshack

[kjshoe04]

This is great. I'm currently waiting to hear back from someone about a career center coordinator position at a high school to have a phone interview. Thanks for the tips.

[The Beast]

Questions I would ask at the end of the interview would be:

 

"How'd I do? Do you think I could do this job?"

 

Read up on a challenge they are facing and ask about how to fix their problem. You are likely making an entry level salary so it would be valuable for someone to come in, try and fail or try and succeed on an organizational problem - sort of a low risk, high reward kind of initiative on your part only to benefit the company.

 

I have a little over three weeks left at my internship with the Rams. There are projects that I have done saved to a flash drive to add to my writing related work to see if that interests employers. I have made a decent amount of contacts while I have been here, mostly in PR/Community Outreach/Marketing but really not that many in sales. I don't know why that is, considering I am able to bond more with people who are more more outgoing than I am, but most of what I hear with sales people is small talk and the people that I really enjoy talking to seem to have more depth to our conversations.

 

Although I have that small time frame left in my internship, I was wondering if going into work an hour early each morning and getting more work done then or staying late after work to accomplish more would impress my employer. I feel as though my work has made a favorable impression on who I am to the organization but there are some instances where I just haven't adjusted to the culture of the organization. Then again it might just be that some people are easier to talk to than others.

 

Long story short, I'd love to stay longer with the Rams but the marketing department is so small that I am not sure they have much of a budget to keep a non-sales employee on as a paid intern, let alone an entry-level employee. Any tips on how to be more of a star intern to make an impact in these final weeks (which include training camp and finishing the women's and health/wellness marketing platforms) would be appreciated. Lastly, my boss' brother works with the Sox, should I try to get in contact with him and see if he knows someone in PR that would allow for an internship there? Should I look into people who have contacts with the Bears for any sort of position (even gameday staff)? I realize that I'd need a part-time job if I move back to Chicago or if I stay in St. Louis.

 

Any advice is appreciated. If I can't get something when I get home I am just going to do a part-time gig and get into grad school for PR so I could do something writing based for Groupon or work in marketing/PR somewhere.

Edited July 20, 2011 by MuckFinnesota

[BigSqwert]

I think I found a nice rental property if I wind up taking that position in Austin. My goodness!

[Chi Town Sox]

Took a sales executive position for a company working out of my house, started on the 1st of the month. Numerous things have taken at least a week to answer that should take 5 minutes. Have asked for listings of current stores we are in, listings of sales numbers to see which stores are ordering the most, business cards, an e-mail address with my name listed rather than "[email protected]" etc. 3 weeks in and nothing yet - while they ask how my sales are going, gotta love the corporate world always giving people the tools they need to succeed. Best part is I have wasted quite a bit of time trying to contact various stores across the country (some probably about an hour of time on) to find out they already have our products and I sound like an idiot in the process because I don't have a listing. I can't imagine its in anyones best interest to be reporting directly to the president of the company, he has already pulled every excuse out of the book why I haven't gotten answers. LOL, as long as I'm getting a paycheck

Edited July 21, 2011 by Chi Town Sox

[BigSqwert]

Oh man. That sounds like a headache. Sorry dude.

[Chi Town Sox]

Oh man. That sounds like a headache. Sorry dude.

 

Yeah kinda, the good thing is I can look for another position in the mean time and you can't really beat working from home as your first job out of college. It is there loss because it is difficult to find people that are actually motivated enough to work from home!

 

EDIT: what timing, I finally got a list of retailers we are in, oh the irony. Now for the other 100 things I need...

Edited July 21, 2011 by Chi Town Sox

[bigruss]

So apparently HR doesn't like me asking for the salary I am looking for in my full time offer. The number apparently has to be passed through to my director who would then have to okay it, which is perfect since he's already offered to be my mentor if I go fulltime so I don't see too much trouble there.

 

I'm surprised by the hassle that is HR, but I guess it's pretty standard in many organizations. Which is too bad because if HR is done right it can be such a competitive advantage.

[bigruss]

Yeah kinda, the good thing is I can look for another position in the mean time and you can't really beat working from home as your first job out of college. It is there loss because it is difficult to find people that are actually motivated enough to work from home!

 

EDIT: what timing, I finally got a list of retailers we are in, oh the irony. Now for the other 100 things I need...

I know my company has been hiring sales people like crazy, PM me for details if you want.

[bigruss]

Questions I would ask at the end of the interview would be:

 

"How'd I do? Do you think I could do this job?"

 

Read up on a challenge they are facing and ask about how to fix their problem. You are likely making an entry level salary so it would be valuable for someone to come in, try and fail or try and succeed on an organizational problem - sort of a low risk, high reward kind of initiative on your part only to benefit the company.

 

I have a little over three weeks left at my internship with the Rams. There are projects that I have done saved to a flash drive to add to my writing related work to see if that interests employers. I have made a decent amount of contacts while I have been here, mostly in PR/Community Outreach/Marketing but really not that many in sales. I don't know why that is, considering I am able to bond more with people who are more more outgoing than I am, but most of what I hear with sales people is small talk and the people that I really enjoy talking to seem to have more depth to our conversations.

 

Although I have that small time frame left in my internship, I was wondering if going into work an hour early each morning and getting more work done then or staying late after work to accomplish more would impress my employer. I feel as though my work has made a favorable impression on who I am to the organization but there are some instances where I just haven't adjusted to the culture of the organization. Then again it might just be that some people are easier to talk to than others.

 

Long story short, I'd love to stay longer with the Rams but the marketing department is so small that I am not sure they have much of a budget to keep a non-sales employee on as a paid intern, let alone an entry-level employee. Any tips on how to be more of a star intern to make an impact in these final weeks (which include training camp and finishing the women's and health/wellness marketing platforms) would be appreciated. Lastly, my boss' brother works with the Sox, should I try to get in contact with him and see if he knows someone in PR that would allow for an internship there? Should I look into people who have contacts with the Bears for any sort of position (even gameday staff)? I realize that I'd need a part-time job if I move back to Chicago or if I stay in St. Louis.

 

Any advice is appreciated. If I can't get something when I get home I am just going to do a part-time gig and get into grad school for PR so I could do something writing based for Groupon or work in marketing/PR somewhere.

Be careful about taking projects from work without their consent, there could be legal issues behind that.

 

Keep networking as much as possible, if there are no positions available now then you want to be on the short list for when opportunities do open. And take advantage of any connection your boss may have. If they want to hire you but know they can't then the least they could/should want to do is find you an opportunity elsewhere.

[The Beast]

Be careful about taking projects from work without their consent, there could be legal issues behind that.

 

Keep networking as much as possible, if there are no positions available now then you want to be on the short list for when opportunities do open. And take advantage of any connection your boss may have. If they want to hire you but know they can't then the least they could/should want to do is find you an opportunity elsewhere.

My boss said I could take any work I produce with them since it is my research and my ideas. I'll continue networking - thanks for the advice. My boss's brother may be my entry into the MLB, even if it is another internship with the S O X.

[chisoxfan09]

Quick question here, fan from Spain. I am not looking but have a brother who is looking for a good IT position in the Loop. Does anyone know any company hiring a good desktop support tech with over 15 years experience?

[Brian]

Been at this job for coming up on 6 years and just got passed up for promotion by a lady who has been there 3 months and is friends with the supervisor. Go me for not being an ass kisser.

[southsider2k5]

Been at this job for coming up on 6 years and just got passed up for promotion by a lady who has been there 3 months and is friends with the supervisor. Go me for not being an ass kisser.

 

Time to start looking.

[Balta1701]

friends or "friends"?

[HuskyCaucasian]

friends or "friends"?

my thought too

[bigruss]

Time to start looking.

Yup, go find an offer from someone else and tell your company that you feel like you are being overlooked and unless offered a promotion will go to a company that appreciates your talents/effort.

 

Oh, and make sure that your manager or whoever actually knew that you wanted that position. I've seen that a lot in my time at companies that a person feels like the were neglected in regards to promotions but they never even had mentioned that they wanted to move up.

[kapkomet]

Been at this job for coming up on 6 years and just got passed up for promotion by a lady who has been there 3 months and is friends with the supervisor. Go me for not being an ass kisser.

 

(edit... )

Yea... I will be getting that same treatment and that's about all I can say for now.

[Y2HH]

Yup, go find an offer from someone else and tell your company that you feel like you are being overlooked and unless offered a promotion will go to a company that appreciates your talents/effort.

 

Oh, and make sure that your manager or whoever actually knew that you wanted that position. I've seen that a lot in my time at companies that a person feels like the were neglected in regards to promotions but they never even had mentioned that they wanted to move up.

 

Sometimes it's that...

 

Or you can just play the game and get the promotions.

 

I give nobody any credit, "kudos" or "props" for not "kissing ass" in order to get ahead in the business world. This is how the game is played, if you don't want to play it, don't...but don't b**** when you get passed, either. Also, do note I surround the words "kissing ass" in quotes because it's a bulls*** term when related to business to begin with. Those people you claim are "kissing ass" are also the ones that do exactly what they're told, when they're told, and work extra hours that you're totally unaware of, etc.

 

I know, because I've been accused of the same in many places.

 

I'm an ass kisser, that's why I get the vacations I request and the promotions.

 

Right.

 

I'm also the guy the boss would call at 3am when something was broken, and fix it...only to come in that morning at 7am and work the entire day.

 

Oh, and if it was a friend of the bosses...you just got welcomed to how the really real world really works.

 

Balmer wanted to stay at Harvard and study finance. I'm sure he would have made some decent money, too...

 

But his stupid friend Bill Gates told him, "f*** Harvard dude, come help me at Microsoft". Same with his other friend Paul Allen.

 

Balmer is now worth about 14.5 billion dollars. So is Paul Allen. Had they not been friends with the right guy, they'd probably be working at an investment firm making decent money...but nowhere near $14,500,000,000.

 

Contacts, friends, etc...in MOST areas of the business world, it's who you know. Not what you know or where you went to school.

[Whitewashed in '05]

What's the correct answer when an employer is asking for your salary requirements?

 

Is it wrong to be ambiguous and say that its up for negotiation? Pay isn't the only factor when deciding if I want a job. Or does is seem as if I'm being difficult and chances are they will skip me because I don't give a straight answer?