Job Search Tactics

[Dechristo]

she can't move too far from me.

 

Funny, I heard her say the same thing...

 

 

...only, she implied that would be impossible.

[archenemy]

The employers seem to want to do excessively long interviews of every applicant that comes along so that most of the applicants end up being rejected. I recommend only applying for jobs that are really a close fit and try to avoid employers that want multi-day interviews (or even more than 1/2 day).

I have been thinking about this and I think you have made a pretty strong observation here. I have noticed that quite a few employers do require multiple interview days (I am fine with two, but I have been getting lots of panels, simulated strange projects, online skills testing, personality trait testing, etc etc). And they even mention that they've missed out on some good hiring possibilities b/c those folks got offers from others before going through their whole circus. It really seems to have gotten out of hand. I don't know what the proper way to shortcut this might be once I've found out about their process. I at least want to go on for the first interview to find out what the place is like. Thoughts?

[rob]

All I know is, when the "personality quizes" come out is when I leave. My buddy at google had to provide his college transcripts and his official SAT and ACT score results. I'm surprised they didn't ask for a recommendation from his 8th grade homeroom teacher or something.

 

I've left in the middle of an interview before because the guy interviewing me would have been my boss, and he was a total ass. But I don't recommend it.

 

I'm not sure there are any shotcuts. I think you gotta suck it up and blow sunshine up their ass so you can get the paycheck.

 

Also, don't tell employers that you're a climber.

[archenemy]

Yeah, what is up with the P-quizes? I mean, if folks are incapable of deciding what type of person you are after the two phone interviews, four face to face interviews, and fifteen emails made during the interview process, how are they going to be helped by knowing I am a ENTP?

 

Do you really leave during that crap? What do you say when they tell you that down the road (the loooong interview road) a personality test or menial skills test (these are patently offensive) is going to be on the horizon?

[minx]

ugggh!! i hate the whole process. with apologies to my favorite HR friend, (who helped a lot when i needed to understand HR), HR at my last two jobs has been useless.

 

although not in IT, my field is technical in nature. when hiring someone recently, weeks went by with HR screening the resumes and I only received a few. Some of them were qualified to be my boss and some of them had nothing on their resume that made them qualified.

 

I finally went directly to HR and requested every resume that had been sent for the position. I found 10 qualified applicants. Phone screened all of them. Interviewed 3 in person and hired one.

 

If HR had not been removed from the equation, I'd still be waiting for a good applicant.

 

Arch- you can use my tax ID number if you'll cut me in on the tarp business.

[archenemy]

Arch- you can use my tax ID number if you'll cut me in on the tarp business.

Sweet!

 

We can be the Tarp Tarts!

[roboboy]

I guess in my case I found that after going to so many interviews my attitude toward them got to the point it wasn't worth going anymore for awhile. Like interviewing 4 separate people at the same company and answering the same questions 4 separate times in a row, my boredom with the process probably was apparent to them. Then go to another company and answer the same questions all over again. Hey, I've perfected the answers and I'm still not getting the job. All I can say is maybe try a bit to keep the process from wearing you out that way, so you're fresh for what could be the right job. And I don't think it's just "me" because it didn't used to be like this, even in IT.