Job Interviews

[wurwolf]

Home! Not a bad day over all.. Lot of Veterans at this place (including me)! It's a small plant and there's only about 20-25 personnel working each shift but it is a large company with plants around the world

Learning the coating process for tool accessories (drill bits, carbide tips, etc.) including stripping chemicals for removing old coatings as well as sandblasting. Pretty slow day overall but that varies day by day.

I'll be working 6am-2:30pm for a while and still have no idea what shift I will end up on permanently, and I won't receive my first paycheck till the last Thursday in March (from what I'm told)..

Most of the day I shot the shit sharing war stories from the military with the other employees. Pretty laid back place from what I've seen but it is only my first day so I'm sure that'll change as well

Cool. Sounds like working with a bunch of other folks will be kinda fun, and a nice change from mostly working alone. Especially if you have some shared experience, like the service, to bond over.

Yeah so far everybody seems pretty laid back and alot of them have been with the company some 15-20 years so their turn-around rate seems very low ..

"This is a pretty mellow new job. Nobody's gettin' uptight, everything's cool. No baggage or hang-ups. I'm just gonna hang in there, baby, you bet your sweet bippy. I'll do my thing, they'll do theirs. Just gotta keep mellow. That's what bein' RVR is all about.

And I'm RVR."

Suddenly I feel like the Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla

You should instead feel mellow like Ben Murphy.

[RVR II]

Finished my first week at my new job and it looks like I'm still employed!
Still getting used to the hours..

My feet have been killing me as I am standing or walking the entire 8 hour day! I will need to look into getting some of those Dr Scholl's gel inserts for my shoes, That's for Sure!

Overall not a bad job.. All my coworkers are friendly and easy to work with. I have yet to run into any pricks as have been the case in pretty much every job I've worked in the past - not to say they aren't there but so far everybody is helpful and outgoing which makes for a comfortable work environment.

Been doing a lot of sand blasting parts this week in preps for friction-resistant coating which I will be learning and doing later. This includes Quality Assurance work as well (which I originally applied for) but again this may be training for when another QA position becomes available in the future..

No idea what shift I will end up on but if I can stay on this 6am-2:30pm schedule till after tax season is over, that'll work out nice for me

[Pak-Man]

Well I have an interview with Sandia Labs for a Technical Writer position. I was all cool and confident until they asked me to bring a portfolio. I have no idea what a Technical Editor needs in their writing portfolio, but I have less than 24 hours to find out. :^)

[Tripe]

I just asked my friend Car about it, he's a technical writer and I assume can at least give you an informed opinion.

[Kete]

What have you written?  Any instruction manuals or procedures?

[Pak-Man]

Nothing yet. My job until now has been all press release editing, and that's all non-reprintable under the non-disclosure agreement I was working under. I've been following the advice here:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2248579_create-technical-writers-portfolio.html

I think I'm almost done with a pretty good looking portfolio (Considering it's all been drawn up overnight). Got a couple hours before the interview to pretty it up. Fingers crossed, everyone!

[Kete]

Good luck!

You probably want to let them know that the bulk of your recent work is protected by an NDA.

[Thrifty]

I have a job interview on Monday at a place in Radnor, PA.  It's about 45 miles from home.  I'm sorta "meh" on this one because of the distance, and because I'm generally sick of the desktop support game.

How do I sell myself at an interview when I don't really want the job?  I can remember almost nothing from my last job.  It was just that bland.

I have a meeting tomorrow morning with an adviser at the local community college to look at my options for education.  It's something to do while looking for work, plus I really want to get a Bachelor's Degree.

[Riffman for Hire]

I have a job interview on Monday at a place in Radnor, PA.  It's about 45 miles from home.  I'm sorta "meh" on this one because of the distance, and because I'm generally sick of the desktop support game.

How do I sell myself at an interview when I don't really want the job?  I can remember almost nothing from my last job.  It was just that bland.

I have a meeting tomorrow morning with an adviser at the local community college to look at my options for education.  It's something to do while looking for work, plus I really want to get a Bachelor's Degree.

If you don't want the job, you might end up giving subconscious cues that show you don't want it, like looking at your watch or rushing through the questions or not looking the interviewer in the eye.  A good interviewer might pick them up.  Or not.  If you're having hesitations, it might be that the job isn't right for you.

If you do change your mind and want it, though, then I'd suggest pointing to specific examples in the past job where your skills helped somebody.  Even something as basic as explaining a simple program to someone over the phone who wasn't technically adept might make you desirable.  Also play up what an asset you'd be to the firm.  Jobs want to hear how you can help them and not vice versa.  If you are skilled at programs that most people aren't, mention it.  But I wouldn't be arrogant about it.  If you had a good attendance record or covered for people when they were out, then mention that.

If they ask a long, complex question, say that's a good question and ask for a moment to think about it.  You don't have to answer right away.  Also, it shows that you care enough to put some thought behind your answer.

If they ask what your long term plans are or where you see yourself in five years, they don't want to know about your hobbies or vacation plans.  They really want to know if you're going to stay at the job for the long term.  Tell them you are, even if you're not.  There's almost no faster way to lose a potential job offer than telling them you aren't planning on staying long.  They won't hire someone who's leaving in six months or sees the position as a gateway to other jobs.

[Pak-Man]

Woo! My interview went well. They loved the portfolio I scraped together, and they're reccomending me for the next round of interviews (I'll be one of 4 or 5). I'm not out of the woods yet, but I heard 2 things at this interview that you really want to hear in an interview.

1) I really think you have a good chance of getting this job.

2) Are you aware that you've been grossly underpaid?

[Thrifty]

Well I did, on a few occasions, stay at a hotel at my own expense when a snowstorm was in the forecast, rather than miss work.  I know that this helped keep the place staffed when they had a high absentee rate.

I'm not worried about "where will you be in 5 years".  It's an 18 month contract position, so probably not still at that company.

I've already cancelled a few interviews that I knew I definitely didn't want.  This one is more in the "maybe" column than the "yes" or "no" column, so I'm gonna go through with the interview. 

I struggle to remember any specific situations where my skills helped anyone on the technical side of my work.  Most of the tech support side of things was so mundane that t wouldn't stand out, or it was so complex that it had to be escalated.

[Thrifty]

I got this note from the guy who set up the interview.

I will give you a call on your cell phone before the interview to make sure everything is running smoothly and then immediately after the interview give me a call with your feedback on how it went.  From there we will reach out and obtain feedback from the manager.  Make sure to wear business professional attire (i.e. Suit and Tie) and I would bring a notebook for notes.

Attached is the job description, the version of your resume the manager has, and interview tips.  Below are preparation notes to assist you during the interview.  Make sure to ask questions not only to show interest but to find out everything about the position.  The next step is an offer and they're looking to hire immediately.  Good luck on the interview!

What questions am I supposed to ask?  And what the fuck am I going to do with a notebook?  I simply cannot fathom this constant refrain of "ask questions at an interview".  At every interview I've ever been on, they explained the position, and I understood what they were looking for.  What more is there?  Am I supposed to ask stupid questions when I have none, just to satisfy some sort weird requirement?  This is simply incomprehensible.  A question is asked for the purpose of obtaining information.  When there is no information needed, why are you asking a question?  They say it's to show you have an interest in the company.  It's not enough that I'm applying for work?  Am I supposed to disingenuously pretend like it's the fulfillment of all my hopes and dreams?

Well you know what?  I'm just gonna do what I always do.  I'm gonna go in there, answer their questions from my heart, and give the best interview I can.  The only person I can be is me.

[RVR II]

So I think I got a little more insight on my new job and perhaps why I didn't get that QA position I initially applied for..

Starting this week, we have been having a meeting at the time when both 1st shift and 2nd shift overlap (2-2:30pm) and our QA Coordinator has been holding these meetings.. She has been with the company for quite sometime and it seems she was promoted to the position.
I guess they 'have' to post the position outside the company where I saw it and applied for the QA position and instead got this Coating Tech position.. Not a big deal as I do have a lot to learn about the job and how the work is performed.

Is this a common practice by companies (to post a position with no intention of filling it externally)?

[Pak-Man]

Yeah most companies I've worked for prefer to fill their jobs internally (It usually means less training and guarantees some company loyalty) but are required by law to offer it to the rest of the world too.

[RVR II]

Yeah most companies I've worked for prefer to fill their jobs internally (It usually means less training and guarantees some company loyalty) but are required by law to offer it to the rest of the world too.

Hmm.. I know my old company posted jobs internally and externally but rarely promoted internally (I know from personal experience).. They always seemed to fill positions externally.
Oh well so I may actually get an opportunity for advancement at a later date then..