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JOB Search TIPs and Support

Well, I've been getting interviews, but that's about all I get. Because I am a DOR client (department of rehabilitation, the people that covered my tuition using state money because of Asperger's Syndrome), all Workability IV clients and DOR clients had their own special screening day for the IRS. It was in October (I think. lol I am so busy I am forgetting stuff), then the shutdown happened, so a few weeks ago they asked for my fingerprints again. I signed a very vague letter that was basically saying "we aren't hiring you yet but we might be" and set up direct deposit online. The deadline for that was a week ago, so I'm hoping I hear back from them soon. THEN out of freakin' nowhere I had an interview with the Employment Development Department with less than a week's notice. Three people were interviewing me! THREE! Then I got turned down by Camping World (I interviewed with them the day before EDD) which was frustrating because if they had told me sooner that they were going to turn me down, I could have probably had a better interview with EDD because I would have worded some things a bit differently. JUST SAYING!

I have had like 3 interviews so far. One in the summer, and two just over a week ago. It's been around one year since I started to manage landing interviews, but I have been with Workability IV since June. They have taught me to broaden my horizons when it comes to my interview answers, like to associate school experience or my 4 years of service in my music fraternity. I served on the chapter's executive board all 4 years I was involved at the collegiate level, and it taught me a lot about leadership and even confidentiality. I have a huge passion for that now because I was basically the person in charge of keeping our ritual ceremonies a secret from non members, a task easy for me because I love our ritual so much. It's beautiful and that is all I am allowing myself to say. Even situations as a musician will work. What my counselors do is look up interview questions from companies from people that have been posting them on GlassDoor and other similar sites. Oddly enough, I have not had an interview with verbatim questions yet. In fact, I over prepared myself for my Camping World interview. I thought it was going to be an actual interview where they would ask me things. They ended up just talking to me and only asked if I had experience selling RV parts. Very little thinking required.

As much as I understand that I should be going door-to-door to businesses to job hunt, there are some companies that ONLY want you to be online, like Costco or anything for the State of California or federal government jobs. When I go to my appointments to see my counselors, they usually suggest government jobs which would be helpful in my situation. If I am hired for that seasonal IRS job, I'd make $15 an hour because of my bachelors degree. That's almost double what my fiance makes as an assembler for an awards company that makes trinkets for the Shriners! I have reason to suspect I should be getting an email or a phone call from the IRS recruitment team any day now... ;)
 
Hey Anne sorry I?ve been so abrasive to you. Writing on this thread for me has brought back job placement PTSD memories of students scamming me. Nothing to do with you & I?ll write about it another time. Plus I've been really stressed out since before Thanksgiving.

IRS job-good luck!!! You are smart, intelligent & might get it. Most of my clients were from Govt programs-disability, unemployment, welfare to work, mental illness, out of prison, drug programs etc. I talked to Govt/State NYC/NJ Jobs Counselors [DVR?NJ, VESID-NYC?] on the phone. But I never worked for the Govt/State. I worked in the private sector mostly in Business schools & also welfare to work [NYC.]

I was offered a temp job with no benefits by the State Unemployment Office to help the most chronically unemployed in a drug infested area in East Orange, NJ. I was working full time in a top NYC Medical School?s job Placement office. My ex-wife said no don?t take the temporary State job. Plus I was very close to getting hired by a NYC University?s Career Dept [my divorce ended that dream & ended my career in NYC but I did end up in the computer field in NJ!]

Thus I don?t understand a lot of your vocabulary per Govt programs. What I hear & I might be wrong, & hope not to sound insensitive is you are depending on a Govt Jobs Counselor, you have had only 3 interviews & you are not satisfied with what is going on with your job search. Is that correct? If I'm wrong please let me know. Also I'm so fatigued right now not sure how coherent my thought processes are.

Have you chosen a career path? That's always been a difficult one for me and I spent years in my College's Career Offices doing research. Are you busy right now? Meaning can you do some volunteer work that might lead to a better resume/leverage on a job interview or even lead to a job? You don't have to answer everything-these are just questions I'm thinking of right now for you. The library had a newspaper called something like National Business Employment Weekly [I might have the title wrong as it's been many years.] I can't remember much just that it was about nonprofits and might also have been about jobs & industries.

Some people join a professional Association in a field they want a job at. Especially an Association that meets once a month for lunch. There are a lot of hiring managers there & free advice on preparing for your field. Example an Association of Fund Raisers etc. Libraries can help you find them. Does any of this help?

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS: I recommend an old book by the author Yates ?Knock Em Dead, Job Interviews? which always listed 100 questions and the answers you should give them. The last copy I had was from 2002. he made the job process FUN! Plus the author Yates always covered pretty much the whole job process and made it easy. Wish I could advise you websites to check out interview questions. But basically after you?ve looked at 5 or so interview questions checklists, you have seen them all. Except for the really advanced ones like at Wall Street Corporations etc. I always hated the book "What Color is Your Parachute" which was recommended by every Jobs Counselor at the time. The Barkely? Crystal method was interesting but I never finished it.

Have you taken the Meyers Briggs test?

If so you can continue what you are doing or maybe you can learn about the Job Search process and become more proactive? I also recommend you go on 10-15 practice interviews even if they are just fast food or retail outlets. But first I recommend you prepare for those practice interviews writing down PARs =problems at work you encountered, the action you took and the results.
Example 1 talking about serving on your chapter's executive board all 4 years including a major problem solved or helping students etc.

Example 2 ?while at ___ Company I created an internship program that created a 38% conversion rate to jobs.? That?s one of my PARs. I recommend you write 5 of them down and memorize them. You can include 2 personal ones that might include an athletic one ?I won?t quit on you? attitude such as ?I swam ___ miles in an Ocean competition and won?t quit on you? etc. Another PAR personal one might include volunteering or anything else to show off your personality/attributes pertaining to the job you are going after.
Perhaps others here who are more familiar with State/Govt programs can help you. As for online applications I understand what you are saying. Yes you are right it?s a function of the present job search & won?t go away.

I?ve applied online for jobs. Today per online job applications, CORPORATIONS have all the power to accept or reject candidates before they meet them in person. I believe it?s one of the most horrific evil creations for the masses who might not be the most computer literate or have the highest job skills.

It?s a way for Human Resources & Corporations to basically tell the masses ?go f*ck yourself; if I don?t SEE you, then you don?t exist.? It?s an easy way to let the masses apply for jobs that many will never have a chance to get. Maybe I?m wrong.
For many people, networking offline where you meet face to face, can bring results. I got home at 10pm tonight. Not sure how much my brain is working & how much I?m making sense. Thank you for your patience with me!
 
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Should we create a seperate thread on Online Job Search or keep it here? I won't be able to help much in that respect & was thinking tonight of creating a seperate Online Job Search thread. What do you think? Gosh I'm such a grouchy Wolverine sometimes! :stomp:
Thanks everyone for your patience with me.
 
I would think it could be of help to separate the two, however I think it would also be dependent upon the wording of the title.
I think it would need to be clear, what the intention is for the two separate threads.
 
Why I became a Job's Counselor:

Because I got fired from 100 jobs & sucked at all the jobs I had except for photography. I didn't know how to get a good job and suffered with horrible jobs. That's when I heard about free Job Search Seminars, learned the vocabulary of Job Search, resumes, interviewing, doing research, networking etc. This helped prepare me to get a sales job in a National Corporation. I knew I had to get a good reference from this company in order to leapfrog to a better position.

2 years & many awards later I left that Company for a better job at a Medical School to be a Director of Placement. Then I went into the NYC job market in the Job Placement field in Medical, Computer and Business schools where I was certified by the NYC Board of Education to teach Job Search tactics. From there I networked to the top medical Business School in NYC [I was also networking to get into a University's Career Dept, refused a job offer from Columbia and was next in line to get a job in a prestigeous University's Career Dept before my divorce knocked me down.]

Learning Job Search tips changed my life & career forever. Hopefully soon I can write another article that can shed more light on the work of Jobs Counselors and how you can use that information for your advantage.
 
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