Applying for jobs is exhausting and soul-crushing

LostInTarget · Feb 14, 2019

Long time reader, first time poster here. I'm currently struggling to even get an internship in my field. I'm 30, switched careers (Bio undergrad) to Software Engineering/CS. I'm at a pretty good university getting my Master's with a 4.0 GPA. I have 3 quarter left upon graduation and have been applying to 10-15 internships a day. I've expanded my search to the east coast and west coast (I live in Chicago) and still no luck. Feels bad man.

SOLDIER · Feb 14, 2019

Still frequently calling the hospital. Last time I got a hold of the hiring manager, the same guy who interviewed me. He said he'd get back to me that same day, and as usual he doesn't.

The thing that's especially frustrating is that even though this is like the fourth time I've talked to him, he fails to remember me each time. I understand he's probably seeing lots of applicants and keep track of them all, but my patience is wearing thin.

It was suggested I try looking at more temp agencies, but does anyone know a way to find local agencies that are reliable and won't try to fleece you out of your pay or anything? I signed up with one for IT Help Desk positions, but there hasn't been any catches after tossing my resume around.

Also, does anyone happen to know anything about Sonography/Ultrasound Technician jobs? I was told it's one of the top jobs in my local area and the requirements can be earned quickly, but so far all I've managed to find is that it's better to have an Associates or Bachelors rather than a certificate. It doesn't specify if I can still get the certificate if I already have a Bachelor's in an unrelated field. As usual, I don't know who to talk to in order to get further details.

DJ Lushious · Feb 18, 2019

I made the worst mistake of my life, leaving public education for a factory industry job, and I've been unhappy since day one. A year later now and my local school corporation has a SysAdmin opening that is pretty much exactly the same position I had at my previous public education role. Any tips on how I could get my foot into the door?

I've been working the networking angle; I spoke with a friend-of-a-friend who is a teacher there, but he joked that he and the IT Director don't see eye-to-eye. My best friend's mom's friend used to do IT there and she is reaching out to her now. Nothing is a lock, of course, but any way I can further my chances for an interview the better.

Has anyone had an success cold-calling?

Nerdyone · Feb 18, 2019

DJ Lushious said:
I made the worst mistake of my life, leaving public education for a factory industry job, and I've been unhappy since day one. A year later now and my local school corporation has a SysAdmin opening that is pretty much exactly the same position I had at my previous public education role. Any tips on how I could get my foot into the door?

I've been working the networking angle; I spoke with a friend-of-a-friend who is a teacher there, but he joked that he and the IT Director don't see eye-to-eye. My best friend's mom's friend used to do IT there and she is reaching out to her now. Nothing is a lock, of course, but any way I can further my chances for an interview the better.

Has anyone had an success cold-calling?

I'm in recruitment and here is my advice. If you can figure out who the Hiring Manager or Recruiter is, reach out to them via linkedin. The Recruiter especially as this makes their life easier. good luck!

Ogodei · Feb 18, 2019

I'm in a bit of a funk, still getting bites at a decent clip but I'm debating making a career transition. Today I'm looking at coaches instead of jobs, going to see if there's something in my area to help turn me around and get me into something degree-relevant or something more tailored to my skillset.

mrmoose · Feb 18, 2019

I have a quick question. I interviewed via a few recruiting companies when I was looking for a job. Nothing ever came of it and I got my new job by myself, but I'm constantly getting calls from them. Do you usually call them back every time and tell them you're not interested? I don't want to "ghost" them but I've already said I'm not looking right now, and they're incentivized to try anyway.

jellyfish · Feb 18, 2019

nitric0 said:
Long time reader, first time poster here. I'm currently struggling to even get an internship in my field. I'm 30, switched careers (Bio undergrad) to Software Engineering/CS. I'm at a pretty good university getting my Master's with a 4.0 GPA. I have 3 quarter left upon graduation and have been applying to 10-15 internships a day. I've expanded my search to the east coast and west coast (I live in Chicago) and still no luck. Feels bad man.

I was in a similar situation. Undergrad in language study, went to a more CS-related field for Master's, and had a lot of trouble finding ANY work to do. Eventually graduated without any full time job lined up. Had been doing contract work for almost a year until I finally found a nice full time position.
Have you tried Triplebyte yet? I found my job there and think that it is really helpful. Also, look for a Code for America chapter near you, and you might be able to find some volunteer experience there. On top of applying online, you should go to meetups in the fields you are interested in, if you haven't yet. You might not find something every time, but it's always good to expand your LinkedIn connections (increase your possibility of being noticed by recruiters), and learn from other people's experience in your field. Finally, make sure you maintain a habit of doing practice coding questions, 30 minutes to 1 hour a day would be more than enough if you keep it up.

Nerdyone · Feb 18, 2019

mrmoose said:
I have a quick question. I interviewed via a few recruiting companies when I was looking for a job. Nothing ever came of it and I got my new job by myself, but I'm constantly getting calls from them. Do you usually call them back every time and tell them you're not interested? I don't want to "ghost" them but I've already said I'm not looking right now, and they're incentivized to try anyway.

I would just shoot them a quick note. You never know when you may need to engage them in the future

SOLDIER · Feb 18, 2019

So after frequent frequent frequent frequent calling, the motherfucker at the hospital finally tells me today that the position has been filled.

I pretty much expected it at this point, but I'm still frustrated to the point that I'm trying to calm myself down. I'm not sure what to do next. I'm either wasting too much time trying to land a job with a "future" (as in, long-term career opportunities) or I need to just pick something quick to get cash going.

I'm just so tired of blindly browsing job sites. Either I should sign up with a temp agency or just go back to school. I'm fed up with this.

Triggerhappytel · Feb 21, 2019

I took a new job as a contractor about 4 weeks ago after being out of work for most of last year. Really like the work, it's a good team, a long way from home but the pay is good and I'm only currently doing 3 days a week which is good as it allows me time at home with my family a couple of days. The problem is that I just got paid for the first time yesterday and I'm only actually clearing less than 60% of my salary. About 30% is going on fucking PAYE tax, which I can't seem to see a definitive answer on how much it should be. Anyone have any experience with contracting and can shed any light on this? I've got a not inconsiderable amount of debt from last year I need to start paying off, but as I'm clearing a lot less wage than I thought I would I can't afford to start paying it off just yet. I'm in the UK.

Solid Dude · Feb 21, 2019

After tons of applications during the semester, I've finally secured a a great federal government job in DC once I graduate! Happy with the pay/regular salary increases as well as the work-life balance. Very excited to finish school and start working again, although DC rent is going to be super rough.

Tebunker · Feb 21, 2019

Had my 2nd, 3rd and 4th interviews for this new role yesterday. I don't feel nearly as optimistic as I did on Monday.

I don't know, it just feels like a lot of vetting and hoop jumping, and I am not sure how large the candidate pool still is. What makes matters harder is there is going to be one more meeting and it probably won't happen until the first week of March now. I really was hoping to have this wrapped up this week. Sucks.

Triggerhappytel Not sure about UK tax laws but in the States that's not uncommon for a contract employee to have about 30% in taxes taken out since they are tended to be treated differently.

Zapages · Feb 21, 2019

Need some advice guys...

I have federal job offer. I was not expecting to get a job offer in the first place.

But here's my situation like:

Pros:
- Its a dream job
- Good benefits and everything
- Pay is slight bump to what I make now. But it is not significant.
- I will be doing real science to help the society
- If I do well then I will be able to run my own research lab one day (i.e. dream situation)
- Be on papers and publish in high ranking journals.
- My Boss or going to be boss seems like nice guy but wants results.
- Job security ie. being federal job. Although my current job is super secure too...

Cons:
- I brought a home last year due to my current job.
- My Mother is sick and needs help all the time. This was not case when I applied
- The pay bump won't allow me to live at two places at once.
- I will be left with only like 200 dollars a month if I do go down there to live off.
- If I don't perform they will fire me in a year. Aka 1 year probation
- Father can't really take care of my Mother alone.
- My Current job is repetitive and easy... Also the pay is good. Technically if I count bonuses and all I will make less with the new opportunity.
- I want to get married this year and will need a nice place/ways to support my future wife.
- My current work environment is nice, but workload ie. # of projects can be a bit much... Everyone though is super nice and chill.

PS: I have been applying federal jobs on and off since 2011. But I never got an offer. This is for the first time too. My parents are against it... At the same time, I feel like its once in a life time type of chance... Aka on how hard it is to apply there and even be considered. :(

Thoughts?

Cth · Feb 21, 2019

So frustrated right now..

Over the last 20 years I've been laid off 5 or 6 times. (IT / CAD) Eventually had to take a half cut in pay and went back to retail for a bit. A year and a half ago, I landed a great job making more than I ever have. Then six months later, the company CEO leaves and they get bought out. The new owners decide to lay off the entire IT division company wide and out source our jobs to save money. The plan was for the 3rd party to hire us on and that was good until last week when they changed plans and cut numbers in half to save money. My boss is pissed because there's 1 person to support 2 separate locations with at least 1000+ employees. Needless to say, they didn't extend an offer to me, instead giving it to the 50+ year old who's planning on retiring in a year soon and has no vehicle (and regularly doesn't show up for work 1-2 days a week)

So, I send out the signal flare and find some good leads. One job is what I currently do, and I worked with 2 of the 5 team members. Phone interview went well, but today I find out they already hired someone.

So frustrating because my wife and I have had strokes and the prospect of losing health insurance is scary since she needs hers to prevent another. At least I have until July (theoretically) to find something.

Thanks for reading.

shadowhaxor · Feb 21, 2019

Yeah it is. My wife got fired from her job due to "good ol' boy" mentality and it's been rough. She's been putting in application after application and she's crushed. She's worked pretty much her entire life and she doesn't like sitting at home. She had just gotten that job last summer and loved it. Told her to stop getting so stressed out, I can handle the bills and everything. Just take some time off and relax, maybe improve yourself. She doesn't listen, it's like she has to be working.

Yep, job hunting freaking blows.

BIG-JG · Feb 21, 2019

This thread is so true, Ive been at the same job for 18 years, have had a lot of fun and success. But i'm looking to transition into other parts of the industry, hired a coach, retooled the resume, which I haven't touched in ages. Been applying to a lot of jobs heavily in the past two weeks. Been rejected a few times already and it sucks. The good news is I'm still working at my current job but it's not so much fun anymore. What I had no clue about is, how the job market has changed so much, it seems like all the big companies weed you out by not having enough of their key words before you can even talk to somebody. Such a freaking drag.

LosDaddie · Feb 21, 2019

I'd like to get some input from y'all:

So I'm an electrical PE (specializing in healthcare) and recruiters hound me constantly through LinkedIn. Normally I don't respond to them but a fairly good opportunity has come up.

I've done a few interviews (2 phone, 1 in-person) so far. Of course I rocked them. Selling myself / my abilities is easy. So far, these are the Pros & Cons that I can see.

Pros:

Min. 15% pay bump
Chance to grow the new company's office. The company doesn't much of a presence in the SE yet.
Would basically be my own boss. It would just be me and 1 mechanical PE leading projects for now.
Get to design some cool & fun projects
My work– life balance would most likely remain the same
My work commute would also stay the same.

Cons:

Terrible healthcare plan. Basically a "Don't Get Sick" type of plan with a high deductible.
I've asked around to some people I know in the engineering field, and apparently the mechanical PE i'd be working with is a real asshole…and just plain incompetent. One guy I (sorta) trust said the guy is a backstabber 😬
If you believe Glassdoor reviews, then this new company is terrible with bonuses.
Smaller office for now…until we can grow / get more engineers & architects hired.

I haven't received an offer letter yet. I'm scheduled to visit their office next week. The recruiter I'm working with said that an offer letter should follow shortly thereafter.

So what do y'all think? The job isn't the homerun that I would like, but it seems like a good opportunity.

Zapages said:
Need some advice guys...

I have federal job offer. I was not expecting to get a job offer in the first place.

But here's my situation like:

Pros:
- Its a dream job
- Good benefits and everything
- Pay is slight bump to what I make now. But it is not significant.
- I will be doing real science to help the society
- If I do well then I will be able to run my own research lab one day (i.e. dream situation)
- Be on papers and publish in high ranking journals.
- My Boss or going to be boss seems like nice guy but wants results.
- Job security ie. being federal job. Although my current job is super secure too...

Cons:
- I brought a home last year due to my current job.
- My Mother is sick and needs help all the time. This was not case when I applied
- The pay bump won't allow me to live at two places at once.
- I will be left with only like 200 dollars a month if I do go down there to live off.
- If I don't perform they will fire me in a year. Aka 1 year probation
- Father can't really take care of my Mother alone.
- My Current job is repetitive and easy... Also the pay is good. Technically if I count bonuses and all I will make less with the new opportunity.
- I want to get married this year and will need a nice place/ways to support my future wife.
- My current work environment is nice, but workload ie. # of projects can be a bit much... Everyone though is super nice and chill.

PS: I have been applying federal jobs on and off since 2011. But I never got an offer. This is for the first time too. My parents are against it... At the same time, I feel like its once in a life time type of chance... Aka on how hard it is to apply there and even be considered. :(

Thoughts?

uh.....$200 to spare is basically nothing. Does that number include putting some $$ into Savings for an emergency fund?

Also, being a federal job, what happens during the next government shutdown? Are you guaranteed to get paid?

RolandGunner · Feb 21, 2019

Zapages said:
Need some advice guys...

I have federal job offer. I was not expecting to get a job offer in the first place.

But here's my situation like:

Pros:
- Its a dream job
- Good benefits and everything
- Pay is slight bump to what I make now. But it is not significant.
- I will be doing real science to help the society
- If I do well then I will be able to run my own research lab one day (i.e. dream situation)
- Be on papers and publish in high ranking journals.
- My Boss or going to be boss seems like nice guy but wants results.
- Job security ie. being federal job. Although my current job is super secure too...

Cons:
- I brought a home last year due to my current job.
- My Mother is sick and needs help all the time. This was not case when I applied
- The pay bump won't allow me to live at two places at once.
- I will be left with only like 200 dollars a month if I do go down there to live off.
- If I don't perform they will fire me in a year. Aka 1 year probation
- Father can't really take care of my Mother alone.
- My Current job is repetitive and easy... Also the pay is good. Technically if I count bonuses and all I will make less with the new opportunity.
- I want to get married this year and will need a nice place/ways to support my future wife.
- My current work environment is nice, but workload ie. # of projects can be a bit much... Everyone though is super nice and chill.

PS: I have been applying federal jobs on and off since 2011. But I never got an offer. This is for the first time too. My parents are against it... At the same time, I feel like its once in a life time type of chance... Aka on how hard it is to apply there and even be considered. :(

Thoughts?

This is a tough one. Could you rent out your current place and use part of the money towards a caregiver? Also, if you took the federal job is there any chance they'd let you do it remotely? Maybe after being there a few years?

mullfuchs · Feb 22, 2019

LosDaddie said:
So what do y'all think? The job isn't the homerun that I would like, but it seems like a good opportunity.

there are enough red flags in that list of cons to make me walk away. Sure the bump in pay would be nice, but that's offset by the shitty healthcare.

Kieli · Feb 22, 2019

shadowhaxor said:
Yeah it is. My wife got fired from her job due to "good ol' boy" mentality and it's been rough. She's been putting in application after application and she's crushed. She's worked pretty much her entire life and she doesn't like sitting at home. She had just gotten that job last summer and loved it. Told her to stop getting so stressed out, I can handle the bills and everything. Just take some time off and relax, maybe improve yourself. She doesn't listen, it's like she has to be working.

Yep, job hunting freaking blows.

When I was unemployed, I felt ashamed and embarrassed. I would avoid talking to my friends and family because they'd be curious about my employment situation. I can't speak to what your wife is feeling, but I empathize with the drive to get back into the work force.

Zapages · Feb 22, 2019

LosDaddie said:
uh.....$200 to spare is basically nothing. Does that number include putting some $$ into Savings for an emergency fund?

Also, being a federal job, what happens during the next government shutdown? Are you guaranteed to get paid?

Unfortunately, it does not include putting anything in the emergency fund at all. Usually, after the shutdown you will get paid afterwards.

RolandGunner said:
This is a tough one. Could you rent out your current place and use part of the money towards a caregiver? Also, if you took the federal job is there any chance they'd let you do it remotely? Maybe after being there a few years?

We can't rent out the current place due to ny parents live in the current place and my Father has work close by. So he adamant on not leaving due to his work, age, liking the area, and my Mother's health. We both are on mortgage as well.

If I accept the opportunity, my boss is willing to allow me work remotely 1 to 2 days a week already. That is unheard of to be honest when you start a new a opportunity.

If the pay was like 10k more than I could have gotten a care giver and had enough to live fine down in dc.

So I'm in this weird bind right now.... Sigh.

Br3wnor · Feb 22, 2019

I'm assuming the federal job is union and has a pension? If it has a pension you kind of have to really consider it. Pensions are on their way out in the US and if you're lucky enough to get grandfathered into one right now it's pretty much the best retirement situation you can have outside of being legitimately wealthy. You'll be able to retire and get paid a salary for the rest of your life on top of your social security and 401k.

Pension is the number one reason I've planted myself like a tree at my job and would never consider leaving unless it was for another government position in the same pension system.

Deleted member 7777 · Feb 22, 2019

Landed a new job! Got the offer yesterday. I'm suffering from major imposter syndrome though, can anyone else relate? I mean I'm afraid I'll go in and let them down, or that their systems will be so old I'll have no idea wtf I'm doing.

I also need to break the news to my boss today and give notice.

I didn't sleep much last night because of the combinatiom of excitement and nerves...

NewDayMarch · Feb 22, 2019

mullfuchs said:
Against my better instincts I am responding to the incredibly thirsty dms from tech contracting recruiters. One of them is a 6 month stint doing AR work for Facebook, I assume to make snapchat filters.

The problem with these is that the company you actually work at (FB/etc) bill the contracting company an hourly rate, and the contracting company pays you a wage. So the bill rate could be $60 an hour, but you only get $35. Only the contracting company knows the bill rate, and you get a per hour offer that they claim is "really close to the bill rate" but you don't know.

Why do I do this? getting fulltime work is so fucking hard, I guess.

...I mean yeah, that's their business model. It's the mark-up. You're not going to pay the price of materials for a Nike shoe, you're not going to pay the price of ingredients at a restaurant. Whether the margin is "fair" is subjective, generally you're going to feel cheesed because it directly affects you.

Just stick to the bottom dollar of what you're looking for to work. Think of what number you would want if there was noone else involved, and see if that's what your skills command on the market.

mrmoose said:
I have a quick question. I interviewed via a few recruiting companies when I was looking for a job. Nothing ever came of it and I got my new job by myself, but I'm constantly getting calls from them. Do you usually call them back every time and tell them you're not interested? I don't want to "ghost" them but I've already said I'm not looking right now, and they're incentivized to try anyway.

Tell them specifically to check in with you in six months. That should end it. You don't have to call back, you can send them an email if that's easier.

Zapages · Feb 22, 2019

Br3wnor said:
I'm assuming the federal job is union and has a pension? If it has a pension you kind of have to really consider it. Pensions are on their way out in the US and if you're lucky enough to get grandfathered into one right now it's pretty much the best retirement situation you can have outside of being legitimately wealthy. You'll be able to retire and get paid a salary for the rest of your life on top of your social security and 401k.

Pension is the number one reason I've planted myself like a tree at my job and would never consider leaving unless it was for another government position in the same pension system.

I'll have to pay into the pension from my understanding of things. I could literally spend my whole life there too.

LosDaddie · Feb 22, 2019

mullfuchs said:
there are enough red flags in that list of cons to make me walk away. Sure the bump in pay would be nice, but that's offset by the shitty healthcare.

Word. I hear you.

I already told the recruiter that my minimum salary requirement increased by $4k due to the new company's terrible healthcare plan. Still, their plan does indicate a lack of investment in their employees.

Zapages said:
Unfortunately, it does not include putting anything in the emergency fund at all. Usually, after the shutdown you will get paid afterwards.

Doesn't seem like the time is right for this opportunity then. If you really only have $200 left over at the end of the month, then what happens if your car breaks down? What happens the next time the govt shuts down for a month? Can you survive missing 2 paychecks?

Br3wnor · Feb 22, 2019

Zapages said:
I'll have to pay into the pension from my understanding of things. I could literally spend my whole life there too.

Yeah you pay a percentage, I work for a state and pay 5.5% of my pre tax pay into the pension system. However if I work 35 years I'll be getting 65% of my highest average salary for the rest of my life once I retire, absolutely worth the 5.5% I'm paying annually into the fund. (There's a formula that determines what % you'll get as a pension based on your salary and years you're working)

LosDaddie · Feb 22, 2019

mrmoose said:
I have a quick question. I interviewed via a few recruiting companies when I was looking for a job. Nothing ever came of it and I got my new job by myself, but I'm constantly getting calls from them. Do you usually call them back every time and tell them you're not interested? I don't want to "ghost" them but I've already said I'm not looking right now, and they're incentivized to try anyway.

Fuck recruiters.

I guarantee you that they don't give a shit about you. So you shouldn't give a shit about them. No need to worry about hurting their feelings.

All you are is a paycheck to them. So yes, you can safely ignore them. There's a reason why their industry has a very high turnover rate.

Okamiden · Feb 22, 2019

nitric0 said:
Long time reader, first time poster here. I'm currently struggling to even get an internship in my field. I'm 30, switched careers (Bio undergrad) to Software Engineering/CS. I'm at a pretty good university getting my Master's with a 4.0 GPA. I have 3 quarter left upon graduation and have been applying to 10-15 internships a day. I've expanded my search to the east coast and west coast (I live in Chicago) and still no luck. Feels bad man.

Ouch, I'm doing something similar. 30 years old, got a math degree, currently teaching math part time, and I'm going back for a CS masters.

Hopefully, I get more luck...

mhayes86 · Feb 22, 2019

Zapages said:
Unfortunately, it does not include putting anything in the emergency fund at all. Usually, after the shutdown you will get paid afterwards.

We can't rent out the current place due to ny parents live in the current place and my Father has work close by. So he adamant on not leaving due to his work, age, liking the area, and my Mother's health. We both are on mortgage as well.

If I accept the opportunity, my boss is willing to allow me work remotely 1 to 2 days a week already. That is unheard of to be honest when you start a new a opportunity.

If the pay was like 10k more than I could have gotten a care giver and had enough to live fine down in dc.

So I'm in this weird bind right now.... Sigh.

I would say that you shouldn't stop yourself due to your family because you have to do you, but your parents live with you at your current home? Is your father able to afford the mortgage on his own if you left? That is pretty tough decision, but what would ultimately convince me to NOT take the new job and live within DC is only having $200 to spare each month. You said that that $200 isn't even after putting anything away into savings, but what about utilities, food, emergencies, etc.? Sure, government employees will get paid back after a shutdown, but there were stories recently of many dipping into life savings, retirement, and even taking out loans. I'm sure there are people able to do it, especially for a dream job like it seems to be with you, but I wouldn't want to risk it.

If you stayed at your current residence, how far is your commute by car or metro? Highways 495/395/95 are no joke if you travel during rush hour unless you're "slugging" or car-pooling for HOV lanes.

m912solid said:
Landed a new job! Got the offer yesterday. I'm suffering from major imposter syndrome though, can anyone else relate? I mean I'm afraid I'll go in and let them down, or that their systems will be so old I'll have no idea wtf I'm doing.

I also need to break the news to my boss today and give notice.

I didn't sleep much last night because of the combinatiom of excitement and nerves...

Impostor syndrome happens with a lot of people, especially if you're new to an industry or work with something you're not too familiar with. It sticks around as long as you're not doing much, so you feel like you're not contributing enough. Some places hire you knowing that you'll need on the job training, and it will start to fade as you get more experienced and confident in your abilities. All I can say in addition to that is if you feel like you're not learning or doing much, ask some colleagues or your new manager if you can sit alongside them on projects to help familiarize yourself. It'll also make you look good for being proactive and taking initiative.

Tebunker · Feb 22, 2019

Nothing better than getting rejected fpr a promotion and being told you had everything they were originally looking for and in spades near perfect for the original job posting, but after two weeks and multiple interviews they've decided to go in almost an entirely different type of direction with the role.

I almost just want to yell and scream and throw a fit like a child. I finally find a manager role that is literaly made for me and the hiring manager agrees but then decides to not hire for that kind of role.

FMC(eff my career) right now.

Sorry wish I coukd weigh in and being more helpful for others but legit pissed off.

Septimus Prime · Feb 22, 2019

Tebunker said:
Nothing better than getting rejected fpr a promotion and being told you had everything they were originally looking for and in spades near perfect for the original job posting, but after two weeks and multiple interviews they've decided to go in almost an entirely different type of direction with the role.

I almost just want to yell and scream and throw a fit like a child. I finally find a manager role that is literaly made for me and the hiring manager agrees but then decides to not hire for that kind of role.

FMC(eff my career) right now.

Sorry wish I coukd weigh in and being more helpful for others but legit pissed off.

Sounds like you have a skill set another company might appreciate, then!

Zapages · Feb 22, 2019

LosDaddie said:
Doesn't seem like the time is right for this opportunity then. If you really only have $200 left over at the end of the month, then what happens if your car breaks down? What happens the next time the govt shuts down for a month? Can you survive missing 2 paychecks?

I could survive on without two paychecks but that would be cutting into my savings... :\

Br3wnor said:
Yeah you pay a percentage, I work for a state and pay 5.5% of my pre tax pay into the pension system. However if I work 35 years I'll be getting 65% of my highest average salary for the rest of my life once I retire, absolutely worth the 5.5% I'm paying annually into the fund. (There's a formula that determines what % you'll get as a pension based on your salary and years you're working)

That is very interesting... I did not know that at all.

mhayes86 said:
I would say that you shouldn't stop yourself due to your family because you have to do you, but your parents live with you at your current home? Is your father able to afford the mortgage on his own if you left? That is pretty tough decision, but what would ultimately convince me to NOT take the new job and live within DC is only having $200 to spare each month. You said that that $200 isn't even after putting anything away into savings, but what about utilities, food, emergencies, etc.? Sure, government employees will get paid back after a shutdown, but there were stories recently of many dipping into life savings, retirement, and even taking out loans. I'm sure there are people able to do it, especially for a dream job like it seems to be with you, but I wouldn't want to risk it.

If you stayed at your current residence, how far is your commute by car or metro? Highways 495/395/95 are no joke if you travel during rush hour unless you're "slugging" or car-pooling for HOV lanes.

Yes, my parents live with me as I am their only child. Also they are fairly old in their 60s... I pay half of the mortgaged and my Father pays the other half... Its more like 65 /35 divide with all the bills and all. We are both on the mortgage though. So my parent's won't be able to pay the mortgage alone.

The 200 dollar calculation is based on what more that I would be making. All it takes account is my mortgage combined to what I pay for my parents and an extra rent that I will have to pay for down in DC. It does not include the extra utilities and food at the DC place.

I am about 4 to 5 hours away on a good day from DC. So I will have to rent a 2 bed room place.

Sigh. :( One of the hardest decisions ever. :( Because deep down I know its going to be too hard for my parents to do this alone. Sigh*. :(

Br3wnor · Feb 23, 2019

Is there any way you can rent out part of your house? Is it a 2 family setup? That could help your parents cover the mortgage

Cruxist · Feb 23, 2019

Man, I'm losing it right now. Applied for a job a few weeks ago. Did the 2 phone interviews and an in-person interview. Vibbed well with the team and the company, the only hang-up was I didn't have management experience with full-time employees. I've overseen teams of freelancers and interns, so I talked about that and how my experience with managers would shape my management style. Submitted a take-home test 2 weeks ago. Emailed on Monday if any decisions had been made, they got back to me and said no, but I'd know by the end of the week (i.e. yesterday).

But now, the job has been pulled from all the postings and the website and I still haven't heard anything. I really felt like this was the one, but now I'm freaking out and it's distracting me from all my freelance stuff I should be working on...

entremet · Feb 23, 2019

Starting new job on Monday. I initially thought they ghosted me lol. Recruiter was just busy lol. Funny thing, I had two other opportunities that seemed like surer bets and they ghosted me in the final rounds lol. That's the game!

RolandGunner · Feb 23, 2019

Cruxist said:
Man, I'm losing it right now. Applied for a job a few weeks ago. Did the 2 phone interviews and an in-person interview. Vibbed well with the team and the company, the only hang-up was I didn't have management experience with full-time employees. I've overseen teams of freelancers and interns, so I talked about that and how my experience with managers would shape my management style. Submitted a take-home test 2 weeks ago. Emailed on Monday if any decisions had been made, they got back to me and said no, but I'd know by the end of the week (i.e. yesterday).

But now, the job has been pulled from all the postings and the website and I still haven't heard anything. I really felt like this was the one, but now I'm freaking out and it's distracting me from all my freelance stuff I should be working on...

It sounds like either you're the preferred candidate and they need exec sign off or second place and they're waiting for a response from the other person. I've been there, waiting in limbo like that is brutal. All you can do is keep following up with the recruiter and work on other leads.

Deleted member 8118 · Feb 23, 2019

I quit my retail job, took a break from university this semester and moved back to my hometown and now I can't find shit.

I can't do internships since I'm technically not in school for this semester.

I've been working on my design portfolio and finished my portfolio, but I'm not sure what any of these things will bring.

The design field is rough in the Midwestern US.

LosDaddie · Feb 23, 2019

mrmoose said:
I have a quick question. I interviewed via a few recruiting companies when I was looking for a job. Nothing ever came of it and I got my new job by myself, but I'm constantly getting calls from them. Do you usually call them back every time and tell them you're not interested? I don't want to "ghost" them but I've already said I'm not looking right now, and they're incentivized to try anyway.

To further comment on this, recruiters will absolutely ghost on you as soon as they no longer have a need for you. Honestly, ghosting recruiters should not be a concern.

Recruiters have to be nice & hype you up as part of the recruiting process. Tell you bullshit that your current company doesn't pay or treat you right. It's how they poach talent away.

Don't for one second think that recruiters care about you. The only thing you are to them is a paycheck. Deal with enough recruiters and you'll notice the same behavior from all of them.

entremet said:
Starting new job on Monday. I initially thought they ghosted me lol. Recruiter was just busy lol. Funny thing, I had two other opportunities that seemed like surer bets and they ghosted me in the final rounds lol. That's the game!

Congratulations on the job!
Are you excited? Bigger paycheck? More opportunity to grow?

entremet · Feb 23, 2019

LosDaddie said:
To further comment on this, recruiters will absolutely ghost on you as soon as they no longer have a need for you. Honestly, ghosting recruiters should not be a concern.

Recruiters have to be nice & hype you up as part of the recruiting process. Tell you bullshit that your current company doesn't pay or treat you right. It's how they poach talent away.

Don't for one second think that recruiters care about you. The only thing you are to them is a paycheck. Deal with enough recruiters and you'll notice the same behavior from all of them.

Congratulations on the job!
Are you excited? Bigger paycheck? More opportunity to grow?

Yeah, bigger paycheck, but also better opportunity to learn new skills. Thanks!

Tebunker · Feb 23, 2019

Septimus Prime said:
Sounds like you have a skill set another company might appreciate, then!

Yeah, thanks, at this point of my career, 16 years with one company I am coming to the belief I may no longer have a longer term progression. I am almost 40 and I want to keep learning, developing, and working toward being a leader, and fuck, if I can't convince someone to put me a role that was tailor made for me, the hiring manager even acknowledged this, then well maybe I need to look harder elsewhere.

NihonTiger · Feb 24, 2019

Unfortunately, I have been applying for jobs in the communications field for months now and I'm getting nowhere. Three interviews last year between October and early December, and things have dried up since. I'm exhausted and feeling depressed that I'll never get out of here and my skills and experience are going to waste.

My current job situation is rapidly deteriorating and people are retiring or leaving one by one, with no replacements being hired. I'm still trying to apply but it feels awful.

Damaniel · Feb 25, 2019

Things are going better than I initially thought. I sent out about a dozen applications over the course of a few days a couple weeks ago (I'm currently employed so I'm not applying to everything I see, just things that seem interesting), and so far I've gotten 4 initial phone screens, 2 technical phone screens, and now one of the two companies has scheduled a half-day in person interview. I really hope that last job (the one with the in person interview) works out - it would involve a commute that's less than half of my current one, doing interesting work with what sounds like a nice small team of engineers. It's been a long time since I've been the interviewee in one of these in-person things though - however, I do the interviewer part quite a bit (including one last Friday).

Tebunker said:
Yeah, thanks, at this point of my career, 16 years with one company I am coming to the belief I may no longer have a longer term progression. I am almost 40 and I want to keep learning, developing, and working toward being a leader, and fuck, if I can't convince someone to put me a role that was tailor made for me, the hiring manager even acknowledged this, then well maybe I need to look harder elsewhere.

This is exactly where I am - nearly 40 (will be in 2 months), stuck in a role (19 years with a single company) with pretty decent job security but little room for further advancement. I don't have any leadership/managerial aspirations; I just want to be doing more interesting work for a company with room to grow.

EDIT: and now the other company I had a second phone screen with also wants me to come in and spend an hour talking to one of their principal engineers. I'm still really hoping the first one pans out though.

DJ Lushious · Feb 27, 2019

I need to poll the audience here. Is it a good tactic to tell a potential employer how badly the job is wanted, if that's the honest truth? I've got an on-site interview coming up with my town's school district and I've never wanted a position as badly as I want this one.

Septimus Prime · Feb 27, 2019

Tebunker said:
Yeah, thanks, at this point of my career, 16 years with one company I am coming to the belief I may no longer have a longer term progression. I am almost 40 and I want to keep learning, developing, and working toward being a leader, and fuck, if I can't convince someone to put me a role that was tailor made for me, the hiring manager even acknowledged this, then well maybe I need to look harder elsewhere.

For sure. I think breadth of experience is more valuable than most people think, and it actually kind of slows your growth to be at the same place for a long time and not be exposed to different ways to approach similar roles. A lot of times I'll talk with specialists in their roles who've only worked at one or two places for a long time, and I'll notice they have limited experience to draw upon for various situations.

DJ Lushious said:
I need to poll the audience here. Is it a good tactic to tell a potential employer how badly the job is wanted, if that's the honest truth? I've got an on-site interview coming up with my town's school district and I've never wanted a position as badly as I want this one.

I don't think so unless you can somehow frame it as what you can/will do for them.

Tebunker · Feb 27, 2019

DJ Lushious said:
I need to poll the audience here. Is it a good tactic to tell a potential employer how badly the job is wanted, if that's the honest truth? I've got an on-site interview coming up with my town's school district and I've never wanted a position as badly as I want this one.

show enthusiasm without sounding desperate.

Frame it such that you show what you will bring to the table and how you will channel that passion.

Septimus Prime said:
For sure. I think breadth of experience is more valuable than most people think, and it actually kind of slows your growth to be at the same place for a long time and not be exposed to different ways to approach similar roles. A lot of times I'll talk with specialists in their roles who've only worked at one or two places for a long time, and I'll notice they have limited experience to draw upon for various situations.

Thats the other rub, I have had about 10 different roles in three different divisions of my company in sales, operations, supply chain and IT.

So I am trying to convey that breadth of experiences in Cover Letters and resume. Being at one company is a draw back if only because it has limited my exposure to different company strategies and methodologies. Also I have worked myself in to a Senior role and that makes it harder to go to a new company.

DJ Lushious · Feb 27, 2019

Septimus Prime said:
I don't think so unless you can somehow frame it as what you can/will do for them.

Tebunker said:
show enthusiasm without sounding desperate.

Frame it such that you show what you will bring to the table and how you will channel that passion.

Thanks for the pointers. I just had the phone interview and we discussed my technical skills and experience. As a closer, I discussed why I was excited for the job opportunity from the angle of this being my town, my community, and the school system I went through. I'm 19 years out of that school corporation, but I was surprised by some of my teachers were still there; it gave me a good talking point to bring it further home, too.

The IT Director wants to bring me in next week for an on-site interview, so I am super stoked by that. I had nearly the exact same role as this for 2 other school systems in the area for almost 3 years (my previous role), so the technical part is a shoe-in. I'm gainfully employed, (totally not desperate), but I feel I made a huge mistake leaving public education for a lot of reasons. To have the opportunity to get back into the public sector with a role in my home town for a highly regarded school system is really exciting. Oh, and the Administrative Office is about 5 blocks away from my house, but that's just an added perk. 😜

LosDaddie · Feb 27, 2019

entremet said:
Yeah, bigger paycheck, but also better opportunity to learn new skills. Thanks!

Sounds great. Happy for you, bud!

DJ Lushious said:
I need to poll the audience here. Is it a good tactic to tell a potential employer how badly the job is wanted, if that's the honest truth? I've got an on-site interview coming up with my town's school district and I've never wanted a position as badly as I want this one.

Never.
You indicate this desire through your interviews.

Telling them how bad you want the position will only lessen your bargaining power when the offer letter comes. Don't sell yourself short.

GeminiX7 · Feb 27, 2019

I'm a recent IT grad from NJIT, but I've had a few certs for a few years including CCNA (Routing and Switching as well as Security) and a some CompTIA ones(A+, Net+, Security+) but my work experience in the field is IMO kinda slim(about 6 months doing Desktop Support, about 9 months doing Network Tech Work Study) and have spent the last two months looking for a better job that would really be entry level in the field(I want to focus on Network Administration and start working towards Engineering or Security)

Currently I've worked the last 6 months as an Application Support Analyst, but that's more customer service focused on a single application(ID software) than real IT work. And my current job has pretty much no oppurtunities for growth(I've worked with and made friends with much of the Engineering and NOC Teams but management tend to try to hire externally and rarely).

The job hunt has been... interesting. I've applied to maybe 30-40 positions, had about 15 or so phone interviews, and around 8-10 F2F interviews between the beginning of January and now. Most of the positions have been Desktop Support of some kind, although the lastest one I applied for was a Jr. Network Admin role.

While I've had some phone interviews that could have gone better(like mentally blanking on a technical call for a Network Security Analyst role), I felt that most of my in person interviews, especially the last 5 or so went really well. Yet I never seem to seal the deal and get an offer with not much information being given on why I wasnt selected.

I realize that 2 months isn't a LONG time job searching, but it's kind of stressing me out as I'm trying to save and plan things for the future, and want to get a place with my girlfriend and move out of my parent's home in the next few months.

Can anyone offer any tips or suggestions on where to apply for jobs or in the job hunt in general? I've been using recruiters, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, DICE, LinkedIn, etc. I'm in the Lehigh County PA region but don't mind working in NJ(or even NY depending on if the commute is hell).

ToddBonzalez · Feb 27, 2019

Had a strange phone interview for a design job yesterday. Interviewer flat out said he thought my portfolio was light for the type of role I'm applying for, but also that he liked my mindset and the knowledge I demonstrated in the interview. He said that he's going to move me forward to the next stage (a design test), but it will be an "uphill battle."

Also said "Even if you don't get the role this time, let's keep in touch." Which on one hand is kind of cool, but also makes it sound like a foregone conclusion that I probably won't get it.

So some pretty mixed feedback. Not sure if I should be feeling good or bad... Guess I'll have to try to blow them away on this test...

Applying for jobs is exhausting and soul-crushing

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