The Job Search and Career Thread

[Kieli]

I was told that applications without cover letters get ignored. I think I didn't really have a problem with this before; I've applied to a bunch of jobns that I didn't have the experience with and I'm just applying for the money, but I think I'm having a hard time now because I'm depressed about my situation. In truth I'm applying because I'm unemployed and need money, but of course you're not supposed to say that.

Click to shrink...

I can't speak for every place, but the two times I was part of hiring, I read through the cover letters and it mattered (not a deal-breaker, but definitely something we debated when considering who to drop). Two things I was told to look for was (1) how tailored is the application to the job and (2) does the person sound enthusiastic?

We don't comb through the applications because we have 50+ to look at, but we definitely skim through them to get a lay of the land. If you hit those points, then it was evidence to support keeping you in the running.

Pretty sure I just fell flat during this phone interview which sucks. I kind of rushed through it because I was at the gym working out. Ughhhhh.

Click to shrink...

Have you thought about using the STAR method? Situation, task, action, result? It helps me organize my thoughts when I get asked a question that I'm unprepared for. It cuts down on rambling and provides structure. Structure is so crucial when you are essentially ad-libbing.

 

[Gaius Cassius]

I've been looking at a full time jobs finally. Im 31 and am a grad student in international studies (1year in and in a Intel analyst cert program too, but running out of money for school), with a bachelor's in sociology and history. I live in Austin, Texas and can barely find a salary job. The city touts It's employment numbers, but it's almost entirely tech industry. It's frustrating. I've spent years working retail and service industry 'waiting' for some good opportunity to pop up, but it hasn't happened.

Anyway, the closest and most recent things on the job front for me have been the TSA, which pays 32K, but has horrible schedule and hours including 3am shifts, as well as a juvenile hall job in the county just south. Unfortunately that county is super Republican, and hates children, so I visited the facility in my interview to discover it is essentially a brutal prison. Pay is 29K, with physical risk. They laughed at me in the interview, for being a graduate student trying to work there.

The latest and biggest hope of mine was a 911 dispatcher job. I made it through the assessment and first interview. I had the smarts, reaction time, and familiarity with the computer tech, but evidently the 2nd review board of 3 supervisors did not think I had enough experience, with just retail and office experience, for the job. So, that's a no go too.

I am at my wits end. At this rate I will spend another 5 years working retail and might get depressed enough to do something stupid. I dunno what to do.

 

[Etrian Oddity]

Gaius Cassius what is your skill set, first and foremost?

 

[Freezasaurus]

Alright, I have my first-ever phone interview later this week. What do I need to know? Any tips?

 

[ShyMel]

Alright, I have my first-ever phone interview later this week. What do I need to know? Any tips?

Click to shrink...

Be in a fairly quiet place with good reception, make sure to know the number that is calling you and the time, have questions ready, feel free to take notes, and pace yourself when speaking. I am guessing this is the first interview for this company before moving onto to in person so expect very standard "Why did you apply here" type questions and to elaborate on info from your resume. Good luck!!

 

[Freezasaurus]

Be in a fairly quiet place with good reception, make sure to know the number that is calling you and the time, have questions ready, feel free to take notes, and pace yourself when speaking. I am guessing this is the first interview for this company before moving onto to in person so expect very standard "Why did you apply here" type questions and to elaborate on info from your resume. Good luck!!

Click to shrink...

Thanks for the tips. The phone interview went really well, and I'm going next week for a tour / face-to-face interview.

 

[Valkerion]

Really considering getting out of education but I don't know how now. I love it but unless I get super lucky it seems like I'll just spin my tires for a few years and not be able to find anything else after... Really want to get into marketing and what not but with no degree in it or experience I don't know how.

Looking at the job offers now and where I'd/we would have to move in our current country to make a decent living/find decent jobs sucks~ I mean things can always change in the future.

Currently got two offers and one prorates pay during non-work times, the other doesn't but moves me away from my family and friends -sigh-

 

[Birdie]

Well I may have to join this thread.

Made the decision to quit my job due to stress and not feeling I was living up to my potential.

Surely leaving after 12 years won't offend any potential hirers right? That's a fair term of leaving right?

 

[ExhaustedWalrus]

So, I am in a really specific, strange dilemma, and I need some advice.

I applied for a Marketing Specialist role at a small company here in my pretty small town a week ago. I know a couple of the people who work there by proxy, so I asked them for advice. The posting had just opened when I applied.

For this next part, I need to backtrack. I live in a small town, went to high school here and subsequently college. Graduated in May, been on the job hunt for two months now. I have a friend from high school that I keep in regular contact with, and I remember him telling me that his dad does something similar to what this company does. Today, I messaged him to ask him where he works, and lo and behold, it's the same company. He tells me that he just applied for the same position. The thing is, he doesn't have a degree, or the same amount of experience that I do. He told me his dad might try to bring him on as an assistant instead, and that he's going to show them his portfolio next week.

I'm in a pickle. We're now competing for the same job. His dad seems to like me, from when we've talked. He had a birthday party a few weeks back and his dad actually asked me what I was doing now. I just don't know what to do here. I feel really bad now that we're both vying for the same job, that his dad could help him out, etc.

 

[BlackJace]

A state government application I sent in about a month ago just got its status updated to "Referred to Hiring Manager for Review" last Friday.

Realistically, should I expect an email or call soon? Or is that just something that gets sent to people that pass the minimum screening?

 

[The_Joker1721]

Anyone got advice for a starter teller job with a bank? I've had soooo many interviews and I had one win Citi that went so well, it was a interview with two different branch managers at the same time and I had them laughing and kept the conversation rolling while talking up my value and after, one of them said that I should be looking out for a call or email from the hiring department. I asked for their cards and even took the time to write a thank you email to both of them. In my head that interview went pretty much perfect for me but nothing ever happened.

I've had a ton of interviews (definitely more than 20) this year with different branches and companies but nothing has come my way and it's really weighing heavy on me as to why that is. Any advice or do y'all think it's a keep grinding and it'll come? I got another interview for Friday. Wish me luck.

 

[LunaSerena]

Well I may have to join this thread.

Made the decision to quit my job due to stress and not feeling I was living up to my potential.

Surely leaving after 12 years won't offend any potential hirers right? That's a fair term of leaving right?

Click to shrink...

It shouldn't cause any problem, what is usually problematic is having big unemployment gaps.

 

[Deleted member 29195]

I'm currently a PhD student in Computer Science but after trying out academia and not being a huge fan, I'm looking at trying to break into games as a graphics programmer (it's what I've been working on research-wise for awhile now). Any advice for finding junior positions that can potentially translate into graphics/engine work? Are there any games companies worth keeping an eye on? I'm interested in tools development or technical art quite a bit as well so if anyone has advice on that it would also be appreciated.

 

[Septimus Prime]

I'm currently a PhD student in Computer Science but after trying out academia and not being a huge fan, I'm looking at trying to break into games as a graphics programmer (it's what I've been working on research-wise for awhile now). Any advice for finding junior positions that can potentially translate into graphics/engine work? Are there any games companies worth keeping an eye on? I'm interested in tools development or technical art quite a bit as well so if anyone has advice on that it would also be appreciated.

Click to shrink...

Where are you located? If you're in the US or Canada, you probably want to look at companies like EA, Epic, Activision/Blizzard, and big companies with lots of money and domestic development.

I don't recommend working for any Japanese company.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and Amazon and MS. I understand Amazon is hiring a lot for the Lumberyard team.

 

[Cyborg009]

After almost two years at my help desk job, i think it's finally time that I search for a new place. As I was reviewing my resume I wanted to know if I should keep my college coursework on my resume or should I remove it? I'm only two years out of college.

 

[Freezasaurus]

After almost two years at my help desk job, i think it's finally time that I search for a new place. As I was reviewing my resume I wanted to know if I should keep my college coursework on my resume or should I remove it? I'm only two years out of college.

Click to shrink...

If you didn't get a degree in whatever field you were studying, remove the individual courses and stuff and replace it with "Studied toward Associate's / Bachelor's / etc. degree in "This Field." A lot of companies use software to screen resumes, so as long as it sees a degree mentioned, it will think you have one and get you through.

 

[Deleted member 29195]

Where are you located? If you're in the US or Canada, you probably want to look at companies like EA, Epic, Activision/Blizzard, and big companies with lots of money and domestic development.

I don't recommend working for any Japanese company.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and Amazon and MS. I understand Amazon is hiring a lot for the Lumberyard team.

Click to shrink...

I'm in Sacramento, so those are all great options for me! Thanks for the advice. I hadn't considered MS or Amazon, so that's really useful.

 

[FUNKNOWN iXi]

Do job agencies cost money? How does that work? I have no experience using them but would like to reach out. How accommodating are they? Will they try to place close to where you live? Ask you for salary range? etc.

Any info would be appreciate :]

 

[Septimus Prime]

Do job agencies cost money? How does that work? I have no experience using them but would like to reach out. How accommodating are they? Will they try to place close to where you live? Ask you for salary range? etc.

Any info would be appreciate :]

Click to shrink...

No, they shouldn't cost money. Don't ever pay for that.

Generally what happens is you talk with a recruiter who looks over your qualifications and expectations and then presents you to whichever of their clients that might need someone like you.

The agency gets paid a percentage of your salary after you've been employed for three months, usually. It's done this way, I think, because it then becomes in their interest to negotiate a better salary for you so they get paid more for the placement.

 

[FUNKNOWN iXi]

No, they shouldn't cost money. Don't ever pay for that.

Generally what happens is you talk with a recruiter who looks over your qualifications and expectations and then presents you to whichever of their clients that might need someone like you.

The agency gets paid a percentage of your salary after you've been employed for three months, usually. It's done this way, I think, because it then becomes in their interest to negotiate a better salary for you so they get paid more for the placement.

Click to shrink...

Hmm, interesting. So they get paid a percentage of my salary indefinitely after three months, or is it just for a predetermined period of time?

Thanks for the response by the way!

 

[Septimus Prime]

Hmm, interesting. So they get paid a percentage of my salary indefinitely after three months, or is it just for a predetermined period of time?

Thanks for the response by the way!

Click to shrink...

It's usually a single payout that's something like one third of your annual salary. Because that could be quite expensive, though, some people think companies tend to avoid external recruiter candidates unless they're really desperate, and/or they low-ball them because of the increased cost.

Additionally, even though the system is setup in a way where it's in the recruiter's interest to negotiate a higher salary for you, in reality they can still make more money (and reduce their risk of non-payment if things don't work out) by quickly placing more candidates, so maybe it's actually in their best interest to take low-ball offers and move on quickly.

It's something to think about, at least.

 

[_id]

Im 31 and been working a deadend retail job for the past 4 years and I'm ready to move beyond it. Recently graduated with my associates degree in criminal justice and did pretty well in school even made presidents list. Trying to get my foot in the door in the law field.

 

[Loan Wolf]

Anyone have personal experiences transitioning out of a call center environment? Been feeling the call center burnout since my second Black Friday/holiday season grind (working there for 2 years and 4 months now) Mainly looking to see what other occupations will translate to what I do now; my job title is customer service and sales representative and my primary tasks involve order processing, sales inquiries, customer follow ups (w/ transaction issues, compatibility issues) help desk, chats, RMA processing, etc.

I've been looking into an account manager role so far since some sales inquiries I do assist universities, companies, and non-profit organizations; just hoping to find a job that keeps the calls with individual consumers at the bare minimum. Not sure my mental health can continue the wear and tear of dealing with some toxic customers as I am prone to raising my voice in a hostile manner on the phone sometimes with customers when they're incoherent or if there's a bad reception.

Currently 25 and graduated with a Business Administration - Finance degree 2 1/2 years ago; only internship I took was a marketing one (paid fortunately) Learned a lot about the ropes of marketing during my time there but found some of the metrics of productivity flawed as I felt I wasn't doing much.

 

[Freezasaurus]

Man, I have a bit of a dilemma. I have an interview on Tuesday for a job that I'm interested in. Close to home, good pay, good hours from what I can tell.... Thing is, I really don't wanna go back to work yet. Money's not really an issue. I had my last job for a decade, and I'm really enjoying this life with no work. Should I take it anyway? Is it feasible to start a couple weeks later if they offer me the position?

 

[rObit]

Anyone have personal experiences transitioning out of a call center environment? Been feeling the call center burnout since my second Black Friday/holiday season grind (working there for 2 years and 4 months now) Mainly looking to see what other occupations will translate to what I do now; my job title is customer service and sales representative and my primary tasks involve order processing, sales inquiries, customer follow ups (w/ transaction issues, compatibility issues) help desk, chats, RMA processing, etc.

I've been looking into an account manager role so far since some sales inquiries I do assist universities, companies, and non-profit organizations; just hoping to find a job that keeps the calls with individual consumers at the bare minimum. Not sure my mental health can continue the wear and tear of dealing with some toxic customers as I am prone to raising my voice in a hostile manner on the phone sometimes with customers when they're incoherent or if there's a bad reception.

Currently 25 and graduated with a Business Administration - Finance degree 2 1/2 years ago; only internship I took was a marketing one (paid fortunately) Learned a lot about the ropes of marketing during my time there but found some of the metrics of productivity flawed as I felt I wasn't doing much.

Click to shrink...

I don't have too much to info to provide as I'm recently out of college but I have the same degree / specialization and ended up in accounting. If you were at all interested in the general accounting field, the right employer would value your call center experience as you (depending on the broadness of the position) have to communicate with suppliers / customers to resolve invoicing issues, and accounts payable specifically involves a lot of invoice processing usually so your order / RMA processing might translate somewhat there. Just a thought!

 

[Loan Wolf]

I don't have too much to info to provide as I'm recently out of college but I have the same degree / specialization and ended up in accounting. If you were at all interested in the general accounting field, the right employer would value your call center experience as you (depending on the broadness of the position) have to communicate with suppliers / customers to resolve invoicing issues, and accounts payable specifically involves a lot of invoice processing usually so your order / RMA processing might translate somewhat there. Just a thought!

Click to shrink...

Yeah been looking into accounting too. Did an interview 6 months ago for accounts receivable but didn't turn out well; scheduled the interview in the middle of my lunch and didn't answer the questions correctly from what I recall. Will continue the search.

Appreciate the info!

 

[Interested Observer]

So, I am in a really specific, strange dilemma, and I need some advice.

I applied for a Marketing Specialist role at a small company here in my pretty small town a week ago. I know a couple of the people who work there by proxy, so I asked them for advice. The posting had just opened when I applied.

For this next part, I need to backtrack. I live in a small town, went to high school here and subsequently college. Graduated in May, been on the job hunt for two months now. I have a friend from high school that I keep in regular contact with, and I remember him telling me that his dad does something similar to what this company does. Today, I messaged him to ask him where he works, and lo and behold, it's the same company. He tells me that he just applied for the same position. The thing is, he doesn't have a degree, or the same amount of experience that I do. He told me his dad might try to bring him on as an assistant instead, and that he's going to show them his portfolio next week.

I'm in a pickle. We're now competing for the same job. His dad seems to like me, from when we've talked. He had a birthday party a few weeks back and his dad actually asked me what I was doing now. I just don't know what to do here. I feel really bad now that we're both vying for the same job, that his dad could help him out, etc.

Click to shrink...

I know this post was made a while back and the whole thing could be resolved by now but in the jobs market you always always always look out for number one.

If this job will be good for you and your career then go for it. Do it politely, do it respectfully, but go for the job.

 

[Septimus Prime]

Man, I have a bit of a dilemma. I have an interview on Tuesday for a job that I'm interested in. Close to home, good pay, good hours from what I can tell.... Thing is, I really don't wanna go back to work yet. Money's not really an issue. I had my last job for a decade, and I'm really enjoying this life with no work. Should I take it anyway? Is it feasible to start a couple weeks later if they offer me the position?

Click to shrink...

I think you're getting ahead of yourself a bit, since you don't have the job yet. I'd take it one step at a time: interview, see how it goes, and then deal with that if/when you get an offer.

EDIT: I can totally relate though. I also really enjoyed not working between my last and current jobs. However, I found that I enjoyed it even more after I got an offer and didn't have to worry about being unemployed forever, and once I did start, it was easy to get back into the swing of things.

 

[Fezan]

So I just wanted to share what I was going through now.

I have been working for a company for more than 5 years. I work as IT / Security Systems Engineer where I look after normal IT issues and handle Access control, CCTV systems.

The issue is when I joined My Salary was quite low but it was not an issue as it was a good job at a nice place and I was given accommodation near the site. But right now there is no increment in the company for 3 years and during recent financial changed taxes are applied to everything. Now with my own family and extra Taxes, I am in a financial crisis. Also, there is no hope for promotion or such.

So I am doing a job where I am barely learning anything new, where my salary is so low that I can't bear the expenses of my family and have gone into a kind of financial crisis finally I have to travel around 250 KM daily to get to the job.

I am not sure as what to do as Saudi Arabia is going through a recession right now and there are very few jobs and mostly reserved for locals.

 

[vacantseas]

So I've been at my current company for 4 years now, and in this industry (insurance) for 10. I've been looking to get back into what I went to college, and originally did after school...videography/editing. I've been freelancing here and there on the side. Been applying like crazy with no luck.

Then early last week I found a job, applied, heard back a couple days later, they wanted to do a phone interview. Rocked that, and last Friday before the 3 day weekend they emailed back wanting to set up an in-person interview this week. So Wednesday I had my interview, felt like I rocked that as well. They were hung up on my gap in videography from then to now, but I explained why I want to get back into videography. Was expecting the news I wanted to hear....then got that rejection email earlier today. I'm so fucking pissed now. I dont know what the hell to do.

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Earlier this year I took my chances on an opening at Stonehenge, for the summer. Historic Property Steward, which as the job description gave away, was just kind of a general employee role. I had initially ignored it - it technically paid less per hour than my role with TK Maxx - but when I saw the opportunity relisted, suggesting they hadn't found as many people as they wanted, I went for it. It was at least sorta related to my interests and career ambitions in the heritage sector.

Last week I was offered a permanent position. Kinda welled up.

 

[SOLDIER]

Would anyone here have a few examples of what constitutes a good and not overly long Cover Letter? I really want to start adding those to my applications, but I've read all sorts of opinions on what it should be, how long/short, and so on.

 

[Munti]

Sorry for the bump.

I have a dilemma. I'm a contractor in a huge global company and I have extremely high chances to get promoted (getting my boss' position) or a probably-only-a-lifetime-chance to work overseas (USA) for a period of time. My currently boss strongly advises me to apply for these positions. He is very supportive and according to him I would be the most suitable candidate with the highest chances (because of my background and skills).

BUT... I'm not interested and will probably decline, for several reasons.

Many people would "kill" to get promoted and doing a career in a global company, or having the chance to work overseas, and I fear so much that I make a wrong decision and will regret later in my life.

But my mind and heart definitely says not to take the promotions. Am I dumb and unreasonable?

 

[Dalek]

I want to brag that after going through a long bout of umemployment that depleted our savings, two years of unfulfilling work-today is the first day in a new job where I honestly can't believe my luck.

I'm a consultant for a company based out of Hawaii. I work remotely from my house in California doing work for them-and then two or three times a year I fly out to the office in Honolulu. It seems way too good to be true!

 

[ss_lemonade]

Is it irresponsible for me to just leave my current work once I find what I think would be a better one? I guess the obvious answer is yes, but a little context: I work as a web developer in a company that decided to let all the other developers go, leaving me on my own. This put a tremendous amount of stress on me, especially since there was a ton of work left to do. This was more than a year ago and I somehow managed to still keep sane and complete a ton of work and even improve on a lot of things with the product we offer. I still work as the sole developer though despite my bosses saying they would hire another developer to help several months ago. I think I've been with this company for about six years now, get paid somewhat well (especially after they let everyone else go, which is when they decided to give me a sizable salary increase) and have pretty much earned my boss, as well as the owner's trust with my work output, but I would be lying if I didn't say this job has been draining me a lot.

If I do find better opportunity, do I simply just go and say I'm putting in my 2 weeks notice or something? They most likely won't be able to find someone to replace me that quickly, especially when that person will be inheriting a ton of responsibilty.

Edit:
With "obvious answer is yes", I meant it's obvious that I should go look for a better job asap. Was a bit tired when I made this post

 

[Septimus Prime]

Is it irresponsible for me to just leave my current work once I find what I think would be a better one? I guess the obvious answer is yes, but a little context: I work as a web developer in a company that decided to let all the other developers go, leaving me on my own. This put a tremendous amount of stress on me, especially since there was a ton of work left to do. This was more than a year ago and I somehow managed to still keep sane and complete a ton of work and even improve on a lot of things with the product we offer. I still work as the sole developer though despite my bosses saying they would hire another developer to help several months ago. I think I've been with this company for about six years now, get paid somewhat well (especially after they let everyone else go, which is when they decided to give me a sizable salary increase) and have pretty much earned my boss, as well as the owner's trust with my work output, but I would be lying if I didn't say this job has been draining me a lot.

If I do find better opportunity, do I simply just go and say I'm putting in my 2 weeks notice or something? They most likely won't be able to find someone to replace me that quickly, especially when that person will be inheriting a ton of responsibilty.

Click to shrink...

If you're giving them a notice, it's not irresponsible.

 

[Doom_Bringer]

Hi everyone, I need some advice. So I am working as a software developer/programmer at a big bank in Canada. I am about 5 months into the job and so far I have written a few automation scripts and developed a full stack angular dashboard web app. The last automation script I created really helped my team out (saving them hours upon hours of tedious manual work). My director was extremely impressed by it and basically the word got to the top of the organization.

Thing is my director manager is not impressed by any of this. He didn't congratulate me on my work or anything, today he tells me he wants me to stop writing scripts and focus on fixing an old web application that will be phased out within the next year or so. I was taken back by his attitude and behavior. I love programming and I want to continue writing scripts so I can increase my visibility across the organization, I eventually want to become a JavaScript engineer or a full mean/mern stack javascript developer. Working on old shit that will be phased out soon doesn't not help me grow.

One other thing I should mention, I was hired as a angular, python, node js developer (all of which I have done so far), but the manager who hired me got promoted and is doing something else now. I got stick with this dipshit instead...

Time to start looking for a new job?

 

[Septimus Prime]

Can you go around him and talk with his manager?

 

[Doom_Bringer]

Can you go around him and talk with his manager?

Click to shrink...

I don't know how to do that. I am extremely introverted :/ This is why I got into programming, I usually let my good work and dedication speak for itself. I can't believe I am running into this office politics stuff now.

I see this as jealousy, this manager is busy pimping another guy under him. They are both good friends and are busy yapping 24/7. The praise from the director and her boss probably shook them both up real good....

 

[Septimus Prime]

Unfortunately, office politics is unavoidable, so it's probably good to learn how to handle it now rather than later. Plus, it sounds like good timing because you're in a good position with the director.

 

[Doom_Bringer]

Unfortunately, office politics is unavoidable, so it's probably good to learn how to handle it now rather than later. Plus, it sounds like good timing because you're in a good position with the director.

Click to shrink...

yea you are right. I got another job offer from my old team but I didn't take it cause this one guy had created such a poisonous culture/atmosphere within the team. I really don't like this politics stuff at all.

 

[RolandGunner]

Sorry for the bump.

I have a dilemma. I'm a contractor in a huge global company and I have extremely high chances to get promoted (getting my boss' position) or a probably-only-a-lifetime-chance to work overseas (USA) for a period of time. My currently boss strongly advises me to apply for these positions. He is very supportive and according to him I would be the most suitable candidate with the highest chances (because of my background and skills).

BUT... I'm not interested and will probably decline, for several reasons.

Many people would "kill" to get promoted and doing a career in a global company, or having the chance to work overseas, and I fear so much that I make a wrong decision and will regret later in my life.

But my mind and heart definitely says not to take the promotions. Am I dumb and unreasonable?

Click to shrink...

You seem confident that not accepting these offers is the right thing to do so go with that. I would explain your reasons to the manager, its easy to get seen as not having a desire to move up when you turn down opportunities. Or maybe you're comfortable where you are.

 

[Futureman]

I searched and this seemed like an appropriate place to ask..

My wife's current job pays about $52k. She gets paid once per month $4,354.

She got a new job that pays $59k. Her job information packet says she'll get paid twice per month @ $2275.

With the new job being $7k more per year, we were thinking monthly she'd be bringing in roughly $580 more ($7,000/12 = $583.33)

But when you double her new pay before taxes (since she's getting paid twice per month), she's making $4550 per month ($2275 x 2).

So this is only ~$200 more per month.

What are we missing here? We expected roughly $500 more per month.

Is it something with being paid twice per month that I'm not understanding?

I guess I'm not getting how paid twice per month works. Currently she gets 12 paychecks per year. Will she be getting 26 paychecks per year (every two weeks) or 24 paychecks per year (twice per month)?

I feel so dumb. I've always been paid once per month so never thought about it.

 

[Bunta]

I searched and this seemed like an appropriate place to ask..

My wife's current job pays about $52k. She gets paid once per month $4,354.

She got a new job that pays $59k. Her job information packet says she'll get paid twice per month @ $2275.

With the new job being $7k more per year, we were thinking monthly she'd be bringing in roughly $580 more ($7,000/12 = $583.33)

But when you double her new pay before taxes (since she's getting paid twice per month), she's making $4550 per month ($2275 x 2).

So this is only ~$200 more per month.

What are we missing here? We expected roughly $500 more per month.

Is it something with being paid twice per month that I'm not understanding?

I guess I'm not getting how paid twice per month works. Currently she gets 12 paychecks per year. Will she be getting 26 paychecks per year (every two weeks) or 24 paychecks per year (twice per month)?

I feel so dumb. I've always been paid once per month so never thought about it.

Click to shrink...

I'm not sure about all the math, but it would be 26 paychecks per year. That's how it was for me when I was paid every 2 weeks.

 

[Steven]

I searched and this seemed like an appropriate place to ask..

My wife's current job pays about $52k. She gets paid once per month $4,354.

She got a new job that pays $59k. Her job information packet says she'll get paid twice per month @ $2275.

With the new job being $7k more per year, we were thinking monthly she'd be bringing in roughly $580 more ($7,000/12 = $583.33)

But when you double her new pay before taxes (since she's getting paid twice per month), she's making $4550 per month ($2275 x 2).

So this is only ~$200 more per month.

What are we missing here? We expected roughly $500 more per month.

Is it something with being paid twice per month that I'm not understanding?

I guess I'm not getting how paid twice per month works. Currently she gets 12 paychecks per year. Will she be getting 26 paychecks per year (every two weeks) or 24 paychecks per year (twice per month)?

I feel so dumb. I've always been paid once per month so never thought about it.

Click to shrink...

Because of how months fall throughout the year, there are a total of 26 pay cycles in the year when you are doing bi weekly pay periods (or 15th & last day of month). This means a month or two will have three pay periods.

In addition, pay attention to the differences in taxes, if you are filing jointly.

Last, there could be additional benefits that is being taken out of the net paycheck.

 

[Futureman]

I'm not sure about all the math, but it would be 26 paychecks per year. That's how it was for me when I was paid every 2 weeks.

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yea that makes the math work... her packet says she gets paid bi-weekly, not twice per month. So that would be 26 paychecks per year.

 

[GYODX]

I searched and this seemed like an appropriate place to ask..

My wife's current job pays about $52k. She gets paid once per month $4,354.

She got a new job that pays $59k. Her job information packet says she'll get paid twice per month @ $2275.

With the new job being $7k more per year, we were thinking monthly she'd be bringing in roughly $580 more ($7,000/12 = $583.33)

But when you double her new pay before taxes (since she's getting paid twice per month), she's making $4550 per month ($2275 x 2).

So this is only ~$200 more per month.

What are we missing here? We expected roughly $500 more per month.

Is it something with being paid twice per month that I'm not understanding?

I guess I'm not getting how paid twice per month works. Currently she gets 12 paychecks per year. Will she be getting 26 paychecks per year (every two weeks) or 24 paychecks per year (twice per month)?

I feel so dumb. I've always been paid once per month so never thought about it.

Click to shrink...

I'm guessing she'll be getting paid bi-weekly/every two weeks, so 26 paychecks, and 2 3-paycheck months (which are the best).

Also, if the company recognizes January 1st as a holiday, then every 11 years or so you get an extra payday, for 27 paydays instead of the usual 26. That's the case at my current company. The first payday of 2021 would have fallen on January 1st, but because we recognize that day as a holiday, the payday got pushed up to December 31st, for a total of 27 paydays in 2020. And we're still getting 26 paydays in 2021. So technically for 2020, we're getting paid more than our nominal yearly salary.

 

[Deleted member 21411]

Interview Monday, I have no idea what pay or benefits are but it's for a doctor's office and my current is so low it's gotta be better

 

[Firewithin]

bumping this. ive been looking for a new job since i want to leave my current job and why do all these job sites all have the same shitty jobs listed. jobs that dont pay/having shitty reviews/no benefits/absurd experience requests/ etc

god this shit sucks

 

[totowhoa]

bumping this. ive been looking for a new job since i want to leave my current job and why do all these job sites all have the same shitty jobs listed. jobs that dont pay/having shitty reviews/no benefits/absurd experience requests/ etc

god this shit sucks

Click to shrink...

Generally ignore the experience thresholds and apply anyway. If you tick half the boxes and think you'd be a fit based on the description, go for it.