Note: I'm purposely not saying what companies I've interviewed with and I know that it's probably getting hard to keep all of my vague references straight. Bear with me. After I've finally landed a job I'll account for my job search experience in greater detail.
Another note: Do you think it's wise to keep under wraps the names of companies you have dealt with when interviewing? I don't know what kind of repercussions can come from detailing the process but I suppose as long as you're not slinging mud it's probably okay. Regardless, I don't intend to reveal the companies until after I've gotten a position. For some reason it just feels better that way.
--------
I still haven't heard back from the company I had the phone interview with. I'm finding job searching to a be a depressing endeavor. I'm really trying to temper my expectations for any job, even if an interview goes well because it seems that a rejection is the likeliest of outcomes.
I just got off the phone with a recruiter at a local tech company and I've got an interview set up for next Tuesday. So far, that's 4 initial interviews I've landed myself and 0 for the IT staffing agency I'm working with. I'll let you all know how it goes.
In the meantime, I'm still hoping to hear back from the previous company.
**crosses fingers....again....**
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
And Then There Was One
I just got off the phone with the representative from the IT staffing agency that I've been working with. If you remember, I was waiting to hear back from them regarding a potential job interview. No such luck. The company decided to interview some other candidates but not me. Oh well. Now I'm just waiting to hear back from the company that I had the phone interview with last week. In the meantime, I need to check out some job postings.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Hold That Phone
About that phone interview that I had yesterday: it was a bit exhausting.
It was supposed to last about an hour and it clocked in at about 15 minutes over that (some of that overage can be attributed to my rambling tendencies); it felt like a mash-up of all of the worst kinds of interview questions. This was an evaluation interview so the interviewer was following a specific set of questions and was typing my responses into her computer. I wasn't allowed to ask for any explanation or clarification of the questions. I was only allowed to ask for the question to be repeated. I won't go into specifics right now, but there were lots of questions followed either by "can you give an example of [particular trait and/or situation]?" or, "can you rate yourself [regarding trait] on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being high?" At one point, one of the earlier questions was repeated and I'm guessing it was probably to see if I would change my answer or be tripped up by it. I think I did okay but I know that I could have answered some of the questions better and that I rambled on a bit too much on a lot of them. I kicked myself about that after it was over and I hope that I didn't sink my chances with that company. I was told that I'd hear something from them next week so here's to hoping that it's to offer me a job and not to turn me down.
*crosses fingers*
It was supposed to last about an hour and it clocked in at about 15 minutes over that (some of that overage can be attributed to my rambling tendencies); it felt like a mash-up of all of the worst kinds of interview questions. This was an evaluation interview so the interviewer was following a specific set of questions and was typing my responses into her computer. I wasn't allowed to ask for any explanation or clarification of the questions. I was only allowed to ask for the question to be repeated. I won't go into specifics right now, but there were lots of questions followed either by "can you give an example of [particular trait and/or situation]?" or, "can you rate yourself [regarding trait] on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being high?" At one point, one of the earlier questions was repeated and I'm guessing it was probably to see if I would change my answer or be tripped up by it. I think I did okay but I know that I could have answered some of the questions better and that I rambled on a bit too much on a lot of them. I kicked myself about that after it was over and I hope that I didn't sink my chances with that company. I was told that I'd hear something from them next week so here's to hoping that it's to offer me a job and not to turn me down.
*crosses fingers*
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Now Get On With Your Life!
So, as usual, it's been a long long time since I've posted anything on here. Always with those "I'm gonna try to post more!" BS lines. If you, my constant and faithful readers, haven't figured out by now that I am a sporadic blogger, you may never figure it out.
Now for an update:
I graduated (again) but don't get too excited, it's just another bachelor's degree. As I've mentioned previously, I've been studying computers and IT stuffydoodles. I finished up in mid-December and after a nice holiday I started searching for jobs. So far I've had three interviews and a meeting with a recruiter for an IT staffing agency who is basically pimping me out to various companies in hopes of landing me either a full-time permanent position or contract position. All three of the interviews I've landed myself so kudos to me! I'm waiting on one position from the staffing agency but so far have not heard anything about getting an interview. I felt that all three of my interviews went well. I came out of each feeling very confident. Of those three, I have received two rejection emails. One of the positions I'm glad that I wasn't chosen because I don't think I would have liked working there. It was in a call center and as I walked in and waited for the interview to start, bad vibes/memories of my previous work in a call center came to mind. So no tears over that one. The other position I got rejected for felt like it would have been a great job. I thought I nailed the interview and it sounded like it would have been a really cool place to work at. Of course they make it sound great in the interview, but it still seemed like it would have been a quality entry-level position. The third interview was just last week and I'm very excited about it (but not too excited, lest I get another rejection). I actually have a second interview with them today, this time over the phone. This one, if the phone interview goes well and I still get rejected, will hurt a bit. Such is life, eh? I'll try to post an update on my job hunt soon. I know you're all just dying to find out!
Now for an update:
I graduated (again) but don't get too excited, it's just another bachelor's degree. As I've mentioned previously, I've been studying computers and IT stuffydoodles. I finished up in mid-December and after a nice holiday I started searching for jobs. So far I've had three interviews and a meeting with a recruiter for an IT staffing agency who is basically pimping me out to various companies in hopes of landing me either a full-time permanent position or contract position. All three of the interviews I've landed myself so kudos to me! I'm waiting on one position from the staffing agency but so far have not heard anything about getting an interview. I felt that all three of my interviews went well. I came out of each feeling very confident. Of those three, I have received two rejection emails. One of the positions I'm glad that I wasn't chosen because I don't think I would have liked working there. It was in a call center and as I walked in and waited for the interview to start, bad vibes/memories of my previous work in a call center came to mind. So no tears over that one. The other position I got rejected for felt like it would have been a great job. I thought I nailed the interview and it sounded like it would have been a really cool place to work at. Of course they make it sound great in the interview, but it still seemed like it would have been a quality entry-level position. The third interview was just last week and I'm very excited about it (but not too excited, lest I get another rejection). I actually have a second interview with them today, this time over the phone. This one, if the phone interview goes well and I still get rejected, will hurt a bit. Such is life, eh? I'll try to post an update on my job hunt soon. I know you're all just dying to find out!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
The Final Countdown Has Begun...Again
Hey all you faithful readers out there! If you've ever read a thing or two on my blog you know that I'm prone to Grand Canyon-esque lapses between my posts. And it's been 44 days since my last activity here. But I've actually got a few semi-good reasons for that this time. In addition to my elephantine laziness, of course.
I've been directing my occasional posting efforts to an up-and-coming sports blog that I recently joined as a contributor. The site's NoCoastBias.com (NCB) and you can find my bio page and blog posts here and here. My writing there focuses mostly on the NFL and making fun of myself. So, it'll be fairly similar to what I post here! You should definitely check out the site. Not just because of me (although that is a good reason to go in the first place!) but because the site's founder, Derek Hernandez, has put together an impressive list of writers and contributors and we're churning out new content every day. Speaking of new content, I'm proud to say that my good friend Andy Soto joined the site as well and has written some great articles. Andy's got a wealth of sports knowledge in his handsome noggin and if you're a Chiefs fan you're in for a treat (though Andy may begin writing some depressing articles if the Chiefs keep losing).
Also, as the title of this piece suggests, the final countdown has begun! Again. A little background for you:
Do you guys remember MySpace? That social networking site that a lot of people (myself included) though would outlast Facebook and keep giving us glittery profile backgrounds and embedded content forever! Well, we were wrong! Anyway, back about a month before I graduated from college the first time, I added the song The Final Countdown by Europe as my profile song. In case you haven't heard it or want to hear it again, here's the video:
God, isn't that freaking awesome? Did you ever wish that you could have lived through the eighties? To be fair, I was born in '84, so I was a little kid during some of the prime rocking eighties time. If only my birth could have been dialed back a few years then maybe I could have gone to a Phil Collins concert while he was still cool and not pumping out Disney tunes. What am I saying? Phil is the best. I love Phil Collins. Did you know he was in the movie Hook? As a kid who had ample time to both wear out my dad's No Jacket Required tape AND watch lots of VHS movies, I thought that was the coolest thing ever to see him in that movie. Anyway, what was my point with all of this eighties stuff? Oh yes, the countdown. Well, I'm counting down to my second college graduation. I can't decide if that's a sad thing or not. I suppose if it results in me getting some better opportunities than I had before (and more money is always nice) and if I enjoy my work more than I did before then it won't be sad. It'll be worth the time that I put into it. That's what I (and my very patient wife) are hoping for. And since I'm counting down to graduation, that means I have to actually pass my classes this semester! And that means actually doing homework and going to class! Terrible things, I know. But necessary.
So even though I still find many ways to waste my time, I do have TWO WHOLE reasons for why you haven't been seeing much of me here lately. I hope to remedy that a bit. I've enjoyed writing about sports at NCB but I've missed writing about whatever the hell is running through my head at any moment and there's no reason that I can't do both. If you're looking for hard statistical analysis and rock-solid predictions about the NFL on NCB you probably don't want to read my articles. Check out Andy's stuff or any of the other crew members who post on the NFL. But if you want to read something goofy, self-deprecating, and loosely tied to the NFL, then I'm your man.
I've been directing my occasional posting efforts to an up-and-coming sports blog that I recently joined as a contributor. The site's NoCoastBias.com (NCB) and you can find my bio page and blog posts here and here. My writing there focuses mostly on the NFL and making fun of myself. So, it'll be fairly similar to what I post here! You should definitely check out the site. Not just because of me (although that is a good reason to go in the first place!) but because the site's founder, Derek Hernandez, has put together an impressive list of writers and contributors and we're churning out new content every day. Speaking of new content, I'm proud to say that my good friend Andy Soto joined the site as well and has written some great articles. Andy's got a wealth of sports knowledge in his handsome noggin and if you're a Chiefs fan you're in for a treat (though Andy may begin writing some depressing articles if the Chiefs keep losing).
Also, as the title of this piece suggests, the final countdown has begun! Again. A little background for you:
Do you guys remember MySpace? That social networking site that a lot of people (myself included) though would outlast Facebook and keep giving us glittery profile backgrounds and embedded content forever! Well, we were wrong! Anyway, back about a month before I graduated from college the first time, I added the song The Final Countdown by Europe as my profile song. In case you haven't heard it or want to hear it again, here's the video:
God, isn't that freaking awesome? Did you ever wish that you could have lived through the eighties? To be fair, I was born in '84, so I was a little kid during some of the prime rocking eighties time. If only my birth could have been dialed back a few years then maybe I could have gone to a Phil Collins concert while he was still cool and not pumping out Disney tunes. What am I saying? Phil is the best. I love Phil Collins. Did you know he was in the movie Hook? As a kid who had ample time to both wear out my dad's No Jacket Required tape AND watch lots of VHS movies, I thought that was the coolest thing ever to see him in that movie. Anyway, what was my point with all of this eighties stuff? Oh yes, the countdown. Well, I'm counting down to my second college graduation. I can't decide if that's a sad thing or not. I suppose if it results in me getting some better opportunities than I had before (and more money is always nice) and if I enjoy my work more than I did before then it won't be sad. It'll be worth the time that I put into it. That's what I (and my very patient wife) are hoping for. And since I'm counting down to graduation, that means I have to actually pass my classes this semester! And that means actually doing homework and going to class! Terrible things, I know. But necessary.
So even though I still find many ways to waste my time, I do have TWO WHOLE reasons for why you haven't been seeing much of me here lately. I hope to remedy that a bit. I've enjoyed writing about sports at NCB but I've missed writing about whatever the hell is running through my head at any moment and there's no reason that I can't do both. If you're looking for hard statistical analysis and rock-solid predictions about the NFL on NCB you probably don't want to read my articles. Check out Andy's stuff or any of the other crew members who post on the NFL. But if you want to read something goofy, self-deprecating, and loosely tied to the NFL, then I'm your man.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Sports Post-Football: Addendum
As an addition to my REAL (sorry Canada; Arena) football replacement candidates piece, I would like to add Canadian football. However, it's not really a replacement since it coincides with the NFL season. Their preseason is already underway and they wrap up on November 25th (CFL official site).
Anyway, I caught this Deadspin article about NBC's new 24-hour sports network that is looking for some live programming. I guess they're going to air some Canadian football this season. I've heard some crazy things about the sport: wider field, three downs, punting into the endzone for points (here's Wikipedia's entry), etc. I could see myself watching a few games, just for the sheer spectacle of it! Seriously, it could be fun.
It's too bad that they don't play during the summer because it would be a highly desirable NFL replacement (much better than the nearly non-existent Arena Football League). So, until August 27th, we will be deprived of CFL action on NBC Sports Network and we will have to make-due with mediocre preseason NFL starting this Sunday.
At this point, I refuse to watch baseball.
Onward!
Anyway, I caught this Deadspin article about NBC's new 24-hour sports network that is looking for some live programming. I guess they're going to air some Canadian football this season. I've heard some crazy things about the sport: wider field, three downs, punting into the endzone for points (here's Wikipedia's entry), etc. I could see myself watching a few games, just for the sheer spectacle of it! Seriously, it could be fun.
It's too bad that they don't play during the summer because it would be a highly desirable NFL replacement (much better than the nearly non-existent Arena Football League). So, until August 27th, we will be deprived of CFL action on NBC Sports Network and we will have to make-due with mediocre preseason NFL starting this Sunday.
At this point, I refuse to watch baseball.
Onward!
Mobile Man
Not to be confused with a Mobile, AL man or a children's mobile.
As humankind's technology (not humankind itself; we're all kind of dicks to each other) progresses and quick-hit blogging and social media sites continue to flourish, I fear that we may soon see the decline of the traditional blogger. That person sitting in front of their hip laptop--wait, they're ultrabooks now--pounding out a story about a story about a story (Inception! Braaaaaaaaaaawwww braaaaaaawwwwww) while also looking at cat videos and eating something locavore.
What am I saying? Nothing, I just wanted to make a post from my phone. Please ignore this as it is certainly definitely wrong and straight out of my ass. That is all. Bloggers are safe.
As humankind's technology (not humankind itself; we're all kind of dicks to each other) progresses and quick-hit blogging and social media sites continue to flourish, I fear that we may soon see the decline of the traditional blogger. That person sitting in front of their hip laptop--wait, they're ultrabooks now--pounding out a story about a story about a story (Inception! Braaaaaaaaaaawwww braaaaaaawwwwww) while also looking at cat videos and eating something locavore.
What am I saying? Nothing, I just wanted to make a post from my phone. Please ignore this as it is
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