The Verdict

The big news is that I’m officially HIRED!

I finally got the job offer courier’d to me today, and I’ve been filling out HR and payroll forms.

This means an end to my impromptu lunch dates, late weeknight drink dates, and random phone chats with Martin!

But I feel very very lucky.

I didn’t get the job I originally applied to, because when the interviewers saw my science major, they asked me if I wanted to be considered for a job in another department where I could use my science knowledge. I said Yes, and 2 days later I had a big recommendation and was called in for an interview for that other department.

This is a good example of how applying to jobs you aren’t totally qualified for may lead to other neat opportunities.

My second interview lasted over 2 hours, and by the end of it, I was spent. I felt good but didn’t feel like I had it in the bag, and started worrying about how I didn’t get the job.

When I applied to Job #1, it was kind of inconsequential. I would have gladly accepted it, but it didn’t truly excite me. So when I interviewed for Job #2, there was more at stake when I realized that this job sounded AWESOME and was a better fit for me interest-wise and experience-wise.

Job #2 actually sounded like my ‘dream job’ post-grad. But, as with many good things in life, I had to wait for it.

Fortunately I didn’t have to wait long. The job was offered to me verbally 2 days later. The next day my job offer was sent out via same-day courier, with a pre-paid return envelope for a quick response.

So, that’s how it went down. To summarize:

• submit coverletter & resume
• take 1 hr timed online test
• fill out lengthy online survey (~45 min)
• take 65 minute mini GRE test (on my birthday!)
• Interview #1 (1 hour)
• Follow up to interview via email
• Interview #2 (2+ hours)
• Follow up to interview via phone and emails
• Accept the job graciously

This all took 7 weeks from start to finish. The job market in Toronto is pretty dried up right now, but I think the trick is to apply to as many jobs as you find interesting, and to keep positive during your interviews.

Next week I start my new job. I’m excited and a little nervous all at the same time!

The interview went well, at least from my perspective!

After brushing up on my interview skills, I did some things I wouldn’t have thought to do without reading this book first.

I answered questions with story-telling and made sure I chose pre-thought out stories with good endings, to show how I can save the day.

Like how my research efforts were directly related to a 40% versus the typical 6% response rate, or how, when faced with an irate customer, I successfully changed my strategy from salesperson to situation diffuser. Stuff like that.

Also, at the end of the interview, I made sure I got the contact of one of the interviewers (I forgot to ask the other 2 who had left earlier) so that I could send a follow-up thank you email that reiterated my interest in the job.

My interview lasted for 1 hour and I was interviewed by 3 people in total. It all felt very natural and I could picture myself working there (I was also screening them as much as they were screening me).

Apparently the applicant pool was huge, but they pared it down to 5 people who they are interviewing this week. The decision is being made after they interview the others. I don’t know if I was first or middle or what.

So, now I just have to wait.

What I’ve learned from minimum wage job interviews

My interview is tomorrow, and I’m pretty excited about that!

I’m just so curious about what they’re going to ask me and what I’ll answer. This stuff is always so interesting to me.

The 2 interviews I’ve learned the most from were for 2 jobs that I ended up landing but didn’t end up accepting. One was for camp counsellor at a science summer camp, and another for a sales rep position at a high-end sunglass store.

It’s funny that interviewing for these low paid jobs would give me the best interview experience, but they really did. I appreciate that a lot and think back to them every time I go for a new interview.

For the camp job, I got grilled by a panel of judges. It wasn’t comfortable and definitely kept me on my toes, but I learned that I could handle the pressure and scrutiny well, which is something I wouldn’t have known had I not gone through it.

The sunglass store asked me tricky questions about bad bosses and bad situations at work. I did NOT do well on the tricky questions at all, which is why brushing up on my answers is more beneficial to me than behavioural stuff (like the ability to handle pressure). I fell into the trap of answering the question negatively; Instead I should have told positive stories that made it seem like I took a bad situation and saved the day. I am a positive person afterall, and would like to portray it.

I didn’t end up accepting the camp job because it was too far to commute to, while the questions from the sunglass store startled me too much that it made me not want to work there. In retrospect though, it was all a very good experience.

So tomorrow, these 2 interviews that took place over 5 years ago will help me attempt to land a job. Which I think is pretty neat!

I’ll need all the help I can get, because the job I’ve applied to is for a marketing position in a big international company. Judging by the amount of people who took the test with me, there is stiff competition. But, I know that even if I don’t get the job, I’ll have another interview experience to add to my roster. Who knows, maybe it will make it to my Top 3 interview short list!

First call-back

I did get a call-back from that job I tested for on my birthday!

Except, I missed the call because I have the hours of an unemployed person (i.e. I sleep in!) and didn’t want to answer it while I was just waking up and groggy.

So I let my voicemail get it and they left a message to call them back. Then I call them back and left a message for them to call me. I’ve waited a whole day and they haven’t called yet. Hopefully tomorrow!

Birthday Luck

So it’s my birthday today. I’m officially 28!

I hope I garnered some birthday luck, as I spent the afternoon writing a test for a company that I’m looking to work in. I passed the first screening with my (0ld) coverletter and resume, and I had also taken a timed online test and filled out a lengthy survey.

The test in-person test was harder than I thought. But no matter, I was just happy to get called in, even if it was on my birthday! YAY!

The job hunt continues

I applied to 5 jobs today using the new way I learned to apply for jobs. Things like paring down my resume to just 1 page, and writing a super short, 250 word coverletter in the email body that my resume is attached to. I read this all in the book: What Does Somebody have to Do to Get a job here? 44 Insider Tips That Will Get You Hired.

This is my first time applying to jobs like this, so hopefully it’ll work. The premise here is to allude to interesting things in your coverletter, to make the person read your resume, and then to make your resume like an advertising bill board in order to land an interview.

It’s worth a try because my first run on my first week back got me nothing so far. It hasn’t been that long but I can just *feel* that job hiring processes are different now, and I don’t want to waste extra time chasing after job postings if I don’t have to.

Plus, this less verbose way of applying is more efficient and feels more confident. I like that!

I’m also reading the same book about interviewing techniques, and am excited to try them out. I usually do pretty well in interviews, but this book points out secret techniques that interviewers use, and specific ways to get around it.

There are things like putting a picture of kids on their desk, to see if you’ll pony up information about whether you have young kids, or faking an upcoming surgery to see if you volunteer your health problems. Seeing as I look all of 22, they probably won’t use these on me. What they probably will do is to ask about a difficult boss or conflict at work, and to see whether I frame the answer negatively and bad mouth my old job/boss/company, which is a No-No. Ha, I’m onto them!

I’m interested to see if anyone will try these on me. There’s a whole bunch of secrets in the book. The author, Cynthia Shapiro, makes some compelling arguments and they make sense. Hopefully this will land me a job soon!

Getting with the times re: job hunting

It will take a hiring manager 3 seconds to scan your resume before they deem it a Maybe vs. a No. That is, if your resume even makes it to a live human being. Apparently your resume gets electronically pre-scanned for compatibility based on matching key words from the job posting itself.

I wonder how many coverletters and resumes I’ve sent out that haven’t even been read? Probably a lot.

Hiring processes have changed significantly over the last few years. Companies get so many applications and are deathly afraid of wasting their resources picking the wrong person. They are looking to eliminate rather than to include, which means an applicant needs to market themselves and play up their skills from the beginning. Each applicant only gets ONE CHANCE through every stage before they are deemed a ‘No’.

Someone on the internet recommended me this book: What Does Somebody Have to Do to Get a Job Around Here?: 44 Insider Secrets That Will Get You Hired

So far, this is what I’ve learned:

My resume is no longer good for this job market. It’s 2 pages instead of 1, it lists my previous work duties rather than my accomplishments, it’s more of a biography rather than a dazzling billboard, and it doesn’t have an executive summary at the top (where the objective used to be) that highlights my experience, attributes, and reasons why I’m different from the rest (with key words/phrases from the job posting). A resume is not supposed to list everything I’ve ever done, just the highlights of it.

I’ve also learned that my coverletter is too long and formal. No one will read it. That is quite sad, as I put a lot of work into each one. Instead, I should write a few short confident paragraphs (200-250 words TOTAL) in the body of the email that my resume is attached to, and place my phone number in there too.

I also googled myself to see what comes up. None of the entries are mine, but there are many women who share my same name. One of them writes a lingerie blog, which is not something I want potential employers to associate me with (I am not applying to be a lingerie model, believe it or not!). So, I’m going to include my middle initial on my resume, to make it clear who’s who.

There are a lot of great what-to-do tips in this book. I think anyone who is job hunting right now should go to pick up this book ASAP. There are several copies at the Toronto Public Libraries, which is where I got mine. So far I’m only through the first 2 chapters on resume writing, but I’m finding it very comprehensive, enlightening, and useful.

Hopefully my new way of applying to jobs will get me through the rigourous screens. I’m open to trying different approaches and adapting myself to the market today.

Good luck to everyone else too. Share your job searching tips if you have any!

Job Search Tactics

Job hunting is a lot of work! I’m not unfamiliar with it, but I had gotten used to finding a job through word-of-mouth. Now I am applying to jobs where no one knows me on the receiving end, which means I have to add that extra sparkle to my coverletter.

I wrote 2 coverletters yesterday and sent them out with my resume. One coverletter was only semi-compelling, but the other one was WOW (if I do say so myself ^_^). I have written lots of WOW coverletters though, and not heard back; but every time I write one, it gives me a chance to congratulate myself.

You just have to keep your spirits up when job hunting, and know that it is hard work. I make sure I give myself breaks so that I don’t go nuts, and I make easy goals of applying to at least one job everyday. Applying to 10+ jobs a day is exhausting, and brings down the quality of my application. Since I have a stable place to live (thanks Mom and Dad!), I can pace myself and not get burnt out.

Other Ways to Help me Find a Job

1. I’m tapping into my network by letting you, my dear friends, know that I am looking for a job. If you see something and think of me, please send it over: jiskca@gmail.com. I know you’ll also offer me emotional support and encouragement when I call you to complain ^_^.

2. My ex-bosses are all aware that I am looking for a job. They have my resume and are sending it around and/or keeping their eyes open for anything interesting. I am lucky that I’ve worked with so many great people over the last few years.

3. I look in different places. I don’t just use one search engine, I check out many as well as career sections in the newspapers (which I actually do for fun even when I’m not job-hunting). I also go to companies I’m interested in and check out their career sections.

This is all pretty exciting to me. Looking for English jobs in Germany was difficult. There are more options for me here, and that’s a good feeling!

7 jobs since graduating

Since graduating last year, I’ve held a total of 7 jobs! I can barely believe that but when I count it out, it’s true! Here is my list of jobs since graduating:

• Web Content Manager
• Researcher/Writer
• Office Support Staff
• Research Project Coordinator
• Stock Room Worker
• Business English Trainer
• Research Consultant

And no, it’s not because I got fired a lot! These were all contract jobs. I didn’t look for anything longer term because I knew I would be spending time in Asia with my Grandma whom I hadn’t seen for 11 years (!), and I actually intended to work there for a year. Then I went to visit Martin and found a job, which I later came back for after doing all that visa crap.

My English teaching job was fully supporting me while I was in Germany, which was kind of amazing! It really helped me not dip too much into savings (I had to because I got sick), and made spending all that time in Europe more affordable. I worked really hard though, and got much better at teaching and facilitating. Teaching English in Germany was a terrific experience for me. Now that I’m done, I miss it a little!

My plan now is to find a job!

I started searching and applying for jobs in Toronto while I was still in Germany, but then we lost the internet so I had to put my job search on hold. It was for the better – I wouldn’t have enjoyed my last few weeks as much.

My motto has always been to apply for whatever sounds interesting. I don’t expect to land a job instantly, so I was thinking of either getting a part time retail job, or learning how to sell things on eBay for the time being. I think I will choose the eBay route, because I have a bunch of things to get rid of! So hopefully I can get a job and sell a bunch of my stuff!

Back so soon

Well shucks!

Martin surprised me on Friday afternoon by ringing my doorbell. He showed up earlier than expected – so early that I didn’t buzz him in because I wasn’t expecting anyone (advertisers/sales people ring random bells just to get into the building, so I ignore buzzes if I’m not expecting anyone).

To make a long story short, we had a fun-filled weekend with lots of out and about business, whilst enjoying the nice weather (will post pictures later!).

The crappy part is that I would still be hanging out with Martin in his city if he didn’t have to go to France again this week. He is on his way now.

I seriously thought of going with him this time but I’d have to leave early to make it back for work. It’s too much of a hassle to get back to Düsseldorf by train, which would be worth the time and extra cost IF he were in Paris, but alas, he is not ^_^.

So now I’m back in Düsseldorf with my Martin-time cut short again.  Boo! Luckily the weather is still very nice, and I found a nice park nearby!