How to get a job (or not)

[Mise]

The idea of physically sending anything in this day and age seems crazy to me, but in certain industries that are still rather old fashioned (law) or in small companies that still have physical post addresses that you can send letters to, it seems like a good call.

 

[BvBPL]

It's hard to say if the thank you note made a difference, but they made me an offer.

If you doubt the power of a thank you note, consider how many emails you might ignore on a monthly basis. And how many voicemails you might pass over. Then Think about how many hand addressed letters you decline to open.

 

[Ajidica]

I have a face-to-face interview coming up for a job I'm really interested in and definitely qualify for. Any advice/tips for the interview? The job is basically the perfect fit for me and I got good vibes from the phone conversation I had earlier today with the interviewer going over the position and setting up the interview so I really don't want to blow this.

 

[rah]

Do some research on the company so you can ask a few specific questions that will show you're interested in not just the job but the company. While not often possible do the same on the person interviewing you. Always nice to know their interests. Sometimes you can pick up on them looking at his desk. Don't over do it though.

 

[IglooDame]

Do some research on the company so you can ask a few specific questions that will show you're interested in not just the job but the company. While not often possible do the same on the person interviewing you. Always nice to know their interests. Sometimes you can pick up on them looking at his desk. Don't over do it though.

When I interview candidates, my first two questions are "tell me about yourself, besides what you have in your resume/CV" and "what do you know about ___ (name of my company)"?

For the first question, how/why you got into ___ (profession) is a good focus, along with not talking too long (a minute or so), and answering what I asked rather than rehashing your qualifications/experience. For the second question, I'm looking for people who show that they went beyond skimming the "about" page of the company website.

And yeah, have a few thoughtful questions in your back pocket to ask at the end (in case one or two have already been answered explicitly during), for example "what personality traits will be most helpful for this position" (and be prepared to talk about how you have those personality traits).

 

[Traitorfish]

So, I have offers for two different jobs, both entry-level contact centre stuff, but I'm a bit uncertain of which to accept.

One is with a large insurance firm, £15-16k/year, starts in a month. I'd probably be working on customer service for car insurance services.

The other is at a middle-sized collections firm, £14.5k/year, starts next week. I'd probably be working mostly on outbound collections for energy suppliers, some inbound collections, some customer service.

Work is similar enough, and career advancement isn't a concern because I'm only expecting to hold onto the job for a year before heading back into education. Google suggests they're both okay places to work: not stellar, but decent as contact centre jobs go. The big difference, then, seems to be pay and start date, but they pretty much average out over the next year.

My gut instinct is to go for the collections job, simply because it gets me back in where as soon as possible, but that feels almost too easy. Is there anything else I should be considering? Am I over-thinking what is, as I said, entry-level work?

 

[BvBPL]

Outbound collections work must be very difficult and stressful. You are calling people who really do not want to talk with you and will lie and do whatever they can to avoid talking with you. The customer service insurance job is probably significantly less stressful. Customer services is also a more transferable skill than collections in many cases.

You may also wish to consider the hours they have you work. Collections might require more late nights and weekends, or the customer service job might. The possibility of overtime is also something to consider.

If the money evens out then I would get the insurance gig myself because of the stress of working in collections.

 

[rah]

Unless you get some type of Commission on the collections.

But yeah, I'd go with CS due to the stress. Collections is like sales with a crappy prospect list.

 

[Zelig]

I'd build myself a cabin in the woods and become a hermit before I did collections work.

 

[GenMarshall]

When I interview candidates, my first two questions are "tell me about yourself, besides what you have in your resume/CV" and "what do you know about ___ (name of my company)"?

For the first question, how/why you got into ___ (profession) is a good focus, along with not talking too long (a minute or so), and answering what I asked rather than rehashing your qualifications/experience.

From my experience, I always tend to get what I call vapor locks (nervious stuttering where I stop speaking for a moment) when going through an interview. Not sure how to midigate that problem unless I force myself to not be nervious. Though admitedly hard to do when you're interviewing with a person that can determine weather you're going to have a stable and sustainable income or going to the poor house.

 

[Atticus]

Don't do the collections job, mr. Fish. You'll never come across with a happy customer.

 

[rah]

From my experience, I always tend to get what I call vapor locks (nervious stuttering where I stop speaking for a moment) when going through an interview. Not sure how to midigate that problem unless I force myself to not be nervious. Though admitedly hard to do when you're interviewing with a person that can determine weather you're going to have a stable and sustainable income or going to the poor house.

Always remember that they too are under stress. They are greatly impacted if they hire a mope. Their careers may be greatly helped by hiring that great employee. (managers are usually only as good as those that work for him) They want you to be that great employee.

Just remind yourself that you are not that mope, you're the one that is going to make him look good. It's not arrogance, it's confidence.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

So, I have offers for two different jobs, both entry-level contact centre stuff, but I'm a bit uncertain of which to accept.

One is with a large insurance firm, £15-16k/year, starts in a month. I'd probably be working on customer service for car insurance services.

The other is at a middle-sized collections firm, £14.5k/year, starts next week. I'd probably be working mostly on outbound collections for energy suppliers, some inbound collections, some customer service.

Work is similar enough, and career advancement isn't a concern because I'm only expecting to hold onto the job for a year before heading back into education. Google suggests they're both okay places to work: not stellar, but decent as contact centre jobs go. The big difference, then, seems to be pay and start date, but they pretty much average out over the next year.

My gut instinct is to go for the collections job, simply because it gets me back in where as soon as possible, but that feels almost too easy. Is there anything else I should be considering? Am I over-thinking what is, as I said, entry-level work?

Salaries tend to snowball over time. All things equal, I'd go for the higher paying job. Sure, you may make only the same amount due to the extra month off, but the salary number itself is what is important over the long run, not so much how much you bank in the next year.

The advice is less relevant if you plan on changing career fields but even then it's less irrelevant.

Good luck!

 

[Birdjaguar]

So, I have offers for two different jobs, both entry-level contact centre stuff, but I'm a bit uncertain of which to accept.

One is with a large insurance firm, £15-16k/year, starts in a month. I'd probably be working on customer service for car insurance services.

The other is at a middle-sized collections firm, £14.5k/year, starts next week. I'd probably be working mostly on outbound collections for energy suppliers, some inbound collections, some customer service.

Work is similar enough, and career advancement isn't a concern because I'm only expecting to hold onto the job for a year before heading back into education. Google suggests they're both okay places to work: not stellar, but decent as contact centre jobs go. The big difference, then, seems to be pay and start date, but they pretty much average out over the next year.

My gut instinct is to go for the collections job, simply because it gets me back in where as soon as possible, but that feels almost too easy. Is there anything else I should be considering? Am I over-thinking what is, as I said, entry-level work?

Listen to those above. Collections sucks. Since this is not a career job, take the CS position and higher pay. Good luck!

From my experience, I always tend to get what I call vapor locks (nervious stuttering where I stop speaking for a moment) when going through an interview. Not sure how to midigate that problem unless I force myself to not be nervious. Though admitedly hard to do when you're interviewing with a person that can determine weather you're going to have a stable and sustainable income or going to the poor house.

Practice may help. Have a friend ask you questions in a mock interview. Prepare a list of 20 questions to give him/her. Your partner in this will ask you five of their choice. Put a timer on the table that will ding in 3 minutes at which time you move on to the next question. Doing this several times (with different people?) should help you get over the panic you feel in a real interview. To do it tight, you should actually dress up for the practice sessions. That will help you get in the right frame of mind.

 

[Ajidica]

Thanks for the advice guys, I got an offer for the position I was really interested in and accepted. I start next Monday!

 

[Birdjaguar]

That's great news! Dress appropriately and make some friends to guide through the culture of the company.

 

[Traitorfish]

Thanks for the advice from me also, but I ended up going for the collections job anyway, because I really needed the job sooner rather than later.

Will it turn out to be a Poor Life Choice? Quite possibly. But, advantage of not being a career job, if it sucks I can bail with a week's notice.

 

[Birdjaguar]

I hope it works out.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Best of luck TraitorFish!

 

[Lexicus]

managers are usually only as good as those that work for him

Well, I actually don't think that's true, but if it was, what would it imply? Answer: that managers don't do anything except take credit for what other people do
We'll make a Communist out of you yet, rah

I say a bit of nerves are a good thing before a job interview. Keeps you on your toes, helps your mental quickness.