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Interviews

Posted: Mar 15th 2005, 11:30 pm
by lance
Back in my parents and grandparents day one could expect to work one job until retirement.

The old Clinton joke (that now can be used for Bush) goes something like this: two Clinton officals are having lunch and say "Isn't great 250,000 jobs were added to economy last month." Their waiter says, "Yeah, I've got three of them."

Well on Friday April 1st I have an interview for a full time job in California. If I get this job I will only have to work one job.

:D (now doing the dance of joy)

If any of you have any interview stories you wish to share or if you are having an interview soon this is the thread for you.

I will let you know how things go.

-LanceMan

Posted: Mar 16th 2005, 1:03 am
by SanDeE*
Good luck lance!

I've only had two jobs. Well, three, but one of them I didn't like, so I won't talk about it. I think I've mentioned on a different thread anyway. Well, the jobs that I DID like I had an interview process for one. I was so nervous and I dressed nice and everything, but the place is so laid back and casual I really didn't even have to! The other job my "interview" was to see if I could lift the big steel drum all by myself (I was 13)! I worked for a steel drum band, and their largest drum was the triple drum, which was the size of a normal oil drum, like the trash cans you see in parks. Big!

Posted: Mar 16th 2005, 5:27 pm
by Natasha (candygirl)
Good luck, lance - kick some ass and get yours out here!

Posted: Mar 16th 2005, 7:46 pm
by Megs
Good luck! Prepare yourself, wear a suit, and you will rock them! Let us know how it goes.

Posted: Mar 17th 2005, 7:51 am
by starbug
Good luck lance!

I guess my weirdest interview was for the job I've currently got. I sent in my CV to them even though they weren't advertising, and put my suit into the drycleaners to be ready to go in a few days for interviews if need be.
I got a call THAT MORNING that they wanted to see me at 3pm that day, and could I make it... :shock: So I said that I could. I had nothing decent to wear, being a student at the time, so I cobbled together the few smart things in my wardrobe and went for the interview. I was so unsettled because I realised I didn't look the part, that I thought I'd deal with it by apologising straight away and explaining that what with the short notice my suit was in the cleaners. they were fine with it, and also fine with the fact that i uttered the word 'cool' in an interview (it's one of those moments you want to just suck the words back in...) and offered me the job the next day.

Posted: Mar 22nd 2005, 3:14 am
by fnordboy
Weirdest interview? Probably the job I currently have... well not really weird, just weird for me. :lol:

I went into this interview not actually wanting a job and decided that I just wasn't going to lie about..err... embellish anything. If I got it, I got it... if not, so be it. They were looking for someone with a college degree, which I never completed so right upfront I said, "I never finished college, but it really wouldn't make a difference since this isn't what I went to school for anyway." They didn't seem to mind. "Damnit!" I thought. So they asked what sites I have worked on (it was for a web design position, which I had been doing freelance for a few years)... so I told them about the NYC escort sites I did work for :lol:. That almost got to them... but here I am nearly 4 years later still working for them :: knock on wood :: when before this, other than working for myself, I never held a job longer than 8 months. Oh yeah and I didn't wear a suit... let alone even owned one. I had to actually go shopping the night before just to buy "acceptable clothes" for the interview... but not too acceptable ;). It's a creative position... they don't like it, too bad. :lol:

Good luck Lance! :)

Posted: Mar 24th 2005, 9:50 pm
by lance
Thanks all,

Got my airline reservations, car rental and hotel set to go.

:D

I will be in Cali for two days so I will use the extra time to do a bit of site seeing. Have camera, will travel.

-LanceMan

Posted: Mar 31st 2005, 9:40 am
by pgh kenny
:)

Posted: Mar 31st 2005, 1:02 pm
by lance
pgh kenny wrote:One of my first interviews the 2 guys interviewing me decided it would really impress me if they spent five minutes telling me about some former female coworker who was quite a "looker" and describing her various features. I refrained from asking them if they forgot to look at the calendar to remind themselves it was 1999, not 1930.
(Shakes head)

I keep hoping things change...but then they don't.

-LanceMan

Posted: Mar 31st 2005, 3:57 pm
by Natasha (candygirl)
One applicant sent us pictures of herself in a bikini. Now at a previous job, when I worked for a fitness equipment company, they did actually ask for bikini pictures when they were hiring models to do the exercise demonstrations at conventions, but this particular instance that I'm talking about was for an office job. We did not request bikini pictures, but apparently this woman felt sending unsolicited bikini pictures would help her get the job. All it got her was mocked for her unprofessional attitude. Word spread quickly in our office, so all the guys were coming to the HR director's office asking to see the pictures. She kept telling them that just because this woman had been unprofessional didn't mean we had to stoop to that level, but they still wanted to see the bikini shots.

Posted: Mar 31st 2005, 10:17 pm
by fnordboy
scans? kthx! :D

Posted: Apr 2nd 2005, 4:51 am
by special_k
Lance,

Muy buena suerte, mi precioso querido. Estas en mi pensiamentos y oracions.

-C.M.H.

Posted: Apr 3rd 2005, 10:54 pm
by lance
Back from the interview...

I had an amazing trip, simply amazing. I flew out of Las Vegas on Thursday at 10:50 am. I arrived in San Jose about 12: 30 pm. I was just amazed by the green mountains, so unlike the dusty brown mountains of Nevada. I rented a 2004 Grand Prix and took off.

This was my very first time in California. I was stunned when I got outside for the first time. My hands and sinuses were no longer dry, what was this I was feeling? Oh yes, I remember what this is: humidity. Ahh, I have missed you my old friend.

I drove up US 101 to scope out the place where I was to interview. I passed Sunnyvale, Mountainview, Stanford University (I felt smarter just passing the sign), Redwood City and San Mateo.
I drove out to my interview site. The site was convientantly located directly across from an IHOP. Coincidence, I think not. The library is on older one, circa 1954. Old but quite large.

I went to my hotel. The hotel has a very narrow front, maybe 50 feet across. The hotel was longer than it was wide and had a garage and three levels of room. This was a Hampton, of course. Here thought they tightly controlled costs. There was exactly one egg per person for breakfast daily, sometimes fruit, sometimes not.

That night I drove out to Berkley, took me maybe an hour. I drove across a bridge into Oakland. Got to see San Francisco at night. I finally got to meet my friend and watch this cool singer at this bar. While I was there I felt something was wrong with the bar: beer-check, babes-check, assorted barflies-check, clouds of cigarette smoke? No clouds of cigarette smoke. A bar without smoke? Ahh once again California, Woohooo!

Friday

Woke up a bit tired and a bit bored. I ate my one egg and decided to take the scenic route to my interview. So I drove up and took my time. Did some window shopping, got to see some other small towns.

The interview was interesting. Unlike Las Vegas-Clark County or the Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County this was to be a multi stage affair. The first stage was meeting with three people: a librarian, tech services and a HR person. I thought I did very well. I had them laughing at one point

HR person: “Do you have any problems working with Reference Librarians?”

Me: “Reference Librarians work?!”

Then I interviewed with the assistant director of the Library. I scored a couple of points: One, he was impressed that no matter what I was moving to California. My brother interpreted this to mean that some candidates were only going to move if they got the job. Also I asked some very detailed questions about the Library’s policies toward filtering internet terminals and granting children access to DVDs and videos.

These issues have been ones that Public Libraries grapple with. The library's funding is entirely city based and thus not subject to the whims of the state budgets. The library filters there terminals. No porn watching allowed. If parents consent in writing, children may check out DVDs and videos.

The assistant director told me that I would hear something in 2 to 3 weeks. If I made the next round I would have to come back for another interview. I hoping that like all bureaucracies this will be more like 4 to 5 weeks because I broke the bank on this trip.

I was done by 3 and back to the hotel by 4 pm. While driving I heard interesting traffic reports, only in California? A major interstate was complete closed down in both directions as motorists tired to catch a loose dog. Traffic on a bridge in San Fran was coming to a crawl as rubber neckers stared a man on 7 foot tall unicycle going across the bridge.

Pretty bored I journeyed out to Half Moon Bay. Frustrated and broke and I needed to see something larger than myself. Half Moon Bay is maybe an hour from Redwood City. Very scenic with small shops (no Walmart) and the beach was incredibly.

See: http://www.lanceland.net/California_HMB.htm

Saturday I meant to get up very early but I got out by 8. WARNING: If traveling south on I-101 the sign for the 85 south is not clearly marked. THERE IS NO on ramp to 85 south from I-101 North. So after a bit of cursing I finally was on my way to Santa Cruz to maybe see my new home.

I was not disappointed. Santa Cruz is larger that Half Moon Bay. The beach is gorgeous.

See: http://www.lanceland.net/California_SC.htm

I went to see my new place and was waiting outside when a Santa Cruzian passed me:

Cruzian: “Duuude.”

Trying to act like a native I replied in kind, “ Duude.”

My God, I had truly reached the promised land.

I met my landlord, the godfather of my future roommate, he is an awesome guy. He took me to lunch and I had the freshest salmon I have ever had in my life. I got the concise history of California in 30 minutes or less and I got to see the inside of my new place. Very, very nice.

After that I headed back to San Jose airport and headed back to Vegas. Just about broke my heart to do it though. So tired of temping. Just 5 weeks to go.

So that is the tale of my trip.

-LanceMan

Posted: Apr 3rd 2005, 11:56 pm
by emmie
I loved reading your trip to CA. reminds me of my own trip last august (just you know, without the spraining of the ankle). sounds like your interview went well, and I'm glad that you like your city and new home to be. that's all very exciting, congrats!

Posted: Apr 4th 2005, 6:17 am
by starbug
Lance,
Thanks for that report! The photos look incredible - I think you made the right decision to move there regardless of getting that particular job or not. Obviously my fingers are crossed for you :-). The thing is that if you move and you have to do some temping, at least you're temping in a place that's got beaches and sunsets that look like that. Wow.

Good luck!