I have found something of an interesting trend while applying online to jobs. I posted a little snippet of what I was seeing on my Facebook, but now I want to blog about it. Online applications seem to be a bit backwards to me.
Here is an example, given in two scenarios:
Scenario One:
I apply to a really nice, full-time job; great pay and benefits, I wouldn't need to do hardly any training because I have most (if not all) of the experience necessary for the job and I can start right away. I make a cover letter and send it along with my resume, and depending on the employer, my transcripts from my graduate school as well.
This takes all of 15 to 20 minutes, and then I can go looking for another really nice, full-time job.
Scenario Two:
I apply to a slightly-more-than-minimum-wage, full-time job; it will pay my bills until I finish my degree and/or I get that really nice, full-time job. I may need a bit of training because they have "proprietary software", but the rest of the job I could do blindfolded while simultaneously juggling flaming chainsaws with one hand [WARNING: Do NOT try this at home, even if you think you're a really, really good juggler].
I can't just send in a resume and cover letter; I must fill in an online application. So I click on the appropriate boxes and start filling things in...and filling things in...and filling things in. Usually after I've manually put in all of my work and academic experience, and listed all of my referral contacts, there is a place where I can upload my resume if I choose (this is one of the few places that it is optional to input data, rather than mandatory). My resume has all of my work and academic experience on it. Oh well, I'll upload it anyway, then click for the next page.
I have to take a competency and/or personality test next. It takes at least another 20 to 30 minutes, and if I have to do both, it will of course take twice as long. By the time I'm done, I've checked about five or six boxes confirming that I am not a felon and there are no warrants out for my arrest. I've also checked at least two or three boxes confirming that my name really is Alice Malia Weaver, and I do not have a nefarious alias under which I've worked to take over the world.
The entirety of the application takes a little over two hours, give or take 15 minutes.
[End of Scenarios]
So now that I have given these scenarios, here is my question: when did it become harder to apply for a minimum wage job than it would to apply for a really nice, higher paying job? One would think that it would be the other way around, since people should be willing to jump through more hoops of red tape to get a better paying job than a minimum wage job.
I would like to hear feedback and reader opinions on this subject. Don't be shy! I would love to talk to some people about this and their view on the subject of online applications.
Now if you all will excuse me, I have some more jobs to apply to today.
-AMW
Showing posts with label CareerBuilder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CareerBuilder. Show all posts
Monday, July 18, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Red Flags and Interviews
The interview I had today was a learning experience; namely, be wary of anyplace that sells life insurance and helps with overall investment finances, unless you already have a license to sell insurance. Also, being Better Business Bureau (BBB) Accredited apparently isn't what it's cracked up to be.
Here is a rundown of what happened. For everything that is a red flag to the situation not being as straightforward as it should be, I will put (RF#). For those of you who do not know what a red flag is, it's a point in a situation that should make your inner self say "oh really?" or "warning" or "Danger, Will Robinson!".
It started out by my walking into the building, finding the right office and then being greeted by an employee of the company. He took my resume, references and one of my new business cards (he complimented the design and color).
I was then escorted into a conference room (RF1), to wait with other potential hires before the presentation about the company began (RF2 & 3). I still have a folder full of informational material, which I read over before the presentation began, and I found three very obvious typos in a letter from one of the Executive Directors (RF4), as well as various other typos in the rest of the material, ranging from format to misuse of punctuation (RF5).
The presentation began and it all seemed to be very interesting; a go-getter attitude and a personable nature would apparently take a person a long way in this company. Then came the slide that talked about how, since this was a company that sold life insurance, we as potential hires would have to be accredited (RF6, since this was not mentioned in the placement ad on CareerBuilder). How is this done? Well, the company was willing to pay for the educational materials so we could learn what we needed before taking the exam for the insurance license, but some of the costs would have to come out of our own pocket (RF7 - This was also not mentioned in the CareerBuilder placement). The cost to us? A whopping $489 (RF8 -That much money covers about 75% of my bills for a month, and now that I don't have any money coming in from CSU, that's a lot of money to throw around).
But, the presenter assured us, that it would take us three months or less to get promoted to the next level within the company, and with that promotion we'll get a $500 bonus. So really, it wouldn't be spending $489 and never seeing it again; rather, it would just be back in our pockets at the most three-and-a-half months after we'd given it to the company, with $11 worth of interest (RF9)!
The presenter never explained how we could be promoted so quickly, or what we would have to do for those first three months (RF 10 & 11). In fact, other than promising quick promotions, she was incredibly vague about a number of things pertaining to our actual jobs (RF12).
Once the presentation was over, we were called one or two at a time for one-on-one interviews (there were three employees of the firm at the office this morning; one stayed in the conference room with us, and the other two held the one-on-one interviews). I was called relatively early, and I told the employee about the typos. She acknowledged them and agreed that they bugged her, but that looked like all she was going to do about it (though to be fair, I know that when you mass produce some literature, it's costly to go back and fix it and print everything again, and they can only do so much with what the head offices send them).
I also told her that I wasn't going to be able to swing the $489, because of my financial situation. She asked me if I could swing $250, because that was as low as she was allowed to go to help potential hires. I told her I would have to look at my financial situation before giving her an answer, and I would call her later today. After that, she was even more guarded and edgy about the answers she gave me (RF13). I asked her to describe what a normal day at the office would be like, after she asked me a series of questions about my resume; she never answered me, but told me that was something she would get into if I was called back for a second interview (RF14 - what kind of cloak and dagger operation are you running if you can't even describe a normal day at the office? Honestly). I didn't bother asking about pay and benefits; if she wasn't going to answer a simple, fairly non-invasive question, there was no way I was going to get an answer for those type of questions.
In the end, I shook her hand, thanked her for her time, and left. I came home, looked up my finances (yep, still poor), and called the company's office, leaving a message that I wouldn't be able to come up with the money, and thanked them again for their time.
I have to say it: for a place that is BBB Accredited, their hiring practices leave quite a bit to be desired. Also, I will reiterate from above: in their placement ads on CareerBuilder, it said nothing about needing an insurance license or giving the company money as part of the hiring process.
I think I'll be sticking to advertising agencies from now on, or any other field that doesn't have to do with finance or insurance; this experience actually left a bad taste in my mouth, and I thought that was just an expression.
-AMW
Here is a rundown of what happened. For everything that is a red flag to the situation not being as straightforward as it should be, I will put (RF#). For those of you who do not know what a red flag is, it's a point in a situation that should make your inner self say "oh really?" or "warning" or "Danger, Will Robinson!".
It started out by my walking into the building, finding the right office and then being greeted by an employee of the company. He took my resume, references and one of my new business cards (he complimented the design and color).
I was then escorted into a conference room (RF1), to wait with other potential hires before the presentation about the company began (RF2 & 3). I still have a folder full of informational material, which I read over before the presentation began, and I found three very obvious typos in a letter from one of the Executive Directors (RF4), as well as various other typos in the rest of the material, ranging from format to misuse of punctuation (RF5).
The presentation began and it all seemed to be very interesting; a go-getter attitude and a personable nature would apparently take a person a long way in this company. Then came the slide that talked about how, since this was a company that sold life insurance, we as potential hires would have to be accredited (RF6, since this was not mentioned in the placement ad on CareerBuilder). How is this done? Well, the company was willing to pay for the educational materials so we could learn what we needed before taking the exam for the insurance license, but some of the costs would have to come out of our own pocket (RF7 - This was also not mentioned in the CareerBuilder placement). The cost to us? A whopping $489 (RF8 -That much money covers about 75% of my bills for a month, and now that I don't have any money coming in from CSU, that's a lot of money to throw around).
But, the presenter assured us, that it would take us three months or less to get promoted to the next level within the company, and with that promotion we'll get a $500 bonus. So really, it wouldn't be spending $489 and never seeing it again; rather, it would just be back in our pockets at the most three-and-a-half months after we'd given it to the company, with $11 worth of interest (RF9)!
The presenter never explained how we could be promoted so quickly, or what we would have to do for those first three months (RF 10 & 11). In fact, other than promising quick promotions, she was incredibly vague about a number of things pertaining to our actual jobs (RF12).
Once the presentation was over, we were called one or two at a time for one-on-one interviews (there were three employees of the firm at the office this morning; one stayed in the conference room with us, and the other two held the one-on-one interviews). I was called relatively early, and I told the employee about the typos. She acknowledged them and agreed that they bugged her, but that looked like all she was going to do about it (though to be fair, I know that when you mass produce some literature, it's costly to go back and fix it and print everything again, and they can only do so much with what the head offices send them).
I also told her that I wasn't going to be able to swing the $489, because of my financial situation. She asked me if I could swing $250, because that was as low as she was allowed to go to help potential hires. I told her I would have to look at my financial situation before giving her an answer, and I would call her later today. After that, she was even more guarded and edgy about the answers she gave me (RF13). I asked her to describe what a normal day at the office would be like, after she asked me a series of questions about my resume; she never answered me, but told me that was something she would get into if I was called back for a second interview (RF14 - what kind of cloak and dagger operation are you running if you can't even describe a normal day at the office? Honestly). I didn't bother asking about pay and benefits; if she wasn't going to answer a simple, fairly non-invasive question, there was no way I was going to get an answer for those type of questions.
In the end, I shook her hand, thanked her for her time, and left. I came home, looked up my finances (yep, still poor), and called the company's office, leaving a message that I wouldn't be able to come up with the money, and thanked them again for their time.
I have to say it: for a place that is BBB Accredited, their hiring practices leave quite a bit to be desired. Also, I will reiterate from above: in their placement ads on CareerBuilder, it said nothing about needing an insurance license or giving the company money as part of the hiring process.
I think I'll be sticking to advertising agencies from now on, or any other field that doesn't have to do with finance or insurance; this experience actually left a bad taste in my mouth, and I thought that was just an expression.
-AMW
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Getting an Interview and Getting Ready: Fretting About Wardrobe
I have applied for every manager position I could find on CareerBuilder.com within a 25-mile radius of my town that didn't require a very specific degree or set of skills that would take me 10 years to acquire. It took about nine to 10 hours to fill out all the forms and send my resume to the appropriate businesses.
The bad news? Massive, massive eye strain (I am thankful for eye drops).
The good news? I have already had one business call me and schedule an interview for tomorrow!
Now here is the conundrum: I lack some fashion sense as a woman, especially when it comes to professional attire. I own a business suit and several nice tops that can theoretically match said suit, even though I have no idea which one I should wear tomorrow. I have a really nice pair of comfortable shoes to match as well. I do own nice, simple, elegant jewelry that will hopefully compliment what I wear. The only makeup I own is lip gloss in varying shades of pink and plum, so it is easy to both put on and remove, and in all honesty, it's the only kind of makeup that makes sense and that I can stand to have on my face.
Many people would tell me to go buy makeup. Why? For the most part my skin is unblemished, so I don't need concealer. I have a naturally rosy complexion, so I don't need rouge. I can't wear mascara without it streaking my glasses. I have issues putting pointy things near my eyes so I don't like to use eye liner (because that would be putting a pointy thing full of chemicals near my eyes), and putting eye shadow on without eye liner looks ridiculous (as I found out when I tried it). I know that there is an expectation for women to wear makeup, but I honestly don't see the point of it.
One little other thing of note is that my business cards have not come in yet, and I was hoping to hand them out at interviews. However, I'd much have the interview without the business cards than no interview at all.
-AMW
The bad news? Massive, massive eye strain (I am thankful for eye drops).
The good news? I have already had one business call me and schedule an interview for tomorrow!
Now here is the conundrum: I lack some fashion sense as a woman, especially when it comes to professional attire. I own a business suit and several nice tops that can theoretically match said suit, even though I have no idea which one I should wear tomorrow. I have a really nice pair of comfortable shoes to match as well. I do own nice, simple, elegant jewelry that will hopefully compliment what I wear. The only makeup I own is lip gloss in varying shades of pink and plum, so it is easy to both put on and remove, and in all honesty, it's the only kind of makeup that makes sense and that I can stand to have on my face.
Many people would tell me to go buy makeup. Why? For the most part my skin is unblemished, so I don't need concealer. I have a naturally rosy complexion, so I don't need rouge. I can't wear mascara without it streaking my glasses. I have issues putting pointy things near my eyes so I don't like to use eye liner (because that would be putting a pointy thing full of chemicals near my eyes), and putting eye shadow on without eye liner looks ridiculous (as I found out when I tried it). I know that there is an expectation for women to wear makeup, but I honestly don't see the point of it.
One little other thing of note is that my business cards have not come in yet, and I was hoping to hand them out at interviews. However, I'd much have the interview without the business cards than no interview at all.
-AMW
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