I suck at job interviews/I hate my job and everyone sucks[MEGATHREAD?]

[Steph]

As mentioned in the daythread the company I work for ran out of money today and is making moves toward selling the website I work on.

The boss has assured me that he's going to do everything he can to ensure, first, that I get paid for the work I've done this month, and second that I have a job next month. Reassuring is the fact that one potential investor asked him if he'd be willing/able to run the site if they bought in (his answer was UH YES YES I WOULD YES INDEED YES). Not reassuring is the fact that, while I am integral to the process of posting articles and company profiles, those tasks could easily be integrated with the journalists and salespeople and make me redundant.

Fffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

I am trying very hard not to panic right now.

So deal numero uno fell through, they were apparently asking for too much for way too little.

Meanwhile, this is pay cycle no.2 I've not been compensated for. I like this company, I like my boss, and I like the job that I do, but I'm liking less and less the fact that I'm doing it for free, even if such is the best chance I have at keeping said job.

I have enough money stashed away to pay rent and bills and groceries for this month, and have been assured that SOMETIME this week I will get paid (not all of what the company owes me, but something at least). But my patience is wearing out. If I haven't seen a pay cheque by Thursday, I think I might just take a walk.

Only question is, how the hell do I get a job like this somewhere else? I landed this position through a combination of luck and personal connections, and any other company is going to want to hire somebody with certifications or other slips of paper that say they can do the job. How much of this can be substituted for saying "Actually I did this job for 2 years"?

[teds :D]

As mentioned in the daythread the company I work for ran out of money today and is making moves toward selling the website I work on.

The boss has assured me that he's going to do everything he can to ensure, first, that I get paid for the work I've done this month, and second that I have a job next month. Reassuring is the fact that one potential investor asked him if he'd be willing/able to run the site if they bought in (his answer was UH YES YES I WOULD YES INDEED YES). Not reassuring is the fact that, while I am integral to the process of posting articles and company profiles, those tasks could easily be integrated with the journalists and salespeople and make me redundant.

Fffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

I am trying very hard not to panic right now.

So deal numero uno fell through, they were apparently asking for too much for way too little.

Meanwhile, this is pay cycle no.2 I've not been compensated for. I like this company, I like my boss, and I like the job that I do, but I'm liking less and less the fact that I'm doing it for free, even if such is the best chance I have at keeping said job.

I have enough money stashed away to pay rent and bills and groceries for this month, and have been assured that SOMETIME this week I will get paid (not all of what the company owes me, but something at least). But my patience is wearing out. If I haven't seen a pay cheque by Thursday, I think I might just take a walk.

Only question is, how the hell do I get a job like this somewhere else? I landed this position through a combination of luck and personal connections, and any other company is going to want to hire somebody with certifications or other slips of paper that say they can do the job. How much of this can be substituted for saying "Actually I did this job for 2 years"?

you'd be surprised how much work experience and a good reference counts vs pieces of paper.

[Steph]

Just spoke to the boss. Apparently there's a few clients who've reared their heads and are interested in giving us money, but they're taking forever to make up their minds.

If this goes through, it could allow the parent company to reboot and get everything back on track without having to sell the website. But, as always, it's a waiting game. Also, having updated the boss on my financial situation, I've been promised at least a partial solution by Friday. Sounds like a good deadline for my employment.

[Chrien]

I'm the exact opposite. At least a tie or you'll piss me off for wasting the time to interview you. This isn't the Apple store. You are not a special snowflake. You are being interviewed as a professional IT resource. Act the part.

This comes down to what kind of company it is tho, there are different types of techs
We dress casual to stand out, others dress snappy to fit in where they work

For the interview, figure out what kind of company it is and dress accordingly

But its this weird bullshit why people hate businesses. they've basically decided they have an identity. We are shirt and tie people at least for interviews. We are jeans people and as long as you're not naked we are cool people. Bullshit personas about who and how people should be.

Why should anyone have any clue about "who" the business is? I know there's a level of ease within which people have to fit. But this bollocksology is making good people neurotic.

Pretty much. I find the whole concept of knocking back someone who wore a suit to an interview rather than casual clothes to be rather silly. Lets assume this candidate is interviewing for 4 different IT companies in one week and 2 of them go the casual look and 2 go the business look, how is this candidate meant to know, he will probably go to the casual one first in his suit, for his next one he'll go casual cause he saw his attire didn't fit in and a suit would have been expected...

[Losvar]

Doing a little threadjack here.

I'm one week from graduation, and I'll be a machine technician (same as a machine engineer pretty much, just about 75/25 theory/practice instead of just 100% theory)and will probably be looking for a job as a structural engineer or constructor, as I both like drawing shit and calculating what dimensions and shit are needed, while also being fucking good at it.
Problem is, I have no idea where the fuck to send an application, nor do I really know how to write a decent application, as I mostly have used to just show up at companies that interested me and ask for a job, which has worked for me in the past, but now I'm going into a much more formal environment than I'm used to, and I'm fucking clueless as to how to do this shit.

FHC please halp.

[Nicholai Pestot]

I'm the exact opposite. At least a tie or you'll piss me off for wasting the time to interview you. This isn't the Apple store. You are not a special snowflake. You are being interviewed as a professional IT resource. Act the part.

This comes down to what kind of company it is tho, there are different types of techs
We dress casual to stand out, others dress snappy to fit in where they work

For the interview, figure out what kind of company it is and dress accordingly

But its this weird bullshit why people hate businesses. they've basically decided they have an identity. We are shirt and tie people at least for interviews. We are jeans people and as long as you're not naked we are cool people. Bullshit personas about who and how people should be.

Why should anyone have any clue about "who" the business is? I know there's a level of ease within which people have to fit. But this bollocksology is making good people neurotic.

That’s the point. You don't know, so you go along dressed in the way you feel is appropriate and then they can use your own unbiased decision as part of their "will he fit in here" analysis.

You are complaining about not being able to cheat your way through part of the interview

[Mrenda]

I'm the exact opposite. At least a tie or you'll piss me off for wasting the time to interview you. This isn't the Apple store. You are not a special snowflake. You are being interviewed as a professional IT resource. Act the part.

This comes down to what kind of company it is tho, there are different types of techs
We dress casual to stand out, others dress snappy to fit in where they work

For the interview, figure out what kind of company it is and dress accordingly

But its this weird bullshit why people hate businesses. they've basically decided they have an identity. We are shirt and tie people at least for interviews. We are jeans people and as long as you're not naked we are cool people. Bullshit personas about who and how people should be.

Why should anyone have any clue about "who" the business is? I know there's a level of ease within which people have to fit. But this bollocksology is making good people neurotic.

That’s the point. You don't know, so you go along dressed in the way you feel is appropriate and then they can use your own unbiased decision as part of their "will he fit in here" analysis.

You are complaining about not being able to cheat your way through part of the interview

Eh, no. Because its a game at this point. It has nothing to do with suitability. There's probably a suitfaqs website. It has passed the point where anyone can or should make a judgement as long as the person looks somewhat respectable. If someone turns up wearing a suit when really you're looking for business casual and you mark them down for that you're a dick. and that's what's turned this bollocks into a game and making people neurotic.

[Me]

I'm the exact opposite. At least a tie or you'll piss me off for wasting the time to interview you. This isn't the Apple store. You are not a special snowflake. You are being interviewed as a professional IT resource. Act the part.

This comes down to what kind of company it is tho, there are different types of techs
We dress casual to stand out, others dress snappy to fit in where they work

For the interview, figure out what kind of company it is and dress accordingly

But its this weird bullshit why people hate businesses. they've basically decided they have an identity. We are shirt and tie people at least for interviews. We are jeans people and as long as you're not naked we are cool people. Bullshit personas about who and how people should be.

Why should anyone have any clue about "who" the business is? I know there's a level of ease within which people have to fit. But this bollocksology is making good people neurotic.

That’s the point. You don't know, so you go along dressed in the way you feel is appropriate and then they can use your own unbiased decision as part of their "will he fit in here" analysis.

You are complaining about not being able to cheat your way through part of the interview

Eh, no. Because its a game at this point. It has nothing to do with suitability. There's probably a suitfaqs website. It has passed the point where anyone can or should make a judgement as long as the person looks somewhat respectable. If someone turns up wearing a suit when really you're looking for business casual and you mark them down for that you're a dick. and that's what's turned this bollocks into a game and making people neurotic.

The way I see it is you should know whether its a suit place or a jeans place before going. Do some research on the company before you go to the interview, even if that's just passing the place at lunch time or the end of the day to see what people leaving are wearing. Or only go for interviews on hot summer's days where you wouldn't wear a jacket anyways, shirt, tie, decent pants and shoes can hardly go wrong and you can always take off the tie at the last minute.

From my experience: the bigger the company the more likely a suit would be the correct choice. Some little IT startup and less formal would be better.

[Blutreiter]

For me the guideline is, show up with a suit on the first day. Always. Doesnt have to be a Smoking or really high-profile, but dress nicely. Tie optional.

Then look around you. If its a decent workplace, you should get invited a second time. If the place is very casual, do not wear the suit a second time. Adapt to the workplace. If it is a shorts and wifebeater enviroment, if you show up with a suit twice, youre an uptight and unobservant bastard. Once is fine.

[Sponk]

Problem is, I have no idea where the fuck to send an application

Australia.

Blah blah tapatalk

[Nicholai Pestot]

I'm the exact opposite. At least a tie or you'll piss me off for wasting the time to interview you. This isn't the Apple store. You are not a special snowflake. You are being interviewed as a professional IT resource. Act the part.

This comes down to what kind of company it is tho, there are different types of techs
We dress casual to stand out, others dress snappy to fit in where they work

For the interview, figure out what kind of company it is and dress accordingly

But its this weird bullshit why people hate businesses. they've basically decided they have an identity. We are shirt and tie people at least for interviews. We are jeans people and as long as you're not naked we are cool people. Bullshit personas about who and how people should be.

Why should anyone have any clue about "who" the business is? I know there's a level of ease within which people have to fit. But this bollocksology is making good people neurotic.

That’s the point. You don't know, so you go along dressed in the way you feel is appropriate and then they can use your own unbiased decision as part of their "will he fit in here" analysis.

You are complaining about not being able to cheat your way through part of the interview

Eh, no. Because its a game at this point. It has nothing to do with suitability. There's probably a suitfaqs website. It has passed the point where anyone can or should make a judgement as long as the person looks somewhat respectable. If someone turns up wearing a suit when really you're looking for business casual and you mark them down for that you're a dick. and that's what's turned this bollocks into a game and making people neurotic.

It has everything to do with suitability. Have you ever actually been an interviewer?

One of the big problems is finding questions/ points of analysis that won't be gamed. How someone dresses for an interview can tell you a lot about what they think is suitable attire for an interview. The clothes themselves are irrelevant, the thoughts behind choosing those clothes are important.

It’s like how people blatantly lying on psych tests give you more relevant information about themselves than people who tell the truth, or how when you are set a group task to do with other applicants your ability to perform the task is irrelevant. It’s how you approach the task that matters.

If this makes you neurotic, you are approaching interviews the wrong way. Dress how you think you should dress. Act how you think you should act. Be natural and forget 99% of the bullshit people spout about the ‘game’.

Doing anything else, trying to ‘play the game’ will normally cause you to come across as awkward and false (unless you are a master actor/liar) and can result in you ending up in a job you dislike, performing a role you are ill-suited for surrounded by people you hate.

[dpidcoe]

It has everything to do with suitability. Have you ever actually been an interviewer?

One of the big problems is finding questions/ points of analysis that won't be gamed. How someone dresses for an interview can tell you a lot about what they think is suitable attire for an interview. The clothes themselves are irrelevant, the thoughts behind choosing those clothes are important.

It’s like how people blatantly lying on psych tests give you more relevant information about themselves than people who tell the truth, or how when you are set a group task to do with other applicants your ability to perform the task is irrelevant. It’s how you approach the task that matters.

If this makes you neurotic, you are approaching interviews the wrong way. Dress how you think you should dress. Act how you think you should act. Be natural and forget 99% of the bullshit people spout about the ‘game’.

Doing anything else, trying to ‘play the game’ will normally cause you to come across as awkward and false (unless you are a master actor/liar) and can result in you ending up in a job you dislike, performing a role you are ill-suited for surrounded by people you hate.

QFT.

[Mrenda]

I'm the exact opposite. At least a tie or you'll piss me off for wasting the time to interview you. This isn't the Apple store. You are not a special snowflake. You are being interviewed as a professional IT resource. Act the part.

This comes down to what kind of company it is tho, there are different types of techs
We dress casual to stand out, others dress snappy to fit in where they work

For the interview, figure out what kind of company it is and dress accordingly

But its this weird bullshit why people hate businesses. they've basically decided they have an identity. We are shirt and tie people at least for interviews. We are jeans people and as long as you're not naked we are cool people. Bullshit personas about who and how people should be.

Why should anyone have any clue about "who" the business is? I know there's a level of ease within which people have to fit. But this bollocksology is making good people neurotic.

That’s the point. You don't know, so you go along dressed in the way you feel is appropriate and then they can use your own unbiased decision as part of their "will he fit in here" analysis.

You are complaining about not being able to cheat your way through part of the interview

Eh, no. Because its a game at this point. It has nothing to do with suitability. There's probably a suitfaqs website. It has passed the point where anyone can or should make a judgement as long as the person looks somewhat respectable. If someone turns up wearing a suit when really you're looking for business casual and you mark them down for that you're a dick. and that's what's turned this bollocks into a game and making people neurotic.

It has everything to do with suitability. Have you ever actually been an interviewer?

One of the big problems is finding questions/ points of analysis that won't be gamed. How someone dresses for an interview can tell you a lot about what they think is suitable attire for an interview. The clothes themselves are irrelevant, the thoughts behind choosing those clothes are important.

It’s like how people blatantly lying on psych tests give you more relevant information about themselves than people who tell the truth, or how when you are set a group task to do with other applicants your ability to perform the task is irrelevant. It’s how you approach the task that matters.

If this makes you neurotic, you are approaching interviews the wrong way. Dress how you think you should dress. Act how you think you should act. Be natural and forget 99% of the bullshit people spout about the ‘game’.

Doing anything else, trying to ‘play the game’ will normally cause you to come across as awkward and false (unless you are a master actor/liar) and can result in you ending up in a job you dislike, performing a role you are ill-suited for surrounded by people you hate.

I do do this but not everyone is as smart as me. My point is that once someone shows some tacit acknowledgement that they are willing to engage on the respectability scale it shouldn't matter what they wear.

If half the industry expects business casual and the other half expects business wear turning up in one or the other shouldn't make a difference. Whether someone can figure out or not that Tuesday is pink tie day means nothing. I don't mean its irrelevant if someone turns up to a funeral director job wearing jorts and a tie dye t shirt.

[Steph]

lol

Boss sent me an email asking about the php workings of the site. I never handled those, we have a php programmer who built all of that, and I assume from the fact that he's asking me and not her that she's taken a walk.

Told boss that I know shit about site's guts and haven't a clue how to help him out, which is true. Much as I'd love to help keep the company afloat long enough to collect my paycheque, I'm not about to start mucking around with things I know nothing about and risk breaking everything.

[Ben Derindar]

I'm one week from graduation, and I'll be a machine technician (same as a machine engineer pretty much, just about 75/25 theory/practice instead of just 100% theory)and will probably be looking for a job as a structural engineer or constructor, as I both like drawing shit and calculating what dimensions and shit are needed, while also being fucking good at it.
Problem is, I have no idea where the fuck to send an application, nor do I really know how to write a decent application, as I mostly have used to just show up at companies that interested me and ask for a job, which has worked for me in the past, but now I'm going into a much more formal environment than I'm used to, and I'm fucking clueless as to how to do this shit.

Seriously, come to Christchurch, New Zealand and you can probably still just show up at companies that interest you and ask for work. We had a skills shortage in the engineering and construction fields *before* the earthquakes rooted the central city, so you should have heaps of options down this way now.

Edit: new video tour of the central city

[Sponk]

Remember to bring some hot chips to the interview, and ask the interviewer "funcy som chups bro?"

[erichkknaar]

I'm the exact opposite. At least a tie or you'll piss me off for wasting the time to interview you. This isn't the Apple store. You are not a special snowflake. You are being interviewed as a professional IT resource. Act the part.

This comes down to what kind of company it is tho, there are different types of techs
We dress casual to stand out, others dress snappy to fit in where they work

For the interview, figure out what kind of company it is and dress accordingly

But its this weird bullshit why people hate businesses. they've basically decided they have an identity. We are shirt and tie people at least for interviews. We are jeans people and as long as you're not naked we are cool people. Bullshit personas about who and how people should be.

Why should anyone have any clue about "who" the business is? I know there's a level of ease within which people have to fit. But this bollocksology is making good people neurotic.

That’s the point. You don't know, so you go along dressed in the way you feel is appropriate and then they can use your own unbiased decision as part of their "will he fit in here" analysis.

You are complaining about not being able to cheat your way through part of the interview

Eh, no. Because its a game at this point. It has nothing to do with suitability. There's probably a suitfaqs website. It has passed the point where anyone can or should make a judgement as long as the person looks somewhat respectable. If someone turns up wearing a suit when really you're looking for business casual and you mark them down for that you're a dick. and that's what's turned this bollocks into a game and making people neurotic.

It has everything to do with suitability. Have you ever actually been an interviewer?

One of the big problems is finding questions/ points of analysis that won't be gamed. How someone dresses for an interview can tell you a lot about what they think is suitable attire for an interview. The clothes themselves are irrelevant, the thoughts behind choosing those clothes are important.

It’s like how people blatantly lying on psych tests give you more relevant information about themselves than people who tell the truth, or how when you are set a group task to do with other applicants your ability to perform the task is irrelevant. It’s how you approach the task that matters.

If this makes you neurotic, you are approaching interviews the wrong way. Dress how you think you should dress. Act how you think you should act. Be natural and forget 99% of the bullshit people spout about the ‘game’.

Doing anything else, trying to ‘play the game’ will normally cause you to come across as awkward and false (unless you are a master actor/liar) and can result in you ending up in a job you dislike, performing a role you are ill-suited for surrounded by people you hate.

I do do this but not everyone is as smart as me. My point is that once someone shows some tacit acknowledgement that they are willing to engage on the respectability scale it shouldn't matter what they wear.

If half the industry expects business casual and the other half expects business wear turning up in one or the other shouldn't make a difference. Whether someone can figure out or not that Tuesday is pink tie day means nothing. I don't mean its irrelevant if someone turns up to a funeral director job wearing jorts and a tie dye t shirt.

No, it means you did your homework, even if that involves stalking the business when they get in/out.

Do your homework.

I'm not going to dismiss a guy strictly for showing up in a suit to a startup (but it shows a distinct lack of intuition), but, holy god, if you don't know what the company does, it's end interview, right fucking there. Happens more often than you think and I work for one of the top ten brands in the world.

[Lallante]

Any company that would turn down a candidate on the sole basis of them being over-dressed to an interview is retarded and you shouldnt want to work there tbh.

[Sponk]

Any company that would turn down a candidate on the sole basis of them being over-dressed to an interview is retarded and you shouldnt want to work there tbh.

If they rocked up in top hat and tails I'd still give them negative marks.

Then secretly give them +rep .

[Steph]

Boss sent me a note on GIM this morning thanking me for uploading the index page he sent over, and how he tried uploading his own version and it didn't work and how fortunate it was that I was around to do it.

Ha ha ha fuck you. I anticipate this means that my "solution" will not materialize on Friday and he's trying to keep me onboard.