Hey, I know I'm posting back to back, but I haven't blogged in a week or two and I want to catch up so I can try to post more regularly.
Since my birthday post, I've joined a mystery shopper network (I'll let you know how that goes when I actually get to the site fast enough to snag one), been selected for a marketing research group, and hired to do some voice over work for a software company, which I do tomorrow.
I'm also working my butt off on the examiner.com articles. It's hard to put a local spin on every single article I post for the examiner.com site. I'm shooting for 75% local relating and a few here and there that just can't be tied in. I'm an interpersonal relationships examiner, so not everything is Seattle specific. But I'm finding a lot of good tie-ins.
Hope all is well in your world.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
The Most Insane Job Interview I've Ever Been On
This is a post I put on my Facebook page last week after taking a very strange job interview. I didn't want to post it on my public blog until I found out if I'd been called back for a second live interview. I wasn't, btw, in case you were curious. This post is really long, but I literally could not make the weirdness any shorter.
Just so you know, I embarked on the single weirdest job interview ever yesterday. I received a phone call at the end of the day asking me if I had applied for a job as an administrative assistant with a company called Alaska Structures. I responded that I had and in the course of a 10-15 minute conversation, she proceeded to put me on hold half a dozen times. After the second of which, she asked me if I could hear the hold music. Following a manic conversation in which she heard only half of my answers and dogs barked maniacally in the background, she asked me to come in for an interview. At 7am the next morning (today).
She also used the word professional about 50 times. How professional they were, what high level executives were in their office and these were the Michael Jordans of their industry. She re-iterated after telling me about the interview that they were professional. I assured her I would wear a suit. And then she reminded me that if I chose not to come for any reason (that should have been a warning) or was running late, to call because that is a professional courtesy. I told her that I am aware of how to conduct myself in an interview.
Fast forward to this morning. I arrived about 15 minutes early to an office with several people bustling around. After a minute, a woman flung open the door wearing jeans, sweats and flip flops with her hair back like she's getting ready to have a facial. I asked her if I was in the right place. She told me I was fine and escorted me to fill out some paperwork. Another girl arrived and by 5 til, there were 5 of us and it was obvious we were going to have a group interview.
I noted the security camera pointed directly at us and pointed it out to one of the girls I'd been talking to. I realized they were probably watching out reactions to everything, including the four dogs that were running around the office. After making us wait til nearly 7:45, we were finally ushered into a plush conference room with 3 people at the table, with laptops in front of each. They made no introductions between the candidates or themselves (and, coincidentally, none of the bustling staff walking back and forth while we waited spoke to each other OR us).
After answering some basic questions about why we'd left our last jobs, or why we were looking to leave our jobs, another man came in and joined us. He sat back and asked a couple of questions himself, and then asked us on a scale of 1-10 what kind of manager he was (1=laid back, 10=dictatorial, and we couldn't pick 5). He then made us all jump when, after guessing, he stated adamantly that he was a 10, a big 10 and he trained all his managers to be 10s.
The interview went on with them asking us to ask questions and then not answering them, or being vague about the answers. They grilled the two girls giving generic answers (I'm looking for growth, I haven't reached my full potential) and when asked about the duties of the job, the 4th man (who turned out to be the CEO), told us we needed to think outside the box because no two days would be the same at this company.
Some of the examples he gave were finding 500 goats in Pakistan a month before Eid (sp?), where they slaughter millions of goats and sheep (two assistants quit over that), finding a way to sneak them into Myanmar (but they weren't breaking any laws in the US-just Myanmar, to which I replied that as long as I didn't get arrested as an accessory to whatever he was doing, I supposed that was fine). This request also lost him two adminstrators. The final example he gave was when he asked them to find a DC-10 cargo plane to ship supplies into Haiti following the quake (also illegal, btw).
They finished up the interview by practically bragging about their turnover rate and telling us to go read all the bad things people say about them in the blog and let them know by the end of the day whether we are interested in continuing in the interview process. Then they would let us know by the end of business Monday if we had been selected for a second interview.
I know for a fact I will not pursue a job working for them, even if I am offered one. I knew that before I left the interview. This post will eventually move to my blog, but until I am finished with them, I do not want it posted publicly. I read the blog and it was pretty condemning but I called to tell them I am still interested in learning about their company if they choose me for the next round of interviews. So I want to see if I get another interview with them, which I'll attend mostly out of boredom. And partly to find out if some of the more ridiculous stuff I read is true.
If you want to read for yourself, visit:
http://www.indeed.com/forum/cmp/Alaska-Structures/Alaska-Structures-Interview-Questions/t16877
Just so you know, I embarked on the single weirdest job interview ever yesterday. I received a phone call at the end of the day asking me if I had applied for a job as an administrative assistant with a company called Alaska Structures. I responded that I had and in the course of a 10-15 minute conversation, she proceeded to put me on hold half a dozen times. After the second of which, she asked me if I could hear the hold music. Following a manic conversation in which she heard only half of my answers and dogs barked maniacally in the background, she asked me to come in for an interview. At 7am the next morning (today).
She also used the word professional about 50 times. How professional they were, what high level executives were in their office and these were the Michael Jordans of their industry. She re-iterated after telling me about the interview that they were professional. I assured her I would wear a suit. And then she reminded me that if I chose not to come for any reason (that should have been a warning) or was running late, to call because that is a professional courtesy. I told her that I am aware of how to conduct myself in an interview.
Fast forward to this morning. I arrived about 15 minutes early to an office with several people bustling around. After a minute, a woman flung open the door wearing jeans, sweats and flip flops with her hair back like she's getting ready to have a facial. I asked her if I was in the right place. She told me I was fine and escorted me to fill out some paperwork. Another girl arrived and by 5 til, there were 5 of us and it was obvious we were going to have a group interview.
I noted the security camera pointed directly at us and pointed it out to one of the girls I'd been talking to. I realized they were probably watching out reactions to everything, including the four dogs that were running around the office. After making us wait til nearly 7:45, we were finally ushered into a plush conference room with 3 people at the table, with laptops in front of each. They made no introductions between the candidates or themselves (and, coincidentally, none of the bustling staff walking back and forth while we waited spoke to each other OR us).
After answering some basic questions about why we'd left our last jobs, or why we were looking to leave our jobs, another man came in and joined us. He sat back and asked a couple of questions himself, and then asked us on a scale of 1-10 what kind of manager he was (1=laid back, 10=dictatorial, and we couldn't pick 5). He then made us all jump when, after guessing, he stated adamantly that he was a 10, a big 10 and he trained all his managers to be 10s.
The interview went on with them asking us to ask questions and then not answering them, or being vague about the answers. They grilled the two girls giving generic answers (I'm looking for growth, I haven't reached my full potential) and when asked about the duties of the job, the 4th man (who turned out to be the CEO), told us we needed to think outside the box because no two days would be the same at this company.
Some of the examples he gave were finding 500 goats in Pakistan a month before Eid (sp?), where they slaughter millions of goats and sheep (two assistants quit over that), finding a way to sneak them into Myanmar (but they weren't breaking any laws in the US-just Myanmar, to which I replied that as long as I didn't get arrested as an accessory to whatever he was doing, I supposed that was fine). This request also lost him two adminstrators. The final example he gave was when he asked them to find a DC-10 cargo plane to ship supplies into Haiti following the quake (also illegal, btw).
They finished up the interview by practically bragging about their turnover rate and telling us to go read all the bad things people say about them in the blog and let them know by the end of the day whether we are interested in continuing in the interview process. Then they would let us know by the end of business Monday if we had been selected for a second interview.
I know for a fact I will not pursue a job working for them, even if I am offered one. I knew that before I left the interview. This post will eventually move to my blog, but until I am finished with them, I do not want it posted publicly. I read the blog and it was pretty condemning but I called to tell them I am still interested in learning about their company if they choose me for the next round of interviews. So I want to see if I get another interview with them, which I'll attend mostly out of boredom. And partly to find out if some of the more ridiculous stuff I read is true.
If you want to read for yourself, visit:
http://www.indeed.com/forum/cmp/Alaska-Structures/Alaska-Structures-Interview-Questions/t16877
Friday, August 13, 2010
Friday the 13th
AKA-my birthday! 28 years ago (on a Friday the 13th), I came into the world. So how did I commemorate this joyous occasion?
First thing this morning, I had a job interview. THAT was a fun way to kick off the day. It actually went well until I found out it was a part time position. I decided to go ahead and leave myself in the running. It would be great experience and it's a good company.
After I spent nearly an hour driving home because of a wreck on the highway and my general lack of knowhow in getting around these things, even with a gps, I changed clothes and spent another 30 minutes or so trying to motivate myself to get up and head out to enjoy a gorgeous day in Seattle.
I spent the afternoon at Gas Works Park (for those of you who like the movie 10 Things I Hate About You, this is where they filmed the paintball fight between Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger. I took a picnic lunch and a book and basically read and worked on my tan all afternoon. Then I wandered around downtown, ending up in Chinatown accidentally and stopped for the BEST sushi I've ever had. I had to save it in the GPS as "Best Sushi Ever" because the sign was in Chinese/Japanese. Then I headed back closer to home and caught a movie at a great little theater in Shoreline that shows 2nd run films.
My Examiner.com site went live today with my first article, but due to their ongoing site upgrades, the link doens't work. Go figure. So hopefully, they'll have that resolved sometime tomorrow and I can share my first article with the world. In the meantime, I'll be continuing to sleep on my air mattress and sit in my camp chair praying that the movers are indeed coming Sunday with my belongings.
First thing this morning, I had a job interview. THAT was a fun way to kick off the day. It actually went well until I found out it was a part time position. I decided to go ahead and leave myself in the running. It would be great experience and it's a good company.
After I spent nearly an hour driving home because of a wreck on the highway and my general lack of knowhow in getting around these things, even with a gps, I changed clothes and spent another 30 minutes or so trying to motivate myself to get up and head out to enjoy a gorgeous day in Seattle.
I spent the afternoon at Gas Works Park (for those of you who like the movie 10 Things I Hate About You, this is where they filmed the paintball fight between Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger. I took a picnic lunch and a book and basically read and worked on my tan all afternoon. Then I wandered around downtown, ending up in Chinatown accidentally and stopped for the BEST sushi I've ever had. I had to save it in the GPS as "Best Sushi Ever" because the sign was in Chinese/Japanese. Then I headed back closer to home and caught a movie at a great little theater in Shoreline that shows 2nd run films.
My Examiner.com site went live today with my first article, but due to their ongoing site upgrades, the link doens't work. Go figure. So hopefully, they'll have that resolved sometime tomorrow and I can share my first article with the world. In the meantime, I'll be continuing to sleep on my air mattress and sit in my camp chair praying that the movers are indeed coming Sunday with my belongings.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Examiner.com
Me again. I warned you in the first post that I sometimes post multiple time a day.
Basically, I'm expecting this trend to continue until I have gainful employment.
That's right, this blogger is one of the masses living off of government cheese.
I've been in Seattle about 2 weeks and put in over 60 applications. These have ranged from retail and temp positions, to jobs that could be a stepping stone to my chosen career field, or biting the bullet and putting myself out there for something I'm not 100% qualified for, but that I would be great at.
Today, I had my first job interview in Seattle. I thought it went really well. I got along well with the interviewer, felt confident in my answers and am pretty enthusiastic about the company. It would be a great place to gain more experience in hospitality (and maybe even some event planning down the road) and the environment seems great. However, at the end of what I thought was a great interview, I got an odd parting shot from the interviewer.
As I'm leaving she said that if I'm chosen for a second interview, they'll be in touch shortly (ok, normal), but if not, it was great to meet me and good luck. I've NEVER had an interview end on such an odd note. It could be a standard send off, designed to impart that there is no implied second interview just in case I don't get chosen to continue the application process. Or it could be that she doesn't think I'll make the cut and have a nice life.
She was more than friendly and there was nothing about her delivery that made me think I was out of the running, so it may have just been a case of awkward phrasing. Who HASN'T been there?
Either way, I got through my first interview out here and look forward to finding a great job.
In the meantime, I'm getting situated and ready to begin my stint as the Seattle Interpersonal Relationships Examiner. That's a mouthful. Basically, I'll be examining interpersonal relationships, offering my take, communication tips, etc. I'm pretty excited. I love to talk (and write) and this is a site that I followed regularly when I lived in Missouri (I read the Kansas City Examiner all the time).
I've banked a handful of stories to get me started. Mostly topics that came right off the top of my head when I decided I'd like to try my hand at this. I'm also banking a few of these for weeks when I have a lot of job interviews or, once I start working full-time again, when my workweek is too busy to write as much as I'd like.
One of the things I'm doing to help promote my Examiner page is joining Twitter. I'm sure I've done it wrong because I don't get any updates on my phone. I only see Twitter stuff when I log in on my laptop. To be fair, I might be in my 20s, but sometimes I'm a little behind on social networking trends (though I did join Myspace and then subsequently Facebook before they had a million users). I just got my first smartphone this year and I'm in love with it. As someone who has had a cell phone since she was 15, when they first became mainstream for high school students, this surprises most people. It was my 18 year old niece who talked me into it.
So tomorrow, I will be investigating why my Twitter doesn't, well, Twitter. I also get to check in at a government approved employment agency to continue my eligibility for unemployment benefits. And then? You guessed it. Put in more applications for jobs.
On a personal note: the air mattress is getting old. As in, I've lived here for 2 weeks sleeping on an air mattress. My stuff left Missouri 3 weeks ago and looks as though it may not be here for 3-4 more days. If all of my stuff arrives intact, I can deal with it, but I won't lie: I miss my bed terribly.
Basically, I'm expecting this trend to continue until I have gainful employment.
That's right, this blogger is one of the masses living off of government cheese.
I've been in Seattle about 2 weeks and put in over 60 applications. These have ranged from retail and temp positions, to jobs that could be a stepping stone to my chosen career field, or biting the bullet and putting myself out there for something I'm not 100% qualified for, but that I would be great at.
Today, I had my first job interview in Seattle. I thought it went really well. I got along well with the interviewer, felt confident in my answers and am pretty enthusiastic about the company. It would be a great place to gain more experience in hospitality (and maybe even some event planning down the road) and the environment seems great. However, at the end of what I thought was a great interview, I got an odd parting shot from the interviewer.
As I'm leaving she said that if I'm chosen for a second interview, they'll be in touch shortly (ok, normal), but if not, it was great to meet me and good luck. I've NEVER had an interview end on such an odd note. It could be a standard send off, designed to impart that there is no implied second interview just in case I don't get chosen to continue the application process. Or it could be that she doesn't think I'll make the cut and have a nice life.
She was more than friendly and there was nothing about her delivery that made me think I was out of the running, so it may have just been a case of awkward phrasing. Who HASN'T been there?
Either way, I got through my first interview out here and look forward to finding a great job.
In the meantime, I'm getting situated and ready to begin my stint as the Seattle Interpersonal Relationships Examiner. That's a mouthful. Basically, I'll be examining interpersonal relationships, offering my take, communication tips, etc. I'm pretty excited. I love to talk (and write) and this is a site that I followed regularly when I lived in Missouri (I read the Kansas City Examiner all the time).
I've banked a handful of stories to get me started. Mostly topics that came right off the top of my head when I decided I'd like to try my hand at this. I'm also banking a few of these for weeks when I have a lot of job interviews or, once I start working full-time again, when my workweek is too busy to write as much as I'd like.
One of the things I'm doing to help promote my Examiner page is joining Twitter. I'm sure I've done it wrong because I don't get any updates on my phone. I only see Twitter stuff when I log in on my laptop. To be fair, I might be in my 20s, but sometimes I'm a little behind on social networking trends (though I did join Myspace and then subsequently Facebook before they had a million users). I just got my first smartphone this year and I'm in love with it. As someone who has had a cell phone since she was 15, when they first became mainstream for high school students, this surprises most people. It was my 18 year old niece who talked me into it.
So tomorrow, I will be investigating why my Twitter doesn't, well, Twitter. I also get to check in at a government approved employment agency to continue my eligibility for unemployment benefits. And then? You guessed it. Put in more applications for jobs.
On a personal note: the air mattress is getting old. As in, I've lived here for 2 weeks sleeping on an air mattress. My stuff left Missouri 3 weeks ago and looks as though it may not be here for 3-4 more days. If all of my stuff arrives intact, I can deal with it, but I won't lie: I miss my bed terribly.
Rekindling My Relationship with Blogging
A few years ago, I blogged pretty prolifically. Some days I would post 2-3 entries in a single day. Funny happenings throughout my day, witticisms, general commentary on anything and everything. I had a decent following for a private blog.
Then life happened. I changed jobs and was crazy busy working for an ignorant tyrant of a boss (unfortunately, at a job I LOVED) and the time to make even one blog post a day became a struggle. I decided that I shouldn't dread something I enjoy. So I quit blogging.
Recently, I have been thinking about trying to get back into the blogging habit. I enjoy it and since I've recently been selected to write for the Seattle Examiner.com site, I feel that blogging will help me purge myself of the temptation to write articles in first person or simply tell stories to my Examiner audience.
Here's what you need to know about me: I'm 27, single and recently relocated back to Seattle, Washington. I don't currently work full-time, but you'll get to read plenty about my struggle to find work on here, I'm sure. I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I'll enjoy writing them.
~Maegan ~
Then life happened. I changed jobs and was crazy busy working for an ignorant tyrant of a boss (unfortunately, at a job I LOVED) and the time to make even one blog post a day became a struggle. I decided that I shouldn't dread something I enjoy. So I quit blogging.
Recently, I have been thinking about trying to get back into the blogging habit. I enjoy it and since I've recently been selected to write for the Seattle Examiner.com site, I feel that blogging will help me purge myself of the temptation to write articles in first person or simply tell stories to my Examiner audience.
Here's what you need to know about me: I'm 27, single and recently relocated back to Seattle, Washington. I don't currently work full-time, but you'll get to read plenty about my struggle to find work on here, I'm sure. I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I'll enjoy writing them.
~Maegan ~
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