Resume/job application advice

[RandR]

My quals:

1)I ran HR for a while at my company, am now senior analyst or whatever position I feel like making up, as I own 20%

2)At my other company I am the CFO

what are people looking for when they ask the questions:

1) Why do you want the job?

2) Why would you be great at the job?

1)I generally want to hear pragmatic honesty. If you want the job, tell me that you like the work but that you ultimately want to do more with more responsibility. I also like it if the person talks about how they like quantitative work, and if they have done some research on my company and know what specifically interests them. I.e. "I really would like to learn the basics of contract accounting, and then move more towards the financial analyst side". So really, don't just tell me why you want the job - tell me why you want the next level of that job as well.

2)Just say some generics - I'm a hard worker, I feel like I fit in with the culture after talking to everyone, I think this company has a lot of growth potential, etc etc. Our minds are already made up at the this point - you are either hired or not by the time you hear this question.

*******************************************

general interview notes:

1)Be confident. Seriously. I cannot stress this enough. If you act and look like you don't fucking think you can get the job, why the hell would I give it to you?

2)Dress as if you give a shit. I shouldn't have to say this to sufu. Wear a suit, a non-garish tie, and don't be fashion forward - If you roll in for the interview in a givenchy brocade blazer and some lanvin, I will fucking mock you relentlessly throughout the rest of the interview day and probably draw you on my notepad blowing another dude. If you wear Julius, I will ask you if you think we will still be around post nuclear war, and mock you to your face. Save fashion forward for your personal life - not work.

2)If I ask you a question that seems like it has no right answer, go through your thought process for me. This is an interview tactic used by a lot of hedge funds/banks/finance groups. An example is "how many shoes can fit in a boeing 747?" Nobody fucking knows - the point is for you to talk to me and say "well, two shoes in a shoebox, a person is about 10 shoeboxes in volume, and there's roughly 200 people, so 2000 shoeboxes..." If you can show me you have analytical ability on the spot, you might have a job.

3)Be friendly, and learn to shake someone's hand without going alpha male or limp wristed. Dudes that try to crush my hand are out/dudes that are too scared to shake my hand are out. There's an art to the firm, one pump handshake with unbroken eye contact that defines someone from the get go.

All of this applies to girls too. Generally I try to hire people who will be good workers - i.e. actually do what I tell them to, but have initiative on their own. Your resume doesn't tell me much but it DOES let me cut out a group of people arbitrarily, which keeps me out of trouble with the EEO. The most important thing to realize is: if you get called in for an interview you have a legitimate chance to win. If I interview you for a laugh, I have to fucking report it as part of the interviewed population, which can lead to a lawsuit if I am not being serious. So all interviews count. Never think you only have an outside chance.

Also, I try not to hire really hot women, because I'm afraid of lawsuits...and if they do get hired by my HR team, I never talk to them. Real talk.

[merry burger]

If anyone wants me to look over a resume and make edits, PM me or email me at my username @ gmail with your resume and some info about yourself and what kind of job you're looking for. Some people like Sudoku to pass the time... I like to edit resumes.

[burgerking]

Has anyone ever been/conducted a group interview? I have one coming up and I don't really understand what happens or the logistics of it.

[andthanh]

Has anyone ever been/conducted a group interview? I have one coming up and I don't really understand what happens or the logistics of it.

It's just like a regular interview, but with a group of people. The interviewer will ask a question and the group will take turns answering it. Group interviews are pretty nice because it takes off some of the pressure/anxiety of a 1-on-1 interview. Plus if you don't have an answer to a question, you can always hear what other people say before you and get some ideas from their answer haha.

[gettoasty]

Just want to say the resume gets easier as you get more experience, work at different places etc.

but i am sure that is stating the obvious

point kind of trying to make is that it's okay to start at anywhere and learn/pickup new skill sets

something simple as "customer service" or answering phone calls is actually hard to master especially if you're in the front line.

Edited March 28, 2012 by gettoasty

[burgerking]

One more question: so if I got called by two+ jobs for interviews how should I handle it? I've never been in this situation before and I wouldn't know what to do if I got hired by both. Halp please?

[Guest glasses]

get an offer from both first before you begin worrying...

[burgerking]

that's my current situation right now that's why I ask...

[Guest glasses]

ah, i thought you were saying you had multiple interview opportunities. do you not have a preference between the two? just politely decline one

[conqueror]

i applied for a part-time position as a research assistant in a study on school bullying and levels of sleep deprivation...was super interesting (i'm a final year psych undergrad) and i thought my application was spot-on. got the email today that i didn't get it (they had 3 positions), so bummed out.

[Kasper]

that's my current situation right now that's why I ask...

use the multiple offers to get better pay / benefits. Finding a job is like dating, you are free to explore as many opportunities as you like up until you commit.

[RandR]

that's my current situation right now that's why I ask...

get an offer from the job you don't really want first. then go to the first and say "i think we are a perfect match for this position. however, I was already offered this much by this other company, so I am hoping that you can match or better their offer, as I'd prefer to work for you".

it's important to be up front and respectful to the company that actually interests you - telling them you are a valuable commodity is a very good idea, and certainly doesn't harm your relationship to their management. I will give an example:

we have an analyst guy in our main division that was getting paid something like 65K as of last year. He's pretty integral in maintaining our cash flow cycle with minimal breaks in AR, so I would honestly say he saves us somewhere in the range of 100-200K in interest alone, every year. Further, his relationship with the government finance side is very strong and that means he can push for us to get paid faster and preferentially with minimal effort.

He was offered something on the order of 80K by a competitor(who routinely tries to steal our employees), and he told us about it. Initially his direct superior offered him 70K with a further raise at the end of the year, which is pretty insulting considering the fact that this guy has been super loyal, does good work, and has a college degree. I stepped in and told them to bump the offer to close to 100K instead, and I personally talked to him and convinced him that we wanted him to stay with our company for a very long time. He ended up staying and netting basically a 30-40K increase in his salary, and frankly I'm glad we got him so cheap.

As long as you are not overtly trying to jack up your market value, it's always a good idea to be honest and up front about what you expect from your employer - much like in a relationship, you know?

[burgerking]

Great advice, thank you kasper/randr

[kvc06]

Interviewed with the world's largest and most accomplished PR firm for a trainee position today. I think it went pretty well. The hardest part is waiting to find out...

[kvc06]

I got it! My determination and perseverance despite some serious setbacks in my college career has finally paid off.

This is one of the first times in my life I can truly say I'm proud of myself.

Edited April 19, 2012 by kvc06

[yooneunhye38]

I got it! My determination and perseverance despite some serious setbacks in my college career has finally paid off.

This is one of the first times in my life I can truly say I'm proud of myself.

Don't know anything about the PR industry but sounds impressive. gj dude. you go to uchicago?

[kvc06]

Thanks!

I wish I did! I go to U of I - Chicago because it's cheap Hoping for Northwestern Medill for my Master's though. (after a few years of work)

It's also pretty big for someone from my school to end up at a top firm in any industry even for an internship. We get just about no recruitment here so I was completely on my own.

Edited April 20, 2012 by kvc06

[arctic]

simple question, which one is better, High GPA or Various internship experience? thx before

[homme.homme]

^ Depends on the industry and position. In my experience (fashion/design) relevant experience and skill set is more desirable then a number.

[conqueror]

i think gpa is alot more important in the states than it is here in australia - unless you're applying for honours/masters no one really gives a shit about your gpa here as long as you have the degree itself.

[Guest BriNYC]

take an adderall before an interview

[jackg]

My 6 years at uni is finally coming to a grinding halt (at the end of this year) and I am in the process of applying for a range of jobs, from consulting firms, to media agencies and just interesting places in and around Melbourne, its a pretty eclectic mix but I am still a little unsure of what I actually want to do. 

 

For the record i did an undergraduate double degree arts/marketing, and am just finishing a masters of advanced marketing with a research specialisation. 

 

Would anyone be able to look over my resume or have any suggestions about the job process?? or places to apply? Anything at this point would be greatly appreciated.

 

Also what is the consensus on long hair and the workforce? I realise its probably pretty job specific some places might not care too much but others will no doubt have issues. 

Edited June 4, 2013 by jackg

[conqueror]

i graduated in april and don't have any advice. i'm finding it super difficult to get out of retail - in the last 2 months i would have applied to around 60+ fairly simple office jobs (admin, data entry, etc) and have had 0 interviews. i've had my resume and cover letter checked by my university's career advisor and 2 HR reps from recruitment consultants with no luck. i'm sure the market is alot better in melbourne.

 

re: long hair, it would definitely be an issue in law or something but i don't think anyone advertising for marketing roles will really care as long as its neat and tied up.

[postman]

i'd be safe if i were you and just cut the hair. i mean advertising might be more lax in terms of their dress code, but if you need to meet clients i'm pretty sure having long hair might not look very professional.

 

my advice is to just cut your hair short and neat before you even go for any interviews. you don't want to be dinged just based on your hair.

[Harry Hood]

I had shoulder-length hair for 3 years or so, and I can honestly say that most people hate it. People in positions to do so will undoubtedly look down on you from the moment they see it. It is wrong and unfortunate but thats just how it is. Society sees it as unprofessional, unkempt, dirty, whatever but never good so I would advise you just to cut it for interviews and then do whatever you're allowed to/want to when you have the job.

[t3hcoke]

@jackg

the safest thing to do is to cut your hair, but fuck that.

im sure that in the time you've spent in school you can get some pretty good recommendations that will most definitely get you in the door and from then on its all ability/eagerness to learn.

marketing is definitely more image-conscious tho.

Edited June 4, 2013 by t3hcoke

[BRICK DOM]

Anyone willing to look over my resume for me? Recently took off my GPA and I stopped even receiving interview opportunities so I guess I should re-include it. Apparently some people have told me my resume is weak but they didn't offer much feedback. Dunno ... I'm two months out of my undergrad with no prospect of work 

[Quiver]

Anyone willing to look over my resume for me? Recently took off my GPA and I stopped even receiving interview opportunities so I guess I should re-include it. Apparently some people have told me my resume is weak but they didn't offer much feedback. Dunno ... I'm two months out of my undergrad with no prospect of work 

what field are you in? i like looking at these things and giving feedback.

[postman]

Anyone willing to look over my resume for me? Recently took off my GPA and I stopped even receiving interview opportunities so I guess I should re-include it. Apparently some people have told me my resume is weak but they didn't offer much feedback. Dunno ... I'm two months out of my undergrad with no prospect of work 

 

what's your GPA? if you don't include it people will automatically assume the worst and that it's probably less than 3.0.

[Harry Hood]

I don't include mine and have gotten some good interviews / offers. One company (fortune 500) just asked what it was before the interview so I told them, we moved on, and I ended up getting the offer. I have always read that it should be included, though, mine is just not what I would like it to be so I figured it would be better for them to see my resume w/o it then for them to see the GPA and immediately tell themselves "no".

 

So, if its >= 3.0, include it.

Otherwise, use your best judgment as per employer and industry.