Careerchat

[Inigima]

Do I send one email to everyone, and if so, what salutation do I use?

If single-recipient emails, do I use first names for the people I'm on a first-name basis with, or Mr./Ms.?

EDIT: Sent. Opted for single-recipient and Mr./Ms.

[Arbor Gold]

Good call sending individual emails...I just sent all of mine and used first names since that what I used when talking with them.

My presentation and interviews and lunch went extremely well. Felt a lot more like a conversation than interviews and I know that they think (as do I) I'm a good fit for the team. Now I just have to talk with Supreme Sales VP for 30 minutes on Tuesday and I think the process will be over.

ETA: Every time one of them started a sentence with "Tell me about a time when..." my stomach would clench but I had good examples ready for everything ranging from a time when I had a hard time working with a coworker to a time when I had to learn something new on my own.

It's a little stressful because I'm the only person they have talked to about this position but I've done my best to make it clear that it doesn't matter and that I'm clearly the right answer for them. The guy who would be my manager indicated that they would not drag it out just to interview other people and my gut says he wants me, so I'm feeling very positive.

I'm on my phone and can't easily scroll back but to the unemployed SF-based bio guy - I feel your pain. I'm right there with you. Hit up the BwB NorCal thread or PM me and we'd/I'd be delighted to commiserate over beers sometime.

[Datepalm]

Whoa, what? Follow up emails? Is this a thing? An in-company thing? I've always understood the follow-up to a job interview to be NO CONTACT WHATSOEVER on your - interviewees - end.

Current Job had what seemed like a really good job interview ("Ok, sorry, we'll stop embarrassing you with all these compliments now," was actually literally said) but then took three weeks to get back to me, by which time I had to make a decision about another place, so I called them - and chewed my fingernails about it for three days beforehand. And that's a small NGO with a very informal work culture.

[Inigima]

Israel might be different, but here in the US a brief follow up email is expected. Especially here on the East Coast, where we are pretty stodgy about these things.

[Datepalm]

Good god job searches seem to become a more etiquette-laden, personal, convoluted business every time I run across them.

In general careery chatter, can I use this thread to let off steam a little, since it's related and I don't have anyone much to talk to about it?

I really don't have any right to complain about Current Job. It's interesting, challenging, bringing together a couple of different fields I've worked in and/or studied in a holistic sort of way and, I hope, solidly in-line with leading to Whatever I Want To Do Next. But it's also this kind of strange, ambitious, poorly characterized project that could be something really worthwhile, or could be completely pointless, depending on how well and creatively we do it. Which includes figuring out exactly what "it" is. It's a big team (about 15 people in various bits and pieces) coming from a lot of different backgrounds, and we don't even see eachother than much, being spread out all over.

Anyway, It's been over a month now, of training and initial fieldwork, and i'm feeling like i'm getting swallowed up a bit. This part of the work leaves me somewhat sidelined - I don't speak the language well enough to do more than nod along for the most part when we've in the field, and the information we're collecting at this point is simple enough that the more specialized stuff i'm supposedly there for still feels too delicate for me to really get into. I'm ambivalent about drawing any big conclusions at this point becuase I don't think we have anything like the data we need yet...but when i'm discussing that with other people who have more-or-less my role in the project, they all seem happy to make confident pronouncements about what they're going to do or what needs to be done.

I'm increasingly feeling like I need to invent my role here, but that requires a pushiness and confidence in the work I just don't have yet. I don't think it's something I can fake, and barreling in with half-formed ideas is just beyond me. I'm not going to throw something into the ring I don't feel has genuine originality and value just for the sake of drawing attention - but in the meanwhile, I feel sidelined, and already defacto getting demoted from a planning role to a field worker/logistics one. For example, almost all my field visits have been local, with other teams heading further out. I've asked a couple of time to get more distant assignments, in an informal, "by the way, I've never been north yet, how about it?" way, and it never comes through. I think I need to have an actual conversation with the project coordinator about needing to get a wider coverage of regions to, you know, do my job (inevitably complete with the intimation that she hasn't thought through the assignments with that consideration)...but that would require that confidence that I have something to contribute, and it's worth shifting schedules around what I want.

Sigh, it's all a stupid confidence thing, isn't it? Stupid confidence.

[kairparavel]

Israel might be different, but here in the US a brief follow up email is expected. Especially here on the East Coast, where we are pretty stodgy about these things.

I have never, ever, in all my years (24) of working/interviewing sent a follow up email. Last interview/job offer was almost five years ago. I guess I'm either awesome or it's not really part of my industry's culture. I will need to research HIM practices to confirm the new world I may embark into.

[Iskaral Pust]

It's good manners to send a follow up email. One guy who wanted me to join his company even suggested that mailing a short hand-written thank-you note is better. I followed his suggestion at the time but I disagree with him now.

But I don't like when interview candidates send me a long follow-up email that is a self-aggrandizing pitch rather than a sincere thanks. There are, in general, too many candidates now who are vastly over-selling themselves. Their verbose claims are completely divorced from their actual abilities or accomplishments. There is too much advice to job seekers about self-promotion and too much disbelieving disappointment from job seekers when you aren't impressed.

I've recently had several candidates stalk me on Linked In, asking me to support their online job applications and telling me what a great fit they would be. I've responded and told them that I have never met them and have no basis whatsoever to support their application.

[Arbor Gold]

I guess I'm either awesome or it's not really part of my industry's culture.

I feel like the right answer is somewhere in between. For me, it just feels natural to send a "thank you for your time, I enjoyed our conversation" or "thank you for making all those travel arrangements, it was great meeting you in person" message. For me it feels like a combination of genuine appreciation and The Right Thing To Do.

[Angalin]

Linked In,

I get weird invites on Linked In, like a Mercedes salesman (hahahahahaHA!!!) or a Japanese investment banker. I start wondering if they're bots.

I'm looking at doing a 12-month MSc in history of medicine, specializing in the early history of MRSA. I find it really interesting, you get inured to the Google image searches after a while, etc etc. However, there is the small detail of what jobs this will qualify me for once I have the degree... and I've no idea. Public health? Government? Follow it up with a doctorate of some kind? Any ideas? If I'm going to shell out for this, it'd be nice to feel that I left my unionized admin job for a good reason (other than pursuing my bliss, Joseph Campbell yadda yadda).

eta: MRSA is rife in northern reserves here, so the health services do take an interest in it although not always a well-funded one.

[Iskaral Pust]

I get weird invites on Linked In, like a Mercedes salesman (hahahahahaHA!!!) or a Japanese investment banker. I start wondering if they're bots.

There are definitely weird invites from people who aren't in my industry, and their profile is suspiciously thin. I just ignore those. I suspect they will just generate spam.

I do accept invitations from people who are in my industry and relevant to my role, even if I have not met them before. (I remove them if they start spamming marketing pitches) But some of them treat this as a deep personal bond and expect me to advocate for their online application for any post in my company.

I cannot imagine where an MSc in history of medicine would lead you except for public health, public policy, environmental (either public enforcement or possibly consulting) or social welfare. Do you want to study MRSA because you find it personally interesting or because you want new career opportunities? Because a broad area of knowledge or skill set is better suited to the latter, not a specific topic of personal interest.

[aceluby]

What I do to prep for interviews is grab a list of 20 or so questions from the net and work on good answers for all of those questions. Usually by the time you get to question 8 or 9 you'll have plenty of scenarios that are already good enough for the rest of those questions. Just memorize those (for the most part), and during the interview try to keep it as light as possible, smile a lot, and make sure you have 1 or 2 questions ready as well.

[Elder Sister]

Ini, any word yet on the job front?

[Elder Sister]

I get weird invites on Linked In, like a Mercedes salesman (hahahahahaHA!!!) or a Japanese investment banker. I start wondering if they're bots.

Same here, although, like IP, I do get invites from people who are in similar industries. I usually accept them if they look legit.

[Inigima]

They've recommended a candidate. They aren't allowed to say anything else, including whether it's me.

[Elder Sister]

They've recommended a candidate. They aren't allowed to say anything else, including whether it's me.

Sending tons of good vibes your way.

[Iskaral Pust]

Good luck Ini

[Fragile Bird]

Yes, good luck Ini!

[Deedles]

Good luck Ini.

[all swedes are racist]

Best of luck, Ini!

[MercenaryChef]

You got this, dude!