Datepalm Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 What happened??! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tears of Lys Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 Yeah, what happened???!! You can't just leave us hanging like that. Unless they kicked his butt so fast and so hard, he's still flying through the air, in which case he can file a lawsuit against the bastards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S John Posted November 18, 2018 Author Share Posted November 18, 2018 Isn’t it kind of odd how you can search for jobs for months and not really find anything and then suddenly have 2-3 things come up at the exact same time? It always seems to work like that. My current job is stable with good benefits, and I like it, it’s just gotten stagnant and I’m underpaid with little recourse to get a substantial raise from within. So I’ve been very selectively applying to new jobs over the past year or so and really hadn’t had too many bites. I did have a couple of interviews last year that I really bombed, which was a new experience for me. Both jobs were a little bit outside my wheelhouse, but I was grossly unprepared and I paid for it. I think I’ve reached a point in my career where the interview process is just going to be more strenuous than what it used to be. Those first few jobs out of college I strolled in there, shot from the hip, and got a job offer. Those days are over, I think. Even my current job required me to give a 30 minute technical presentation to anyone from the organization who choose to attend before I got an offer, and I have found every subsequent interview has hit me with several technical questions in addition to the standard interview stuff. Anyway, out of the blue last week I was contacted by two jobs that I had applied for some months earlier and did an interview for one and a questionnaire for the other last week. Knowing that I’d done myself a disservice in my most recent interviews I went all in on preparing for these. I wrote out and answered every single question I could anticipate and rehearsed my answers a bit in my head. The interviews I had last week went so much better than the previous two, so I think it paid off. I think I’m going to get an offer on one of them, and while the other is going to be a lengthy process, I think I’ve got a really good shot there too. Not to count my chickens before they hatch but now I’m wondering if I’m going to get the one job and then 8-9 months down the road get an offer from the other one. I kinda don’t want to switch jobs again that quickly if it came down to it, but I kinda feel like having slogged through 5 years of being underpaid I’m in full on ‘fuck it’ mode. Gonna seize the best thing that comes my way whenever it comes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datepalm Posted November 18, 2018 Share Posted November 18, 2018 What are the jobs, broadly speaking? You're in a pretty narrow field here, IIRC. I'm taking your interview insights advisedly, btw - my last few gigs have come a bit informally (and all were very gig-y) and that's the foreseeable future since, y'know, PhDing so fairly limited in doing anything full time. The more I'm in the academic world, the more I've realized I really want to keep half a foot in the practitioner world though, in whatever format is available to me. Not so much because I'm unhappy doing research, as I think I get my best research insights out in the field, not to mention potentially data, so its a selfish desire really (also helps balance a budget based on a PhD stipend...) So definitely keeping an eye out for short consulting opportunities or whathaveyou, and will brave interviews again if I must! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S John Posted November 19, 2018 Author Share Posted November 19, 2018 9 hours ago, Datepalm said: What are the jobs, broadly speaking? You're in a pretty narrow field here, IIRC. I'm taking your interview insights advisedly, btw - my last few gigs have come a bit informally (and all were very gig-y) and that's the foreseeable future since, y'know, PhDing so fairly limited in doing anything full time. The more I'm in the academic world, the more I've realized I really want to keep half a foot in the practitioner world though, in whatever format is available to me. Not so much because I'm unhappy doing research, as I think I get my best research insights out in the field, not to mention potentially data, so its a selfish desire really (also helps balance a budget based on a PhD stipend...) So definitely keeping an eye out for short consulting opportunities or whathaveyou, and will brave interviews again if I must! Yea, I’m in academia now, though I’m not a PhD - and after 5 years I have pretty mixed feelings about it. I think it’s definitely a good idea to keep a foot in the practical world. At least keep an eye on it. There are some pros and cons like any job but academia is neither my favorite professional gig, nor the worst I’ve had. I think if I had a real passion for the research I might feel differently but I really don’t have much passion for it. It’s just the niche I’ve found myself in and I have a lot of knowledge about it, and I know it’s far from the most boring thing I could be doing.... but that doesn’t equal passion. I enjoy some of the trappings, like good benefits, a perfect dose of field work (about 15-20%), and I admittedly like being able to say that I’m a researcher at a major university so it’s not all bad by any stretch - but I don’t like it enough to prevent myself from getting paid more when I know that’s also an option. Like I feel like I could stay my whole career and that would be fine, but also I would be underpaid and mostly bored the whole time. Is that really how I want to spend the next 25 years? Ive steadily come to the conclusion that it’s not. I’m about to get married, who knows if we will pop out a kid or two, but either way I now need to consider if what I am doing is the best thing for the overall household and I’ve seen my peers from previous jobs who are not in academia steadily outpace me in salary and level of responsibility while I spin my wheels doing the same shit. That’s just the way I feel about it, so again, a more passionate individual than myself might feel well and truly blessed in my position, but I feel like once you strip away the prestige of getting to work at a cool / well known place, it’s kind of lame. (Meaning current job, for the record, not academia as a whole) I don’t say this to be discouraging in any way, and all of this is VERY specific to my very specific situation, but I think it’s worth being sure that you really, really, really like whatever field you are getting into if you’re going to be in academia - or at least keeping tabs on what that PhD will get you in the outside world. As for the 2 jobs I’m looking at, one is a small private company and the other is in the federal government which is why I can forsee possibly getting one offer quickly, but not getting a chance to consider the other option until I’m 6-8 months into the first. Feds take their time. I know I’ve made it through the first couple rounds, but you never know when you’ll hear from them again. Could be next week, could be 3 months. I’ll have to consider that option if/when it comes but I’m not willing to pass up a bird in the hand because something might happen with that down the line. Ideally I could choose between them at the same time but I am pretty sure I won’t have that luxury. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datepalm Posted November 19, 2018 Share Posted November 19, 2018 2 hours ago, S John said: I don’t say this to be discouraging in any way, and all of this is VERY specific to my very specific situation, but I think it’s worth being sure that you really, really, really like whatever field you are getting into if you’re going to be in academia - or at least keeping tabs on what that PhD will get you in the outside world. Yeah, no worries - being a PhD student is a constant communal refrain of 'I am not doing this because I think I can be a professor', basically. I do enjoy research and want to stay in it for the moment, but I'm definitely open (or even have a preference) for research-oriented practitioner roles. I'm in transport planning, so I can imagine being a happy camper working for a transport advocacy NGO or major municipal transport agency or the like. A big part of the PhD for me was really about gaining some international mobility and exposure to the big world outside my parochial little small country bubble as well, so I'm just enjoying these few years and trying not to stress too much about how viable academia might ever be as a career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Chatywin et al. Posted November 19, 2018 Share Posted November 19, 2018 On 11/16/2018 at 12:09 PM, Datepalm said: What happened??! On 11/17/2018 at 1:02 PM, Tears of Lys said: Yeah, what happened???!! You can't just leave us hanging like that. Unless they kicked his butt so fast and so hard, he's still flying through the air, in which case he can file a lawsuit against the bastards. I made a power play and nothing bad happened to me. Honestly I wouldn't have been too bad off if I had gotten canned. I hope to be leaving soon anyways, I've been in touch with some friends from D.C. and they think I can get a gig out there pretty quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baxus Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 6 hours ago, Triskele said: In my mind I have this feeling that if you apply and don't get contacted about a possible interview in just a few weeks or so it must mean it's not happening. In reality, I have no idea if this is actually correct. Was there an "apply before" date? If there was it might give a reason for the delay in contacting candidates. If not, it's likely (not certain, though) it's not happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S John Posted November 20, 2018 Author Share Posted November 20, 2018 11 hours ago, Triskele said: In my mind I have this feeling that if you apply and don't get contacted about a possible interview in just a few weeks or so it must mean it's not happening. In reality, I have no idea if this is actually correct. That's what I thought too. I still think it is probably an unusual anecdote that is not representative of the norm that I applied for these jobs so long ago. I applied to one of them mid-August and the other in September. I would think that, normally, if you've not heard anything 2-4 weeks after the close date I would not expect to hear anything. Oddly enough though, my very first job out of college was like that too. I sent out exactly one resume when I graduated in May. I was seriously thinking about joining the military so I didn't really try to get any other civilian jobs. In August they called me out of the blue and I decided to do that instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S John Posted November 21, 2018 Author Share Posted November 21, 2018 1 hour ago, Triskele said: Dang, if you're right that this is not so much the norm to get the late contact this is kind of an amazing fork in the road in your history. Yea it was. The # 1 reason I wanted to join the military was that I wanted to travel the world and I really thought that military service was the only way I’d ever be able to do it. My family is not wealthy and also doesn’t really prioritize travel as something important to them, which is fine, but my favorite show growing up was Lonely Planet (Ian was the man) and exploring beyond the US was something that I knew I wanted to experience. Professionally, it was my only real consideration at the time. I didn’t particularly care what it was, as long as I got paid to explore a little, so the Navy seemed like my best bet. The job that I got offered was a mapping job where I was operating equipment in airplanes and it was about 80% travel, some international. I figured, that’ll work! - and I never really looked back on the military option. But it was unexpected at the time and when I think about that now it did start me on a completely different path than I would otherwise have been on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baxus Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 5 hours ago, Triskele said: This is weird, but there's just a "closing date" that is sometimes before the date the job was posted. That's happened more than once. Not sure if there's something super glitchy or what with that... I don't know where the job add was posted but it could be that it was renewed by default. Sometimes that happens, too. For my first job I actually applied for an expired add that was renewed on job hunting website by default and was offered another position in that company they had an opening for at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xray the Enforcer Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 Has anyone seen a really great resume lately? I'm revamping mine and I'm looking for different ideas on how to present the information. FWIW, I'm a highly skilled, senior-level creative/technical with a solid work history, and if/when I decide to jump ship, I'll be applying for either a similar gig elsewhere, or looking to move into a managerial role within a creative/technical field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxom 1974 Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 Today marked 1 year from my most recent transfer. I have moved my family twice in 18 months. We're pretty much settled now, for better or worse. I knew tsking this promotion there would be hard work and a lot of dealing with the boss directly above me. Ive known her a while and knew she was a bit of a micro manager. I expected I'd deal with it. Turns out, she is a bit more of a nightmare than expected. The worst part was finding out that every single other manager under her, the staff, and a numer of managers from the other side of the management team (who don't report to her, but the other operations director), loathe her. Rumors are rampant we can't get students to apply for jobs that we need filled because of this director. I'm miserable. But I'm stuck because she is somehow protected. No one gets why. I know at least two other managers are actively searchingnother employment, and I am too. Though I fear the bridges I'll birn if I leave the company I'm with now. It's a solid company. It's truly one manager making me seek another opportunity, just that it has to be in the city I'm now in because I can't move my kids again. I've had some phone interviews and a couple fave to faces. Today i had a first interview and the promise of a second for a job that might be perfect, if they can afford me. It's the jumpimg ship that worries me. I have a couple mentors I'd like to not disappoint, but one of them, i dont know jow to broach the subject of this manager because he's no wjere near the situation any longer, so it isn't his place to do anything, but also because at one time he was in charge of the unit I'm at and hired her, if not mentored her also... So I'm not sure... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xray the Enforcer Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 Do you have any contact with your boss's boss? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMC Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 4 hours ago, Xray the Enforcer said: Has anyone seen a really great resume lately? I assume you're looking for format? I'm like the last person up to that task, but I'm about to go on the market after the holidays and will be asking a litany of cohorts, former colleagues, advisors, what not about this in the next month. Within that group I expect some people to know what's cool presentation right now. Be happy to pass it along, just remind me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xray the Enforcer Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 4 hours ago, DMC said: I assume you're looking for format? I'm like the last person up to that task, but I'm about to go on the market after the holidays and will be asking a litany of cohorts, former colleagues, advisors, what not about this in the next month. Within that group I expect some people to know what's cool presentation right now. Be happy to pass it along, just remind me. Thank you! and yeah, looking for format ideas beyond the traditional single-column reverse-chronology approach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMC Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 1 hour ago, Xray the Enforcer said: looking for format ideas beyond the traditional single-column reverse-chronology approach. Cool me too. Be asking around the next few weeks and if I don't have it done by Christmas I'll have to kick my own ass. Letcha know, and again if I forget don't hesitate to remind me (I forget a lot). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xray the Enforcer Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 If I run across any myself, I'll drop a link here too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxom 1974 Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 15 hours ago, Xray the Enforcer said: Do you have any contact with your boss's boss? It's touchy. This location I'm at has been essentially an upward escalator for folks here, some for 10+. The current GM was an manager who moved up to operations director when his director moved into the gm slot because the gm was promoted to DM. Then he was proted to gm when the DM was promoted to RVP and and the gm who replaced him, repleaced him again as the district manager. Same to be said for the other operations directors currently, including my boss. They're very intertwined and it is difficult to speak to anyone higher about it because of that history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxom 1974 Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 Had a follow up this morning, asking salary requirements. Even after giving them, was asked to.come in for a second interview next week... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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