Author |
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Wednesday, February 25, 2004 - 11:11 am
SBG, I've been to a few Open Houses. Took several copies of my resume with me, and was prepared to interviewed. Didn't happen. Interviews took place later, after they'd had time to go through the resumes. However, I would guess that every company has its own protocols. In fact, my DS recently went through an Open House process at Citibank in Delaware. It was a cattle call with a twist: he had to take a 7-part test. Only those who completed the test went on to the next step, an interview on the spot. He didn't finish the test, but was told he could come back at the next Open House and retake the test. What a prescriptive weeding process! Poor DS was rattled and shocked as he hadn't known what was going to happen.
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Sasman
Member
07-08-2003
| Wednesday, February 25, 2004 - 11:13 am
Herck, so glad to hear this news; keeping fingers crossed for you and SweetBaby!!! My interview has been moved to Monday (I hate all this waiting). I really want this job and the chance to work with my old boss again. So, everyone, keep praying for me, Herk and SBG.
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Wednesday, February 25, 2004 - 11:39 am
Eggie, sounds like a plan. I'll join you at 8 while watching The Apprentice!! Thanks, Sweetie!
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Legalboxer
Member
11-17-2003
| Wednesday, February 25, 2004 - 12:12 pm
So in regards to the job I least wanted with the nonprofit working with prisoners- the one they haven’t said "we want you" but have inferred that with the "would you consider part time if you cant do the workshops" - anyway,.. they acted fast and asked me to tag along to a workshop this past Monday (2 days ago) at the women's detentional center in Baltimore (its cool, right next to the old max security prison where they do the executions still- but the old building looks like a castle, maybe like in shawshank or one of those old early 20th century settings- anyway- so I go, show up at the office at 8:30, its a 10 minute drive to the center - we go in- they haven’t gotten the memo yet to let me in- its in the building but not at the guard stand so we wait 5 minutes while it is brought up- I do the ID, wristband thing - and then get frisked- like they do EVERYONE - badge or not- We walk through the complex to the women’s center, to the workshop room- its divided with the sliding wall dividers- looks like chairs for 35 people... workshop should be a hour at the most- we wait 35 minutes and no one comes- and as we are about to leave, a guard comes asking if we want her to get people and the woman I was with said no, that’s ok - because with our workshop- we don’t want just anyone showing up- that will just be chaos- they usually bring in the women that signed up for it since they will have questions and want to know about the family law/child support etc issues - so that was that but I had a nice bonding conversation with the woman who seems my age- and again I am able to engage a total sports illiterate in a healthy discussion about sports)- along other things - just shows you my charm with people and they do workshops every Monday so I am going back this coming Monday morning to observe- this time with one of the paralegals who I would be supervising if I did get that job... but its all in dun and at worse I now know how to get in the Baltimore prisons

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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Wednesday, February 25, 2004 - 12:23 pm
Sas, thanks! You know how hard it is to get everyone's schedule in sync. You'll be fine and I still think you're a shoo-in. What a lesson in keeping on good terms with everyone in the office. You never know when it's going to pay off. I sure do know what you mean about the waiting game. It's tough psychologically. The other serious reality is every day of delay means another day of either consuming savings or going into debt. I try not to dwell on that and just keep plugging. It kills me that my DH has two headhunters chasing him down with offers right now (and he loves where he is already) and it took me this look to even get an agency interested in me. He's a year older than me but, I admit, in a different ballpark with respect to salary. It's just hard not to think that there is a gender bias with respect to employability when you near retirement age. Just want to smack (or bite) some sense into employers.

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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Wednesday, February 25, 2004 - 12:31 pm
Legal, thanks for the update. Sounds as if the workshops are sporadically attended. Is that right? And, sweets, would you mind re-reading your very last sentence? I think you have a typo in the last line and I can't make sense out of "all in dun" wording. You have me out here hanging!!
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Legalboxer
Member
11-17-2003
| Wednesday, February 25, 2004 - 12:47 pm
"all in Fun" and most of the time they do show up - but not always
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Landi
Member
07-29-2002
| Wednesday, February 25, 2004 - 12:57 pm
i worked for citibank/citicorp for 7 years at their california data center. i left when i had holly. i helped design their interstate banking system. i started with them as a temp. most of the jobs out here hire their permanent people after they've temped, kind of a weeding out process without the benefits. after 6 months - you either have to go, or be hired on.
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Wednesday, February 25, 2004 - 1:35 pm
Thx, Legal. Now I'm clear. Just spotted 3 typos in my own post. Hope everyone could make sense of what I was trying to say. And interesting, Landi. Ever miss the corporate vibe? Or is it a relief to be away from the frenzy?
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Wednesday, February 25, 2004 - 4:58 pm
"all in dun" - Hahahahaha!!! I thought she meant the decor and color of the uniforms. All in dun, a sort of nondescript, institutional, depressing brownish color. LOL.
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Legalboxer
Member
11-17-2003
| Wednesday, February 25, 2004 - 5:57 pm
lol juju
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Landi
Member
07-29-2002
| Wednesday, February 25, 2004 - 6:12 pm
i don't miss the hours. i do miss working sometimes in that whole corporate thing (lunchroom, co-workers, bulletin boards, never ending office supplies, new classes for computers, a brand new computer every year. etc etc.) then i look at what i do now... Monday through Friday 8:30-5 no overtime, no weekends. i have flexible lunches to go pick up my daughter, i can bring her here to do her homework. this place i've been at for the last 10 years (my anniversary was 2/17) they are VERY family orientated. GOOD PAY. good benefits. i don't miss the commute one single bit
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Wednesday, February 25, 2004 - 6:35 pm
Sounds like a great situation. Glad you have that, especially with a little one at home. But isn't there a huge discrepancy in the money? The one thing I haven't missed this past year (at home) is people like Omarosa on The Apprentice. Can't tolerate superior attitudes.
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Sasman
Member
07-08-2003
| Thursday, February 26, 2004 - 2:35 pm
Thanks for your thoughts Herck. I am an ISTJ and for us searching for a job is especially difficult. All I need are a few days without any calls and I start to doubt all of my skills and abilities. Its an exhausting process! For these and other reasons, instead of looking for another contracting position, I have been focusing on permanent positions. I don't want to have to go through this everytime a contract runs out. I want this next job to be my last.
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Landi
Member
07-29-2002
| Thursday, February 26, 2004 - 3:04 pm
not anymore hp! i just got a $5,000 a year raise on Tuesday. but i didn't want to blast that with people looking for work. i definitely deserved that. as an executive assitant i am now making about $9 an hour more than i was when i left in 1990. and i have ALOT LESS headaches.
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Friday, February 27, 2004 - 12:21 pm
Yay for you, Landi!!! Congrats on your raise!! No harm done; to me, it's a sign that business can afford to do that--and that means the economy is picking up, and that means . . . well, you get it. Sas, what is an ISTJ? I think you are whip-smart, so whatever it is, it sure shouldn't blockade your search. Hope Monday goes fabulously for you!
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Friday, February 27, 2004 - 4:02 pm
Never mind, Sas. I checked it out on the net and found out it is a personality type.(Introverted Sensing Thinking Judging) I read a bit of the description and get it. Never having taken anything but a beginning pysch course many, many years ago, I am pretty ignorant about this subject. I will have to read more about the Myers Briggs personality types and see if I can find my category--and my hubby's. Interesting!
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Legalboxer
Member
11-17-2003
| Friday, February 27, 2004 - 4:08 pm
lol are you sure there is actually a category for you HP?? oh wait, that is something people would say about me, never mind hehehe
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Monday, March 01, 2004 - 12:39 am
Good luck today, SAS! I'll be thinking of you. And good luck SBG, with that hospital job. Hope you're doing okay, wherever it is you are now!

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Legalboxer
Member
11-17-2003
| Monday, March 01, 2004 - 4:18 pm
Ok, about today’s adventures- it was good and not that bad news… I went to tag along to the prison workshop with that nonprofit.. and after the usual red tape since they never get the memo to the guard in time to let me in, and after a few minutes wait, we did have about 20 women come in for the workshop, which is all civil legal issues, primarily family/custody issues. They actually acted well, not that loud, and of course had a lot of questions once the workshop ended – everything I expected. So the woman I was with asked if I had extra time because the director wanted to talk to me after we got back to the office, so I said sure. And so I sit down with the director and she says flat out, we are not offering you the job, and its because they think I cant do the workshops because I cant talk. They then get into a thing about how they got more applications then they expected etc etc but still the way she talked, it was clear that my resume was the one they wanted, but they just didn’t think I could do the workshops because according to them, it would get too frustrating for all involved because I use a computer to talk – which is totally ridiculous, but I wasn’t going to fight them on that for 1) why work somewhere that isn’t comfortable with me, and 2) I didn’t want to work there in the first place since it would be such bad salary and a 2 year commitment. So that is why its “not that bad news” And the good news? Well they REALLY were looking for any way to have me included because they do see how much I can do based on my resume, so I am doing their website for $500 (any professional web designers be quiet, I never charge what I should for websites and that is the max they could afford and I am more than happy to have money in my bank account) and I got a check on the spot for half that, as an advancement. So that is that for the nonprofit- and I should hear any day now on the position(s) I really want.
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Rosie
Member
11-12-2003
| Monday, March 01, 2004 - 4:25 pm
You ROCK Legal. It certainly is their loss not to have you and as you said they weren't going to pay you enough anyway. But then you come away with a different job that you probably will enjoy. And with a check on the spot. Yay! Good luck with the jobs that you are still waiting to hear about too.
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Legalboxer
Member
11-17-2003
| Monday, March 01, 2004 - 4:57 pm
thanks rosie- that is my exact thought as well - its certainly isnt me that is losing out here- I am looking forward to the mailman this week - I know i will hear something from the others 
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Landi
Member
07-29-2002
| Monday, March 01, 2004 - 5:14 pm
as a professional web designer, your best bet would be to return the check and ask for a letter of thanks. the non-profit thanking you for your donation of the website to them. then you can take it as a charitable donation at current market costs for a website. i do one non-profit a year for a $6,000 donation.
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Legalboxer
Member
11-17-2003
| Monday, March 01, 2004 - 5:34 pm
thanks landi- I'll keep that in mind for future reference, though right now, i cant really wait for the next tax season.
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Rosie
Member
11-12-2003
| Monday, March 01, 2004 - 5:40 pm
I just hope that all of the job seekers realize that they should not leave an interview without a check from now on. LOL. I just love it Legal.
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