I've recently decided to change jobs and start actively looking for a better career. Im a few hours shy of an associates in computer science and figured I'd start really looking. Been in my current position for 10 years and have a question for you guys out job hunting or doing the hiring, is there an over abundance of candidates? I've applied several places and so far no luck, is the job market that tough right now?
You may need to start out in a "contract" position. Check out http://www.dice.com
Please dont:
Come in and say "Yall hiring?"
Wear flip-flops, ball cap, T-shirt, shorts.
Have your fat wife lean against your car in the parking lot smoke in one hand, screaming kid in the other.
Please do:
Tuck your shirt in.
Shave.
Comb your hair.
Have relevant, updated resume in hand.
Firm hand shake while introducing yourself with confidence.
Yeah, I might be a little bitter. You wouldnt believe what comes in here thinking they could actually get a job.
Good luck!
Come in and say "Yall hiring?"
Wear flip-flops, ball cap, T-shirt, shorts.
Have your fat wife lean against your car in the parking lot smoke in one hand, screaming kid in the other.
Please do:
Tuck your shirt in.
Shave.
Comb your hair.
Have relevant, updated resume in hand.
Firm hand shake while introducing yourself with confidence.
Yeah, I might be a little bitter. You wouldnt believe what comes in here thinking they could actually get a job.
Good luck!
What's bad is there are a LOT of people who want to get paid but have no work ethic, take no pride in doing their job right and resist any type of supervision. My ole man would have kicked my tail HARD if I approached work like a lot do now.
I agree with 120, make a good impression by showing up looking like you want a job, talk in a decent voice without street slang (accents are understandable), look them in the eye and have a decent handshake.
I agree with 120, make a good impression by showing up looking like you want a job, talk in a decent voice without street slang (accents are understandable), look them in the eye and have a decent handshake.
You are speaking of the millennials...they are on average entitled, work-place divas who'd starve to death if times got tough
(not all of them of course, but on average)
Words like "um" and "like" and "stuff" and "and stuff" are poor choices of wording to use in an interview.
Try not to look stoned. I can't believe how many people don't make it past this.
I don't care about the gamer-website you run (unless I'm hiring a PHP developer, which is never) or whether or not you're a moderator on some forum (sorry, BB) and that probably doesn't belong on your resume as work experience. Maybe under extracurricular activities.
try not to speak every sentence like a question.
don't smell bad
Guys with long hair and folks who dress/speak Goth are cool and all, but this is a place of business. we entertain fortune 100 companies who tour regularly. Those dudes don't think Goth is cool.
Foul language immediately ends the interview.
I deal with (and hire) a lot of tech folks who are awkward around people but perfectly brilliant behind a keyboard. you don't have to be a social Chameleon to land a good job. Be yourself - THAT is who we want to see. Not everyone can be as suave as Veggie Meat, we get that.
Business casual is the absolute MINIMUM dress for interviews. Over-dressing is fine, it tells us you thought long and hard about the interview and want to make a good impression. Jeans and a T-shirt are not okay for IT interviews.
Try not to look stoned. I can't believe how many people don't make it past this.
I don't care about the gamer-website you run (unless I'm hiring a PHP developer, which is never) or whether or not you're a moderator on some forum (sorry, BB) and that probably doesn't belong on your resume as work experience. Maybe under extracurricular activities.
try not to speak every sentence like a question.
don't smell bad
Guys with long hair and folks who dress/speak Goth are cool and all, but this is a place of business. we entertain fortune 100 companies who tour regularly. Those dudes don't think Goth is cool.
Foul language immediately ends the interview.
I deal with (and hire) a lot of tech folks who are awkward around people but perfectly brilliant behind a keyboard. you don't have to be a social Chameleon to land a good job. Be yourself - THAT is who we want to see. Not everyone can be as suave as Veggie Meat, we get that.
Business casual is the absolute MINIMUM dress for interviews. Over-dressing is fine, it tells us you thought long and hard about the interview and want to make a good impression. Jeans and a T-shirt are not okay for IT interviews.
Always think of a couple questions at the end of the Interview. They always ask if you have any. It is a good opportunity to be that guy who is remembered after the employer has spoken with a day worth of applicants.
Wear a suit... If your momma did not buy one for you when you graduated High school then go get fitted. Just general advice for anyone who is looking for employment.
Wear a suit... If your momma did not buy one for you when you graduated High school then go get fitted. Just general advice for anyone who is looking for employment.
Can you recommend someone who will professionally write a resume locally? I can always see room for improvement on mine.
LOL - I don't think you've met me. There's a reason that The Dude is my avatar... it wouldn't take any effort for me to look that part (well... except for the Native blood hindering my growth of facial hair). Plus, I get very nervous meeting new people the first time... probably borderline anxiety.
To the OP - it depends on what you want to do. In my area of work (Drupal-based web application development), there is an overabundance of demand and not enough talent. However, the gap has gotten so big that no one really wants to hire someone they'll need to cultivate into a talented developer.
It's probably more beneficial to network with people in the areas where you want to work, or network with recruiters somewhere like LinkedIn. I get 2-3 messages a week from recruiters with at least one every two weeks from OKC or Tulsa recruiters looking to hire for jobs ranging from web development to system administration (I'm a devops guy), and at least one a month from recruiters looking to fill positions for me.
If you're looking at jobs that say "contract-to-hire", treat them as a contract job because that's all it really is 99% of the time. They like to dangle that "option to hire" carrot out there to get applicants to accept a lower contractor rate.
Just because you submit an application or resume doesn't mean anyone with any decision making authority will ever see it. That's why you need to network. If you're a Unix security guy and your friend Bob is a network administrator at XYZ Widgets that is looking for a Unix security guy, talking to Bob will give you much better chances than submitting an application through the formal process at many companies. HR drones tend to look at applications and resumes and try to weed out those that don't meet the listed (and sometimes asinine) qualifications. When Bob goes to HR and says "I think this guy is a good candidate", the drones tend to be more lenient. (By the way, I'm one of those folks that the HR drones weed out early on. HR doesn't seem to like the whole "no degree" thing. That's also why I haven't bothered keeping up a resume.)
Networking also helps you to know what the environment and culture is like before an interview. I've done interviews for jobs ranging from jeans and a Thunder t-shirt with my hair down to suit and tie with my hair pulled back with the pony tail brushed again (tightens the hair and makes sure it falls correctly). It's the whole "when in Rome" thing. Usually, though, I go to sales meetings (my personal analog to an interview) in Wrangler 20X jeans, an untucked black Haggar polo, and my black Lucchese boots (their least expensive pair). That's fairly well-rounded in Oklahoma, and I can tell in the parking lot or parking garage whether it's going to be a hair-down or hair-up occasion. (Now if I was going to aviator41's place, I might consider a suit and tie... might even wait until I get a nice double-breasted suit and get it tailored... depending on the expected pay.)
Over-dressing is only fine to a point. I was hiring a developer for a short term gig, and I prefer to conduct interviews in a rather casual manner - lunch, coffee, IHOP, etc. So we arrange to meet at a Starbucks mid-afternoon, and he shows up in a suit and tie. The first thought that went through my mind was "what is he trying to cover up", the second was "damn, he looks rather uncomfortable". But that can be overcome two different ways - networking with folks already there to learn about the culture, or simply asking if they have a particular dress code or standard at their company that they expect.
Just remember, what you're doing when you're trying to get a job is selling yourself. That's what it boils down to. Convince me why I need you and not some other unknown candidate. Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses.
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