How not to get a job(long)

[bainsidhe]

I think there's a fine line between keeping your application at the top of the pile and getting it chucked in the circular file. I would never, ever, think of calling a place more often than once a week, and that's only for place where they get a very high volume of applications.

This. When I was looking for a p/t job, many managers were too busy to bother looking at applications. So while they were hiring, they were not actively hiring or reading through the many applications that came their way. Calling gave me a chance to introduce myself and show an interest in the job. But there's a huge difference between showing interest and becoming a harassing pain in the butt.

[underemployeed]

Here's another good story :
I got this e-mail today from a lady who REALLY wanted me to interview her daughter and went on about how great of a worker she is and even left me instructions about leaving a message if no one answered the phone. So I go through all the applications for the week (she left me a date this daughter had applied) and get this: the daughter didn't even apply. This girl who is such a great worker lied to her mom about applying.

My dad is a hard ass, I might have applied to a few places to shut him up, but never bothered to turn in an app there as I KNEW I didn't want the job, and didn't want to waste their time. Oddly, when he has contacts at companies he doesn't bother to give me a heads up until I have been rejected.... like OH yeah my cousin X works there..... which I have to ask "Wouldn't have made sense to call them and get a good word put in for me to actually get an interview?"

As far as the original post, At least she is persistant?

[terakhan]

As far as the original post, At least she is persistant?

So was Wile E. Coyote, and he was at least amusing.

[Seshat]

When I make reminder calls - both about a job and about anything else - I tend to say 'Just checking to see that my application hasn't been lost in the shuffle. Is there anything else I can do to help?'

And like others have said, I limit it. If I'm told I'll be contacted in X days, I call after X+2 days, no sooner.

[SourRobot]

That was really weird to read O.o

I was thinking at first that perhaps the whole calling back after dropping off the app deal could be explained by the fact that often youngsters are told to bug potential employers. I was told this by my college careers counsellor and a Job-Centre rep (in hindsight, I probably should have ignored both as they were both awful lol). They said that calling up a place to ask "Hello, my name is Rabbit and I recently applied for a position there, I just wanted to know if the manager had had a chance to read my CV" would make you look keen to a potential employer. I personally have found it a waste of time, I almost always would get stuck talking to someone with no clue what was going on and never find out. Since then, having seen my managers getting frustrated with it, I haven't bothered.

I've been told by a lot of people to keep calling to get the interview, but when I do it it still doesn't work out. The managers keep telling me to call back some other day because they forgot or they're too busy. Gah, it's a never ending cycle. I never know when to call because some places don't want applicants to call and ask, and other places have managers who can't keep their paperwork straight.

I'm surprised that this girl even got the chance to have an interview. What the heck? I know you mentioned that it was just to shut her up or whatever, but still...what the heck?!

[Jay 2K Winger]

Yeah, there is such a thing as too pushy.

Back at the wholesale club, when Momma Awesome (mother of my other CW, Little Momma Awesome) was still one of our FLMs, she had gotten an application from a would-be employee, who then DEMANDED an interview RIGHT NOW. Didn't matter that we were a bit busy and the managers hadn't even had a chance to peruse the person's application yet. INTERVIEW. NOW.

They gave the person an interview to shut them up, then promptly filed their application in the circular file. Someone with that kind of attitude was NOT going to be hired.

[notlovinit]

Oh I have an update with this girl! I was talking to D about her the other day and I found out this little tidbit that she didn't mention before. I guess at the end of her interview D was walking her out the door and the girl decides this would be a good time to mention that she is of a certain religion (not going to name it, don't want to offend anyone) and that this requires her to wear certain things and do certain things during her shift and we can't not hire her because of that because that would be discrimination. (Grrr I hate when people do this! Did we freaking ASK you what religion you are?! NO!! It's not discrimination then!)

But anyway, D starts freaking out because she doesn't want to hire this girl but doesn't want to face any lawsuits or anything so she starts checking references. This is when she finds out the girl was told by her last job to either quit or be terminated. Seems she sexually harassed another employee. My goodness, she's a winner all around.

[Kristev]

Oh my word. What a mess.

[Shironu-Akaineko]

......MISS MARCIE?

[Shalom]

she is of a certain religion (not going to name it, don't want to offend anyone) and that this requires her to wear certain things and do certain things during her shift and we can't not hire her because of that because that would be discrimination. (Grrr I hate when people do this! Did we freaking ASK you what religion you are?! NO!! It's not discrimination then!)

Was she wearing these items and doing these actions during her interview? If so, why mention them in the first place? And if not, obviously it's not as urgent a necessity as she seems to believe.

the girl was told by her last job to either quit or be terminated. Seems she sexually harassed another employee.

And that right there will shield them from lawsuits when they decide not to hire her. Especially if she lied about the reason for leaving her last job on the application: every app I've filled out states right there in black and white that lying is grounds for non-hiring, or if hired, instant termination.

[Bella_Vixen]

I'm sorry but there is no way she should ever have been given an interview as soon as you saw your name as a reference.

She LIED on her application, which you had proof of, and you still gave her an interview to shut her up? I would have told her the truth: that she was a liar.

[EricKei]

Give her a worn out uniform, have her come in one day. Tell her to clean the bathrooms. When she's done, THEN tell her she was never hired. :-D

As amusing as that might well be... "Allowing" someone to work without pay is considered the legal equivalent of forcing them to work without pay (My former employer tried to get me to "willingly" work some unpaid time as "incentive" to get him to give me more paid hours. Didn't quite work out 8p)

I won't hold it against a person for calling (as long as they only do it once or a reasonable amount and not like this girl), but it annoys me.

Fair enough ^_^ I have a personal policy on this -- I go in in person, if at all humanly possible (and ask for the HR/manager by their actual name), and absolutely no more often than once per week (whether I get to see the manager or not), even if I live 3 blocks away. I agree with Seshat's "no sooner than THEIR stated date plus 2" thing, as well.

As for this piece of work, yeah, I must agree that falsifying info on her app woulda (coulda shoulda) been grounds for denying her an interview, point blank. I wonder what's so amazing about yer place that she wants to work there so desperately...? o_O;> Say, can I swing by the drive-thru sometime and pick up an app? I know this girl who interviewed with you recently to use as a reference...::

[Seshat]

Despite my 'no sooner than their stated day plus 2' thing, there is one exception.

You can always send a nice, polite, 'thank you for the interview' email or letter. It should say little more than that - just 'thank you for the interview' and perhaps an honest compliment about someone you met, or some part of the working environment.

Nothing pushy. Nothing saying you want the job. Just plain ol' gratitude.

[EricKei]

Well, yeah ^_^ a nice thank-you letter is always a good thing. Agreed 100.0000000001%

[Moirae]

I'm just shocked anyone gave her an interview at your place after she put you as a reference. Especially if she spelled your name wrong. Someone this creepy didn't deserve an interview.