Job Interviews. (Am I COMPLETELY out of touch?)

[John_AZ]

Roll models...you used to have a subscription



Album "Back to Black" Parental Advisory=Explicit Content
Not useful as a receptionist training tool.

John_AZ

[cool_chick]

I've noticed that when the unemployment rate is low, this is all you seem to get. When it's higher, you get more quality through the door.

And I'm not kidding. I know people drone on about the economy or all those who are unemployed, but I don't pay attention. Honest to God, this is my barometer to determining the unemployment rate. And yes, the rate's currently low around here too. LOL.

[the]

Originally Posted by gprsh924

Just get the hottest one possible.

Agree - you can teach how to answer the phone, but you can't teach hot!

[JavaBrewer]

We're interviewing for experienced software engineers. The last few I had in could not even outline on my whiteboard what they last worked on. One guy had 6 years experience in java but could not explain the difference between private and protected scope. Another guy said his favorite code editing tool was MS Word.

[Buckterrier]

Originally Posted by cool_chick

I've noticed that when the unemployment rate is low, this is all you seem to get. When it's higher, you get more quality through the door.

And I'm not kidding. I know people drone on about the economy or all those who are unemployed, but I don't pay attention. Honest to God, this is my barometer to determining the unemployment rate. And yes, the rate's currently low around here too. LOL.

I believe you for sure. It's like when the contractor built my house. He used quality windows, etc. etc. but the workmanship sucketh. Housing market was booming and he didn't exactly get the pick of the litter in the laborers.

[MT930]

First impressions very important.

Makes a big difference to me on my impression of the business.

Attractive polite females, always good for business!

[Wickd89]

Get a temp. get a temp...

IF you like her, then hire her. Don't take a chance on making them an employee until you are 100%...

[dipso]

Originally Posted by Aurel

Here is what a receptionist should look like. Do not settle for any less than that. I can provide more samples if necessary..



Aurel

UUUHHHHH, Yes very receptive. UUhHHmmmmmm excuse me I am just here to trip over my tongue.

[DByers]

Moses, I had the same problem as you. I am now using a temp agency. It took me a few months to find an agency that I would work with. I have given them a minimum requirement that any candidate must meet before I will interview them. It takes me longer to find the person that fits our requirements but it has paid off big time in the long run. Plus I like the fact if after only one hour they are not what I thought its thanks for your time and please send me better people. That has not happened yet. The other thing I do is constantly look for people that might be great employee's even if I don't really need them yet, as there is always room in my business for people who are willing to work and eventually some one is always leaving for various reasons. Its amazing that over 50% of my staff has been with me for over 10 years and there are 5 that beat my 21 years by at least 4 years.
Good luck in your search.

[SLO-BOB]

The fun is just begining! This is just the selection process. Once you hire the girl life can get very interesting. I haven't had too many problems in my company, but my in-laws have had law suites galore. It's amazing what people will do to scam someone out of a buck while thinking nothing of tarnishing your rep. Sex harassment suites seem to be en vogue. Do a very thorough backround check. Don't be taken in by a "professional" interviewee. They skip from job to job suing guys like you. The system works in their favor because it's cheaper (and less damaging) to settle. They walk with 10 or 20 grand after tormenting you for a month.

backround backround backround......CHECK IT!

[Moses]

Originally Posted by vash

any men show up for the gig?

Couple of resumes. No interviews.

[Moses]

Originally Posted by Gogar

MARK'S DREAM SECRETARY?

Jessica Alba? NOW we're talking!

[Moses]

Originally Posted by SLO-BOB

The fun is just begining! This is just the selection process. Once you hire the girl life can get very interesting. I haven't had too many problems in my company, but my in-laws have had law suites galore. It's amazing what people will do to scam someone out of a buck while thinking nothing of tarnishing your rep. Sex harassment suites seem to be en vogue. Do a very thorough backround check. Don't be taken in by a "professional" interviewee. They skip from job to job suing guys like you. The system works in their favor because it's cheaper (and less damaging) to settle. They walk with 10 or 20 grand after tormenting you for a month.

backround backround backround......CHECK IT!

A situation like that nearly ended a colleagues career. Scary stuff indeed.

[dipso]

If the woman above can handle caulk, shes hired.. There are a lot of cracks that need caulking.
Sometimes there are even joints that need pushing. Then to fill the crack with caulk.

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by Flatbutt1

I've even received handwritten resumes, handwritten!

Oldschool job application protocol ( at least in parts of Europe) actually demanded handwritten resume's, since it's harder (more work and effort) to do then print out or typing, and it gives the recruters a chance to run some mumbo jumbo psychoanalysis on that handwriting...

Obviously the idea was you needed good handwriting in those days

i for one i'm quite happy that kind of crap is over, i have worse handwriting then a doctor... 4 months ago, i came to a place that before the interview, they wanted me to write out ****loads of questions, and translate some stupid stuff, i suspect for psychoanalysis and handwriting analysis... i called the woman back in the room , told them it was my opinion that the questions they asked had no relevance to the job, were an invasion of privacy, as such illegal, and were a sign to me that the company probably wasn't all that interesting to work for if the interview procedure was so out of touch with reality... i walked..

btw, i always wear suit and tie to first interview, and damn i look good in it
(helps that my sisters dad runs an upscale gentleman's fashion store)

[slodave]

Originally Posted by svandamme

(helps that my sisters dad runs an upscale gentleman's fashion store)

Your sisters dad?

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by Moses

Local paper, internet and local business schools.

Have any Mormon facilities around? Put the word out there that you are looking for a good employee and try there.

They work hard for the most part, are dressed professionally and do a good job IMHO. No, I am not Mormon but some of their principals sure could be adopted in our society.

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by slodave

Your sisters dad?

now you know how i felt growing up

ok, i'll break it down for ya

1My Mum at 18 + my biological dad = me
2My Mum at 24 + my legal dad(only found out at 13 with divorce that he wasn't my real dad = first sister
3My mum at i think 41 + gents fashion shop guy = kid sister ( my youngest sister, could be my kid, great fun when we go out an about... chica's love it)


then i have a legal sister from dad in #2
and 2 more brothers via dad #1



I broke ties with mum when i moved to Rotterdam. i feel so much better now, i guess that's the same relief all the 3 dads felt when they buggered off...
she's remarried now, he's still in the whirpool of drama... he'll figure it out some time... at least i think he will. he runs a tech company... so he 's not completely stupid
oh yeah, this guy has 2 son's and a daughter... 3 more sort of siblings to the list

the cruel part is , my mum had all her kids raised by other dads
yet now she's the stepmom to her current hubby's kids
and she's a witch to them... i feel bad for those 3. 1 married, and she forbid him to go to his wedding, 1 is out to college, the girl is stuck in the house with stepmom from hell till next year, when she goes to college... go figure
back to the job interviews



i noticed other problems during last years job hunts
out of all job ads i found, the job descriptions were terrible
vague, incomplete, or flat out wrong
- We are a company that ... 4 paragraphs of crap
Looking for " something with computers or something"

eeh, wtf do you need? programmer, webdev? network? systems? or just somebody who can pull a graph out of Excell?

- We are looking for an IT manager, who will manage all IT related issues, and Manage the Network guy, the ERP guy and the ERP programmer
i show up, turns out there is no Network guy, there is no ERP guy, there's jut the part time ERP programmer, and all the other things would be for the job they're hiring for

- we are looking for an IT manager...
i show up, in suit & tie, and they sit me down for hand written questionnaire,
stupid questions
- What do you think about the current political enviroment ?
- What is your opinion about taxes
- What does your father do
- Your mother?
- your Siblings? (you can understand this is a difficult subject for me, a lot of writing)
- More totally stupid questions, nothing to do with the job, mind you this was not Military or Intelligence work
it was IT management for a furniture store... it wasn't NATO or something

then recrutement agencies
- We are looking for IT position
I call em, try to get more info
"can't tell you untill we see you"
eeh, nice, i get to drive 140 km one way, just to show up, and hear they are looking for a C develloper, which i'm not?? how stupid is that, obviously i'm not pursuing that
THIS HAPPENS A LOT!


- Major recruiting compant H...S
job description, perfect for me and my experience, Networking & stystems 2nd line
i call the guy , he says, well, i see you as a junior, this is a senior position
I ask em , how do you get to this conclusion
he goes, well, your CV just ain't sexy enough, there isn't much in it
I ask him, do you know Novell? i worked there for 6 years, backline emea support, international enviroment, fixing things that the highest escalation point @ the customer couldn't fix...
he goes, well, i don't know much of IT... i'm just filling in for a collegue who's on preggo leave

What the hell? this guy manages the sweetest job ads in my field of work
had no clue what really counts in a CV
and has flat out written me off as a junior, which i'm not
WTF?

He never even listened to a word i said, at some point he had asked why i wanted to move job, told him because i just moved from Rotterdam back to Belgium... later on he asked me my salary requirements
and he nearly laughed, told me i should not move from Rotterdam, since i'll never get that pay in Belgium

It simply hadn't registred that I already moved ! (isn't it his job to listen)
And then news flash, i make MORE
"nett" money now then i made in Rotterdam + i got a company car! despite the fact that wages in Holland are always a bit higher, despite that taxes in Belgium eat more out of the gross then in Holland, so the employer has to pay way more gross , to even match what my nett was in Holland..

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by Joeaksa

Have any Mormon facilities around? Put the word out there that you are looking for a good employee and try there.

They work hard for the most part, are dressed professionally and do a good job

but they definitely won't look like this

Originally Posted by Aurel

Aurel

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by svandamme

but they definitely won't look like this

Are you sure? Some of the nicest looking ladies I have seen recently in my home town were Mormon ladies. Drop dead gorgeous and most are down to earth.

Now, part of the reason I mentioned it is that Moses wants a professional looking person at the reception, not some one who exudes "come fluck me" sitting on the other side of the counter with several tattoo's and pierced everything.

There is nothing wrong with looking attractive, however this is a medical facility, not a bordello. While the lady in Aurel's photo is nice looking, that is not the look you would normally associate with a professional person working for Moses.