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All the best advice we could find on how to get a job

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Re: All the best advice we could find on how to get a job

#61

Post by mynameisvlad »

mhurron wrote: post #58
random_rr wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

calm down. Newsletters drive Internet business. If you don't know this... Don't walk outside, it's an even scarier place out there. Don't like pop ups? Close tab, move on. Or... Throw a childish hissy fit on HN over free content. You know, whichever sounds better to you.

When the content owners of something that is annoying you show up in the same thread your in, it is appropriate to voice your complaints to them.

Sure, but there's mature ways of voicing your complaints that involve tact and common sense.

Re: All the best advice we could find on how to get a job

#62

Post by s_m_t »

oppositelock wrote: post #22
merpnderp wrote: post #15

One thing in this article that really caught my eye was "Do free work". When I was a young kid I remember my grandfather, who was about to retire from a long career at the power utility having been head of the union, and much beloved by all his coworkers and managers, told me about how he got that job. He had been laid off at a grain mill, and was getting by as a butcher. But a friend of his got him in the door to se…

It's illegal to work for free today, unless you're a Congressional intern, since they exempted themselves from the law. Lots of "my grandfather..." stories are illegal in today's US, land of freedom and such.

Don't worry there are plenty of people willing to break the law and the government doesn't have the resources to prosecute crimes like these!

Re: All the best advice we could find on how to get a job

#63

Post by st3v3r »

mhurron wrote: post #58
random_rr wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

calm down. Newsletters drive Internet business. If you don't know this... Don't walk outside, it's an even scarier place out there. Don't like pop ups? Close tab, move on. Or... Throw a childish hissy fit on HN over free content. You know, whichever sounds better to you.

When the content owners of something that is annoying you show up in the same thread your in, it is appropriate to voice your complaints to them.

Voice complaints? Sure. Throw a tantrum? Not so much.

Re: All the best advice we could find on how to get a job

#64

Post by tostitos1979 »

p4wnc6 wrote: post #5

I've been unemployed for about 14 months since resigning from my most recent role -- a role which my close family and friends characterized as "destroying me." After becoming unemployed, with enough savings to sustain myself for a long search, I then faced a significant family trauma that required me to move away from Boston (where I had lived and worked for most of the past decade), back home to do basically full-ti…

My friend, I feel for you. I'm in my late 30s, have impressed my peers and made a contribution in every role I've had but I regularly fear that one bad move will get me kicked out from the industry.

I have two suggestions:

1) After such a long period of unemployment, you need to get "the meter going". I suggest taking an offer below your standard for the following reason ... recruiters/employers will treat you differently when you are employed. Take a job that has some additional fringe benefit ... lets you work remote, has a better social situation, whatever. Just get the meter going somehow and then improve from a position of strength.

2) Consider getting a contact job that is for 6 months to a year. There is no stigma on your resume for leaving such a position since it was a fixed term contract after all.

Consider working for a second-tier tech employer. A lot of bad things are said about large old corporations (heck you may even have worked there) but they have one thing going for them ... they hire a lot (probably because people leave).

I wish you best of luck.

Re: All the best advice we could find on how to get a job

#65

Post by st3v3r »

p4wnc6 wrote: post #5

I've been unemployed for about 14 months since resigning from my most recent role -- a role which my close family and friends characterized as "destroying me." After becoming unemployed, with enough savings to sustain myself for a long search, I then faced a significant family trauma that required me to move away from Boston (where I had lived and worked for most of the past decade), back home to do basically full-ti…

"I simply will not compromise my standards, even literally to my own destruction."

While it's great to have standards, being stubborn is not a virtue.

Re: All the best advice we could find on how to get a job

#66

Post by utefan001 »

p4wnc6 wrote: post #5

I've been unemployed for about 14 months since resigning from my most recent role -- a role which my close family and friends characterized as "destroying me." After becoming unemployed, with enough savings to sustain myself for a long search, I then faced a significant family trauma that required me to move away from Boston (where I had lived and worked for most of the past decade), back home to do basically full-ti…

p4wnc6, I tried to contact you but I don't see contact info in your profile.

Re: All the best advice we could find on how to get a job

#67

Post by bitchypat »

st3v3r wrote: post #60
oppositelock wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's illegal to work for free today, unless you're a Congressional intern, since they exempted themselves from the law. Lots of "my grandfather..." stories are illegal in today's US, land of freedom and such.

For very good reason. For every "my grandfather" story, there are probably 5 more whom were simply taken advantage of, with the hiring person having absolutely no intention of hiring them.

I bet they would have kept trying the same game at every factory until they perished, if not for laws preventing it.

Re: All the best advice we could find on how to get a job

#68

Post by wbl »

bitchypat wrote: post #67
st3v3r wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For very good reason. For every "my grandfather" story, there are probably 5 more whom were simply taken advantage of, with the hiring person having absolutely no intention of hiring them.

I bet they would have kept trying the same game at every factory until they perished, if not for laws preventing it.

And now they don't get hired at all.

Re: All the best advice we could find on how to get a job

#69

Post by graham1776 »

The one thing I always tell anyone on the job hunt, which few ever seem to take me up on: Informational Interviews. These are informal "can I take you out to coffee?" talks with people in your industry to see what they are working on, what is happening with them, what is going on in the industry. Every job I have ever gotten is through informal meetings with people I have met through my network (whether its the current newspaper, your friends, parents, relatives, or other).

At the end of every one I ask: "Is there anyone else you think I should talk to?" and "Do you currently have any opportunities at your company for me?". Rinse repeat.

I guarantee investing in 30 informational interviews will yield huge dividends vs. 30 career fairs, a personal pitch deck, starting a blog, dusting off your resume, or God Forbid: applying to jobs through Linkedin.

http://www.grahamwahlberg.com/book

I wrote a free guide on this if anyone is interested, would love feedback.

Re: All the best advice we could find on how to get a job

#70

Post by BenjaminTodd »

oppositelock wrote: post #22
merpnderp wrote: post #15

One thing in this article that really caught my eye was "Do free work". When I was a young kid I remember my grandfather, who was about to retire from a long career at the power utility having been head of the union, and much beloved by all his coworkers and managers, told me about how he got that job. He had been laid off at a grain mill, and was getting by as a butcher. But a friend of his got him in the door to se…

It's illegal to work for free today, unless you're a Congressional intern, since they exempted themselves from the law. Lots of "my grandfather..." stories are illegal in today's US, land of freedom and such.

Yeah - to clarify, we don't literally mean work for free. Rather, do highly side projects, make concrete proposals, trial periods, internships etc.
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