SnagAJob.com is a humongus fucking waste (Employment thread)

KING LITERATE

Seriously, has anyone ever gotten an email back from them?.. That was actually positive?....


Anyway, I decided to make this thread so that those who are employed can give out advice/employment stories/resume advice/etc to those of us who aren't employed. I also made this tread so folks could give out places that are currently hiring, and job sites that don't completely suck.

Let me know if this is a good idea for a thread.

EDIT: I also forgot to mention. For each link you post, list experiences (both good and bad), and advantages and disadvantages you've had with the site (these are optional, but strongly recommended)

TheGreat2nd

Job Listing Sites
http://www.onedayonejob.com
http://www.onedayoneinternship.com
http://www.craigslist.com
http://www.monster.com
http://www.careerbuilder.com
http://www.indeed.com

Resume Advice
http://lifehacker.com/tag/resume/

Quoth

I have been told by recruiters in LA that having a LinkedIn profile is a good idea. You can also search for jobs there.

flatlinegraphics

find any professional organizations for your field. They tend to have job boards that are specific to your industry.

linkedin profiles are good. networking of any kind is good.

craigslist is 50/50, shitty scams and good jobs. landed my current position through a CL post.

monster and careerfinder seem to be the domain of recruiters and temp agencies, as well as for spam and jobs posted to fulfill a legal requirement for an already filled position. but you never know.

mostly, carpet bomb them all, and remember that job hunting *is* a job, and should be handled that way.

KING LITERATE

At this point, I'm simply looking for a small part-time retail job. I've never had a job in my life, and I'm looking for experience. Something that will tide me over till I graduate from technical school.

TheGreat2nd

In that case, go look at local stores in the local neighborhood, and apply to them all pretty much.
Chances are you'll get a job if you just apply everywhere, for a part time retail job at least.
Think strip mall, actual mall, supermarket chains, etc.
"I'm looking to apply for a job here, do you have a form that I could fill out?"

LadyM

Here's a tip. Some stores have online applications (off the top of my head, Petco and Shopko do this.) They run you through bland, generic "scenarios" and "statements" that you rate on a scale of 1 to 5. For example, "Punching customers in the face is sometimes okay" or "I am always punctual." It's not too hard to figure out what they want you to answer most of the time.

But remember . . . always ALWAYS answer with a 1 or a 5, nothing in between. Even if the question is one which you feel has a significant grey area.

Heir

If you're looking for a technical job, I find www.dice.com to be great. That's how I found my current job (actually they found me because I made my resume public).

Invisible

LadyM wrote: »

Here's a tip. Some stores have online applications (off the top of my head, Petco and Shopko do this.) They run you through bland, generic "scenarios" and "statements" that you rate on a scale of 1 to 5. For example, "Punching customers in the face is sometimes okay" or "I am always punctual." It's not too hard to figure out what they want you to answer most of the time.

But remember . . . always ALWAYS answer with a 1 or a 5, nothing in between. Even if the question is one which you feel has a significant grey area.

This. Also remember that they're basically asking you the same question 80 different ways.

Other than that, without experience I can't imagine websites like Monster are much help. While they have a lot of shitty/scam jobs on them, the real jobs tend to be looking for someone with experience and/or a degree. Rarely, I'll see someone like Dollar General, Petsmart or a gas station advertising jobs on there. Not sure how that works, but I imagine they just redirect you to their site so you can go directly through them.

FyreWulff

In my experience you don't want too many answers at the far ends. It wasn't until I stopped answering at the extremes so much that I seemed to start passing them more. What you want to avoid is a lot of 'middle' answer (indecisive).

Either way those damn things should be illegal.

KING LITERATE

I've just discovered Labor Ready. I'm just looking for experience at this point, so it might work well.

Lail

KING LITERATE, LORD OF READING wrote: »

Anyway, I decided to make this thread so that those who are employed can give out advice/employment stories/resume advice/etc to those of us who aren't employed. I also made this tread so folks could give out places that are currently hiring, and job sites that don't completely suck.

Resume advice...I don't think this can be said enough, but proofread your resume. I've seen one to many resumes with just, plain lazy errors.

About applying online...if it's a big organization I'd say go into the actually department you want to work in and talk to someone in person. Going through their website, it can take WAY to long for your resume/application to flow through all the channels. From IT guys, to HR, to HR for department X, to department manager A, to the actually frontline manager looking for someone to work yesterday's shift. I'm sure some companies have it down well, but I know for sure others get way to backlogged, and follow such a ridiculous chain of command.

Jawa

Most people can figure out those stupid personality tests on there own but still you should know your enemy

KING LITERATE

Lail wrote: »

KING LITERATE, LORD OF READING wrote: »

Anyway, I decided to make this thread so that those who are employed can give out advice/employment stories/resume advice/etc to those of us who aren't employed. I also made this tread so folks could give out places that are currently hiring, and job sites that don't completely suck.

Resume advice...I don't think this can be said enough, but proofread your resume. I've seen one to many resumes with just, plain lazy errors.

About applying online...if it's a big organization I'd say go into the actually department you want to work in and talk to someone in person. Going through their website, it can take WAY to long for your resume/application to flow through all the channels. From IT guys, to HR, to HR for department X, to department manager A, to the actually frontline manager looking for someone to work yesterday's shift. I'm sure some companies have it down well, but I know for sure others get way to backlogged, and follow such a ridiculous chain of command.

I proofread the fuck out of everything I do.

Dunadan019

TheGreat2nd wrote: »

Job Listing Sites
http://www.onedayonejob.com
http://www.onedayoneinternship.com
http://www.craigslist.com
http://www.monster.com
http://www.careerbuilder.com
http://www.indeed.com

Resume Advice
http://lifehacker.com/tag/resume/

don't forget

http://www.usajobs.gov/

the official government job site.

ink4n3

usajobs.gov landed me and two of my friends full time engineering jobs right out of college.

Crashtard

The job I currently have I found on craigslist. I tried monster, dcjobs and a few others with no success, and very few responses from anyone. Craigslist had tons of jobs listed that were fresh, and the places I sent resumes to replied within a day or two for the most part. I think it's because they have to pay fees with monster and the other big sites, where with craigslist it's free. Plus, it's much easier to keep up with recent openings that are posted and many times are in direct contact with the person creating the listing.

Trinis

If you want a part time retail job then your best bet is to come in person. Ask to speak to the manager, and be personable. Make sure you get their name and tell them yours. Don't overlook food jobs - working in a kitchen is stressful, but delivery driving for a pizza joint is super easy money. For most retail chains and kitchens you won't need a resume, in fact you might even seem a bit silly for supplying one. Just ask for an application, fill it out legibly and (mostly) honestly, then hand it in. Call the store(s) a week later and ask for the manager, then ask about your application. If they do not respond, call again a week after that. It feels like you're bugging them, and you are, but this gets you on their minds.

Keep calling, always ask for the manager (or the hiring manager) and always give your full name. Mention it several times if you have the chance.

Slider

I thought you had to pay to list on craigslist, too?

I forgot my monster password and can't get it back from them, so they've been removed from my list.

AlyceInWonderland

I'm curious as to how an Artists resume should look....especially one who hasn't had much experience with art-related jobs. (IE-one still in school)

Lail

I would assume you'd want to highlight your technical training in your resume, but I believe what really matters is your portfolio.

Floofy

Alyce-


What worked for me was putting together a 3 page pdf, first two were regular CV with an extra section for exhibitions/awards, and the third page was a portfolio sampler, with about 4/5 of my absolute strongest pieces and a little caption about the client/project for each. It meant when I was called for interview they already had some familiarity with my work, and could see my abilities. Also, seeing as it was a graphic design job, I made sure the layout etc was clean, elegant, and sleek- so that was really part of my portfolio as well.

MindLib

The only successful foray I had finding a job online was through craigslist.

BEAST!

Quoth wrote: »

I have been told by recruiters in LA that having a LinkedIn profile is a good idea. You can also search for jobs there.

this is probably because the recruiters like to use it to just hound the crap out of people.....they're CONSTANTLY cold calling me here at work because they saw the company i work for (which is fairly large and well known) on LinkedIn, call the building here, and ask for me....it's quite annoying but i can see it being nice were a person looking for a job

Darkewolfe

Invisible wrote: »

LadyM wrote: »

Here's a tip. Some stores have online applications (off the top of my head, Petco and Shopko do this.) They run you through bland, generic "scenarios" and "statements" that you rate on a scale of 1 to 5. For example, "Punching customers in the face is sometimes okay" or "I am always punctual." It's not too hard to figure out what they want you to answer most of the time.

But remember . . . always ALWAYS answer with a 1 or a 5, nothing in between. Even if the question is one which you feel has a significant grey area.

This. Also remember that they're basically asking you the same question 80 different ways.

This is the Pinkerton test. Always answer 1 or 5. Always be consistent with your responses. Your basic principles are, "Neither I nor any people I associate with steal or do any illegal or violent things." People who over think always fail. I always over think, I can't pass the damn thing. Thankfully, it's only a requirement for major retail establishments.

FyreWulff

Everyone has it here.

Mostly because of fucking Gallup being here.

Slider

ink4n3 wrote: »

usajobs.gov landed me and two of my friends full time engineering jobs right out of college.

I just tried using usajobs again and would not recommend it unless you are a glutton for abuse. Their format is downright archaic, confusing and bureaucratic.

I have an account, but nearly each job I select transfers me, yet again, to another website that requires I create another account. From there, I have roughly 15-25 pages of questionnaires to sift through and complete.

See here: http://govcentral.monster.com/benefits/articles/15326-how-would-you-change-usajobs

illirica

If you're in college, find your college's career services website. It might be a symplicity site (that's a pretty large network) or it might just be under the college. If you're not in college, look at the site for the college you graduated from.

Look at the jobs posted there, and apply. Colleges love to say that X% of their students were employed, so they want to have jobs there for the students. I've worked (from HR) with several of these sites. Each one has been totally free for both employer and student, and as an employer we loved them because we could be really specific about what sort of background we were looking for. You can also usually (for free!) post your resume there for employers to look over.

However, we found that very few students actually used these sites, preferring to go through Monster or other big internet sites instead. Being one of the few is good for you. That's also why it's good to post your resume - the company can do searches and find likely candidates and then contact you about positions they think you might be qualified for.

Also, a lot of the people posting with college sites will be posting with colleges in their area, so if you're happy with the place you're living, this can be a good way to look for a job within a couple hours of you.

Nostregar

Surprised nobody mentioned idealist.org. It's a listing of nonprofit jobs.

Edit: That is to say, the jobs are at nonprofit organizations.

KING LITERATE

Sorry for the necroposting, but I just wanted everyone to know that Employment Guide is hosting a Job Fair in Duluth, GA.

So for anyone in the Atlanta area, this is a good opportunity.

meeker

Here is what I am up to:

Indeed.com erry day! My browser history knows I am looking for a Business Analyst position in Minneapolis, so it only shows new jobs posted since the last time I was on, sorted by date.

Dice and Monster Agent searches for Business Analyst. I get emails from them at about 1:30 in the AM letting me know of the latest postings.

Best Places to work. Both the local Newspaper (Star Tribune) and the Minneapolis/St Paul Business Journal has a "Best Places To Work" survey. I look there and go to each website I am interested in and check the Careers page.

I currently have a job in my field though, so I have the ability to be picky about what I am looking for.


EDIT: Jesus, didn't realize this was a year old thread...

Slider

Going on two years of being unemployed and having a grand time not working.

KING LITERATE

More Atlanta, GA job fairs here

KING LITERATE

I recently called the Employment Guide call center to ask them what companies would be there, and here's what I got:

T Cellular (No idea...)
Navy
Contemporary services (Again, no idea)
National Guard
Javelin Tech
Aarons (The only thing in this list worth mentioning)
Devry
Insphere Insurance Solutions
Drug Enforcement
Department of Labor


Yeah...

This thing sounds like a complete fucking bust...

Oh well, atleast the other Job Fairs I mentioned sound a lot better.

zkt

Job fairs are a huge waste of time nowadays. You get no information that you couldn't find out with 5 minutes on the internet and they just tell you go to on their site to apply for a position anyway.

Slider

Teach for America didn't want me, but they might want you.

finral

I've found that http://www.simplyhired.com does a good job of finding things from around the web when you do a search.

I'm in the process of trying to find environmental type jobs? Anyone have any really good links for those?

KING LITERATE

List for the Oct. 7 Job Fair:

*
Internet Business Solutions
*
Lifestyle Survey-Reliv
*
Aaron's


*
Aflac
*
Devry


*
DriveTime


*
DWD Job Training & Placement Program
*
Elite Marketing Group of Atlanta


*
Robin's Resumes
*
Sears Home Improvement Products


*
Shopping Genie


*
Shorter College


*
T-Cellular of Georgia
*
The Reserves Network


*
University of Phoenix
*
Walden University - Field Representative, Georgia / Alabama


Aarons and Sears it is, then...

KING LITERATE

Just heard on the radio this morning that Toys R Us (specifically Toys R Us Express) is hiring for the holidays, so you guys might want to get on that.

Darkewolfe

Everyone is hiring for the holidays, really. If you are willing to take seasonal retail, start peppering those resumes now. They go into holiday mode during late Octoberish.

Underwhelming

I live in Illinois, and there is a state site called Skills Match. Have you talked with the department of employment security in your area? I bet your state has such a site.