A new method to obtaining a job.

[dynatac]

Q: How can you get a job?
A: Act uninterested and unprofessional.

My story from today:


I just got the "can you start tommorow?" call a few minutes ago.

I've been job hunting since September and haven't had much luck.
At every interview I've done the same - show up 15 minutes early, be clear and concise about my background, and express how interested I am in working for the company. Most of the times I'd be lucky to get a call back. Up until now.

I flat out lost it (mentally) today on the road due to an accident that made me about 20 minutes late to today's interview. On top of that, I forgot copies of my resume, complete with the reference info that I can never remember, as well as the name of the contact person I was supposed to meet, and the floor/suite number.

I arrived late and angry and it showed.
I was hot, sweaty and frustrated and wasn't thinking straight.
I said screw it on the application and filled out only about half of it.
I was under the impression - who's gonna hire someone who's late and obviously angry? How unprofessional. So what's the point of filling it out?

I met the contact person, went to a conference room, and talked about my background, and also bitched about traffic. Told her she must've seen my resume since I was invited up there today, so thats why I didn't finish filling out the other forms.

Based on the long drive as well as the job description, I had made up my mind right there that I just don't care anymore. I'm sick of the corporate world. I'm sick of trying to get a traditional job where I'll always start off as an overworked and underpaid pawn of an employee. So I don't really care about this job or interview. I wasn't even paying attention to anything she said during the interview.

She said something to the extent of interviewing some more candidates as I was leaving which said to me "I'm obviously not hiring you."

So as soon as I left, the tie came off, the hair came down, Pantera started blaring out of my stereo, and I started thinking about just getting a fun job in the meantime where I can be myself.

Got home ready to research "fun" jobs, and got that "can you start tommorow?" call. Go figure.

As for what I intend to do?
I'll take the job but continue to look out for something where above all else, I can be happy while at work. Even if that does mean a lower salary.

*This thread was partially inspired by POOHbear's job thread *

 

[flaminio]

That's kind of the way I got my current job. I came into the interview completely uninterested and unprepared. I didn't bother to answer the "stock" questions, but rather just ended up just BS'ing with the interviewer for about an hour, only occasionally talking on-topic to the job.

That was on a Tuesday. I got the offer on Wednesday. I started on Thursday. And I've been here over five years now. Kind of throws all the books out the window, I guess.

 

[DocL]

It's difficult to go outside the box, but sometimes doing the counter-intuitive is the right thing at the right time. I learned this recently and it has helped me in delaing with my boss everyday: The patient.

 

[steveny]

What will you do on your first day if you don't get in an accident on the way their? Maybe they thought they hired a different person than you actually are?

 

[queenlives]

congrats on the gig - not a bad thing to keep an eye open to what's happening outside your current employer, but my experience is you're best served to give your new job your undivided attention to really understand the full potential.

i have a not entirely dissimilar experience:

8 yrs ago after leaving a sales mgmt position in a small software company (i was in the 5th month of a well-deserved 9 month sabbatical), i was at home one day and got a call from a guy who identified himself and the owner of my former employer's largest competitor - he wanted to buy the competitor, would i speak with him about it? i said "no, i'm not interested in speaking with you" and hung up without so much as another breath.

phone rings again, it's him. i hang up without saying a word.

cycle repeats itself.

he calls again, laughing so hard he sounds like he's going to wet his pants and says, "ok, hal... don't hang up - PUHLEEZE, just hear me out". i said "you've got 30 seconds and we're burning oxygen".

he tells me his (encapsulated) story, invites me for a coke at a local hangout and i go to work for his company two months later. after a remarkable run of success, we sell the company 4 years later for a 32 multiple... and he's still among my closest of friends.

so, great "go figure" story you've told, now tell us in 90 days what the opportunity **really** represents

in the meantime, congrats on the new gig and happy holidays.
hal

 

[W]

Have fun at work regardless. Don't fall into the everyone is doing whatever so you have to do it too. Just do it your way or the highway and get fired if it's not a good match. Do the 'Office Space' thing. It works. Really!

So Congrats! Now take the rest of the week off.

 

[dynatac]

Thank you all for the support.
And I'll say "no" to the office space thing.
Already done it in the past. :biggrin:




DocL: You're a MD or DDS?
I think I read somewhere you were the latter.
In any case, I had a temp job once helping my dentist out that I've known for years, and gotta say thats a great point you make.