job interview/ job articles/ wealthy barmaid

Feb. 14 Job interview: Today I went to a job interview and it's really close by. I thought it went well. I felt relaxed and calm. I did research on the company and was able to answer his questions about the company. I told him my skills. He told me about the position and I said I was still interested in it.

Career counselor: That career counselor has had an effect on me. She said that even if I don't get hired, I should call or email them back and ask how to improve my interviewing skills. 2 weeks ago, I did an interview and didn't get hired. So I called them and left a message and asked if they made a decision yet. They didn't call back. So I don't know what I could have improved on.

Feb. 15 Job articles: I got this from Alberta Job Centre: "Why Job Interviews are like First Dates." There were good tips about calling back to see if they made a hiring decision. You have to be polite and respectful. If you get hired, but you were rude on the phone when asking, they will not give you the job. If you were rude on the phone, and you didn't get hired anyway, it confirms that they made the right decision in not hiring you.

Are you sure you answered them to show off your best attributes?

Did you think carefully about what each employer was trying to discover by asking you those questions?

Can you think of any better ways of answering those questions that demonstrates you are confident and have a realistic assessment of your skills?

http://www.albertajobcentre.ca/content/index.cfm?objectid=81E3F10E-2219-80B4-53966DB54E834C71&utm_source=Albertajobcentre.ca&utm_campaign=b32936afd5-AB_Career_Feb_15_20122_15_2012&utm_medium=email

"Follow-up: The Avoided Job Search Strategy": It talked about the importance of following up. As in if they hire somebody else, and they don't work out, they will think about the person who they interviewed and actually called back. If you follow up, it does show you're interested. So I called up that medical office today. They said they will get back to me on Fri.

http://www.albertajobcentre.ca/content/index.cfm?objectid=E14D6F0B-2219-80B4-53A8BE20D97D3D74

Resume: "Is Your 'Perfect' Resume Hurting You?" The best tip was that a resume doesn't get you the job, it gets you the interview. The resume should be brief and to pique their interest. They will want to know more about you, so they will call you for an interview.

Don't put salary expectations on your resume; you're supposed to discuss this at the interview. Some job ads already mention the salary expectation. Basically go on the internet to see how much this position pays.

http://www.albertajobcentre.ca/content/index.cfm?objectid=5E913644-2219-80B4-53AC797B40DB1404&utm_source=Albertajobcentre.ca&utm_campaign=d00d9d401e-AB_Career_Feb_08_20122_8_2012&utm_medium=email

I got this through Job Boom:

Bosses: This is a mediocre article about "Bad Bosses Make Bad Marriages" because the bosses treat the employees bad, and the employees take out their anger at home. It doesn't really tell you anything new.

http://www.torontosun.com/2011/11/30/bad-bosses-make-bad-marriages-study

Salary increases: There will be salary increases in mining, oil, and finance industry.

http://money.canoe.ca/money/mymoney/canada/archives/2011/08/20110823-124943.html

Business wardrobe: Here are some tips about business casual. Don't show too much skin, and don't look like a slob.

http://career.jobboom.com/survival-guide/interview/2011/07/12/18410186.html

Jobs and dating: It's interesting, because I remember reading a dating article. If you go on a date, and you sit and talk to the other person, it's more like an interview. On a date, you should be doing something fun like going to a park and walking around. Have you ever been to a job interview where you walk around the office? No, in an job interview you sit and talk. (Well I did get a tour of the office at two interviews.)

I was thinking about how I would change myself for a job position, like improving my skills and working harder. But I won't change myself to date someone. With a job, you get paid, you get money out of it. You show up, you work, you don't exactly have to like it, but you get paid.

With dating, you get the emotions. You're with this person because you like this person.

Same goes with online dating. You read a profile and it's like a resume. You have to meet the person like a date/ interview to see if you would like the person.

Social Media: I got this through CPRS. Mack Male gives a presentation about "What the Tweet? Blog your Facebook on Youtube!" I can't go because I have work. I did find his blog and he is on the social sites like Wordpress (blog) and Flicker (photo website), Youtube, LinkedIn, etc.

http://blog.mastermaq.ca/

Car rental: I did a job interview at a car rental place. I think it was an average interview. I felt like I stumbled on an answer. I showed up on time and I did research the company. I learned more about the company when he told me about the position. I am interested in the position.

He had good questions to ask me. I have had interviewers that weren't really prepared, so I had to ask questions about the company.

Wealthy barmaid: I found this on Yahoo today. It's about a 26 yr old bartender who's RRSP is 2 income properties. She works as much as she can, and saves as much as she can. She saves her entire paycheck, and saves 75% of her tips. She lives with her parents for free and doesn't pay for rent or food.

She has a MBA in marketing, but she can't get a position in her field. She has looked for a position for 2 yrs.

"The jobs she wanted most, she never heard back from or was told to start at the bottom. When she applied for jobs at the bottom, she was told her MBA made her overqualified. A few places called back and wanted to pay her $30,000 a year."

“It sucks that the only places that will hire me right now are bars. But they’re also great money, and I hate to say it, but they’re probably better money than some entry-level jobs,” she says. “I don’t regret my MBA; it was something I always wanted to do. I thought it was important, something that would allow me to break through the glass ceiling. I still keep a positive outlook though.

“I’ll get a job.”

Office and restaurant: One of the servers I worked with said she could work as a receptionist like $15/hr, but she can do the same as a server. Say she gets paid $9.40/hr, but with tips it could be $15/hr. It's not a job that anyone can do or would like to do. It's a physically demanding job, and some customers aren't polite, and you have to deal with them.

A receptionist, you aren't moving too much. There may be rude people who come into the office, but it's not expected that will be rude. I have seen doctor's offices with signs that say they won't tolerate abuse to any of the staff.

Cons: There were comments dissing her like since she lives for free at home, she can manage to save all her money. Her parents own a restaurant, so she can pick extra shifts there to work and earn money. Not everybody has that kind of a situation that works for them.

Pros: I will say that we can all apply a couple of her habits to our situations like: Work as much as you can, save as much as you can. I will give her points that she was looking for a position in her field for 2 yrs, and that she was willing to work for free with unpaid internships. She was willing to start at the bottom, but wasn't hired because she was overqualified.

http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/wealthy-barmaid-s-rrsp-is-2-income-properties.html