Interview #4: It's........ Chuckie!

My fourth interview was another volunteer job, I had obtained this position because it was much closer to home. I didn't like this job at all, and I was able to go back to the mail room eventually.


This was a maintenance position, which seemed easy enough. I was told I would vacuum and sweep for a school... I was thinking in an actual school. But this place wasn't even the school...
This school was for bad kids, I had to clean their dorms.
First off, the dorms looked like ancient buildings you'd see in a horror movie. Apparently is used to be a convent for nuns.
Someone was already on the maintenance crew, this 29 year old woman with three kids. Since she was alone with this position for a long time. She made ME do all of the dirty work! I had to clean toilets, showers and pick up garbage. She never let me vacuum and I never got to sweep like I was told I would do.
The whole place had a creepy aura to it, I felt like it was haunted or something. One of the rooms, in fact had a chuckie doll in them... just a glimpse of how evil this kids were...
Everyday you'd turn the lights on and.... Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Chuckie! It was really creepy!

The top dorms had the rooms for all of the older kids, and the boys rooms were FILLED with pictures of non nude women with gigantic breasts. The kids there must have incredibly dirty minds.. it was very disturbing.
The whole place just had an uneasy feeling.
The travel was terrible, it took me like 20 minutes to get there from walking from the bus stop... I was told it wouldn't be hard to get there, but I had to walk forever across a mall. By the time I would get there, I was already tired and sweating. Then I had to do more labor that was very tiring... the whole job wore me out and I was only there for three days!
The people were nice, except for this one lady... I mean she was nice but she said this one remark that I thought was rude. She asked me how I thought the job was; I responded "It's an interesting job I have not experienced before". In which she replied along the lines of "Well, sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do." I don't remember clearly, but I just remember I found it to be rude... especially when I didn't say that I didn't like the job.
I enjoyed having lunch though, since it was summer... I would chill on the picnic bench, I would eat lunch and then read a manga for a half an hour. The good thing was there was no supervision...

So, I took an hour lunch when I was only supposed to have a half an hour. But mainly because it was a very physical position that tired me out easily, it just wasn't something I was able to do simply... I had a very tough time with it... as I am not the Hulk or Hulk Hogan.

I was incredibly lucky that I was able to go back to the mail room; it may have taken two and a half hours to get there, but at least it wasn't creepy and physically demanding.

Lesson Learned: Not all jobs are enjoyable, some can be hard, boring, and just downright horrible. The place and the atmosphere can be eerie and un-enjoyable. Sometimes we have to do things we don't like.

Interview #3: Three is not always a lucky number!

My third interview was on June 11th, it was a Saturday and I remember not getting any sleep and I was watching a Hot in Cleveland Marathon on TVLAND.

This interview wasn't really an interview at all, it was more like a 3 HOUR MEETING.
I had posted on facebook, that I had an interview on Saturday, June 11th 2011. My one friend wished me luck, my other friend pointed out that I should have researched the company and my third friend that commented told me something about this company.

"OMG Vector???? They sell knifes! Its a pyramid scam! They want you to buy $145 dollars of their knifes for a sample kit to walk around and sell door to door! I went there a couple of years ago and they hired me, but I left after I found out I had to do that."
She then posted this.
http://www.spamlaws.com/vector-marketing-scam

Although my friend told me the evils of this site known as "Vector Marketing", unfortunately it was too late for me to cancel. This actually lead me to not get any sleep, not shower or do anything... in fact I wore the same shirt I had the previous day. I went from really interested to, just get this over with.
When I got to the place, it was kind of run down, very unattractive and unappealing workplace. I was interviewed by someone for about 5 minutes, then the interviewer put up a presentation and me as well as a couple of other people interviewed all sat at a table and watched this guy say ridiculous things about the company. The other kids there were incredibly stupid, I swear, I thought my I.Q lowered. I just sat through the presentation with a sour face... and I left as soon as possible.
Most of the managers were all very young 16-20. The company ONLY sells knives, they may work... but that's all they sell. And they go door to door, trying to sell knives... when the official site does not say the same.
Basically, the job requires you to pay for a specific amount of knives... and if you DO NOT sell all of those knives, you have to pay for the ones you did not sell.
I also see their ads quite frequently online, this shows that they have poor skills and can't stick with someone.

This company is like a mosquito, they prey on people (Usually young and dumb) and suck you dry out of your money.

Lesson Learned: Sometimes everything is not what it seems, some companies are huge scams! Be cautious for companies with strange sites , rules  and especially if it makes you buy something. It's always good to see if it's legitimate, it can save you time and money...LITERALLY!

Interview #2: Did someone order a mailman.. or was that just me?

My second interview was actually a not for profit job, where I didn't get paid a cent! But the experience was memorable and I'll never forget being there...
I also did look for paying jobs while I was there.
I had this interview on May 17th of 2011.

I actually had to take two buses, which took a total of 2 and a half hours to get to! I had to get up at 6 am just to get there at 9 am.
Although, in the long run. This job actually helped me understand the area, I learned about numerous towns as well as how to get to certain places.
When I actually got to the place for the interview, I was actually really afraid. As I have a fear of getting lost, and this place was HUGE! Plus, I didn't know exactly where I was going. Fortunately, there was a woman who got off the bus with me that knew where I was supposed to go.
When I got to the right room, I actually had a nice experience. The supervisor was very nice and welcoming, and I didn't really have to say anything. Not for profit jobs tend to be easier to get, they'll take you as long as you aren't crazy (in a bad way), or on drugs, alcohol etc... As long as you're level headed and not a psycho.

I worked at the mail room for 4 months, I was let go for unknown reason. But the last day I was there, we all had completed the work. There was literally no work left! So, since then... I've told people I was let go due to lack of work. Even though I truthfully do not know why they let me go.

Although it was a short time being there, I learned a whole lot about nearby area's, I learned about how having a job was, I made friends, I learned that there are lot's of attractive people in giant government buildings :3 and most importantly... I bought a kind of iced tea at their cafe that was so awful... that I can't drink iced tea anymore, or it reminds me of that nasty stuff.. :(

Lesson Learned: It made me understand the workforce, I understood more how having a job was.

Interview #1 : Is it a Plane? Is it a Bird? Nope, just a flying pig..

Besides helping everyone that reads this out with interviews and jobs! I will also share my interview experiences. I'll also post a lesson that I learned, that could also be helpful to you.

My first ever job interview was in April of 2011.... it was for the well known company called Macy's!

I had almost no interview experience, aside from a demo I had done in college. I had applied online, they have this questionnaire that apparently you never have to fill out again once you've completed it.
Anyways, so I went to Macy's and I was nicely dressed, nice pants and a business shirt (I don't know the name)...Although, the bad thing was that the shirt was wrinkled and the dryer was broken so I had to bring it to the neighbor's house and when I got the shirt back... it smelled like cigarette smoke because she's a big smoker. The smell did not come out for a while... I have no idea if the interviewer smelled it or not! If you don't know me, I am not a smoker and hate being around it.

When I got to Macy's, I was a bit lost as it had three stories and the main office was actually hidden in the corner of the women's section.
When I got there, the office was very nice and it was a nice atmosphere. Apparently the person that was supposed to interview me was MIA, so they had someone else interview me.
This guy didn't really seem like he was into it, he didn't seem enthusiastic. I bombed half of the questions they asked me, but it also helped me... because I knew what to say on my next interview.
I received an email a week later saying they passed on me, which was fine. I then went into a "I hate macys" phase for not hiring me...
Even though I never went there to shop, I don't hate them anymore though.. as I had a second interview with them a year later and they did like me. Still unemployed though...

I can't say the interview went well, but the experience was good though.

Lesson Learned: It brought me into the interview experience.

What is the company about?

I'm going to answer a very interesting question; now if you don't already do this... do it immediately!

A popular question asked on interviews is the following.....

"What do you know about the company?", or another similar question.

This can be a difficult question, if the company doesn't have anything.... or if you just couldn't find any information. (Which happened to me before, I just told them I didn't know much, but was eager to know more).

But, here's a bit of a cheat sheet....

• Find information about the company, and write down three facts.

You can find information from various sources, the internet (Most companies have a website), ads on tv or in the newspaper, word of mouth (Some people know more than others), you could even go to the company and ask them what they're all about.
Or you could sneak into their offices after hours and look at their confidential information. (Don't do that)

Let's pretend you had an interview for a company named Shangri-La, and they sell toys and other items. Then write down the information about the company.

Example

What I found out about Shangri La Company...

○ They sell toys.
○ They sell Boomerangs.
○ They publish childrens books.

Make sure to remember these important facts you find out, remember them for the interview!

So, then on the interview... when they ask you "What do you know about the company"..

You can say....

"I know you sell items like Toys, Boomerangs and Childrens books."

Something like that!

This helps because they know you've researched the site, and you don't have to tell them their life story they already know.

Things to do on an interview.

• Fold your hands in front of you when seated.
• Be confident, smile.
• Tell them why you think you're best for the position, hard working, honest etc..
• Ask one to two questions at the end of the interview, they'll probably ask if you have any questions.
           ○Some good questions include, "What's it like to work here?", "What is the company about", "What is the salary", "When will I know if I have obtained the position or not?".
• Also, a thank you card is a good idea. Either give them it at the end of the interview, or send it in the mail as soon as possible. This shows that you really cared about the interview, and that you liked the company and it's surroundings.
• It's good to have a references sheet, hand them this at the end of the interview.

Job Tips.

Here are some good preparedness tips and tricks for a job interview.

 ○ Make sure to be all nice and clean, take a shower a few hours before the interview, or the night before.

 ○ Cologne/Perfume and Deodorant, is very much a good idea! You don't want to smell bad on an interview.

 ○ Dress nicely, Suits, skirts, anything that is very professional and neat. No T shirts with wholes, or anything.. even if you're on an interview for a construction worker... you must dress well!

 ○   Research the company, this is important as they may ask you questions about the position and the company...a good tip IF YOU DID NOT DO RESEARCH, just tell them that you did not find much information, but are eager to hear more about the company. I did this once, because I simply did not hear the name of the company, so I just said I knew little and that I was eager to know more. (Which FYI had a completely different background from what I had thought)

○ Make sure you know what you're going to say, they'll probably ask you about previous jobs, why you think you're good for the company. etc..

 ○ Also usually they ask if you have any questions, make sure to ask at least one thing... this way they know you're interested in the position.
Questions like "What is it like to work here" are okay, but not the best. If they don't tell you what the company is about, then definitely ask what the company is all about and what they do. I'll probably make some kind of post about what to say and not to say.

 ○Also make sure you're not shy, if you are... just try and put on a smile... if you have to... just put on a great pair of underwear on and think to yourself, I have this great pair of underwear on and you have no idea. This can raise your confidence and can make you smile..
Always fold your hands in front of you, it shows you are listening and also if you fidget with your hands... this will help you not fidget.

○ If the interviewer asks for a beverage, say yes! This can be useful for the interview itself. If you can't think of what to say, you can stall  by taking a sip and thinking about what you'll say.