Interview # 47: I love Adventures!

Okay, so I had applied for a job that was the same pay as my current job. I got a call, and at first, I brushed it off. Why would I go for a job that is the same pay rate? Not to mention, it's Tuesday-Saturday! I like my Saturdays! I asked a bunch of people, 2 people said don't go for it, but 5 people said go for it. My one friend said, since I'm so miserable in retail, I might as well try this, because if I have a chance to be happy, I should go for it!

So I call back the lady a day later, and she gets back to me... Usually companies don't get back to me, so I was surprised. She asks me some questions, she tells me that the job is Tuesday-Saturday. I paused for a moment, because I wanted to ask her about this fair I go to every year, that is on a Saturday.. but I didn't, and then she went "You paused once I said Saturday", and I said I was just writing what the hours were down (Which was true, but a good save by me.)
She asks me to come in for an interview, but she requests that she emails me the information.. so since I was at work, and my phone service sucks... I couldn't view it until I got home. I completed all the information at home.. etc.. She sends me an email about an interview on Thursday at 10am! Which is great and all, until I realized I was closing the day before, and wasn't' getting home until 12am.

I somehow got enough sleep, and I get to the place. Now in the email, it says to go past a security booth, and then go to the other side of the building (With car). But I got confused with the instructions, and so I ended up going through the building, and walking through the whole thing, until I found it.

I meet up with the lady, and she tells me that I am going to do a testing assessment. I do the assessment, which was supposed to take 15 minutes, but  I finished it in around 8-10 minutes. It was basically just doing data entry tests, which were rather easy, and kind of fun. I only got one wrong, and on the last one, which bothered me. But other than that, I got a 99% right.

The interviewer, ends up being another lady. She's this nice grandma like lady, and she was telling me about how much she loves data entry, and typing. She was clearly nervous herself, while I'm just normally awkward. She said it was great that I did so well in the assessment.
She went over the job, about how it's Tuesday-Saturday. She had moments where she couldn't think of what else to tell me about the job.
She told me about how she works retail too, at Kmart. I told her that I'm very detail oriented, because at my job, they told me to just throw the merchandise wherever.. she said at Kmart, they want perfection, and that she should get a job at my store. I told her, I could give her a good reference!

She seemed to really like me, she said that I seem like a nice person, and that she believed me when I said I was detail oriented, or I get along with everyone.. etc..

I asked her these questions:

• What's an average day like
• What's your favorite thing about this company?
• What is the competitive scene like? Who am I up against, and what would I have to do, to show I am the right choice?

At once point, I felt like I was interviewing her. lol

I did forget to tell her my three adjectives, that I'm Friendly, Ambitious and Optimistic. But I think she thought that about me.

So, before I did the assessment, the first lady gave me a water bottle, as she asked If I wanted anything.
Now, a cool interview trick is.. to ask for water.... or whatever. Because when you don't know what to say, you take a sip of the drink, and it gives you more time to think about what you're going to say. I did this a few times with the water bottle,

She asked me to describe a time I had to face a challenge. I took a sip of water, and I thought of a time.. where I dealt with this very nasty customer. The customers coupon didn't work, so I got the supervisor to override it. Now, what really happened was... the lady was a bitch from the start, and a bitch to the end.. she was by far, the nastiest person I've ever had to deal with.
However, the lie is, that after we got the "coupon" to work, the lady became very happy, and nice.
So that's my challenge, even though it's half a lie.

At times, I did however come off rather awkward, but the lady seemed a little awkward too, so I don't think it was a  big deal.
Of course, my dumb ass parked in the wrong direction. So I was trying to find the stairs for the way I didn't go through, and the first lady saw me kind of looking around, confused. She showed me the way, I told her I wanted to walk, because I love adventures (I said the same thing twice like an idiot).
I found the way..
But my problem is, if I've never been somewhere, or if I've never done something.. I'll get really confused and just get the directions wrong somehow. (Such as, now that I know where to go, the directions to the building in the email, is rather easy and I understand it now.)

So the interview, I think went very well. We'll just see what happens next!

Edit: As of May/01/2018. I found out that they liked me, and I will be working for this company, starting the 22nd of May.

Interview # 40: I'd like to mail YOU!

Interview # 40, is very interesting. I was applying fore warehouse/assembly line type of jobs, because why not, I really hate retail, and I'm ready to slap a bitch.
So, I applied for a position that said it was for shipping and packaging, but what I didn't know was... it was actually for a mom and pop shop version of UPS and FedEX. 

So, I get a call from an unknown number at 8pm, and I don't answer it, because I don't know who's calling.
I just got a new phone, and it translates voicemails into text, which I didn't know was a thing.. but shortly realized it was for an interview?! I thought, why would someone call for an interview at 8pm?! I didn't call back, as I didn't know what the job was at the time, and had to look it up... in which they proceeded to text me 20 minutes later, I feel that's a bit of invasion of privacy/personal space. Like ho, I don't know you. But when I read that it was like a UPS kind of place,  I was like, why not?

On the phone, I told the guy that I love working with customers, but wanted a more clerical environment.. since it involves computes, printers, copy machines... etc
We ended up setting up an interview for 6 pm, on Thursday.

The GPS sent me the wrong way, but I ended up finding the place just two minutes before I was supposed to be there, traffic got crazy right around that time.

I get into the store, it's this tiny store that looks, and smells like an auto parts store, which really confused me. I was given a paper to fill out, it asked what schools I went to, what my jobs were, what are my references.. These kinds of papers annoy me, I literally have a resume, a cover letter, and a reference sheet that explains all of this! But no, I have to take 10 minutes to fill these things out, and what annoys me is I do this online with numerous jobs, wasting my time, because I never get contacted after that!!
So I fill out the form, and I start the interview. I told the man that I love challenges, and I'm always telling people, give me a challenge. When he asked why I was leaving my job, I said I was looking for a quieter atmosphere.. in which he responded that it gets crazy there. But little does he understand how crazy my store gets, we could literally have 20 people on line, and 1 cashier... Like this tiny little mom and pop shop is nothing compared to that department store!!
He told me that they don't have benefits, which I told them that I have a health insurance plan on my own, and not by my current company.
When he asked if I had questions, I said "What is it like to work here", and he said that he pretty much just told me, that was a mistake on my part. lol 
Then I asked who I would report to, he said his wife, who was at the counter.
Overall, it was a lame experience. I wasn't feeling the job, mainly due to how ugly it was, and we were obviously on two different playing fields. He did thank me for dressing up however, and I mentioned to him that the GPS sent me the wrong way, he said that happens all the time!

Now I kind of want to apply for UPS, because they're hiring, ans their stores actually look much nicer!

Lesson Learned: Sometimes accidentally applying for a job, can lead to interesting opportunities. While, sometimes it falls flat on it's face. Never be afraid to say, this isn't for me, but also, never be afraid to try something new!

Phone Interview # 7: Good luck. *Hangs Up*

There is a company that I had applied for in August, and I never got back to them because, I could barely tell what the lady was saying on the phone. Three months later, I decided that I'd apply for the same company again. I could tell what her phone number was, and a few other things, but I could not make out her name. I decided that this time, I was going to call her back, and hope I can tell what she's saying!

She told me to hold on, and she'd close her door. After she did that, I could hear her loud and clear, I was shocked. She conducted a phone interview with me, she asked all the questions, what I did in my previous positions, what I was looking for in a job. She asked where I worked, and I told her that I still work there, and that I was on break when I called her. I also said this so she doesn't take a million years to talk to me, and know that I'd have to get back to work soon.
The phone interview was pleasant, until the very last question. She asked me a question that I did not know how to respond to.. The question was something along the lines of "Describe the perfect position", or "How would you describe the perfect position"... I don't remember how it was worded, but I just didn't understand the question. So there was lot's of silence, and me whispering (What do I say, what do I say..) She probably heard me, and thought I was asking someone for help. I figured out, that I would say the perfect position is where I could be in a good environment, with good people.
Not to mention, it was a customer service position, and my perfect position would be a Graphic Design job, so obviously I can't say that. After that, she seemed to get kind of snotty. She told me there are several positions, and she's doing phone interviews to sift through everyone, and she's not the actual hiring manager. I told her that it was a pleasure to talk to her, and she said good luck, and hung up the phone without saying bye, or anything. I found it to be rather rude. Now I know not to apply for that company again, no wonder they had two ads within a span of 2-3 months!

Interview #36: We're a no DRAMA-MAMA!

So my 36th interview, took place in the beginning of the new year, 2017! It is for a company that sells medical equipment to veterinarians. I had applied for an Office Assistant position.

This was actually my first interview that I obtained by applying on Zip Recruiter, as I hadn't really used the site before. (I've never gotten an interview using jobr, yet though.)

I was first contacted, and spoke with a woman over the phone. Funny enough, her name was Elizabeth, the same name as someone I work with at my current job. It took me a while to get in contact with her, as the number she left... was an automated voice message saying to choose an extension... she didn't leave an extension! First, I decided to choose the Customer Service line, which went to voicemail.. but it had Elizabeth's voice as the message. Then, I tried the department for "other" calls, and it was Elizabeth's voice again.. I finally chose another line and Elizabeth picked up... which was weird that all of their departments would be the same person! When I talked to her, she asked me a few questions, such as, what my graphic design experience was, and if I was bilingual. (I'm not, but I told her that I knew a few words). I scheduled an interview for Wednesday, (It was Monday).

The company is very close to where I went for my 32nd interview, so I pretty much knew how to get there.. in fact, it was only a road or two down! I still somehow managed to get lost, but in my defense... I was using a GPS the first time, and this time I used my phone's GPS, which actually wanted me to take a longer route, so I did half the route of what I remembered from the first time, and the other half of using the map feature on the phone. I actually did better getting to this area the first time, over the second! Ironically.

I have to say, the company has great, convenient parking! There's 7 parking spaces right in front of the building, and the doors to the offices are like 5 feet away. It totally beats retail parking! (On busy days, you may have to park all the way in Narnia, and this has happened to me plenty of times, and has even made me late before!!!)

When I got to the building, I was 10 minutes early. I tried entering the building, by pushing the door that was locked, and not the one next to it, that was open. I met with Elizabeth, and she had me stay in a room for about 10 minutes. I originally thought that I was being interviewed by her, but she told me I had to wait for the manager. I studied some lines to say while I waited, and eventually the manager came in, who was a girl.. and I was so happy because I'm more comfortable around women than I am with men (Which may be ironic since the only times I've ever been on second interviews, were with male managers). Elizabeth stayed in the room (In the corner), to accompany the manager, but she did not say, or do much.
I greeted the manager, and she started off by telling me about the company. Which was surprising because they always ask ME, what I know about the company... and in fact I had a list of things I was going to tell her, what I know about the company.
Some of the following questions may be out of order....
Her first question for me, was, why did I go to school for Graphic Design, but get a job in retail? I told her about my situation, where I got an associates in Graphic Design, and afterwards the school wouldn't let me advance until I started paying them. Which is how I worked in a mail room, an office and currently retail. I told her, that I got the job in retail to get some kind of money, and I ended up staying with them to help them out, and get my drivers license, as well as a car. She asked me if I remembered any of the Graphic Design skills from school, I told her that of course I knew... as I'm always on my computer doing something. (I do occasionally use my graphic design program, but not as much as I used to, as working retail is very draining for me... I never have motivation to do anything anymore, and because of the weirds hours, I don't have a set routine to do productive things..) She asked If I had any work, I showed her a demo page that I printed up.. and told her about my portfolio, which I haven't had much time to update. (The irony is, if I had a normal 9-5 job, I know I'd have time and motivation to fix these things.). The thing that bothered me was, I applied for an Office Assistant. So I wasn't exactly prepared for them to ask for my work, in fact, I have no idea where my physical portfolio is! I just have my online one currently. But if I had applied for a Graphic Design job, I would have been prepared.. they sucker punched me a bit, so that's also why I wasn't prepared for that.
She asked me if I was bilingual, I said I knew about 20 words in Spanish, and 20 words in Japanese, which her and Elizabeth seemed to find funny. I told her that I was always willing to learn.. and I explained a time where it came in handy. As an example, I told her of the time when I was on register and I asked this lady for her phone number for return purposes. The woman didn't know what I was saying, so I said "telephone" in Spanish, she understood that and told me her number...so I was able to utilize the few words I did know in the real world.
The Manager asked me what I do/did in the positions I've held in the present and the past... I told her, in the office I did things such as filing, faxing, scanning documents and I also put together cover letters and looked for jobs for people, as the company I worked for was a bit of a job agency for the poor.
She asked about my current position, I told her that I was full time home department, but I also help out on register, and anywhere else that they need me. She asked how I felt about answering phones, I told her that I love to answer phones, and I'm always the first to grab the phone at my job.
She asked me to describe myself in 3 adjectives.. now this idiot (Meaning me) does not remember what an adjective is, so I was freaked out because I'm like.. what if I say something that isn't an adjective? My problem is that I didn't want to learn in school, but once I was an adult, that's when I wanted to learn all of these things...
I told her that I was Kind, Energetic, Calm.. and she said that Calm and energetic canceled each other out.. so I chose hardworking.. because honestly, this is what it's all about...I'm just trying to let them know that I want a job.. seriously, some of these questions interviewers ask are insanely unrealistic!
I was told about the job position, the job title would be Office Assistant, but it would be a bit of everything. Office work, Customer Service, Shipping, Inventory, Graphic Design.. etc..
I told her that's just like my job now, I help them where they need help. A jack of all trades.
She told me a bit about the job, she said that they don't like drama and how they are a small company and they aren't looking for drama. I didn't care for this part, as I felt the need to defend myself for something that I am not... I told her that I'm calm and easygoing. I had a tendency to repeat the same phrases a million times in this interview, it wasn't on purpose.. but I was like "what do I say"?!
I was asked about a time where I dealt with a problem customer, I told them of a time last year.. where there was this rude lady.. by accident, I got sassy when I explained this story.. but I was only sassy when playing the customer...I told them of a time where this lady had a coupon that didn't work, and she was rude about it, so I got the supervisor over.. and how her friend magically appeared and she was nice to the friend, but not to us...I rang her up as anyone would, and she was on her way... I didn't go into detail, but there was so much more to that story that I left out.....
She asked how I was with stress, this was one of those cases where I had to lie through my teeth. I told her that I am great with stress, and that I work harder when stressed. This is lie, if I get stressed, I freak out and have mini panic attacks.. in which I am 100% less productive. But seriously, whose going to tell the truth with some of these questions?! If someone wants a job, they're going to make stuff up to get the job!!!
She told me more about the job, and it's people.

When she asked me if I had an questions for her, I asked the following.

* What is your favorite thing about the company?
She answered that work is work for a reason, we're not going to have fun doing spreadsheets.. but her favorite part is the people.
Which I thought was a dumb answer, because you can have fun working! The people part was good though.

* What area could use help? She pretty much said every department could use help... and she mentioned something about eventually hiring a part timer, I don't know if it was when I asked this question, or if she mentioned the part tier at a different time.

* I asked her what a typical day was like, she went in about how everyone has to work together and everyone chips in.. and there's not time for complaining, or something like that. Something she said, made me go in defense mode and I mentioned that I always get along with everyone, even if I don't like them. Such as the guy at work, who complains about everything. He complains about the job, the people, the managers, everything under the sun. I told her that I treat him with respect, and she asked if he liked me, I said yes.. and that the only person he doesn't like is the one manager, because she pushes his buttons.
She made a comment about how there's no room for complaining in the company.. etc..
She seemed to be really sensitive about drama, which was annoying because I felt like I had to defend myself.. it's just like, I get it.. you had a bad apple, but not everyone is like that, just note it once, and move on.
She asked me if I complain about people, I said no, and then she asked If I ever complain and I said no. Obviously this isn't true, but I don't complain often, and when I do.. it's with a friend.

At the end of the interview, she said that she liked that I was punctual.. so I suppose someone else was late.

I told her that I wanted to let her know of one last thing, that if she hired me, she would not be disappointed.. that I am a hardworking, detail oriented individual that always takes the extra mile.

I told her it was a pleasure to meet her.. and as I was leaving, I pushed the locked door, like I did when I was coming in.

At the end of the interview, I felt a bit discouraged. I did like the atmosphere and the people, but the constant bickering about "Drama", "Complaining", and having to lie about complaining or stress, really just turned me off. If I don't get the job, I honestly wouldn't mind that much, because they really didn't pitch their company that well. It's like sure, no one wants drama.. but to just constantly complain about complaining... is...well ANNOYING!!

Lesson Learned: My lesson that I learned consists of two parts.
First: Was that I needed to create a cheat sheet, I need to take a sheet and list three things to ask an employer, along with other things like good answers to questions and the like.
Second: Was, I have no choice but to try and work on my graphic design portfolio, I may not have the time or the motivation to do it.. but it's clear thats a big reason why companies want me.. I can't get a job with weird, outdated or lame artwork.. or even lack of content.

Phone Interview/Convo

I had started my new job search in the end of September 2015, I had applied for a job that was up my alley. It was a job in a Mail Company, that was looking for someone to do clerical work and light Graphic Design. This job was perfect for me, and it paid 17 an hour! How could I pass that up?! I worked in a mail room for 4 months,  I worked in an Office for a year and I went to school for graphic design!
I sent my resume, and a minute later I got a call! The guy on the phone told me, he just got my resume and he asked me a few questions. He asked me if I had Microsoft Office experience, he asked me some clerical related questions and he asked if I was good with Excel. I told him I have little Excel experience, but I am a quick learner. He asked what I would be in Excel, a Novice, Medium or Intermediate, I said a Novice. He told me that he would get back to me later about more details....
A day had passed and I was telling some people at work about this job, and two people were so excited for me. The one lady was like, I'm so excited for you, you're going to get this job! I told her, that I probably wasn't, and I'm used to being let down, she told me not to think like that. But what can I say, I went on 20 interviews in a year, back in 2012 and I didn't get a single one of them!
But because she was so happy about it, she got me excited about it and she started to make me think I actually had a chance.... especially since she was telling me about her daughter's boyfriend who she thought worked for the company. (It was a different company.)
The next day, I emailed the company, just to ask what the status was. They emailed me back, saying they were reviewing all of the candidates and that they would let me know the outcome.
I never heard from them again!
But what bothered me is, It was clear I had no chance at getting this job! So why did the guy call me in the first place?! He got my hopes up! Getting someone's hopes up is not cool, and he was just baiting me the whole time! I wish I had remembered the name of the company or something, this way I could complain about it on Glassdoor or Yelp!

Interview # 26: Get your floaties, we're going swimming!

My current job doesn't give me enough hours, so I went on an adventure and started to apply for other jobs... a particularly popular pool company took interest in me...this is that interview...

Also, here is some adventure music... you're welcome..

My 26th interview was actually a really interesting interview, I had two interviews on two different days, one on Monday and one on Wednesday, my first interview on Monday was a phone interview on account of the manager having to go to another store.

When I found out I had an interview for the company, I had pictured what the place would look like, so I was surprised when I found out it looked incredibly different and slightly like the inside of a garage.
The only person there was the assistant manager, the manager was out at another store for whatever reason. I was actually really excited that the managers were men; most of the time they are women, and I just think it's a bit refreshing to see male managers rather than all of the female supervisors and managers I have had, as well as interviewers. Male managers and supervisors are just rare, so I thought it was cool that there were some here.
Since the manager was at another store, I was given a phone interview. The assistant manager gave me a phone and showed me to the office room so I could have my interview..
The interview went nicely, the manager even said that I was what they were looking for.. and for someone who hadn't been on an interview for 4-5 months, I think I did well. the manager had no problem that I already have a job and just looking for a second one..
Since he liked me as a candidate, he said he would contact me soon.
I was contacted later that day via phone and was scheduled a second interview on the Wednesday.

I finally got to meet the manager, I was kind of hoping the manager would be really attractive, but he wasn't.
The interview was just as good as the phone interview, they were looking for someone who could be working in the day on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday... which was perfect because I usually work at my job in retail at nights.. so I could go there in the morning and go to my current job at night.
There was one part where he asked me if I was familiar with POS (Point of Sales)... and I said I had no idea what that was, but I do have register experience... in which he said POS was being on the register.
After more of the interview, he said the last thing to do was to call my references, which is something no employer has ever said to me before. I gave him my references after he said he would look at the ones that I put in online, since the one I had printed was evidently a bit longer.
He said after he called my references he would send me an email.

I have no idea if I got the job or not, as it is already Sunday and I haven't heard back at all. I'm guessing I didn't get it!

Edit: It's almost been two weeks and so I will assume I did not get it.


Lesson Learned: Even if you get a second interview with a company, it still does not mean they will hire you.

Interview #24: That went well.... NOT!

Interview #24 happened to me today 9/21/2012, at about 11:30 AM.

I received a phone call from a woman named Stephanie, I remember it ringing. But I let it go to my messages because it was 8 AM and I was tired...
I called back at around 11 Am, and the receptionist had me on hold for literally about 3 minutes, as I checked the timer my phone has.

When I spoke with the lady, she asked me what kind of worker I was. I said I was a hard worker and I always do what I'm supposed to do.
She then asked me what my negatives were; in which I responded Math. I continued to say that "In order to combat it, I would use a calculator".
She said that the job has a whole lot of math and then she started to pause... she said she'd get someone to call me later. In which she said "You know what, to be honest. I won't be calling you back, good luck on the job search".

I was like "Well, that was rude".

I thought that maybe I should have said something before she hung up... after that I just said that I didn't need that job anyways, since I don't like math... it would have been terrible. I then said that I should get back to more important things, like mailing a letter to my friend Donna, it's about a photography contest.

The funny thing is, in the message... I couldn't pick out what the companies name was and so I have no idea how they got my resume. I do think it may be a job I applied for that was a graphic design job, but also has lot's of math involved. Which is stupid because usually artists are terrible at math, finding someone that is good with both is incredibly rare. I only know two people who are artists and good at math, out of thirty people. I hope these idiots realize that.. if it of course is that job that I am thinking about... it may not be though.

Lesson Learned: On occasion, you will have no idea where the company got your resume, or who they are.
An interesting trick is to put their phone number in the search bar on a search engine, and usually links will show what company the phone belongs to... it doesn't always work, but it does work most of the time.

I actually just tried this, and it worked! It is in fact not the company I thought it was, but one I applied for the other day.

If you'll excuse me, I have some negative reviews to make about them on the internet....


UPDATE: I actually sent them something in the comments on their website and I told them how they shouldn't be rude.
They actually called me back and apologized for it, but they said it was someone else that I was interviewed by, not the original person that called me.

Interview # 20: Hello? Yes, I'd like to buy a llama please.

My 20th interview was another phone interview... It was for Raymour & Flannigan.

There's not much to say about this one... The only thing is that they called me at a bad time, so they told me to call them at a good time, in which they were busy! It was back and forth of being unavailable.... Until FINALLY we were able to talk on a Friday at like 11:00 Am. they were going to call me, but they actually didn't call me until like 11:20 AM.
The phone call was nice, I think I presented myself very well and I was very alert for someone who literally woke up at 10:55 AM.

I got an email a week later saying I did not get the job and my first thought was "All of that and for nothing!".
I'm happy I didn't get it though, because on the job you'd have to wear a suit, and me with no money does not have a suit...Well, I have this old one... but it doesn't fit very well anymore.

Lesson Learned: Phone interviews can be a pain in the butt, there can be lot's of times when the time just isn't right. It can take forever to have a proper phone interview.

Interview #16: Hello? Are you there?

Interview # 16 was literally on June 1st, I remember because Alan Scott, the original Green Arrow was announced as the newest homosexual superhero.
While reading stuff about Alan Scott, I was also waiting for my very first phone interview! I remember it was either 9 or 10 am.

The position was for a receptionist, and I spoke with a woman at a call center. She interviewed me and asked me about my previous job duties and mostly anything else an interviewer would ask.
It was like a physical interview, but you don't have to go anywhere... you could have the interview in your birthday suit if you wanted! (Not Recommended though.)
I was well presented, confident and I think I did good. The lady said they'd call again if they were interested in me, for a physical interview.
I was never contacted again, but it helped me learn about other kinds of interviews.

Lesson Learned: Some interviews are conducted via phone or even skype. These are usually used to test people and see who is more suitable, usually second interviews in person are involved.