Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Work and Employment > Job Search
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Thread summary:

Job search: employment, ceo interview, pay the bills, resume writing, recruiters headhunters.

Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 12-14-2007, 12:27 AM
 
Location: Sunshine Coast, QLD
3,674 posts, read 3,018,002 times
Reputation: 5466

Advertisements

Hi all- I've been out of work since Nov 9 (restructuring) I've applied to at least 2 job PER DAY in Se Wi, with minimal results. In fact only 2 companies have interviewed me and here's how that went:
JOb A: Had a great phone screen, went on 1st interview. The job, and company (so far) felt right for me. The feed back my recuriter got was that it was excellent interview, and I was invited back for a second. The second interview also went very very well, and I felt that this was the job and company for me. Imagine my surprise when the feedback from the recruiter was that it was a great 2nd interview and that I was the top candidate,( I asked good ,relevant questions, showed interest, interviewed very well) UNTIL I asked"what is the work/life balance philosophy here?" That question all but eliminated me from further consideration. I felt it was a fair question, and am wondering why that threw them into such a tizzy all of a sudden they are questioning my interest and "commitment" wonder if they have something to hide about that.

Job B: also a great fit, 2 miles from home, The phone screen went well, the job and teamwork culture seems to be a good fit as well. Then came the 3 hr
in person interview with 5 people onr after another. All was going well, until the CEO himself came in and spoke with me. Among other things, he mentioned is loud, pushy, impatient. He also said he has been known to pick up a phone in meetings and throw it against the wall when things got stressful. He is looking for an aggressive, ambitious, dynamic think skinned person who also is fit. This is fro a PURCHASING position, not the US Army!!!

Needless to say, I'm not as interested in that job as I was earlier.
I ask:
WHAT IS GOING ON AROUND HERE?? Have the long gloomy winters gotten to peoples brains??? the sad part is these are the best options I've gotten so far Is it this ridiculous all over, or is it a WI thing? God help me it is
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 12-14-2007, 08:39 AM
 
Location: Sanford, FL
732 posts, read 4,148,628 times
Reputation: 405
I had an interview for a good paying job and I was on the second part of it and they asked me how long could I work for them and I told them about 4 years until I become FT at my current job and they said my loyalty to their company would be a conflict of interest. I told them this area of the City they would be lucky to get anyone that is qualified let alone stay for a year.

,,|,,
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-14-2007, 08:39 AM
 
9,522 posts, read 30,361,645 times
Reputation: 6434
Quote:
Originally Posted by LeaveWI View Post
Imagine my surprise when the feedback from the recruiter was that it was a great 2nd interview and that I was the top candidate,( I asked good ,relevant questions, showed interest, interviewed very well) UNTIL I asked"what is the work/life balance philosophy here?" That question all but eliminated me from further consideration.
This is a good thing - you just discovered that the company does not have work-life balance, and hence you don't want to work there anyway. Would you rather have discovered that your first week on the job?

Quote:
Originally Posted by LeaveWI View Post

Job B: also a great fit, 2 miles from home, The phone screen went well, the job and teamwork culture seems to be a good fit as well. Then came the 3 hr
in person interview with 5 people onr after another. All was going well, until the CEO himself came in and spoke with me. Among other things, he mentioned is loud, pushy, impatient. He also said he has been known to pick up a phone in meetings and throw it against the wall when things got stressful. He is looking for an aggressive, ambitious, dynamic think skinned person who also is fit. This is fro a PURCHASING position, not the US Army!!!
Again, you dodged a bullet (or a phone) on this one.

Don't get discouraged - just keep plugging away. It is worth it to spend the time to find the right fit. If money is an issue, take a temp job to pay the bills- it will remove the impetus to take any job just to get some income.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-14-2007, 09:01 AM
 
2,776 posts, read 3,955,970 times
Reputation: 3049
Don't be discouraged as this is a very slow time of year for interviewing and hiring. Keep up with sending out resumes and contacting recruiters. You likely haven't heard back yet, but will in January from several of the companies you reached out to.

Regarding the interview issues you've had. Don't ever ask about work/life balance of a company... just don't. It's not a fair question plus even if you did get a real answer, it would be real only for that individual in that particular role they currently have. The answer likely varies as with my company based upon who you end up directly working for. Regarding the loud/aggressive CEO, I wouldn't let that be intimidating, and I would have pursued that job with vigor because quite frankly... a lot of C-level executives are like that. Not all, but a good percentage. If you're not going to directly report to him, why even worry about that? If you simply aren't as dynamic and energetic of a person as he wants, well then that's a good reason to not pursue that job. I think he was testing you anyway, to see what you're reaction to his comments were... I know that in this day and age boardroom behavior like that which he described isn't even tolerated. It would be a lawsuit waiting to happen and a liability to the company to have such a hot-headed CEO running it.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-14-2007, 09:21 AM
 
9,522 posts, read 30,361,645 times
Reputation: 6434
Quote:
Originally Posted by mbuszu View Post
Regarding the interview issues you've had. Don't ever ask about work/life balance of a company... just don't. It's not a fair question plus even if you did get a real answer, it would be real only for that individual in that particular role they currently have. The answer likely varies as with my company based upon who you end up directly working for.
I disagree with this - but you do have to be very careful how you ask it. I am in the tech business, and it is not uncommon for 60+ hour weeks to be an absolutely normal, expected workweek, especially in startup companies. I want to make absolutely sure I don't make a mistake getting into a company like this (I did it for years, not going to do it anymore). Most companies that actually do care about work-life balance make some effort to promote that to new candidates, but there are some ways of discerning it without being too obvious. One way is to ask about flextime or telecommuting options. Another trick is to take a drive up to the office on a saturday or a friday night, and see how many cars are in the parking lot. Also, companies with a fair amount of women in executive positions (I know, this sounds bad) tend to be more aware of work-life issues - watch out for the testosterone-fueled industries like tech, law, and medecine especially.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mbuszu View Post
I know that in this day and age boardroom behavior like that which he described isn't even tolerated. It would be a lawsuit waiting to happen and a liability to the company to have such a hot-headed CEO running it.
It's probably a private company with no board. If this was a public company, the guy would be a liability and be gone in minutes.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-14-2007, 09:31 AM
 
3 posts, read 7,673 times
Reputation: 10
Default Quality of Jobs

I am an MBA and have been out of work for a year. There is definately an underlying reign of unemployment concerning the quality of jobs. Oh yeah, you can find a job but it will be in the 30s if you are lucky and most probably across town in some call center somewhere. I have been either overqualified, underqualified, outdated, outshined, or just plain passed by because I haven't known the person who knows the guy who might consider me. Unemployment is alive and well here in Austin unless you are an entrepreneur or high tech it is tough. So as long as you can be humble enough to start over, your chances are slim of finding that "right job"
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-14-2007, 02:23 PM
 
Location: Sunshine Coast, QLD
3,674 posts, read 3,018,002 times
Reputation: 5466
Thanks for the input all As fro as Mr Hot Head CEO, sadly i would report to him. Other this this, he seemd OK (at least he admitted it up front, why would he even do that) The other place with the work/life tizzy- sadly untl then that seemd to be the perfect fit for me. How can I convey to the companies up here that I will give the proverbial 110% for them, but I DO have a life outside of work. WI and Great Lakes area companies don;t get it apparently.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-14-2007, 03:29 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
15,241 posts, read 35,440,091 times
Reputation: 8572
Regarding the 'hot head': I wouldn't necessarily write him off. I work for a small (well, maybe medium sized now) consulting firm, and I have worked for somewhat extended times at a couple of different sites. On one site, I was almost scared to death when the vending machine (across from my temp. office) took the dept. managers money. I thought he was going to go through the roof (or blow an artery), and the language would make a sailor blush! But during the year plus that I worked there, I learned that most of his employees really liked working for him. Yes, he would blow up at you, but then it would be fine, and they ALL said you knew exactly what he thought...there was no reading between the lines or guessing or gossip about you behind your back.

At another location, where I was onsite for about 4 months, the boss there was a screamer when things went wrong....like you put the clip on some papers wrong . She also talked really nicely to someone in the hall, but after they left, she ripped em up and down to the next person....and everyone could hear and knew this. I heard that her temper was so formidable that HER bosses were scared of her.

So, not sure that helps, but that is what your interview made me think of .
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-14-2007, 03:36 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
15,241 posts, read 35,440,091 times
Reputation: 8572
As for quality of life/work balance, it might be nice to talk to someone from the company somewhere other than work. In reality, most good companies want you to be really aware of what is expected...why train you and then have you leave? We pitch our balance to interviewees. One of our strong sales points to new prospects is out balance. We have telecommuting and flexible schedules, several part time workers (either set schedules or on an hourly instead of salary basis), we don't expect anyone to put in obnoxious hours on a regular basis (although there are the 'events' that may last a week or two and happen once or twice a year, or maybe every other year), and we have 'full moon fridays' (take the afternoon off and kinda party when the full moon and friday coincide) and other fun, informal events.

We are not the best paying company, but we are also employee owned and have a relatively flat pay structure....the principals are not bleeding us dry at the cost of our sweat and tears.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-14-2007, 03:42 PM
 
Location: Land of 10000 Lakes + some
2,885 posts, read 1,970,484 times
Reputation: 346
I find hot-heads are up front; show their temper but aren't sneaky. He wanted to see if you can deal with his temper, is my guess. Not bad. These types usually let you know what they think so you have no surprises and they often have a heart of gold underneath that show.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Work and Employment > Job Search

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top