Job search, quest for financial stability, and whine thread

[Opti]

Greetings fellow YMers and MSN refugees. I've decided to start a thread
inspired by my lengthy process of applying for a temporary retail position
at a major retailer. I think total time for this one job will be at least three
hours.  Major employers always want you to type everything into their
website so its formatted for their search engines, but damn, seems like way
too much work for a retail job that may not pay more than $8/hr. or so.


Sigh. So I'm going to share my job hunting frustrations and please
share yours as well. Please note, this is a trying time for me so sometimes
I am quite thin skinned so this thread may be locked by me if it becomes
an Optimist bashing thread or someone wanting to take it OT.

[Jaguar]

Good Luck Opti & everyone else.

[Opti]

I do have a question of the moment though. (We know YMers love to be asked advice
so here ya go. )


I've mostly gone through the application process for a temp retail holiday position
but I have one step to go(11 out of 12 completed) and decided I wanted to attach
another file to my application as they have you agree to a credit report in the application itself. I'd like suggestions or comments on my attempt. I tend to be too wordy and over offer info especially on days like today when I haven't been getting 7 to 8 hours sleep ...
so if a shorter version sounds better to you please let me know.


Here's my draft of a file to explain/discuss my credit report:

FYI on credit reports

I was granted a Ch.7 bankruptcy this April 2013. The primary cause was job
loss, not over-spending. The secondary cause was hospital bills incurred
when I was un-insured in 2010. Had I not been laid off in 2009 and remained
employed there through 2012, I would not have declared bankruptcy.

In my opinion I am extremely credit worthy and feel credit scores do not
tell you all that much about an individual’s character unless you know the
circumstances or the credit report is unambiguously awful. I hope you will
note despite never reaching a yearly salary like I had in 2003, I did pay off
my Macy’s and Bloomingdales cards years before
things got really bad. The house I bought in 2003 before my layoff
was sold in February 2007 for a significant loss.

For what it is worth, I had scores over 800 from all three credit agencies
when I purchased my home in 2003. I haven’t changed, but my circumstances
have.

[mmhmm]

One of the first things one learns about interviewing is not to offer too much information, opti.  Answer questions asked and emphasize the positives you can bring to the company.

Is your credit really bad at this point?  Is that why you're concerned about this, or are you just trying to apply a prophylactic cure for a possible problem?

[Opti]

Is your credit really bad at this point?

I have a bankruptcy that was granted in 2013, so yes.
I'm not sure how bad is bad, ie.e actual number, but I'd guess below 700
and hopefully above 600.

[mmhmm]

It might be a good idea to go ahead and get a credit report, opti.  I know they're available online for free.

If you've had a bankruptcy this year and feel you must explain that, I'd leave the entire second paragraph out.

[Opti]

Not sure Anne. I've worked for them in 2004/2005, so it may not be a factor.
On the other hand, at least several people got fired when I worked there and
one was for stealing or giving her friends/family cash register discounts.

I have really bad memories of applying for a customer service call center
type position for a cable company back when I was in the foreclosure process.
Because they were a big company, they run credit reports automatically.
I was not allowed to complete the interview on-site and was offered the
option of writing a handwritten letter of explanation for someone to look at later.
As you might guess, I was not contacted later by them for a job.

[Opti]

Mmhmm, would you recommend to shrink it down just to the first paragraph?
Does that third paragraph add anything of value if I delete the
TMI paragraph #2?

[midjd]

Try www.creditkarma.com for a free report and credit score estimate.

I wouldn't mention it for a temporary retail position... I really doubt they care, and seeing multiple paragraphs is probably just going to lead them to throw your application into the discard pile. Interviewers have very short attention spans.

[taz157]

Shrink down to 1st paragraph only.  2nd paragraph is TMI and 3rd paragraph doesn't add any value.

Good luck! 

[Opti]

FWIW, I got the free credit reports as part of the bankruptcy filing process.
I know what will be on there, I just don't know how it will be scored.

I only have two open active store credit cards, both with no balance.

[Opti]

Thanks Taz and Mid.
I think I'll fling my 1 paragraph file into my application and then take a break
and have a crack at the incident coordinator on line test.

[Opti]

WHINE.................................


I got the file attached but page two of the eleven page questionaire hung my system.
I just got it back. Eleven pages of personality test and I probably lost page 1&2's
answers because I had to do a hard reboot instead of being allowed to exit the process
gracefully.


I guess there goes my plan of doing another job application tonight AND that on line
computer test.

[mmhmm]

Oct 20, 2013 15:48:09 GMT -5 Opti said:

Mmhmm, would you recommend to shrink it down just to the first paragraph?
Does that third paragraph add anything of value if I delete the
TMI paragraph #2?

Yes, I would.  If you feel you must say something, the less said the better, IMO.

[Nazgul Girl]

    FYI - Creditkarma's website has been down for days.    I have been unable to find out why.   I like to check our credit scores every so often myself.   It is screwed up, and others have posted about being unable to access creditkarma.com.   Even the links on their own webpage aren't working, or at least weren't working as of yesterday. 

[Deleted]

OP,

I work grocery retail and we run a background check for hourly part time teammates but no credit check.

[alabamagal]

DD applied for an entry level biologist position with a state (not ours) in Feb.  A couple months later she got a letter asking for more information.  Mid summer, she got a CERTIFIED letter saying she was #30 in line for the job, and to reply if she was still interested.  She was in Texas on internship at the time, so she replied she would be availalbe in Sept.  Last week she got a CERTIFIED letter saying she was #3 (tied with 50 others) and to reply if she was still interested and call about an interview.  She is working retail job in Texas now.

The certified letters are a PITA, because no one is home to sign, so you have to go to the main post office to pick them up.  But they are not even a job offer, just a status letter.

The job would be a great start for her career.  And she may be ranked higher since she had internship in her field between the original application and now.

[alabamagal]

Oh, and DD had to go through a background check working retail.  I don't know about credit check.  I guess any job handling money.    DS even had to have background check working in his college cafeteria.  He doesn't handle money, but I guess you could do bad stuff with food.

Neither had any issues, but it delayed job start by a week or so.

[Opti]

I work grocery retail and we run a background check for hourly part time teammates but no credit check.

Carl, you mean background check as in check for a criminal background?
That I expect that given odds are I'd handle money again. The verbiage on
the retailer's webpage definitely included a credit check.





FYI, didn't go back to the questionaire tonight. My sinus infection must be seriously
retrograde as I'm feeling awake not sleepy in spite of probably averaging 4 hours total
of sleep the last two nights over 6 to 8 hours.   Hopefully tonight and tomorrow go better.

[Deleted]

Every application asks you to grant them the right to check both.  I have yet to see a single job run a credit check in my or either of my DD's applications (they do retail, cashiering, hospitality).  I've had numerous background check but that is it.  We don't run credit checks on people handling petty cash either.

I would not include any explanation on it for a retail job - you are giving them too much ammo, including that you have medical issues (that's what they will assume from what you have written) - way too much information.

I would not include any information for a professional job either.  I would wait for them to come back & ask IF they ran a credit check.  

Is there any way you can do your applications from the Work Resource Center (UE offices).  It seems like you have unending computer problems & crashes that interfere with your applications.

[Opti]

Georgiagal, good luck to your DD on that certified letter job.


Some companies can take a long time in their process. Hopefully it will work out.
As an FWIW for other job searchers I've started saving job application info on my laptop
somewhat as suggested by a NJ DOL guy who used to be the PSGCNJ liason. I keep all job applications in one directory under the month(sub-directory) I've applied and under a folder with a descriptive name which hopefully reminds what job it is about. In that directory I put a word doc file with the job description if available, the resume or resumes I've used plus any cover letter or other job application info. R, the NJ DOL guy, years ago was an IT VP so he's been contacted for some jobs two years later after he applied. I haven't really had that happen except a recruiter reached back to me with no known job(just status?) and that interview was almost 4 years ago.

[happyscooter]

I have worked for temps agencies for many years.  I usually have to sign a paper letting them do a credit check and a criminal background check.  For WHATEVER job.  I do not know what they receive from these reports.  If I were you, I wouldn't say/write/do anything until I was asked about a specific application question.

[Deleted]

I would summarize it to just say that the BK was due to medical bills. Period. Most employers get that something catastrophic from a medical perspective can wipe you out.

That's it. That's all I would tell them, in the app or in person. If you're handling money, I think most places will do a credit check. They don't want desperate folks pilfering from the till.

[Deleted]

Credit check is important to department stores like Macy's (or was when I worked there 1998-2002).  Employee theft is a big problem in department stores.  It is a bigger problem than shoplifting.  That said, an employee in our department declared bankruptcy while working there.   They made her affirm (is that the right word?) her debt to them to keep her job and then fired her not long afterwards.  To be fair, she lost her car and her transportation became unreliable. 

I might enter a statement about job loss and medical debt, but why not submit that to the credit reporting agencies as well.  I always thought you could submit a statement that they had to include with the credit report.

A question for you?  Do you have to apply online these days?  Does HR no longer accept applications in person?  I know everybody has the online option, but I would see if that was the "only" option.  You might stand a better chance of getting hired as a real person rather than as an impersonal online application.

[raeoflyte]

What is your field that you are wanting to get back into and what are you doing to try to get rehired in that?  I think a holiday job is an excellent idea, but I wouldn't spend a ton of time on those kinds of applications unless you are wanting to restart in retail and work your way up.  

[Opti]

A question for you? Do you have to apply online these days? Does HR no longer accept applications in person? I know everybody has the online option, but I would see if that was the "only" option.

Yes applying online is the only way for this department store and many retailers.
Most places including corporations refer you to your website. Its only smaller comapnies
and the occasional mid-size ones where you can go the simple paper only route.

FWIW, I know Macy's is online only and so is the Apple store. I plan to apply to
the Apple store as well as my UNIX knowledge is a benefit vis a v their operating system.
Both stores are in my local mall so the commute for short hours and low pay is OK for me.

[Opti]

What is your field that you are wanting to get back into and what are you doing to try to get rehired in that?

Short answer, I don't have a field.
My big money skill is UNIX but I am not current and was laid off before Linux
became a very popular choice and certs became required/expected so interviewers
and managers didn't need to know their stuff. I study Solaris 10 from time to time
in various library books, but I don't have $$ for non-essentials like buying my own book
and the likely $200 each fees to take the exams. Bare minimum I think there are two.

My secondary money skill is telecom business analyst, more specifically electronic
invoice processing in EDI, CD, and other electronic formats. My local options, all two
of them, haven't been hiring since 2010 and its in my to do list to follow up on
the one that was bought by IBM. That's about as low money as I'd prefer to be in.

I'm sick of being laid off or having the job timer go off every two to three years so
I'm also looking at fields that may be more stable or at least with more employment opps
when the shit hits the fan. This includes teaching high school math and/or science, and
becoming an Auto Service Advisor. I have lots of interests. Think of me as a combination of Frank Lloyd Wright, Martha Stewart and Leonardo Divinci whose art fed him so he could
do all those drawing he is famous for today.


(Summary of long answer: I'm working on UNIX and other options simultaneously time permitting.)

[swamp]

Do you think the apple store cares if you understand UNIX? They just want someone to hawk their products. Its like having a mechanic sell cars by spewing engine specs

[midjd]

Auto Service Advisor.

That's DH's official title - it's not a bad job (although he has to deal with a lot of irate customers). He gets a base salary plus a % of all hours billed by their mechanics and techs.

Can you change oil? DH started at the dealership as an oil/lube tech and moved up to ASA after about a month. He had to be trained from scratch, but once he had demonstrated his work ethic and that he had more than two brain cells to rub together, I think they figured it was a worthwhile investment.

[Opti]

Oct 21, 2013 11:02:42 GMT -5 swamp said:

Do you think the apple store cares if you understand UNIX? They just want someone to hawk their products. Its like having a mechanic sell cars by spewing engine specs

If I do the support desk absolutely. I have spoken to some employees before but
never followed through on an online application. ( I'd prefer to be the
tech nerd you can see at the back of the store versus those standing around looking
for fresh customer meat. )