The Job Hunt Thread

[zibazinski]

I'm thinking this is it!!

[TheHaitian]

Dec 30, 2015 7:10:43 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

I'm thinking this is it!!

Meh, trying not to get ahead of myself. Now that I finally calm down I am just being objective...

Company is growing and sounds good
But not sure they will be able to match/beat my current salary.

We will see, phone interview is today!

[shanendoah]

Good luck, TheHaitian! Check in and let us know how it went.

[andi9899]

I'm going to meet with someone today to get my final offer for another independent agency. I'm almost sure which way I want to go. I have a really good offer and am giving this person a chance to beat it. I'm looking at a 2/1 start date for whichever way I go.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Former company posted the job that DH really wanted before he got fired so that was salt in the wound.   I think we're rapidly approaching rock bottom so hopefully he'll bounce back soon.

Still sitting around waiting for the UE office to get back to us in regards to DH's claim.   This is a sucky time to be filing for UE b/c everyone is gone for the holidays.   At the same time it's better he got terminated now so he doesn't have to jump thru the forty million hoops Nebraska will have in place next year.   The ones we have to right now are confusing enough.

Found a job with the company that supplies the gas tanks for the university and hospital.   Wish I still worked at the COP I was ordering a tank at least once a month I could have talked to the representative at length.   Don't work with tanks anymore so no opportunities to plug DH.

[TheHaitian]

Dec 30, 2015 11:44:33 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

Former company posted the job that DH really wanted before he got fired so that was salt in the wound.   I think we're rapidly approaching rock bottom so hopefully he'll bounce back soon.

Still sitting around waiting for the UE office to get back to us in regards to DH's claim.   This is a sucky time to be filing for UE b/c everyone is gone for the holidays.   At the same time it's better he got terminated now so he doesn't have to jump thru the forty million hoops Nebraska will have in place next year.   The ones we have to right now are confusing enough.

Found a job with the company that supplies the gas tanks for the university and hospital.   Wish I still worked at the COP I was ordering a tank at least once a month I could have talked to the representative at length.   Don't work with tanks anymore so no opportunities to plug DH.

Fingers crossed drama that something will come up soon!

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I hope so too.  

[TheHaitian]

Dec 30, 2015 11:53:57 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

I hope so too.  

Any side gigs he can do in the meantime?

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Haven't gotten him motivated to that point yet.  Right now he's still stomping around the house pissed off that he lost his job.  He just got over the notion he can convince them to hire him back.  

I am leaving it alone until we see what happens with Unemployment.  If he collects then we don't have to worry about it.   If he wants he can work up to 20 hours and still collect at a reduced rate. 

If he doesn't get any at all then we're going to have to figure out something. 

[andi9899]

Dec 30, 2015 12:03:17 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

Haven't gotten him motivated to that point yet.  Right now he's still stomping around the house pissed off that he lost his job.  He just got over the notion he can convince them to hire him back.  

I am leaving it alone until we see what happens with Unemployment.  If he collects then we don't have to worry about it.   If he wants he can work up to 20 hours and still collect at a reduced rate. 

If he doesn't get any at all then we're going to have to figure out something. 

Does he know anyone who needs help at their business or house projects he could do for cash? I went and helped my friend train a new hire for cash when I was waiting on unemployment. As the only income source at home, it was a life saver.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Got an interview with jack links.  Problem is the require 16 hour shifts starting at 4:30 am.   I want him to have a job but not kill himself, its not like being a QA is a high paying career.

He is still going its good practice and a contact. He wants to hear them out at least.

We've talked and he's thinking about taking it just to have something while looking for something better.  I am figuring by the time the make a hiring decision we should know about unemployment and can make a more informed decision.

[tcu2003]

Those hours sound brutal, drama. Does that mean they do only 5 shifts in a two-week pay period or something similar?

[shanendoah]

Dec 31, 2015 9:54:44 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

Got an interview with jack links.  Problem is the require 16 hour shifts starting at 4:30 am.   I want him to have a job but not kill himself, its not like being a QA is a high paying career.

He is still going its good practice and a contact. He wants to hear them out at least.

We've talked and he's thinking about taking it just to have something while looking for something better.  I am figuring by the time the make a hiring decision we should know about unemployment and can make a more informed decision.

I never know how things work with 16 hour shifts - does he work every other day? 3 days one week, 2 the next? 2.5 each week? Or does he make a ton of overtime? Because he'd still have to be on a 40 or 80 hour FLSA schedule. 

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Three days on, four off. Then it flips the following week.

He's worked these hours before and we were pretty miserable, this was pre kids.  It's going to be harder with kids.

Not impossible though.  I told him I'll leave it up to him if he wants to accept or decline a position.  We did agree it really hinges on unemployment. A 16 hour shift is still better than zero income coming in from DH.

[moneynerd]

Dec 30, 2015 13:57:13 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Dec 30, 2015 12:03:17 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

Haven't gotten him motivated to that point yet.  Right now he's still stomping around the house pissed off that he lost his job.  He just got over the notion he can convince them to hire him back.  

I am leaving it alone until we see what happens with Unemployment.  If he collects then we don't have to worry about it.   If he wants he can work up to 20 hours and still collect at a reduced rate. 

If he doesn't get any at all then we're going to have to figure out something. 

Does he know anyone who needs help at their business or house projects he could do for cash? I went and helped my friend train a new hire for cash when I was waiting on unemployment. As the only income source at home, it was a life saver.

If he does do any cash jobs and is approved for UI, make sure he declares the income. If you don't and get caught, it's fraud. Our state posts pictures of UI fraudsters on its site. 

Fun fact: When I worked for the UI agency, we were told ex-spouses were the best informants on people trying to defraud the system.

[andi9899]

Dec 31, 2015 20:28:30 GMT -5 moneynerd said:

Dec 30, 2015 13:57:13 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Does he know anyone who needs help at their business or house projects he could do for cash? I went and helped my friend train a new hire for cash when I was waiting on unemployment. As the only income source at home, it was a life saver.

If he does do any cash jobs and is approved for UI, make sure he declares the income. If you don't and get caught, it's fraud. Our state posts pictures of UI fraudsters on its site. 

Fun fact: When I worked for the UI agency, we were told ex-spouses were the best informants on people trying to defraud the system.

This reminds me of a story a car dealer friend told me. Apparently this guy was going on a test drive and sped off before the salesman could walk over to the other side of the car. He made the mistake of fighting with his GF who promptly called the dealership and told them exactly where their car was. It was hilarious when he told me.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Read an article on Nebraska's new unemployment requirements. You will have to attend a group job counseling session follows by individual counseling.  Good god.

My plan to go back to waiting tables in the event I lose my job again is sounding better and better.

If the goal is to prevent people from collecting I think the stat is doing an excellent job.

[WholeLottaNothin]

That is how it is in NYS. That is basically my job that you're describing.

[TheHaitian]

Hola all, I am on the fence again about that company. It is a start up and I have my reservations

[shanendoah]

NomoreDramaQ1015 - When I went on UE after I was laid off in 2013, I had to attend a class at the local UE center followed immediately by an individual counseling session. It was a waste of time, sadly. Apparently, if I had gotten my act together and done research (by talking to other people I knew), I would have found out that I should attend the class not at my closest center, but at one in a more affluent neighborhood. Because apparently, the teachers for the classes tended to come from that local office and tailored their content to the interest of the people in their neighborhoods. So I went to a class/office that worked mostly with blue collar, hourly, union, non-degree holding workers. I could have gone to a class over in a rich neighborhood that mostly dealt with professionals/tech folks who were on the tech lay off circuit. That would have been more relevant and useful given my background.

As it was, I sat through a class that really focused on telling me not to apply to a job I wasn't willing to take, because if I applied and refused an interview, I could lose my UE. If I got offered a job and then refused to take it, for any reason, I could lose my UE. Then, I had to go meet with a counselor who told me that I the average salary for my job and educational level was X, and then tried to tell me I HAD to apply for a job that stated right in the description that pay range was 50% X. When I mentioned that, he was like "oh, well they'll often negotiate on salary". I did NOT apply for that job. (Luckily, I had enough jobs to meet my requirements - 3 contacts/week - and most of the places that I applied to where they realized it would likely be a substantial pay cut contacted me with the salary before we ever scheduled an interview, so I never ran afoul of turning down an offered job.

C and I each also got audited at least once (I may have gotten audited twice, I don't remember now) and had to submit our job contact logs.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Now DH is pissed b/c he sent in his contacts but the website booted him out, now it won't let him back in saying he has no weeks to claim.   There is no confirmation in my email inbox so we have no clue if it went thru or not.  He tried to call but the office isn't open until Wednesday.   If he has issues he needs to go to their website. The website IS the issue!

Then I called to tell him good luck at his interview today.   I thought that's just what you are supposed to say to show support.    Well it was the wrong answer b/c he jumped down my throat accusing me of trying to guilt/shame him into taking this 16 hour a day job b/c otherwise why would i tell him "good luck"?   

To be honest yes I think it would be better.  Yes it would suck but which sucks more?  Dealing with Nebraska Unemployment or working 16 hour days?  He'd certainly get paid more than on UE and we can continue to look for something better in the meantime.

I can't say that out of loud b/c it would lead to the fight of the century.

ETA:  DH should be done with his interview by now.   Wonder if it's going to make him pissy all night or if maybe something good came from it.   Probably too much to hope this will somehow end as a positive.

[mojothehelpermonkey]

This thread went from making me wish I had listened to other people's advice and tried to get unemployment when I quit my job to being glad that I didn't even bother.
I also remember snapping at my SO a few months ago when I had arrived 30 min early to an interview and was just sitting in the parking lot. I called him just to chat and kill time, but then I ended up getting upset because he just wished me luck and ended the call quickly because he was in the middle of something.
Job hunting is stressful, and stress makes people cranky.

I spent the morning updating my resume for a wider group of jobs. I deleted most of my publications and replaced them with volunteer experience. Now that we have decided to move back to my home state this summer, I am going to focus less on finding a job in the biotech industry and more on preparing to move and maybe finding low-stress, no-commute job to keep me busy.

[Sunnyday]

Hi guys!
I've been doing well at my new job, but the pay is crap.
I came across a job posting, and it was just so perfect!

In. Every. Way!!

I am coming up on the second round of interviews.

At a minimum, it will be a 50% increase in salary.

If I'm lucky, maybe 60-70% increase.

This job is with a well-known company.

It is my job to lose. I have beaten so many people to just even get a phone screen! But then a first interview and then a second with the committee!!!

This job is mine to lose! And I feel like this horrible pit in my stomach. This is the real job that I have been looking for, and I feel so close.

I can't even begin to hope. Because I have hoped before for jobs that I thought I was going to get, but I didn't. I was crushed.

I don't want to hope because I am so scared. But I want to believe this next week that I might just be able to. I just want this week to believe that I can.

I spent the past year proving myself at this job, and now I know that I can kill it, but the thought of having to prove myself again...killing myself doing it.

I want this.. But I'm so scared, but I want this.

I just needed to let that out into the world! Sorry for the rambling and the incoherent mess that are my thoughts in this moment

[flutterby]

Sunnyday!! Good to see you! Go in with the attitude that no one can better fill this position than you. And make them believe it. You've got this! 

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Jack links would not have been a good fit. It's past offut air force Base which means he would have had to go to work at 3:30 am and not been home till past seven. For$13\hr it isn't worth it. His salary would be eaten up by gas.

Plus he said the plant was uber dirty and rundown. He found four violations just walking in the door. Who knows what was hiding in places he didn't tour.


Good thing we didn't count this one as a contact.

We found a job with Omaha steaks that would be a better fit. They are a highly rated employer in Omaha plus no 16 hour days.  They are also top rated for safety which is a plus in my book.

[obelisk]

Jan 4, 2016 21:10:02 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

Jack links would not have been a good fit. It's past offut air force Base which means he would have had to go to work at 3:30 am and not been home till past seven. For$13\hr it isn't worth it. His salary would be eaten up by gas.

Plus he said the plant was uber dirty and rundown. He found four violations just walking in the door. Who knows what was hiding in places he didn't tour.


Good thing we didn't count this one as a contact.

We found a job with Omaha steaks that would be a better fit. They are a highly rated employer in Omaha plus no 16 hour days.  They are also top rated for safety which is a plus in my book.

Wow I will never eat their product again based on your husband's walk thru.  Thank you for input. I will not this co product.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

The majority of what is found isn't going to hurt you unless you are very young, elderly or in some way immune compromised.   I'd starve to death if I let half of what DH has told me over the years get to me.

For DH it was a marker of how well the QA department is run and the current QAs.   He understandably has no desire to walk into a clusterf*ck.   What he caught according to him was easy and is supposed to be a part of daily inspections.   He said he could tell that it had been going on a long time based on the condition of the ceiling (leaks).

[Deleted]

Jan 5, 2016 13:24:12 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

Well if something doesn't happen on the UE front we are officially in the red.   A decision is going to have to be made soon regarding Abby's daycare b/c we can't afford it on my salary alone and there is not enough in savings to cover it, we ate up our savings when I was unemployed.  I can't ask them to take an IOU till the god damn unemployment office figures things out.

I am carrying around so much anger I could puke.   I am mad at DH's former employer, I am mad at DH, I am mad at the unemployment office and I am mad at the situation as a whole.  Just when I thought all this BS was going to be over and things would finally go our way this happens.  All b/c DH had to  make a mistake and then his boss went nuclear on him compared to the bitch who has gotten away with everything short of murder.

I don't know what to do about how I feel, I'm about two seconds away from crying at any moment.  DH is depressed enough as it is and my job is to play the supportive loving spouse so I don't dare say anything to him.   I wanted to have a tantrum over my Western Blot not working but since I work with people now I cannot resort to the type of language that would make my father blush as I used to in my previous job.

I want to punch someone/something but that's not a good way to handle things either.

Can you talk to the daycare about going week-to-week until you hear something?  That may not be their standard procedure, but sometimes they will work with y ou.

Exercise might make you feel better.  It might give you something to use up some of your frustrations.

I'm just brainstorming.  I know you primarily come here to vent, which is better than any suggestions I might make.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I plan on talking to the director but I don't know how it will go.  She's brand new so it's not like she knows me from Adam.  I've been delaying to see how UE goes b/c this might all be a non-issue.  We can get thru January but February onward is out unless he gets UE or a job.

Got a shred of good news after I got done venting my spleen here.  DH FINALLY got a hold of an actual person at the UE office.   They put his claims thru, it was a computer glitch that was preventing him from filing (guess it's common?).   They said that there should be no reason he gets denied.    DH wasn't given any written warning, he wasn't on probation and the handbook states that termination is not the only option for his offense.  The company would need to be able to support why they went nuclear if they want to deny DH's claim and the UE guy said that's going to be pretty hard to do.

So if things work out DH has two weeks of UE coming and that will take care of daycare and we can scoot along till he finds another job.  Short of a major disaster or ER trip we will be uncomfortable but we will be fine.

[WholeLottaNothin]

That is good(ish) news, Drama.

Please try to remember that UE is not out to get him, they are there to help. I try to help people get a job everyday, and it sounds like your DH really wants a job and is motivated. He will be fine, just try to breathe.