Getting a job in 2023.

[Richardhead | 2,813]

At the end of February of this year, I was officially unemployed for the first time in 23 years. In those 23 years I only had 2 main jobs, and a few part-time jobs for some extra video game and pot money. My most recent employer was very generous with severance pay. He gave me 3 months of pay to get by. I figured I’d take that time to relax a bit and take my time getting a job, maybe get something different from what I’ve done over the last 2 decades.

This brings me to finding a job in 2023. It has been more difficult and frustrating than I had thought it would be. I have applied to well over 100 positions and I have had dozens of interviews. Nothing has really stuck, and not having interviewed for a job in over 20 years, I had no idea what I was getting into.

I always hear these days that businesses are hurting for workers, I mean you see it all over the news and online. So I figured businesses would be willing to take a chance on someone that is reliable and loyal. Maybe these businesses would be willing to train someone that has a proven track record of holding down a job for so many years. Welp… I was dead fucking wrong.

Here is what I’m now realizing, they are having trouble staffing their business because they have some crazy expectations. They are not willing to train, they just want someone to be able to walk in and be able to do the job like they have been doing it for 20 years. They want a bachelor's degree for a job that pays just over the minimum wage.

I haven’t been applying for anything completely out of my abilities. Mostly clerical and reception positions, but also a few retail positions as well.

Here are a few examples of what I have come across.

I had an interview for a reception position at a independent senior living center. I sat through a 35 minute interview and it seemingly went well, at the end she tells me “well, our needs have changed a bit”. “We are now looking for an as needed employee to cover many different types of jobs here, mainly in the kitchen”. Needless to say I declined that job.

I have failed two drug tests. Both of which were after a second interview and there was never any mention of a drug test. I do have to say that I hadn’t smoked pot in 2 months so I figured I’d be fine. Nope. Both places popped a fucking hair follicle test.

Now here are some of the interview questions asked. Ones that I thought were particularly dumb. Followed by my answers.

“Tell me about a time you received constructive criticism, and what tools you used to overcome it”

Criticism is never constructive.

“where do you see yourself in 5 years”

No way of me knowing.

“Tell me about a time that you had to deal with adversity in the workplace and how you overcame the situation”

I dealt with adversity everyday, I just rolled with it and didn’t let it ruin my day.

“what are your salary expectations”

What you posted on your job listing.

“What critical feedback do you hear most often”

I don’t hear critical feedback.

“Are you willing to fail”

Of course I am. If you don’t fail you’ve done something wrong.

 

I did have an interview Tuesday afternoon that I thought I had royally fucked up, but they called me today and had me fill out some form for a background check. I’m guessing that's a good sign? It’s not exactly what I wanted. But the work will be easy, the pay is decent and the benefits are really good. No drug test and it’s exactly what I applied for.

Thanks for reading my rant about searching for a job.

 

 

 

[Khromak | 769]

20 minutes ago, Richardhead said:

“Tell me about a time you received constructive criticism, and what tools you used to overcome it”

Criticism is never constructive.

“where do you see yourself in 5 years”

No way of me knowing.

“Tell me about a time that you had to deal with adversity in the workplace and how you overcame the situation”

I dealt with adversity everyday, I just rolled with it and didn’t let it ruin my day.

“what are your salary expectations”

What you posted on your job listing.

“What critical feedback do you hear most often”

I don’t hear critical feedback.

“Are you willing to fail”

Of course I am. If you don’t fail you’ve done something wrong.

I hope to God you're paraphrasing your answers and they were longer/more involved than what you pasted; either way, you are terrible at answering interview questions.

1) Someone said X would be a better way to go about doing Y task. I disagreed with them originally but agreed to try their way. Or I found a middle ground and tried it slightly differently. Or I had a discussion with them about why I do it my way and how they thought it could be improved with their method.
2) I would like to acquire a new skill (insert relevant skill that could be learned/used at the job you've applied for) and would like to apply that skill until I feel I've mastered it, then see if there are other places my skills could be used. What kinds of promotion paths are there at your company? I would like to continue developing myself on a regular basis.

3) Tell an actual story about adversity you dealt with, how you can work with other people and be cooperative. "Things don't bother me" doesn't exude "I can work well with others" energy.

4) You could say that, but it's insanely blunt and insulting. You could say something more like "I used to make X in a different role, but I understand that I'm new to this position and you are hiring me as somewhat of an unknown, so I'm satisfied with the $XXX/yr that you posted on the job listing, but I'm also interested in seeing what opportunities there are within your company to improve my salary as the years go on and I learn new skills"

5) Come up with something before you get to the interview and relate that anecdote to the interviewer. There's no chance you've never received feedback from a customer, employer, or fellow employee. Saying what you said just sounds like you think your shit don't stink and you are not willing to receive feedback, which is a terrible trait for an employee to have.

6) I understand that failure is inevitable because I'm not perfect. I fail on a regular basis, but I think the important part is that I learn from my failures and use them as opportunities to improve myself so that I don't make the same mistake twice, so I'm constantly getting better which, I think, is the best way to handle failure since we can't totally avoid it.

You don't have to say all these things verbatim, this is just some crap I made up, but you have to give longer, more nuanced answers which shine a positive light on yourself and show you're willing to learn, ambitious, want to work for the company long-term, good at working with others, take feedback, etc. Basically you want every answer to give some reason why you're a good employee.

[Mega Tank | 967]

I don't think looking for jobs gets any easier as time goes on. I would suggest listening to some videos about answering interview questions though as your answers could use some work. I hope you are able to land a job to your liking. Good luck!

[fox | 1,668]

Huh, we can’t find someone absurdly overqualified for this entry level position, that we don’t train for or pay properly.

Must be cause “nobody wants to work.”

[Tulpa | 3,517]

19 minutes ago, Khromak said:

I hope to God you're paraphrasing your answers and they were longer/more involved than what you pasted; either way, you are terrible at answering interview questions.

...

You don't have to say all these things verbatim, this is just some crap I made up, but you have to give longer, more nuanced answers which shine a positive light on yourself and show you're willing to learn, ambitious, want to work for the company long-term, good at working with others, take feedback, etc. Basically you want every answer to give some reason why you're a good employee.

Khromak hit it on the head.

As someone who does a LOT of hiring (mostly entry level, but a fair amount of middle management and occasionally sitting in on C-suite interviews as the token representative), the interview questions are mainly to see how you'll fit into the company. I'm not looking for specific answers per se, just how you answer them. They could be complete bullshit answers, but if you answer in a way that shows confidence, creativity, and you're not a total flake, then I can work with that. 

[Tabonga | 2,324]

It couldn't hurt to check the jobs with the state fairly often - there are all sorts of jobs - many of which you may not qualify for but there are bound to be some there you will.

The pay should be at least ok - and the benefits are (or least were when I was working) good and if you stick it out you will eventually get a pension.  And you can always transfer if you see something better elsewhere in the state system. 

Plus there should be some path for promotion - if there are they likely won't happen quickly though.  

Working with the state has drawbacks - but is has positive aspects too,   I don't know how often they post new listiings since it has been a long time since I used them.

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/colorado

[Jeevan | 8,914]

52 minutes ago, Richardhead said:

At the end of February of this year, I was officially unemployed for the first time in 23 years. In those 23 years I only had 2 main jobs, and a few part-time jobs for some extra video game and pot money. My most recent employer was very generous with severance pay. He gave me 3 months of pay to get by. I figured I’d take that time to relax a bit and take my time getting a job, maybe get something different from what I’ve done over the last 2 decades.

 

This brings me to finding a job in 2023. It has been more difficult and frustrating than I had thought it would be. I have applied to well over 100 positions and I have had dozens of interviews. Nothing has really stuck, and not having interviewed for a job in over 20 years, I had no idea what I was getting into.

 

I always hear these days that businesses are hurting for workers, I mean you see it all over the news and online. So I figured businesses would be willing to take a chance on someone that is reliable and loyal. Maybe these businesses would be willing to train someone that has a proven track record of holding down a job for so many years. Welp… I was dead fucking wrong.

 

Here is what I’m now realizing, they are having trouble staffing their business because they have some crazy expectations. They are not willing to train, they just want someone to be able to walk in and be able to do the job like they have been doing it for 20 years. They want a bachelor's degree for a job that pays just over the minimum wage.

 

I haven’t been applying for anything completely out of my abilities. Mostly clerical and reception positions, but also a few retail positions as well.

 

Here are a few examples of what I have come across.

 

I had an interview for a reception position at a independent senior living center. I sat through a 35 minute interview and it seemingly went well, at the end she tells me “well, our needs have changed a bit”. “We are now looking for an as needed employee to cover many different types of jobs here, mainly in the kitchen”. Needless to say I declined that job.

 

I have failed two drug tests. Both of which were after a second interview and there was never any mention of a drug test. I do have to say that I hadn’t smoked pot in 2 months so I figured I’d be fine. Nope. Both places popped a fucking hair follicle test.

 

Now here are some of the interview questions asked. Ones that I thought were particularly dumb. Followed by my answers.

 

“Tell me about a time you received constructive criticism, and what tools you used to overcome it”

 

Criticism is never constructive.

 

“where do you see yourself in 5 years”

 

No way of me knowing.

 

“Tell me about a time that you had to deal with adversity in the workplace and how you overcame the situation”

 

I dealt with adversity everyday, I just rolled with it and didn’t let it ruin my day.

 

“what are your salary expectations”

 

What you posted on your job listing.

 

“What critical feedback do you hear most often”

 

I don’t hear critical feedback.

 

“Are you willing to fail”

 

Of course I am. If you don’t fail you’ve done something wrong.

 

 

 

I did have an interview Tuesday afternoon that I thought I had royally fucked up, but they called me today and had me fill out some form for a background check. I’m guessing that's a good sign? It’s not exactly what I wanted. But the work will be easy, the pay is decent and the benefits are really good. No drug test and it’s exactly what I applied for.

 

Thanks for reading my rant about searching for a job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good luck my dude!  I definitely do not ever want to have to look for a job in this day and age.  For one, i am not "qualified" to do much of anything and for two, I have seen questions such as what you have posted and probably wouldn't interview well .  Luckily my profession probably isn't going anywhere anytime soon and I have been at my current job 16 years this June.

[Richardhead | 2,813]

16 minutes ago, Khromak said:

I hope to God you're paraphrasing your answers and they were longer/more involved than what you pasted; either way, you are terrible at answering interview questions.

1) Someone said X would be a better way to go about doing Y task. I disagreed with them originally but agreed to try their way. Or I found a middle ground and tried it slightly differently. Or I had a discussion with them about why I do it my way and how they thought it could be improved with their method.
2) I would like to acquire a new skill (insert relevant skill that could be learned/used at the job you've applied for) and would like to apply that skill until I feel I've mastered it, then see if there are other places my skills could be used. What kinds of promotion paths are there at your company? I would like to continue developing myself on a regular basis.

3) Tell an actual story about adversity you dealt with, how you can work with other people and be cooperative. "Things don't bother me" doesn't exude "I can work well with others" energy.

4) You could say that, but it's insanely blunt and insulting. You could say something more like "I used to make X in a different role, but I understand that I'm new to this position and you are hiring me as somewhat of an unknown, so I'm satisfied with the $XXX/yr that you posted on the job listing, but I'm also interested in seeing what opportunities there are within your company to improve my salary as the years go on and I learn new skills"

5) Come up with something before you get to the interview and relate that anecdote to the interviewer. There's no chance you've never received feedback from a customer, employer, or fellow employee. Saying what you said just sounds like you think your shit don't stink and you are not willing to receive feedback, which is a terrible trait for an employee to have.

6) I understand that failure is inevitable because I'm not perfect. I fail on a regular basis, but I think the important part is that I learn from my failures and use them as opportunities to improve myself so that I don't make the same mistake twice, so I'm constantly getting better which, I think, is the best way to handle failure since we can't totally avoid it.

You don't have to say all these things verbatim, this is just some crap I made up, but you have to give longer, more nuanced answers which shine a positive light on yourself and show you're willing to learn, ambitious, want to work for the company long-term, good at working with others, take feedback, etc. Basically you want every answer to give some reason why you're a good employee.

I haven't had an interview since I was 20 years old, and that interview was a sham. I was hired because I was white, tall, skinny and had brown hair. Just ask @JamesRobot he was there. Just so happened that I was good at my job and it worked out well for many years. But yeah, I am terrible at answering some of the questions. I was very ill prepared for all of this. Thanks for the constructive feedback.

[Richardhead | 2,813]

3 minutes ago, Jeevan said:

Good luck my dude!  I definitely do not ever want to have to look for a job in this day and age.  For one, i am not "qualified" to do much of anything and for two, I have seen questions such as what you have posted and probably wouldn't interview well .  Luckily my profession probably isn't going anywhere anytime soon and I have been at my current job 16 years this June.

Have you ever started talking and you know what you are about to say is not the right thing, but you continue to just say it anyway?

That's been me in most of these interviews.

[Khromak | 769]

4 minutes ago, Richardhead said:

Have you ever started talking and you know what you are about to say is not the right thing, but you continue to just say it anyway?

That's been me in most of these interviews.

While we're on the topic: I would highly recommend slowing down and thinking through your answers during interviews. You can say something like "That's an interesting/unexpected/complex/nuanced question, do you mind if I take a moment to come up with the most relevant answer/example?"

Then take 10~60 seconds to come up with your plan and start talking.

Edited May 4, 2023 by Khromak

[Jeevan | 8,914]

4 minutes ago, Richardhead said:

Have you ever started talking and you know what you are about to say is not the right thing, but you continue to just say it anyway?

That's been me in most of these interviews.

I try to think before i speak, but still, not having a degree, i have pretty much went to the top of where i can where i am at.  I could technically move up, but don't have the desire to go back to night shift.  Also, im still paid hourly, so i can make more money where i am at.  next level is salary.

[Murray | 2,449]

 

[Richardhead | 2,813]

7 minutes ago, Khromak said:

While we're on the topic: I would highly recommend slowing down and thinking through your answers during interviews. You can say something like "That's an interesting/unexpected/complex/nuanced question, do you mind if I take a moment to come up with the most relevant answer/example?"

Then take 10~60 seconds to come up with your plan and start talking.

I've got an interview tomorrow afternoon. I'll take some of your advise and see where it takes me.

[Jeevan | 8,914]

Also, @Richardhead, like you i have not had to interview for a very looooong time.  I would say it has been about 8 years or so since my last interview, and that was just a formality as i already had the job.  

[Mega Tank | 967]

7 minutes ago, Khromak said:

While we're on the topic: I would highly recommend slowing down and thinking through your answers during interviews. You can say something like "That's an interesting/unexpected/complex/nuanced question, do you mind if I take a moment to come up with the most relevant answer/example?"

Then take 10~60 seconds to come up with your plan and start talking.

It's all a game and asking for time might come off as not being able to come up with something on the spot. I believe preparing for the common "gotcha" questions is best. Restating the question as part of your answer should buy you the 5-10 seconds to come up with a good response.

[Tulpa | 3,517]

5 minutes ago, Richardhead said:

I've got an interview tomorrow afternoon. I'll take some of your advise and see where it takes me.

If you can, have coffee or lunch with a friend and shoot the shit about stuff (maybe jobs, or something related.) That'll get you in the headspace of talking about yourself more easily.

You don't have to come across as superawesomecooldude, just someone who is interested in working and is ready to go day one.

[captmorgandrinker | 1,649]

You can google a list of those typical interview questions.

I'd print them out, along with some answers (and don't be afraid to make shit up, especially the "have you missed a deadline" one if you haven't).   I'm assuming you get those during the phone interviews?

And I get it.   I am fucking horrible at interviews; if I wasn't already a lock for any position I applied for, I would never get hired!

[Richardhead | 2,813]

11 minutes ago, Tulpa said:

If you can, have coffee or lunch with a friend and shoot the shit about stuff (maybe jobs, or something related.) That'll get you in the headspace of talking about yourself more easily.

You don't have to come across as superawesomecooldude, just someone who is interested in working and is ready to go day one.

Oddly enough, due to piss poor planning on my part I do have an early lunch date tomorrow. About an hour before the interview. 

[Tulpa | 3,517]

Good luck! 

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

Get a job, hippie!

 

 

just kidding, seriously though. I’m on the interview board for my unions apprenticeship. In addition to all of the other advice, I wanna stress how important it is to have clear, concise answers, and not ramble.
 

We get so many people that want to tell us about the one time their great-aunts roommates sister had a pear tree that had a pear that fell off it or whatever.

 

give a situation, your action, and the result in ten sentences or so. 

[Link | 2,715]

Man I feel for you. I was literally thinking about this a week ago. How I would have no idea how to go about it in this world today. The interview is one thing; just getting it in the first place is a whole other game. Indeed and LinkedIn are cesspools.

My roommate is trying to move to another city but needs to find a job first of course, so I'm hearing about the horrors, the bait and switch, the ghosting even after a perfect awesome interview... and ugh, this is so rough.

Background check is a good sign, yes. 

Good luck! 

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,014]

I always try to lack onto some remnant of human being in the interview room. If I can get a smile or a nod or anything, I know I can get to the next round. 

My whole life taught me that people want people they can work with and get along with. If you can appear to be the person that fits the job you'll get close to the job, even if you don't get it. 

[Richardhead | 2,813]

Last week I had 2 interviews. One on Tuesday and one on Friday. Tuesday’s didn’t go all that well, but they called me on Thursday and said before they could give me an offer I’d have to pass a background check. I filled out the form online and by Friday morning the check had been sent back to the employer.
The interview on Friday went pretty well, using some of the advice given here. They said if they were going to move onto the next step, they would call me Monday or Tuesday. This weekend has been a bit annoying not knowing anything.

So I just hung out and played a bunch of video games. 

[Khromak | 769]

@Richardhead glad to hear the interviews are going alright, you'll get it, it's just a matter of practice. Seeking help and taking feedback is definitely a good sign, you're gonna do just fine. The biggest enemy will be complacency or feeling self-righteous, so I think you're on the right track.

It's nice to have an outlet in video games and these forums to let out your frustrations and have people to bounce ideas off of too. Keep it up and let us know how it goes.

[Strange | 1,700]

When I worked for a big corporate retailer in between careers, we had truckloads of applications coming in every day. And yet we ran a skeleton crew. Why? Because corporate was giving bonuses for under-scheduling and thus saving on wages. 

When people complained about few checkout lanes being open we were instructed to tell customers that nobody wants to work anymore.

EDIT: this was 2021, btw. I can’t remember dates after 2020. It all melts together. Sorry

Edited May 8, 2023 by Strange