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Job hunting in the new old world

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katie blue

katie blue

kt loo
<a tongue in cheek report from the trenches...>

Oh it's not that I don't have job offers...I'm beating the recruiters away with a stick. That's fine, options are good. It's just that for the last 10 or so years I've been blessed with great contract opportunities where I work mostly from home (I do web dev) and haven't had to suffer the indignities of an old-school corporate style interview in an antiseptic, faux-panelled office on the 12th floor. It was like stepping back into a bad dream...I've been so sheltered from all that with uber-cool arty webshops and telecommuting that I had no idea this world still existed.

Things I thought died out with last century. Things that us 90's-era web geeks tossed along the way like bad egg salad. According to today's company's glossy corporate handbook, suits are required and hosiery is *mandatory*. ?!?! Oh, and the kind of interview questions I haven't heard since the 80s..."strengths"... "weaknesses"... "describe a recent challenge that demonstrated leadership and how you leveraged pro-activity into business synergy" blah blah. Lawdy, I haven't heard buzz words like that in the last decade. It was not about your corporate history, it was what you knew. Can you code, can you design, let's see your portfolio. All this done over the phone, or over a beer with some fella in a wrinkled polo shirt. I just didn't know the world had shifted while I've been in telecommuting la-la land.

Can this artsy-neo-boho-rebel survive in a dreary post-dot-com-crash world of cubicles, monday morning meetings and performance reviews? Which will be the end of me first, the 3 pm sugar slump at the vending machine, or road rage? Stay tuned.... :idontno:

Slingin' BBQ is sure starting to sound tempting right about now... ;-)
Kidding. Sort of.
 
Re: Job hunting blooze

katie blue said:
Oh it's not that I don't have job offers...I'm beating the recruiters away with a stick. That's fine, options are good. It's just that for the last 10 or so years I've been blessed with great contract opportunities where I work mostly from home (I do web dev) and haven't had to suffer the indignities of an old-school corporate style interview in an antiseptic, faux-panelled office on the 12th floor. It was like stepping back into a bad dream...I've been so sheltered from all that with uber-cool arty webshops and telecommuting that I had no idea this world still existed.

Things I thought died out with last century. Things that us 90's-era web geeks tossed along the way like bad egg salad. According to today's company's glossy corporate handbook, suits are required and hosiery is *mandatory*. ?!?! Oh, and the kind of interview questions I haven't heard since the 80s..."strengths"... "weaknesses"... "describe a recent challenge that demonstrated leadership and how you leveraged pro-activity into business synergy" blah blah. Lawdy, I haven't heard buzz words like that in the last decade. It was not about your corporate history, it was what you knew. Can you code, can you design, let's see your portfolio. All this done over the phone, or over a beer with some fella in a wrinkled polo shirt. I just didn't know the world had shifted while I've been in telecommuting la-la land.

Can this artsy-neo-boho-rebel survive in a dreary post-dot-com-crash world of cubicles, monday morning meetings and performance reviews? Which will be the end of me first, the 3 pm sugar slump at the vending machine, or road rage? Stay tuned.... :idontno:

Slingin' BBQ is sure starting to sound tempting right about now... ;-)
Kidding. Sort of.
Click to expand...

Katie - I can totally relate. I've been working very flexible part-time hours, (some of it from home) since my kids were born, but this fall my daughter starts kindergarten and I need to get back into a full time position. I'm just dreading it. I can't deal with all the corporate BS again....sigh.

I wish you the best of luck - hopefully we can both find something that doesn't totally cramp our style!
 
Oh, it's funny to hear all these terms you write about, the "buzz" words. My son tried out for drum major at the end of the school year. He worked on the music, directing, etc., but he soon realized that the most important part of this tryout was the "interview." I couldn't believe I was "training" him for all the expected questions and scenarios, the b.s. that I knew would be a part of it. It made me sad to know full well that this was just the beginning of the rat race in life.

Good luck to you.
 
Thanks! No luck needed though. I don't have to worry about ending up in a place like I interviewed today, I have other options already. it It was really just an amusing observation for me, hadn't seen that in a while. I realize fully how spoiled I was now, that's the bottom line. ;-)
 
katie blue said:
Thanks! No luck needed though. I don't have to worry about ending up in a place like I interviewed today, I have other options already. it It was really just an amusing observation for me, hadn't seen that in a while. I realize fully how spoiled I was now, that's the bottom line. ;-)
Click to expand...

I relate as well. I am self -employed as a Broker, and do a lot of work from my own office suite set up at home designed by my husband for me so I can sit in front of the windows and view my gardens. A Big Bank called me with a position that I thought warranted looking at. S.V.P- blah-blah. Its been 8 years or so since I had an interview, and I actually had to buy a suit again. Figured the ones I had were outdated. Anyway, I go in and they give me math test! Couldn't believe that one :shock: , then had to meet with 5 different people, and they all asked me the same questions, like the ones you got. I figured I would humor them when they asked me why I wanted the job. I said - Uh, you called me! jokingly, but it was a good experience to just get out and experience the real world - if that's what you call it. Enforced the fact that I am not cut out for corporate America ! :bang:
 
Peter Gibbons: You see Bob, it's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care.
Bob Porter: Don't... don't care?
Peter Gibbons: It's a problem of motivation, all right? Now if I work my ass off and Initech ships a few extra units, I don't see another dime, so where's the motivation? And here's another thing, I have eight different bosses right now.
Bob Porter: Eight?
Peter Gibbons: Eight, Bob. So that means when I make a mistake, I have eight different people coming by to tell me about it. That's my only real motivation is not to be hassled, that, and the fear of losing my job. But you know, Bob, that will only make someone work just hard enough not to get fired.
 
Sueshore said:
PANTYHOSE? :eek: Keep looking kb!!!!
Click to expand...

No kiddin' Miss Kitty! I haven't worn pantyhose in years! And I do work for a corporation. I just make them lots of $$$ so they leave me alone! kb--don't give in!!
 
destindreamin said:
No kiddin' Miss Kitty! I haven't worn pantyhose in years! And I do work for a corporation. I just make them lots of $$$ so they leave me alone! kb--don't give in!!
Click to expand...

Me neither. I broke out in a full body rash just "thinking" about putting them on. Although I do get "dressed" to come to my office, pantyhose don't go well with my fluffy bathrobe from Nordstrom's.

FYI- they called me in for a second interview and to see their corporate psychologist. :blink:
Apparently that is the new thing too. Was thinking of going for the fun of it, but then I would have had to wash the bathrobe :biggrin:
 
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