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5/29/2009 1:53:13 PM

Got a response from my phone interview wanting me to call back and get in touch about meeting the hiring manager. That was Wednesday, called back Thursday morning and e-mailed yesterday but haven't heard from recruiter. Bah.

5/29/2009 2:11:00 PM

I finally got a call back!

Too bad it's for a job in GA. I don't think I'm quite to the point of relocating (I don't want to sell my house in this market), but I'm going to go ahead with the phone interview for the experience.

5/29/2009 4:36:34 PM

position i posted earlier has been gotten

5/29/2009 6:54:48 PM

Quote :

"Too bad it's for a job in GA. I don't think I'm quite to the point of relocating (I don't want to sell my house in this market), but I'm going to go ahead with the phone interview for the experience."

My apartment is empty now. You and Joie can be my roommates

good luck with the interview.

5/29/2009 7:02:16 PM

For those of you in the architecture/construction industry, I just found out from my brother over a nice dinner conversation that the unemployment rate/drop in business for architects & engineers in the Charlotte area is about 40%. In Raleigh it's 50%.

I highly recommend that you all consider relocating and/or heavily apply to federal jobs, because that may be the only way you get employed at all right now (for any decent amount of money).

[Edited on May 29, 2009 at 10:27 PM. Reason : Though I bet it'll bounce back like a sonofabitch.]

5/29/2009 10:26:49 PM

^oh bah, it's already bouncing back.

5/30/2009 10:26:04 AM

yep, my bro's an architect in charlotte and they've cut everyone's hours, including the associates! It is pretty tough.

My dad also lost his job rather abruptly about a month ago. But he was blessed to find another one in the same city! It takes a lot of prayer.

5/31/2009 9:07:14 AM

is there any reason engineers and architects are put in the same category? this always confused me.

5/31/2009 9:27:44 AM

From what I gather, architects do study a lot of engineering principles but when they get a license it's an architectural one. Typically the firms also employ structural engineers, civil engineers, etc. to ensure the safety of a building/bridge and to sort through the building's proposed infrastructure.

5/31/2009 9:41:47 AM

yea i guess when people assume engineer = civil then it does make sense.

on a side note: at least the use of the word engineer for train drivers has become antiquated.

5/31/2009 9:46:44 AM

They usually tie engineers and architects together (I meant in the context of the construction industry, so I meant civvies and structural folks) as they will tend to be working together on almost every construction project where people will be living or working in some sort of structure.

The architect has to stamp off on the fact that it meets ADA requirements and that the building is safe for people to live and work in based on modern building codes. The civvies/structural folks stamp off on the fact that the thing won't fall in and kill you.

That's generally why they are tied together.

5/31/2009 11:45:49 AM

Quote :

"Got a response from my phone interview wanting me to call back and get in touch about meeting the hiring manager. That was Wednesday, called back Thursday morning and e-mailed yesterday but haven't heard from recruiter. Bah."

Heard back from the recruiter and have a phone interview w/the hiring manager today at 1pm.

6/1/2009 8:13:47 AM

Awesome. Good luck!

6/1/2009 10:40:01 AM

Thanks! Did you have your interview for that company in GA?

6/1/2009 11:29:03 AM

I just got off the phone with the recruiter that set me up with the interview. He gave me a mock interview of sorts and gave me some pointers. My main interview is Wednesday morning. I'm definitely more interested in the job than I was before though. It sounds interesting.

6/1/2009 11:33:45 AM

^ what kind of stuff did the recruiter ask you?

I've had some mock-interviews with HR and recruiter-type people, and they are never anything like the actual interviews I've had with real hiring managers. The recruiters focus on all the typical bullshit questions ("where do you want to be in 5 years", "what is your most positive asset") where real engineering managers want to know about your technical skills and if you can actually do the job they need you for.

6/1/2009 11:46:37 AM

I guess "mock interview" was kind of a bad way of describing it. He didn't ask me too much about my technical skills, or any real interview type questions. He just wanted to talk to me about the company, make sure I'd done some research and knew about them and make sure I had some relevant questions to ask during my interview. I guess it was more of a check for him to make sure I was competent in an interview setting, since we've never met face to face.

He also wanted to briefly discuss with me their company structure and future business plans, including their motivation for hiring.

[Edited on June 1, 2009 at 11:52 AM. Reason : k]

6/1/2009 11:51:55 AM

Phone interview went great - hopefully I'll hear something about an in-person interview in the next week...

6/1/2009 1:37:40 PM

^ Very nice. Good luck Kirk!

6/1/2009 2:40:44 PM

^^ Glad to hear it. Best of luck!

6/1/2009 2:43:43 PM

Anybody getting any interviews for ME jobs in or around Raleigh?

[Edited on June 1, 2009 at 2:51 PM. Reason : sorry, that was vague]

6/1/2009 2:49:06 PM

^ you might try being more specific

6/1/2009 2:50:28 PM

^^ I've applied to probably 15 ME positions and 5+ drafting positions in the area with absolutely 0 response. I've been well qualified for most of those, also, so it's not like I'm just throwing my resume at any job opening.

6/1/2009 2:56:08 PM

I just had my hours cut by 50% at my job. I need to find a job in communications/marketing/design ASAP!

6/2/2009 11:08:59 AM

I just finished my phone interview. It went really well. The job actually sounds a lot more like something I want than what I thought it would from the description. I was a little off-put by the "Applications Engineer" title when I wanted a design position, but the job actually sounded pretty good.

6/3/2009 8:47:33 AM

had me an informal interview yesterday


went really well, I think.

6/3/2009 9:03:57 AM

Awesome. For a job in the area I'm assuming?

6/3/2009 9:10:50 AM

yep, at a design firm

I'm pretty excited

6/3/2009 9:14:07 AM

Nice. Hope it materializes, man.

6/3/2009 9:15:08 AM

Since I've never done an informational interview, how do you go about setting one of those up?

6/3/2009 9:15:53 AM

^^ thx man, me too. I'm about 95% sure it will.


^ was that directed to me? Mine was because I know someone at the firm already and they contacted me to see if I was interested in learning more about the project and working with them.

6/3/2009 9:19:36 AM

Yes it was. Thanks for the insight.

6/3/2009 9:20:56 AM

Another interview on Thursday. This will be the 3rd interview for a specific job...hope it goes well.

6/8/2009 10:22:41 AM

alright, TWW, some opinions/advice would be helpful. To follow up from before:

Quote :

"the wife to be just applied to a job that is literally PERFECT for her...I really hope she gets it but we'll see. She has a degree in English and a K-6 teaching license. In college she worked for 3 publishing companies doing editing/proofreading including one of them being a children's book publishing company. This past weekend we saw a job opening for a children's book publishing company looking for an editor/proofreader and the place she would work is literally 3 miles from my apartment."

They said they were looking for 3 years of related work experience (didnt specify post graduate), and that is the only thing she didn't match up with if they are looking for post-graduate work experience (although with all her internships and current freelance work I feel she more than makes up for being a new grad). Its been 14 days/10 business days and she havent heard anything back. They only wanted applications via email so she sent an email as her cover letter and attached her resume.

They did say No phone calls at one point in the description, and when they gave the email address it said:

Please send along your resume, references, and any other materials that you would like for us to review. We will contact you if we decide to follow up.

She really wants this job and was asking for my opinion on whether she should follow up via email if she doesn't hear anything this week. I'm torn because the way they worded the last statement sounds like they wouldn't be that receptive to a follow up email from a candidate. However I do know that if you haven't heard anything back from a job you have applied to that it is usually acceptable to contact a person you know is responsible after a few weeks, but I know that each company and hiring manager etc. has different ideals and it can sometimes be a gamble.

Any thoughts?

6/8/2009 1:20:51 PM

<<<

6/8/2009 1:31:49 PM

Quote :

"yep, at a design firm I'm pretty excited"

what design firm? I'm an unemployed design school grad looking for places in the area that are hiring

6/8/2009 2:07:02 PM

^^^ As long as you keep it professional and courteous and don't sound desperate, what do you have to lose?

If they want her, it won't tick them off to get a follow up.
If they don't, she either won't hear back again or they'll say so.

6/8/2009 3:34:42 PM

And if they're catty bitches that would disqualify her for courteously asking for a follow-up, then she doesn't want to work there. Unless you really need the money.

6/8/2009 3:37:10 PM

more to the point, though, do you know how long it was between when the job was posted and when she replied?

I've applied to many jobs online in the last few months, but I've only gotten bites if I replied to the ad within 2 days of its first posting.

6/8/2009 3:50:04 PM

A little off topic, but does anybody have any advice going into an interview that you're probably the least qualified for out of all the candidates? I met all the minimum requirements, and they liked my resume enough to bring me in for an interview out of the few hundred that applied, but I'm pretty sure I'll be the youngest and least experienced. I'm trying to stay away from "if nothing else, I'm less expensive than the people you're interviewing with 15 years of experience"

6/9/2009 12:17:51 PM

It depends on the kind of job it is...but you can always say that because of your lack of experience, you haven't developed any bad habits in relation to the job at task and that they can mold you into the type of employee they want working for them.

If that doesn't work, then you can say you're cheaper.

If that doesn't work...boobs.

6/9/2009 12:37:13 PM

I wouldn't say anything like "my lack of experience." I would focus on relating the experience you do have with the job description. You could say you haven't developed bad habits, but don't downplay your experience and don't belittle yourself. Try and show that you are confident you can do the job they are offering very well.

6/9/2009 12:43:29 PM

May not have to post here much longer....(fingers crossed)

6/11/2009 10:18:09 PM

Two offers this week, signed one today, I start Monday. I'm super excited!

Keep at it, y'all, the market's picking up momentum.

6/11/2009 10:49:43 PM

Congrats, what industry?

Today I had my 3rd phone interview for a job and have an in-person interview for it on Monday. I'm a little more junior than the other people being interviewed but I think I've got a good shot.

6/11/2009 10:53:56 PM

^^ where are you going to be working?

6/12/2009 9:46:44 AM

it's a small company in RTP that specializes in process automation and test stands.

6/12/2009 10:02:08 AM

Saw this yesterday:

http://www.wral.com/news/local/video/5290662/

6/12/2009 11:35:03 AM

updates?

6/14/2009 4:15:40 PM