If you notice at the top of my blog I have a series of random "I wonder..." questions, one of which is, "I wonder if my wife will be able to find a job?"
I'm glad to say that said quote will be coming out of rotation as Shirley accepted a job teaching math (in English) and, get this, "robotics". Myself and several of my work colleagues are very jealous at the whole robotics thing, especially since my company has a core competency in mechatronics.
Her interview process ended up similar to mine in that before making an offer, they asked to hold a video chat interview. She thinks one of the interview factors was her enthusiasm about the possibility of starting up a surfing club at the school. Surfing and robotics... Is this really "work"?!?! Can we switch jobs?
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Showing posts with label job search. Show all posts
Showing posts with label job search. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Jobs out of thin air
I spent this past weekend at my alma mater in Florida for a fraternity alumni reunion that I attend each year. It was refreshing to be with a group of people that get the whole Taiwan thing. The group is very geographically diverse as most people are not originally from Florida (some not from the U.S.) and typically scatter about the country after graduation. Many are in tech based job markets too and have moved to follow the shifts in market location. This group is unlike my typical coworkers who have grown up in CT and spent their entire lives in that area. So in FL I didn't get the "What the hell are you thinking?" attitude but more genuine curiosity and interest about what I was looking to do. It made it much more enjoyable to discuss.
Meanwhile Shirley went up to Boston to subvert the job fair and get a personal interview with the super of a school in Taiwan, interviewing for a math position which doesn't exist as the school is fully staffed. To make a long story short, it sounds like the interview went very well and the powers that be are scrambling to create a job for her where one does not exist because she has significant credentials that they can't resist locking up. In my post No soup for you! I ranted about skipping HR and just starting at the top when looking for a job. In this edition, the lesson learned is, don't be afraid to apply for a job that does not exist. As it looks, Shirley and I will both be employed into such situations.
When I started with the Taiwan boss, there wasn't a vacancy that fit my skills but he was quick to say that these were skills that he needed but when they wrote the job descriptions, they didn't have the luxury of knowing who/what was available. So after the interview process started and a few jobs were floated by me that were not what I was looking for, I just patiently waited until they found a way to work me into the mix in a way that was satisfactory to me. I think Shirley is headed down the same path.
Meanwhile Shirley went up to Boston to subvert the job fair and get a personal interview with the super of a school in Taiwan, interviewing for a math position which doesn't exist as the school is fully staffed. To make a long story short, it sounds like the interview went very well and the powers that be are scrambling to create a job for her where one does not exist because she has significant credentials that they can't resist locking up. In my post No soup for you! I ranted about skipping HR and just starting at the top when looking for a job. In this edition, the lesson learned is, don't be afraid to apply for a job that does not exist. As it looks, Shirley and I will both be employed into such situations.
When I started with the Taiwan boss, there wasn't a vacancy that fit my skills but he was quick to say that these were skills that he needed but when they wrote the job descriptions, they didn't have the luxury of knowing who/what was available. So after the interview process started and a few jobs were floated by me that were not what I was looking for, I just patiently waited until they found a way to work me into the mix in a way that was satisfactory to me. I think Shirley is headed down the same path.
Labels:
career,
job search
Thursday, January 28, 2010
No soup for you!
Without even having departed for Taiwan, I have learned a valuable life lesson. Unfortunately, it took me 38 years but I guess that's better than 39, right?
A coworker the other day asked me if I found this job by going through my company's job vacancies website to which I emphatically responded, "No!!!"
Let me explain:
When I was thinking about this whole possibility of seeking a job in Taiwan, I registered through my company's vacancies website to get an update any time a job was posted in Taiwan. From this I could see how quickly they were expanding and in which departments. Some of the jobs didn't match my qualifications 100% and even more were impossible to tell what they really were looking for. I debated whether I should just apply for one of them by clicking the "apply now" button or seek a path outside the system.
I consulted my buddy RJ who had taken an overseas assignment in Europe who, as quickly and emphatically as I shouted "No!!!", discouraged me from following the HR/website route.
"Waste of time, man."
So, as I detailed in an earlier blog post, I emailed the top guy at our division in Taiwan. This is very out of character for me as I am typically respectful of any "system" and follow the rules.
In a parallel situation, Shirley was looking for a teaching job and went down the "click the send button" route. She followed up with the HR rep who told her "only the most qualified candidates will be interviewed". Basically, "Don't call us, we'll call you." She never heard back. She was hoping to get an interview at a job fair coming up in Boston. It looks like the positions are filled but the superintendent is coming to the job fair in 2 weeks, anyway.
When looking at the website for the job fair, it has a bunch of convoluted rules. First you have to come on Thursday for the job fair host to explain to you how job fairs work (first step in treating you like an idiot). Then on Friday you have to come and apply for an interview session, and "don't limit your choices to one country, be open minded" (step 2 in idiot training). Then on Saturday, if you're lucky enough, you will get an interview with some/all/none of your choices (step 3).
So it seemed like it might be a big waste of time and a hassle to travel back and forth to Boston 3 times. Shirley was wondering what to do.
We Googled the superintendent who will be coming to Boston and Shirley emailed her a simple message quite similar to my original message to my boss in Taiwan:
I'm interested in working at your school. I see you're coming to Boston. I'd like to meet with you. My credentials are attached. What should I do?
She quickly received a response from the superintendent inviting her to meet privately at her hotel.
No job fair.
No explaining of the job fair.
No applying for an interview.
No nonsense.
The super was very flattering about Shirley's credentials and the possibility of a job even though there were no current vacancies. I am positive that her first attempt at following the rules resulted in her application never getting to where it needed to go. Big waste of time.
With my dealings with my company in Taiwan, I ended up being offered a job that was already occupied, it never would have been posted. After asking the occupant to take another job to free it up for me, they rewrote the job description to suit what I was looking for.
So for anyone out there job searching, my advice is this:
1) Find the companies you want to work for.
2) Find people who work in those companies.
3) Ask them what you should do
I wonder how many jobs get filled without ever making it to CareerBuilder, Monster.com, or any sort of job classified ad. I think a lot.
In the famous episode #116 of Seinfeld, there are many rules to be followed to get served by the Soup Nazi. For every person waiting to prove them self worthy of the soup, there are a dozen on the next block who can't be bothered.
They can't afford to let life pass them by.
They don't care about a piece of bread or candy.
They probably got better soup.
A coworker the other day asked me if I found this job by going through my company's job vacancies website to which I emphatically responded, "No!!!"
Let me explain:
When I was thinking about this whole possibility of seeking a job in Taiwan, I registered through my company's vacancies website to get an update any time a job was posted in Taiwan. From this I could see how quickly they were expanding and in which departments. Some of the jobs didn't match my qualifications 100% and even more were impossible to tell what they really were looking for. I debated whether I should just apply for one of them by clicking the "apply now" button or seek a path outside the system.
I consulted my buddy RJ who had taken an overseas assignment in Europe who, as quickly and emphatically as I shouted "No!!!", discouraged me from following the HR/website route.
"Waste of time, man."
So, as I detailed in an earlier blog post, I emailed the top guy at our division in Taiwan. This is very out of character for me as I am typically respectful of any "system" and follow the rules.
In a parallel situation, Shirley was looking for a teaching job and went down the "click the send button" route. She followed up with the HR rep who told her "only the most qualified candidates will be interviewed". Basically, "Don't call us, we'll call you." She never heard back. She was hoping to get an interview at a job fair coming up in Boston. It looks like the positions are filled but the superintendent is coming to the job fair in 2 weeks, anyway.
When looking at the website for the job fair, it has a bunch of convoluted rules. First you have to come on Thursday for the job fair host to explain to you how job fairs work (first step in treating you like an idiot). Then on Friday you have to come and apply for an interview session, and "don't limit your choices to one country, be open minded" (step 2 in idiot training). Then on Saturday, if you're lucky enough, you will get an interview with some/all/none of your choices (step 3).
So it seemed like it might be a big waste of time and a hassle to travel back and forth to Boston 3 times. Shirley was wondering what to do.
We Googled the superintendent who will be coming to Boston and Shirley emailed her a simple message quite similar to my original message to my boss in Taiwan:
I'm interested in working at your school. I see you're coming to Boston. I'd like to meet with you. My credentials are attached. What should I do?
She quickly received a response from the superintendent inviting her to meet privately at her hotel.
No job fair.
No explaining of the job fair.
No applying for an interview.
No nonsense.
The super was very flattering about Shirley's credentials and the possibility of a job even though there were no current vacancies. I am positive that her first attempt at following the rules resulted in her application never getting to where it needed to go. Big waste of time.
With my dealings with my company in Taiwan, I ended up being offered a job that was already occupied, it never would have been posted. After asking the occupant to take another job to free it up for me, they rewrote the job description to suit what I was looking for.
So for anyone out there job searching, my advice is this:
1) Find the companies you want to work for.
2) Find people who work in those companies.
3) Ask them what you should do
I wonder how many jobs get filled without ever making it to CareerBuilder, Monster.com, or any sort of job classified ad. I think a lot.
In the famous episode #116 of Seinfeld, there are many rules to be followed to get served by the Soup Nazi. For every person waiting to prove them self worthy of the soup, there are a dozen on the next block who can't be bothered.
They can't afford to let life pass them by.
They don't care about a piece of bread or candy.
They probably got better soup.
Labels:
job search
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