"mkbruin, Atlas VP" (mkbruin)
11/25/2015 at 09:04 • Filed to: None
2
24|
"mkbruin, Atlas VP" (mkbruin)
11/25/2015 at 09:04 • Filed to: None | 2
| 24 |
I am a hiring manager at a major mortgage company. I am 55% staffed right now and actively seeking employees; however, I am receiving crap for applicants. The level of talent applying for my roles is pathetic. Let me know if you have any questions about job searching, résumé building, interview tips, or if you want one of my jobs.
miadaman? yes please
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
11/25/2015 at 09:10 |
|
How far down a resume page do your read before you decide it’s not worthwhile? Any section that typically catches your attention?
Also, what % of your search comes from career sites like LinkedIn/visualCV etc etc. Any good ones you would recommend?
Cheers,
Rainbow
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
11/25/2015 at 09:13 |
|
Showing up to the interview in a t-shirt and jeans is a sign that I’m very busy and confident, correct? And it’s also good to answer my phone during the interview to show how important I am, right?
Ash78, voting early and often
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
11/25/2015 at 09:14 |
|
What would you say...you do here?
iSureWilll
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
11/25/2015 at 09:14 |
|
What is the correct answer to, “Why do you want to work here?”
Tekamul
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
11/25/2015 at 09:18 |
|
Why so difficult to staff, don’t underwriters make a crap ton of money with the current super low rate? Do you expect the talent pool coming in to be even worse after December 16th?
Nibby
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
11/25/2015 at 09:18 |
|
*shakes hand firmly*
X37.9XXS
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
11/25/2015 at 09:31 |
|
Are cover letters still a requirement?
I have conflicting information
Birddog
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
11/25/2015 at 09:51 |
|
Two questions.
I am employed but looking to relocate. What are your thoughts on a resume from an out of state candidate? (I recently drove 7.5 hours round trip for an interview.)
I went on one interview that was less than conventional. They had three of us as final candidates, put us all together and had us interview each other while the HR manager sat and watched.
Do you think the HR manager was just bored and wanted a puppet show? (I walked out of this one.)
bob and john
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
11/25/2015 at 09:55 |
|
hmm.
say i show up to the interview on my bike (i actually dont have a car. no need) and in full gear.
as compared to showing up on the bike, but in a suit (more dangerous, but its a suit)
does it affect your way of thinking? leave a impression if i’m in gear?
Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
11/25/2015 at 09:58 |
|
What would you say is the best resource for job hunters to access quality job postings? Where do you prefer to post open positions for your company?
When I am job hunting I usually go with LinkedIn, because I’ve found that the postings are generally of higher quality and there’s usually a contact listed, so there is an actual individual address your cover letter to.
gin-san - shitpost specialist
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
11/25/2015 at 10:13 |
|
If you’re still taking questions: I’m actually doing a pre-screening by telephone today. I find that I don’t have issues getting my foot in the door with the exam, and typically pre-screening works out okay, but interviews are where I typically stumble. No matter how confident I feel in my current position, I always feel interviewers are trying to break me down.
I always have examples of my work in mind based on the situation-task-action/result interview style that my whole company uses for interviews, but I never feel prepared and always get a couple of change-ups that I’m just not ready for.
There’s a few questions that puzzle me, for whatever reason:
—Where do you see yourself in “x” amount of years?
—What is your greatest strength/weakness? (I feel that strength is deceptively easy and I’m never really sure what to say about weakness so I just straight up tell the truth).
—Do you have any questions for me? (The only one I normally ask is when interviewers will get back to me, but I very rarely have other questions.)
—Tell me about a time you handled a difficult situation.
—Tell me about a time you had a disagreement with a boss or co-worker.
I have what I feel are decent answers for the last two questions, but I just wanted your perspective.
After a bunch of interviews for positions I know I would be qualified for, I find that I always get rejected after the interview (and once from pre-screening). It’s incredibly frustrating, especially since these aren’t huge promotions that I’m looking for but essentially a lateral transfer (or maybe diagonal, since it’s they’re always better than my current position but not managerial roles). I know it's not my look or handshake (I know how to dress myself, and handshakes are firm but not bone-crushing), so it's definitely some stupid thing I'm saying or not saying.
Dru
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
11/25/2015 at 10:20 |
|
Can I ask a two parter? I’m assuming yes.
When you say crap for talent, what exactly does that look like?
How do you feel about beards and what is the general impression in your industry of facial hair?
qbeezy
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
11/25/2015 at 10:39 |
|
May I ask why you’re only 55% staffed? I understand not being able to find talent, but that seems to be like you have a helluva amount of turnover.
Snuze: Needs another Swede
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
11/25/2015 at 10:40 |
|
Brief history: I went to college for a year, dropped out (I usually leave this off my resume), joined the military, got out and went back to school on the GI bill, worked in construction for a year while the economy was shit (2013) and have been working for an engineering company for the last year and a half (my degree field). Theres also summer internships (in my field of study) as well as other jobs (side, part time, etc.)
I think after the first of the year I’m going to bone up my resume and start looking for a new job (I’m stuck stagnating in a role I hate at this company, I keep telling my boss I want to do something else and he agrees, and then never gives me an opportunity to do anything else).
What would be a good order to put my resume in? Do you like to see a summary at the top, like a list of top 5 skills/experiences that add value? Then would you want to see education (since it’s still quite recent) or work experience? The reason I ask is even a “brief” summary of my work experience is going to push my education down to the bottom.
Related to this, what are your thoughts on leaving stuff out? For example, my work in construction from 2013-2014 isn’t relevant to my job now, and is going to take up space on my resume, but it does show continued employment. I’ve also heard from some people that “if it’s not listed on your resume, it didn’t happen.”
Also, how do you feel about using quantifiers when describing work experience? For example, at one point in the military I was an assistant warehouse manager. I could describe it as a large warehouse and we handled a lot of high value inventory (helicopter parts), and we passed all our audits with excellent ratings. Or I could quantify it saying I was assistant manager for a warehouse that handled over 25,000 line items of inventory valued at over $36 million and achieved excellent scores on all audits.
Lastly, as an engineer I’m used to using a lot of technical jargon. How acceptable is it to use on a resume? For example, I did shock and vibe testing on the FireScout VTUAV program. Or I have recently been doing structural, shock, and HME inspections on Arleigh Burke Class guided missile destroyers. In my industry most people at least know of the FireScout program, and HME is a very common acronym in the industry (Hull/Mechanical/Electrical). But do you think things like that would pass the HR test?
Stapleface-Now Hyphenated!
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
11/25/2015 at 10:42 |
|
Just because I have three priors for armed robbery, why won’t a bank hire me?
On a more serious note, I’ve always wondered if companies actually do background checks. I imagine anyone with a conviction on their record would probably lie about it, in hopes that it isn’t checked.
Ooh, got another question. I know the ADA says that everyone has an equal opportunity for employment. That being said, if the disabled persons is capable of performing the job, but their disability might make them slower or make it more difficult for others to get their work done in a timely fashion, do you (not you specifically) find some niggle to disqualify them?
ranwhenparked
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
11/25/2015 at 11:05 |
|
Is it true that if an applicant tracking system (Taleo, CandidateCare, etc) filters out your profile for one job, it will automatically block you from consideration for everything else?
TheRealBicycleBuck
> Rainbow
11/25/2015 at 11:26 |
|
A few weeks after landing my first job out of college, my new supervisor told me that he hired me because I was the only one who showed up wearing a suit.
uofime-2
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
11/25/2015 at 12:07 |
|
The most awkward part of interviews to me usually is when they ask me to ask them questions, I’m never quite sure what to say, I have of course browsed the company website, ect, so I can ask them question I basically know the answer to or try to get more personal, asking about office climate, or typical work hours, one of my favorites what to ask about their favorite or most challenging project/accomplishment they’ve done with the company.
What are good qustions I’m missing?
At my current position I was actually asked to interview a prospective candidate for a position similar to mine and it was a very enlightening experience.
someassemblyrequired
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
11/25/2015 at 12:14 |
|
Salary you quoted seems awfully low. I made the equivalent of 30K working as a teller in college and that was damn near 20 years ago. I don’t want to be harsh, but if you pay McMoney you will get McApplicants.
Trevor Slattery, ACTOR
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
11/25/2015 at 12:16 |
|
Where are you located? What can you tell me about the gig?
Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
> uofime-2
11/25/2015 at 12:45 |
|
I have some:
Why did the previous person in that role leave? What did they say in the exit interview?
How many new hires and departures has the department I would be working for had over the past two years?
Is working late into the evening or on weekends a common expectation?
What is the top complaint from current employees?
What company benefits are included?
How does the company train and develop employees?
What did the company do for employees last Christmas?
PyramidHat
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
11/25/2015 at 18:08 |
|
Would you say that the quality of applicants you are currently receiving is a) a function of a strong job market in your area(s), b) a function of potential compensation, or c) a combination of both?
(I’m asking as many years ago, I was looking for employees to do technician work during the original dot.com boom and we were getting utter crap. Part of that was due to the fact that the company I was working for was based in the East Coast and set their wages accordingly. No one could grasp that potential employees could work anywhere else - including for our customers - and make $2 to $3/hr more)
GeorgeyBoy
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
11/25/2015 at 22:20 |
|
Solid stuff here. Not sure how busy you are, my resume is in some desperate need of revision. Also helps you are kind of in my industry.
gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
11/25/2015 at 23:54 |
|
does persistence pay off? There was a company that I sounded awesome to work for. The job descriptions matched my experience and was about the same level. They all varied slightly but I applied to the 5 in my area of expertise. My friend said I probably pissed off the manager. Is there a point that can happen?
Also this is more an engineering question, at what point do you get completely locked into a field? I studied in one and with the economy in shit, I took a job in another field. I ended up loving it, but after 7 years thinking of getting back. The only calls I’ve gotten are from recruiters in field b. and I couldn’t get even an entry level call-back from field A