Job Hunting Rant

"CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever" (carsoffortlangley) 03/04/2020 at 20:04 • Filed to: None

1

68

I know some Oppo’s are HR specialists or job hunting. I’ve had 12 interviews now for 5 positions and have had two offers so far. One offer I turned down, due to the 2-3 weeks a month travel requirement. The other, is a little low and I feel like I have better options coming down the pipeline.

My main complaint? That most employers or HR people are either playing head games or are incompetent . I had one firm (that I turned down) tell me a decision would be made hours after my interview only to hear from them after 2 weeks. Similarity , I was told today that an employer would get back to me in a week/week and half only to be called 3 hours later. Only one employer has been straight and transparent with me, and it has raised them from #3 on my list to #1.

Another frustrating thing? I had a hard interview today with 3 senior people. They then said that the 2nd stage is AN HOUR AND A HALF PRESENTATION that I’d have to give . What the hell? Sure, what’s the topic. Oh, that’s a secret....we’ll send it to you in an email on Friday. Presentation is on Tuesday morning. The most annoying thing is this job is the 2nd lowest paying..... like, don’t request big money stuff for lower money jobs.

What’s the worst BS you’ve put up with?

Good looking overland Ramcharger for your time.

CB > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/04/2020 at 20:10

3

Does a polygraph exam count as BS or not?

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > CB 03/04/2020 at 20:11

0

Depends, in that case, they are legitimately playing mind games with you right?

RacinBob > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/04/2020 at 20:14

0

What kind of a position are you looking for?

CB > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/04/2020 at 20:14

2

I have no idea. It’s like, I’ve already had the background checks done, and polygraphs are BS science, right?

Right?

All I can say is that it was the most stressful day of my life.

Future Heap Owner > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/04/2020 at 20:18

9

Companies: let’s have our interview process be hazing the candidate.

Also Companies: why is it so hard to find qualified people who want to work for us???

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/04/2020 at 20:18

7

My last job interview I met the guy in an airport cafe and that was that.

Well that sounds like a tinder hookup doesn’t it.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/04/2020 at 20:19

7

Dick that presentation crap. No presentation should be over 30 minutes. I can’t think of an occupation where this would be relevant except maybe marketing.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > RacinBob 03/04/2020 at 20:21

0

Claims Advocacy (management or senior) or a Municipal Risk management role for a city

BaconSandwich is tasty. > CB 03/04/2020 at 20:21

5

Yeah, polygraphs are a load of BS.  There’s a reason they aren’t really accepted in court.

TorqueToYield > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/04/2020 at 20:21

2

I’ve had a couple interviews with a company that rhymes with Crapple.

First time they asked weird technical gotcha questions as a screen then wanted a whole week(!!) long technical project and fuck that.

Second time a few years later I didn’t learn my lesson, home runned the intro screen interview then interviewed with the hiring manager who’s only question was “list 3 of your biggest faults as a professional” and I spent half an hour talking about everything wrong with me and nothing else.

Fuck them.

Otherwise just constant employer ghosting . Wildly unfair panel interviews of like 20 vs 1 . Constant low balling. Behavioral interviews. Being used as a prop to make some other candidate look better. Blatant lying during hiring.

Just crazy unprofessional behavior everywhere and the olds don’t understand my fuck you I’m only out for me attitude.

AestheticsInMotion > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/04/2020 at 20:25

9

This wasn’t for hiring, but back when I did windows I’d always try to contact HOAs to get massive deals with entire communities. Lots of guaranteed money, and half the time the price they insisted on would be something like 3x what I would have charged if I bid it out myself.

Anyways, one HOA sent me a 50 page packet outlining rules and regulations for their community , and asked me to create a NEW email address that they would then send a link to in order for me to fill out an application form, using the info from the 50 page packet. They d aid it was structured as a 10 part test. A ssuming that went well? They’d need background checks on myself and all employees, as well as contact information with at least 10 other large-scale clients.

I’m not proud of this, but I ended up paying some kids to egg the HOA boss’s home, because I was 19 and extremely petty when it came to having my time wasted.

Just wear your damn mask... > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/04/2020 at 20:26

0

Receiving calls or emails from five different recruiters about the same job in a 12-hour period, all from the Detroit metro area. It was a job I had looked at, but decided not to pursue because one of the requirements was the ability to move on short notice, and I’m not in a position to do that.

DipodomysDeserti > CB 03/04/2020 at 20:27

4

I had a friend rejected from DHS for failing a  polygraph ( that they didn’t lie on). Later went on to secure a defense related contract with the CIA as a civilian and had no issues with everything they put him through. I have a feeling there’s another purpose for the poly (he has PTSD, which DHS may have cared more about).

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 03/04/2020 at 20:36

2

I really want that job though

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/04/2020 at 20:39

4

10 minute presentation and 1 h 29 min of Initial D.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 03/04/2020 at 20:40

3

Hi, I’m COFL,

This is my presentation on Municipal Risk and Climate Change

koawaft1 > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/04/2020 at 20:44

0

I can so relate to the poor communication. Even recruiters will say all the right things about how I would be a great fit. Then they give me a day they promise to follow up by then nothing...

Also gotta love it when you turn someone down. Then 3 weeks later they reach out to you on LinkedIn wanting to connect as they might have an opportunity.   You would think after 4 interviews  I would seem a little familiar. 

OPPOsaurus WRX > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/04/2020 at 20:49

1

i had a company request for me to write a letter explaining why I want to work in healthcare architecture. I said F that. I later heard that that company is an absolute nightmare office and they burn through people non stop.

I bet on Linkdin you could find a former employee to ask about the office experience. that a s really a very important part of liking a job.

Thomas Donohue > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/04/2020 at 20:51

3

A 90 minute presentation?   Do the prospective employers have nothing better to do?   I’ve never heard of anything over 30 minutes, and that was for a training position.  That’s a red flag in my book unless the job consists of you giving 90 minute presentations twice each day, three times a week.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > OPPOsaurus WRX 03/04/2020 at 20:51

0

The one is a former client of mine.  The other, I hear lots of good things about.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Thomas Donohue 03/04/2020 at 20:52

0

It does not.  And yeah, it’s a city.  They do that kinda shit

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/04/2020 at 20:52

4

While I understand your frustration, let me explain how it’s worked at my US Government agency. I’m the selecting manager for the job:

* Posted in November 2018, closed around March 2019

* Got interviewee names in September 2019

* Interviewed in October, telling them they’d have a December start date

* Whoops, there’s only two HR people working the certificates for the entire country. Start date pushed back to March

* HR doesn’t talk to you after telling you to get fingerprinted. What does the call to get fingerprinted mean? It means you got the job if you pass the preliminary background check. HR doesn’t tell people this. Some don’t get fingerprinted because it’s inconvenient and they think it’s just a part of the interview

* After HR makes the offer, they WILL NOT TALK TO YOU. I’ve reached out to my new folks because I know this; other managers don’t and their people get pissed off from the lack of communication and aren’t sure if they even still have a job

* Btw, HR and the hiring people have the aptitude of garden snails

* We as managers don’t always know if everyone is going to walk through the door on day one. Especially if they haven’t been in constant contact like I have.

...hope that makes you feel less bad

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 03/04/2020 at 20:53

2

Hiring in Academia can involve giving multiple hour-long presentations over a mutiple day interview process.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/04/2020 at 20:54

1

It took me over 4 years from interview to start date. I interviewed for a government job in late 2012 while I was still in college, got the job, and was going to start after I graduated in May 2013. Well after I get the okay, the US Gov shutdown happens and they lose the funding. Everything in DC goes to shit, no jobs. Eventually the guy calls back, is going to bring me on as a gov contractor initially and I can go gov later. The same day I interview with the contracting company, the gov goes into sequestration budget cuts and the funding goes away again. It takes me 8 months to find a job. A week after I start the guy from the gov calls me and tells me he has an opening. I turned it down, worked for a contractor for 3 years, got tired of them, called the guy back and he was looking and still interested in me, and 6 months later (summer 2017) I got my gov job.

During that 8 month period of looking for work I had some interesting interviews though. One guy saw Formula SAE on my resume and had done it in college and spent the whole time talking about it and asking me about our car (it was not a car related job). Another guy spent the whole time asking me about the Navy because his son was thinking of joining and he wanted to get some “real answers” from someone other than a recruiter.

The best, though, was at a company that made train brakes. I chatted with the engineering manager for a while, got a tour of the place, took an “impossible” test (one of these scenarios thats not solvable, they just want to see how you think/reason). Then they turned me over to their engineering team so I could meet who I’d be working with. Their senior engineer pulled me aside and told me not to take the job. He said he’d reviewed my resume and based on my experience I’d be bored AF within a year. A week later they sent me a pathetic lowball offer.  Like, less than I made on active duty as an E-5 at 6 years in the Navy. And military pay is awful.  

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 03/04/2020 at 20:54

0

Yikes! Good ol government.  One of these roles is Government

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > CB 03/04/2020 at 20:54

1

They're totally BS.  

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Snuze: Needs another Swede 03/04/2020 at 20:57

0

I always thought military pay was ok? What do I know, I don’t live in America.

One of the jobs seems promising.  I hit them with my higher wage level and they didn’t fall out of their chair

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 03/04/2020 at 21:00

0

And that’s for just an adjunct prof right.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/04/2020 at 21:01

0

Well then just turn and burn that presentation. I’ve given enough presentations on my life that I would honestly have trouble with anything over 1 hour

Chariotoflove > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/04/2020 at 21:09

3

Science interviews are a bit of a different animal. You are flown in and meet with various faculty members, including the department chair and maybe the Dean and lunch with grad students sometimes. Then you give the hour long seminar in your research the department. So it’s basically the same format as an invited speaker visit.

Anyway, my current job is across town from where I did my post doc, so no flying or anything. But I did the first interview like normal. Then the chair asked me to come back to meet some more people a second time, so I knew they were interested. The third time she asked me to come back I said I know I’m in town and all, but my next visit will be only after an offer is on  the table. I mean, my time counts for something. 

LastFirstMI is my name > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/04/2020 at 21:17

3

Fun experiences-

One place asked for a hand written essay. I tossed that in the garbage.

Another guy spent the interview looking out the window and talking about how great all the applicants were, maybe trying to play hard to get? I got weird vibes, and they dropped from first to last on my list. Years later  I read a book about the unethical professional exploits of that guy- trust your gut!

Kiltedpadre > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/04/2020 at 21:18

1

I have a couple experiences I remember.

There was the company that I had 4 interviews (all with different people) before being offered the job. I showed up two weeks later to do on boarding. One problem, a few days after hiring me they found out the facility was closing, and I was there for on boarding for a job that no longer existed.

Another involved me applying to a job after seeing the company featured in the local paper about difficulty getting employees for new manufacturing positions. The owner spent a paragraph comparing applicants for his positions that either couldn’t pass a drug test or be counted on to reliably show up for work  to folks lining up hoping for a position when it was a Chrysler plant. I found out why after wasting 45 minutes talking to him. His positions paid minimum wage. Chrysler payed more than double that when the plant closed 10yrs earlier. Heck, the McDonalds across the street had a sign saying they started at significantly more.

someassemblyrequired > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/04/2020 at 21:25

0

Have you considered starting your own firm & trying to line up a couple of smaller insurance cos as clients?

Snuze: Needs another Swede > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/04/2020 at 21:30

2

I was enlisted, we get the shaft. Officer pay is okay, especially as you go up in rank / years. But an E-5 at 6 years in 2010 made $ 2583.90/mo in base pay, or $31k/yr, before taxes. Now I was a Nuke and submariner, and collected housing allowance, so I was raking in like $46 k/yr. And thats after essentially completing a bachelors in Nuclear Engineering (without getting an actual degree) in 18 months, and living in a tin can 500+ ft. deep in the abyss for months on end, entrusted with running one of the most complex machines mankind has ever created, where one mistake can kill you and 140 other poor souls. For $46k/yr. Before taxes. (And dont take this as me being shitty, its just perspective. I knew what I signed up for and the experience has paid off in spades)

But that sounds good, that your salary requirement didn’t blow them away. I hope you get the job you're looking for with a great salary. 

wafflesnfalafel > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/04/2020 at 21:44

0

their bonus is based on getting the warmest body for the lowest pay....

fintail > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/04/2020 at 21:45

1

In the past week, two positions I’ve applied for were pulled without being filled. I was only notified of one. The other one, which I had to discover myself, was one where I went through a multiple hour interview game, and they apparently didn’t bother to tell applicants. Professionalism, I think some HR/hiring types must have public sector job security/quality benchmarks.

Lowball offers are also amusing, I think some don’t realize the cost of living here. I flatly told one that their offer was what I was making 15 years ago, when I was still in my 20s, and the cost of living was lower. They aint gonna fill that position here at that salary, hell, even east of the mountains where rent/mortgage is half or less, I doubt they’d get any qualified takers for their offer.

The head games/hoops ideal is amusing too. Employers don’t hold all the cards right now, yet some think they do.  And we know who they will blame when positions are unfilled.   It’s usually the fault of the employer, not the labor force.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 03/04/2020 at 22:02

0

That would be for tenure track assistant prof positions. Even just staff positions are scaled down version of that, and they still go through the search committee process.

NKato > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/04/2020 at 22:47

2

Before landing at my current job, I had a machinist certificate, level 1. I applied to just about all the companies in Everett. Then interviewed with half of them. The Division of vocational rehabilitation (DVR) was providing interpreters because companies had a bad habit of binning deaf people’s resumes if they asked for accommodations. (And the EEOC law is not robust enough to support discovery)

After a year of searching, I gave up and applied to a dog chew company where I worked cutting up hard cheese. It was the job that enabled me to save enough for the Queen while still on SSDI, which had a work support program. While there, I continued to throw out applications and got the interview at my current company.

I also earned a four-stitch injury on my thumb from the bandsaw at the dogchew company. Got “employee of the month” after that. Ehhh...

Now I’m looking at continuing my education while working here. Looking at an associate’s in Applied Arts and Sciences, and upgrading my NIMS certificates.

And at the same time, my Line of Credit is about to get Death Star'd by my plans for the car.

M.T. Blake > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/05/2020 at 00:55

0

Find a job in the government sector. You’ll never be rich but, you’ll never be poor. 

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > LastFirstMI is my name 03/05/2020 at 08:51

1

I once had the company boss staring out the window and literally playing with his mustache during my interview. I had no interest in working for him after that , and would have turned down an offer . . . but he declined to offer me a job, so the feeling was apparently mutual.

Fortunately I interviewed at 2 other companies that day and they both made offers within hours - it was a good time to be job hunting.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Snuze: Needs another Swede 03/05/2020 at 10:59

0

But the food’s good, right?

Nothing for respect for submariners. Did you earn the Neptune badge?

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/05/2020 at 11:00

0

What kind of job(s) are you looking at?

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/05/2020 at 11:01

0

Senior Claims Advocate or Municipal Risk Manager

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/05/2020 at 11:04

0

Oooh, that sounds boring . I’ll stick with my 8th graders.

Good luck in the hunt, though. Landing employment is the worst, unless you’re being recruited. Have you tried talking to any headhunters?

JustAnotherG6 > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/05/2020 at 11:07

1

So far it’s just been a few phone interviews and one in person. Nothing further yet, but it’s only been 4 months.

Future next gen S2000 owner > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/05/2020 at 11:22

2

I’d be wary about the presentation. They could be looking for free work.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/05/2020 at 11:27

0

The f ood wa s excellent, much better than the gruel they served on the carriers .

Sadly, I didn’t get my Shellback, Blue N ose, Golden Dragon, or any of that fun stuff. But I still got some good stories out of it. 

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/05/2020 at 11:57

0

I have, I have good prospects too.  It’s pretty engaging work though!

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > JustAnotherG6 03/05/2020 at 11:57

0

yikes, that’s awful I’m sorry to hear that

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Kiltedpadre 03/05/2020 at 12:16

0

“His positions paid minimum wage. Chrysler payed more than double that when the plant closed 10yrs earlier. Heck, the McDonalds across the street had a sign saying they started at significantly more.”

That makes me think about how trucking companies complain about a truck driver shortage... which is BS.  The only shortage is for drivers willing to work for nothing.

Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/05/2020 at 12:18

0

Uh, the interviews themselves are the presentation you give. Is giving presentations part of this particular job requirement? If not, I’m telling them, “Thanks, but get bent.”

bob and john > AestheticsInMotion 03/05/2020 at 12:29

2

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA.

*pauses for air*

HAHAHAHAHHAHAA.

fuck HOAs. smarmy, nose in the air cunts with nothing better to do. 

JustAnotherG6 > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/05/2020 at 12:33

0

eh, I’m still working my current job. Just looking for something new so I can be picky.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/05/2020 at 12:59

0

If you enjoy your job, you’ll never have to go to work. I flat out love  being with my students, especially at this age. They change right before your eyes. There’s a spread of time between Grade 6 and Grade 8 where they relinquish childhood and start the slog toward young adulthood. Most of them, anyway. 

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Snuze: Needs another Swede 03/05/2020 at 13:05

0

Wow. What a story. Thanks for sharing that.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Snuze: Needs another Swede 03/05/2020 at 13:07

0

I’m curious about that: why didn’t you pin those on? Too much work? Simply not interested?

I served in the Army and I envied service branches where you could advance yourself simply by studying. In the Army, you had to get lucky to advance or earn an award.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/05/2020 at 13:27

0

The three I mentioned are all geographically based, and you don’t earn them until you meet the geographical requirement and go through the initiation ritual - Blue Nose is crossing the arctic circle, Shellback is crossing the equator, and Golden Dragon is crossing the international dateline. To be honest I’m not familiar with the Neptune Badge, and just assumed it was related.

I remember you telling me about your Army time. F or what it’s worth, Navy advancement is actually pretty screwed up. These days all NCO positions (E-4 and up) are billeted, so they will only advance people based on how many open billets they have. We had a guy on the boat, a Nav-ET, who was a stud and just couldn’t make the cut for E-4 because there were so few openings. Eventually our CO “Cap’d” him (meritorious advancement) after the guy maxed out his promotion scores several cycles in a row and still didn’t get it. I was a Nuke and we all got E-4 automatically - back at the inception of the program Rickover wanted all Nuke s to be Warrant Officers but congress didn’t want to pay for it, so they compromised on making us all NCOs. Nuke retention is awful (you can get out and make way more money for way less work in the civilian world) so they have a program called STAR where you re-enlist and get E-5 automatically. I went that route and put on E-5 after only 2.5 years in service. Retention was so bad so it wasn’t that hard to make rank as a Nuke if you kept your nose clean. I knew one guy who made Chief (E-7) in 7 years.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Snuze: Needs another Swede 03/05/2020 at 14:06

0

I said “Neptune,” I should’ve said “dolphin.”

I don’t have any respect for hazing, but I do have immense respect for becoming a chief in the US Navy. Anyhow, the badge above was what I was thinking of when I said Neptune, but that probably hearkens more to a shellback.

I got out of the Army and went to college because I encountered dumb officers who only had college degrees and were so stupid that I wondered how they got their boots tied in the morning. In the intervening years — I ETSed in 1990 — I liked to imagine what grade I’d be at a given time later on, like O-4 or O-5, maybe. But now that I’m a seasoned educator working around young people, I realize that what I am really cut out to be is senior enlisted, like E-8 or E-9, the people who work with the troops directly, the people who develop leaders, the people who make s**t actually happen. I’m no administrator.

So are you working now in a field related to your submarine service?

WiscoProud > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/05/2020 at 14:14

0

I had an interview for a pretty good job that was basically a quiz about arcane techniques and definitions for things I openly admitted I hadn’t done before. My field has hundreds of little analyses and regulations that need to be followed, and its literally impossible to be an expert in all of them. I was sure I tanked it, since I said “i’ve never done that before, but i’m willing to learn” so much, but i got through that stage and was set up to have an interview with the CEO.

Unfortunately, that’s when we started talking compensation, and they were a good $10k below what i was currently making base , albeit with a better bonus program.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/05/2020 at 14:28

0

True Hazing is no bueno - when you’re hurting your own people you’re really hurting unit cohesion and readiness. But initiation, stressing people out a little bit, and playing silly games is all in good fun. We used to screw with each other all the time on the boat, it’s how you pass the time.

The badge you are referring to is the “Fish” or “Dolphins” (as in the dolphin fish, aka Mahi-mahi, not the mammal). It’s more formally known as the Submarine Warfare Device. And yes, I’m a proud fish wearer. Actually, the submarine force is (as far as I know) the only branch in the Navy that REQUIRES you to earn warfare qualifications, and you only have 18 months to do it. Otherwise you get booted to the surface fleet. And let me tell you, it’s a lot of work. You have to know how everything on the boat works. Everything.

The submarine force is generally top rate and I worked with a lot of really great officers who I had a lot of respect for, especially at the JO level. The surface fleet is a different story, and I’ve heard similar sentiments as yours from friends in the Army and Air Force too . Regarding rank, by now I’d probably be some salty old Chie f and I’d look like I was 70 years old. It amazes me how much the service ages people.

And yes, I’m still involved in the submarine community . I work for the Navy as a civilian test engineer and play with ships and submarines all the time. 

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Snuze: Needs another Swede 03/05/2020 at 15:01

0

The Fish. That’s what I meant to ask about and thank you for sorting out the nomenclature for me.

As I said, I have the highest regard for submariners and I’m not surprised that you found respect for the officers you worked with. Seems to me that in such close quarters, and given that one goofup will kill everyone aboard, you’d wanna be competent and you’d want your mates to see you as competent.

How long have you been out?

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/05/2020 at 15:31

0

I got out back in 2010 - it will be 10 years next month!

I went back to school on the GI Bill , graduated in 2013, worked for a naval architect from 2014 thru 2017, and then came to the government. I have to say I like this job a lot more, but I probably wouldn’t have gotten it had it not been for my time in the Navy. Like I was telling CoFL, submarine service wasn’t exactly great, but it’s paid off in spades for me. 

MoCamino > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/05/2020 at 15:44

0

Almost twenty years ago, I had recently been laid off due to a downsizing I should have seen coming. One of the places I applied at was a government agency where I would be running a firewall that I had a few years’ experience with. I thought I had a pretty good shot at it, wouldn’t have to move, and already knew one of the people that I’d be working with . Great! The regional directors for the agency were located in a larger city a four-hour drive away, so that’s where the interviews were being held. Okay, no problem. I’m out of work anyway, so I have time for the trip, right?

The arrangements are made, I make the drive up there, and upon arrival I’m told that they’ve changed direction on the job opening. Now, instead of being the front-line tech running the firewall, the position would be management level overseeing several people doing the same sort of work I thought I was applying for in the first place. “We know it’s not what you applied for, but you’re welcome to stay for the interview.” Okay, why not? I’m here anyway, I’m probably not qualified for the manager position, but at least the trip wouldn’t be a complete waste.

I sit around waiting for a bit, in the same room as the other applicants, which I thought was strange. (Why are we all here at once?) Then someone comes out and calls all three of us in . Turns out the interview is panel-style. The three of us were interviewed simultaneously by a panel of six interviewers. They took turns asking each of us questions. We all go t the same questions, and took turns answering first. So I might answer one question first, but the next one I’d answer second, the next I’d answer third, and the next I’d be back in first again. To top it off, each of us got a three by five card in a different color. So the interviewers wouldn’t have to worry about what our names actually were, we were addressed as Mr. Red, Mr. Green, and Mr. Blue.

I can look back at it now and understand at least some of the reasons why it all went down that way, but at the time I thought it was the most bizarre interview ever. Today, as a hiring manager, I use that experience as a prime example of what NOT to do when I’m interviewing prospective employees.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Snuze: Needs another Swede 03/05/2020 at 15:54

0

My service was a great, if totally sucky most of the time, experience. I mean, hey: it’s how I met Mrs. Vandura, after all, and we’ve been married 30 years now.

Did you earn a degree? What did you study?

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/05/2020 at 16:17

0

I remember you telling me you met Mrs. Vandura in the Army. That’s great. I met Mrs. Snuze while I was on active duty, she’s from my hometown. But her mom is from New London, CT, right across the river from the base where I was stationed. I have no idea why they let her date a submariner.

I earned my degree in Mechanical Engineering. I’m currently working on a masters in Mechanical, with a focus in acoustics. It remains to be seen if I manage to survive graduate level differential equations.

How did you end up going from the Army to teaching?

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Snuze: Needs another Swede 03/05/2020 at 17:03

0

We have these conversations here and with the avatars and screen names, it’s too easy to forget what we’ve discussed or with whom. So, apologies...

I never passed Algebra in high school, which is ironic, given that I am now a secondary school math teacher. So I started community college in Fall of 1990 or 91 in Elementary Algebra and went from there to earning a BS in Mathematics. I began with the intent to become a mechanical engineer, but I found the other ME aspirants to be very competitive and a math degree was a path of much less resistance. At the time, my goal was to transfer to U.C. Berkeley, but their ME program was super-impacted and they were shunting people off to a closely related program in nautical engineering, or similar.

I could get no work with a math degree. Except for actuarial and business analyst work and I hated  that work. With a capital H. I went from there to working as a database analyst which I was somewhat okay at, but I wasn’t enough of a geekhead and I washed out of that, too. I spent six months trying to be in business for myself as a handyman, but I’m a lousy businessman. Epically, tragically poor businessman. So as teachers do, after failing at everything else, I became a teacher. And I love the work and I love the kids. I see myself nowadays as the barky but caring old senior chief. Or maybe even a master chief. Or master sergeant.

Mid Engine > WiscoProud 03/05/2020 at 19:39

0

That’s why I establish the range or likely TCOMP before I talk with anyone, I don’t want to waste their time or mine. You can afford me? Great, let’s chat. .

WiscoProud > Mid Engine 03/06/2020 at 10:02

0

Well, i had previously interviewed with them for a position in Chicago about 90 miles away , and that one paid over what i made. They just needed me to start work immediately, which isn’t possible when i have a family and own my house. Telecommuting wasn’t an option. I assumed this one would pay the same or similar. This offer was probably $20k less than the Chicago offer.