Something about applying for that Job

[Raul-02]

Something to share with the kids

I went to college as a married adult with two children. I was fortunate to have a skill that was very much in demand; Machinist/Toolmaker.

I graduated divinity school (undergrad) and wasn’t interested in anything to do with religion. School beat it all out of me. So my options were limited.



But I still had my trade and I had an undergrad degree.

There was a Dream job I wanted to apply for.

It was a top notch R&D engineering consulting firm. I’d be working for a team of research engineers, never doing the same thing twice.

So I took the time to learn everything imaginable about the company from the founder, his habits and the quirks of other CEOs through the company’s history. By the time I interviewed I was an authority on the history and culture of the company.



To cinch the interview on the phone I told the HR girl that I have always wanted to work for that company. And in the interview I blew them away with the level of interest I had in the company.

Like I said - - to me, this was a dream job.

I got the gig, and I did in fact, love it.

I had parts that I made on the Hubble, on the Space Shuttle, and on the Challenger. I worked on the supercharger project for the M1A1 Abrams, medical devices, new cutting edge equipment for molecular biology, and a lot of things I’ll never be able to talk about.



The point here is that if a kid finds THE JOB or one that is just damned important to him or her that going over the top to become super knowledgeable about the company, it’s history, culture, and being able to discuss the interests of the major players running the place over the company’s history, etc., is never a bad card to play.

 

[3Ts]

Once an interviewee's skills have been determined, I have found that a person's interest in the company is an important factor as well. If the person really wants the job and is trainable, then that person will do well and maybe even better than one who has better skills and not as much interest.

IOW: desire to achieve something will produce results more often than ability alone will.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I have always noticed how my dentist's office was so light, friendly; people laughing and smiling all the time, so I mentioned it to him, that everyone seemed to be so compatible and happy. He said they interview people who meet the requirements, but ultimately they hire based on personality.

 

[MossRoad]

The sentence you routinely heard upon their departure after just 3 years was:

"But they interviewed so well."

 

[Raul-02]

"But they interviewed so well."

lol. I bet no one says anything like that. It's been my experience that the eulogies said for departing tenures are either unrealistically positive in the case of one who was with the company for decades and retires or equally unreasonably negative in the event of the employee who just didn't fit in or didn't cut it. But most of the time no one says a single word about the latter.

 

[MossRoad]

lol. I bet no one says anything like that. It's been my experience that the eulogies said for departing tenures are either unrealistically positive in the case of one who was with the company for decades and retires or equally unreasonably negative in the event of the employee who just didn't fit in or didn't cut it. But most of the time no one says a single word about the latter.

We used to call them Three Year Wonders.

 

[Raul-02]

Three Year Wonders.

lol that's funny

 

[MossRoad]

Yeah. Their resume had a new job every 3 years. 5 jobs in 15 year. Upper management thought that was great. We knew different. They come in, pee on the tree, and leave.