Jobless and Frustrated NTers check in VOL. WE NOT-WORKIN!!!

I just got a new job. Starting is 33.15/hr 
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Got offered a Manager In Trainee position by Hertz today. Not bad, manager super cool, and it's 4 blocks from my house, I can walk there. Thinking of accepting it
 
Congrats bro. Details?
I teach kids how to swim. You pay about $500 for all the certifcations and you'll be earning at least $20/hr for public organizations (city parks) or upwards of $50/hr private lessons.

It's really easy. In the cert class, they give you all the lesson plans and etc. finding a job is extremely easy in this field. I know some directors land a job and end up getting 92K salaries. I plan on operating my own business one day. My old job charges $450 for 10 sessions of 1.5 or 45 minutes depending on the level. And I was at my max pay of 13.50. It was so disrespectful. I had to leave. The CITY paid 18.21 starting then to 19, then 24 max. It ranges from place to place but the avg should be about $25 hr.

Another field I would like to get my certification in would be phlebotomy. Class is about 800 or so. But the hourly pay and job openings is numerous. 
fam every post i see you make is about $$$. yeah i know it's makes the sn to post ratio kinda funny but man 33.15 hr ain't fast money b.
I know it's not fast but it's still some bucks to pay off this sneaker debt I'm in. 
 
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still jobless :\

trying to look for something that comes close to at least what I was making at my old job
 
Plenty of ppl make money in something not related to their degree or maybe don't even have a degree

My buddy made 25k last month he recently went into solar sales

If you have the will an ambition you can make money in this world.
 
Jobless, had a interview for a new Nordstrom rack opening in my area though it was pretty well but just got the call I wasn't selected 
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 All good though the search continues!
 
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Just finish up with an interview with this company. Recruiter said they want to invite me back for the final interview on Friday.

One more fellas.
 
Got offered a little part time gig at DSG while finishing up school, cant complain 
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So if a company sends you an email for an interview over the phone but they include in the email the salary they are offering you, does that mean they are leaning towards hiring me? 

Not to mention I got a call the same day of filling out the application from the HR lady.
 
Got a voicemail regarding a job, returned it and left a voicemail, and they still haven't called back lol. Been 3 days.
 
You didnt bother bringing the other guy in for an interview because of a cover letter? An interview tells you a lot more about a candidate than a resume and cover letter combined

when you have to make a case for bringing a person in for an interview to a superior/manager/hiring manager, etc., the person with a cover letter might make a stronger case. You also have to remember, these people read all day, so 2-3 page resume might actually look worse than a cover letter (when requested) and a 1-page resume.
 
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when you have to make a case for bringing a person in for an interview to a superior/manager/hiring manager, etc., the person with a cover letter might make a stronger case. You also have to remember, these people read all day, so 2-3 page resume might actually look worse than a cover letter (when requested) and a 1-page resume.
there are about 4 references in this post. check earlier pages.
My point was that both candidates should be interviewed. Cover letters tell me far less than resumes since resumes should list all of your qualifying credentials while the cover letter just iterates a subset of your credentials in a lengthy, wordy manner.

Also, your resume shouldnt be 2-3 pages unless youve had very extensive experience in the field (10+ years). I've only been in the field for 2 years and I've never had a resume that was more than 1 page long.

I disagree with the part about reading all day. These people are BUSY. They get hundreds of applications and resumes and one of my organization's recruiter told me herself that she doesnt even look at cover letters. Resumes are quicker if your goal, as a recruiter, is to understand the candidate's qualifications.
 
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My point was that both candidates should be interviewed. Cover letters tell me far less than resumes since resumes should list all of your qualifying credentials while the cover letter just iterates a subset of your credentials in a lengthy, wordy manner.

Also, your resume shouldnt be 2-3 pages unless youve had very extensive experience in the field (10+ years). I've only been in the field for 2 years and I've never had a resume that was more than 1 page long.

I disagree with the part about reading all day. These people are BUSY. They get hundreds of applications and resumes and one of my organization's recruiter told me herself that she doesnt even look at cover letters. Resumes are quicker if your goal, as a recruiter, is to understand the candidate's qualifications.

unfortunately you aren't paying for "every applicant" to be interviewed.

They have a limited amount of interviews.

That's how the world works, dude.

You can disagree all you want; One recruiter at your organization is not the standard for the industry. She doesn't even read cover letters? doubt the positions request or require them, then, right?

no idea where you were going with the 2-3 page thing, I never said 2-3 pages was a good idea. i said a cover letter + 1 page resume > 2-3 page resume.

Like you said, they read hundreds of pages of information, in attempt to solicit applicants for interviews.....

If i have two equal candidates. One with a letter and one without, and I have to justify my pick to a superior..............the cover letter will win out. It gives more "evidence" as to why I picked who i picked. Same way two applicants applying with one submitting a portfolio would stand out over the other.

you can continue to disagree and argue, and advocate that every applicant should get an opportunity to interview......

but it just doesn't work that way.


think of a cover letter like a not-in-person interview.

You can tell the person, in plain English, why they should give YOU an interview.....your resume cannot explain in such a fashion.

Your cover letter is supposed to tell the person HOW the things on your resume would be an asset to the position.

Your resume can't do that.

Also, your cover letter introduces a voice.

An applicant with a voice comes off as more personable than someone with a black and white resume.

You can use your cover letter to exhibit intelligence, communication style and sense of humor, among others. None of these can be expressed in a resume.


Now, after i've explained the purpose of a cover letter to you fully, if you still refuse to include one out of being stubborn while demanding EVERYONE get to interview......you got some growing up to do.
 
 
Let this story serve as inspiration to those still out there looking, especially my fellow young men of color.

Walked in there. 3 people interviewing me, but the director did most of the talking. I held a convo with the director for like a good 3 mins before I realized that this WAS the interview, and I was doing fantastically.

Long story short, all this lady kept saying was how eloquent and articulate I was. How intelligent I seem. I'm less than 3 weeks away from a college degree. I'm educated. Through my speaking, I spun my brief internship into one of the greatest learning experiences of my life--which it was.

She said she wanted to squeeze every last drop of intelligence out of me that she could. She said she's pretty sure she'd like to hire me. The only thing is that she's trying to figure out where to place me with my intelligence. That word again. Intelligence. She said it a lot.

Ask questions. She asked if I had any questions for them and I asked them 5 or 6 very challenging questions. She said nobody asks her questions when she interviews them.

Wear a black suit. Stand tall. Walk tall. Speak eloquently. That means speak with some intelligence. You're not an idiot. You're not what they're out here trying to portray you as.

So prove it.
Here me out on this. Am I the only one that feels a certain type of way when a black person is labeled eloquent or articulate? It is almost like a side armed compliment like "educated black person."
 
Its more of an insult than a compliment but what can you do?

And yes, I've heard from multiple career experts that a recruiter will always go with the person who wrote the cover letter than the one who didn't because they showed initiative and took the time.
 
unfortunately you aren't paying for "every applicant" to be interviewed.

They have a limited amount of interviews.

That's how the world works, dude.

You can disagree all you want; One recruiter at your organization is not the standard for the industry. She doesn't even read cover letters? doubt the positions request or require them, then, right?

no idea where you were going with the 2-3 page thing, I never said 2-3 pages was a good idea. i said a cover letter + 1 page resume > 2-3 page resume.

Like you said, they read hundreds of pages of information, in attempt to solicit applicants for interviews.....

If i have two equal candidates. One with a letter and one without, and I have to justify my pick to a superior..............the cover letter will win out. It gives more "evidence" as to why I picked who i picked. Same way two applicants applying with one submitting a portfolio would stand out over the other.

you can continue to disagree and argue, and advocate that every applicant should get an opportunity to interview......

but it just doesn't work that way.


think of a cover letter like a not-in-person interview.

You can tell the person, in plain English, why they should give YOU an interview.....your resume cannot explain in such a fashion.

Your cover letter is supposed to tell the person HOW the things on your resume would be an asset to the position.

Your resume can't do that.

Also, your cover letter introduces a voice.

An applicant with a voice comes off as more personable than someone with a black and white resume.

You can use your cover letter to exhibit intelligence, communication style and sense of humor, among others. None of these can be expressed in a resume.


Now, after i've explained the purpose of a cover letter to you fully, if you still refuse to include one out of being stubborn while demanding EVERYONE get to interview......you got some growing up to do.
Sure, that's why the resume is important in when analyzing which candidates meet qualifications and are worthy of an interview. However, in this example, where both candidates' resumes are identical, the cover letter could help. But in the real world, no two resumes are identical so I dont see how one can run into this scenario.

I agree with your other points though. Many companies conduct phone screening for the same reasons you discussed. I think that's a better approach to deciding who you want to interview.
 
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And yes, I've heard from multiple career experts that a recruiter will always go with the person who wrote the cover letter than the one who didn't because they showed initiative and took the time.
This was what I thought for many years too, until I got into the workforce. Then my opinion changed completely. But then that's just one person's opinion, you can read more here:

 
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So if a company sends you an email for an interview over the phone but they include in the email the salary they are offering you, does that mean they are leaning towards hiring me? 

Not to mention I got a call the same day of filling out the application from the HR lady.
From my experience, no. Including the salary upfront generally means that its non-negotiable.

I received emails like that from one company (Gov contracting) and the recruiter would ask if the salary rate was acceptable. I would say "no" and ask about negotiation but HR would claim its a rate determined by the contract and it cant be changed.

I also remember being "scammed" by an email like that a few years ago. I applied to a job through some random recruiter/headhunter site. Uploaded my resume and applied to a few jobs. Few days later I got the interview request email w/ salary. Responded that I was interested, then was told to sign up for this credit monitoring service and provide the confirmation. But I can cancel it as soon as I registered. Once I sent the confirmation the recruiter said they forwareded my resume to the hiring company and if they would contact me if they wanted an interview.

Long story short, never heard back from anyone and got stuck paying $15/mo. for some credit monitoring service because I forgot to cancel it. Be careful when dealing with these job boards and recruiter sites. Some are scams and fronts preying on the desperate.
 
like what brother chapelle said... if you black and live in america you gotta entertain the MAN

aside from that NFS.. do you guys have real references from colleges or previous jobs? 
 
like what brother chapelle said... if you black and live in america you gotta entertain the MAN



aside from that NFS.. do you guys have real references from colleges or previous jobs? 

Yeah, I have references from both college (grad school)and previous jobs. If I know I'm leaving a place I ask for a LinkedIn reference (and offer to reciprocate). professors I tend to go old school with a written general focused on a class -- ie: ability to work with disparate groups for projects, how I dealt with difficult assignments with a lot of moving parts, how I worked around coursework I didn't understand.

I try not to go the general email reference route and of course I try to keep up with references info.
 
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