Re: I apologize...
posted at 12/23/2011 10:10 PM EST
In Response to
Re: I apologize...:
In Response to Re: I apologize... : UNBELIEVABLE! You insult me for no reason at all, and no you tell me not to worry about because YOU don't hold a grudge? All this and you can't answer a straightforward, simple, question.
Posted by sheldong
Sure, I know all about courtesy and decency. You should know though about how tiring it is for people to say they know what you're like just by reading what you post.
I have people tell me, "no wonder you don't have a job, look at how you are with people..." or "I bet no one you work with likes you", well, the fact is I am not really like this with real people, I generally keep my feelings about these things to myself. The people that I have worked with have nothing but good things to say about me. When I was first at the University of Minnesota, in the spring of 2007, I was in the supercomputing institute to ask a question about something. The person I was speaking to asked what my name was and when I told them, they said, "we've heard a lot about you..." and I said, "I hope it's good", and the person said to me, "VERY good..". He then proceeded to introduce me to everyone there.
Later on that summer, the medicinal chemistry department had a picnic to welcome the new graduate students. A professor came up to me and introduced himself, and I did the same. When he heard my name, he said, "we've heard about you..." and I asked him if it was good, as well, and he said, "oh yes, we are glad to have you here..."
So, I'm not the ogre some of you think I am. It's just very frustrating to sit here and apply for jobs for over two years and not get anywhere with it, and then have some of you tell me WHY you think I'm having it so hard, when point of fact, none of you know why I am having it so hard.
For one, how many of you know the actual application process these days? Generally, you go to a company's web site and fill out an application. IF you have the "right" words in your resume, you MIGHT get contacted. Otherwise, you don't.
If you get contacted, you usually get a prescreening phone interview, where they ask you things they could figure out about you if they'd read your resume. Things like, "have you ever brought a product to market?", which of course, doesn't happen if you are a post-doc, as I was.
If you make it past the phone interview, you might get brought in for a real interview. I've had a half dozen of those since 2009. Three of them actually made me (low-ball) offers-two offered $30K and no benefits. Another, in Silicon Valley, offered me $54K for 18 months-so, it was a temporary position.
One of the others I interviewed with was in Salt Lake City, Utah. There was one other guy I was up against. I talked about my work at the University and I answered all their questions about my work and background and they answered mine, and the guy that was the head of the department liked me. I told him was anxious tostart as soon as I could and that I was looking forward to wqorking with all these people, or words to that effect. He's still a contact and I've actually picked his brain acouple of times, but he's moved on the the cancer center at the University of Utah hospital. The guy that I believe decided against, the CSO, me wasn't there that day. I since learned that this company moved their operations to California, which probably meant I would have lost my job had they hired me, as they no longer have operations in SLC.
Anyway, they hired the other guy, who was from New York City, over me because he had MORE industrial experience than I did. That is the REAL reason I am getting turned down. Not my age, not my attitude, but my experience. That's what they want.
The guy they hired was in Salt Lake for about three months. He quit because his wife didn't like it there! My wife and I had lived near Logan, Utah, and loved it and wanted to go back. The guy from NY had been paid by this outfit to move there, so they were out three months salary and the expenses of moving the guy.
So, they needed someone to fill this guy's place. So what did they do-did they contact guy number two (me)? No, they did a whole new search. So I reapplied and I wasn't contacted BECAUSE I had applied with them within the last six months.
So, if you apply with a company and don't get hired, and they tell you, "we'll keep you on file", that is a lie. If you are in their system at all, you can't apply again until maybe six months have passed. Some companies run that longer.
So there's just a little more insight into me and the job search process for those of you that still think I am a "nut".
