A Possible Job Maybe Coming For Me

[ResidentEvil7]

After a long time and after much research, I maybe heading into a job that may actually be the beginning of a new career.  My local Best Buy retail store called me and want to interview me tomorrow at 4:30.  I am so excited.  In fact, this is the first scheduled interview I ever had that I don't feel any amount of nervousness.  I'm too excited to be nervous.  Even on the phone, I already passed on so of my suggestions to help Best Buy out, but I have to let corporate know about it.  But that's fine.  And I also made an enthusiastic mentioning of my interest in computers, my websites, and more and already they sound excited about tomorrow's interview.  I even let them know that I have a blue Best Buy uniform on the way from a former Best Buy employee at the San Jose, CA location.  And he and I communicated  Speaking of my website, I told them that I affiliated all three of my websites with Best Buy, Circuit City Online, and Gamestop, and he sure sounded happy about that.  And even if I get this job, who knows, I may end up being General Manager of my location.  Now is that cool or is that cool?

Well I have to go and get ready for tomorrow.  Wish me luck.

[Mindy]

Wow, I hope good things come for you! How did it go??

[ResidentEvil7]

Well I'm going to need a miracle with this one.  I went in there happy, excited, and ready to go, feeling 85% confident that something will open for me.  And man those questions were VERY hard.  In fact, so hard that I couldn't even remember what was asked because I didn't even know what was asked of me then.  Well I hope my enthusiasm for working for a Best Buy, working up to general management, and the binder of 400-some pages of consumer electronic facts, showing that I already have the blue shirt uniform with me, and giving him my URL of my site where that binder of facts comes from will help combat some of those "gotcha" questions I bombed at.

I rode my bike down there where it's was sunny, not realizing that when I was sitting and waiting to be interviewed and during the interview that the weather had changed.  We both heard thunder.  Well after the interview was over, I left, and went to the Dominick's store next door, and went in there changing into my new Best Buy uniform (I bought off eBay from a former employee at a different location--he's rooting for me too).  Going to my bike, I got drenched in the heavy rain, so I decided instead of biking an hour back home in the rain, getting my research wet and stuff, so I went back to Best Buy and stayed there for an extra hour until the rain lightened up.  Of course I had to put my dressy button up shirt over my Best Buy uniform.  [To Be Continued]

[ResidentEvil7]

[Continued]
Some of the employees asked me if I got interviewed (after seeing me wearing their blue uniform shirt), and I said yes, and asked me if I ever worked for Best Buy before and I said "no" then mentioned that I got this shirt from a former Best Buy employee on eBay.  Thank God, that none of the customers mistaked me for a real employee; I mean how would that look?  "Uh, sir, I need help with this iPad, can you please help me?"  and I would have to say "I'm not quite a Best Buy employee.  I just got interviewed, and I'm only wearing this thing, because it looks snazy on me."  Like I said, how well would that of gone?"  But anyway, I did take the weather as an opportunity to experience the new iPad, when figuring out how much longer I'll stay before the rain settled down.  Well when the rain began to settle down, the guy at the lost prevention, made me a poncho out of a garbage bag, and I wore it up until the rain fully stopped, and took it off and my button up shirt off and kept the Best Buy shirt on, and went the rest of the way.  In fact I'm still wearing that blue Best Buy shirt.  I feel and look like a winner in this thing, and it feels quite comfortable and it even looks great.  Well I need to start on my follow-up thank-you letter, showing my continuing interest with the awarding company. I'm not going to let a few difficult interview questions stop me.  I'm still going forwards and very well determined to get this job.  Failure will NEVER stop me!
Buy" for now.

[Mindy]

I think your enthusiasm might just win you over to their side.

Ahhh, but don't ask my opinion about those questionnaires because I have a few (bad) things to say about them, haha!

[ResidentEvil7]

I know I hate those trick questions.  It's like you have to do a scan of your whole timeline just to find a time when you--yada yada yada.  And on those computer applications, I hate those agree/disagree questions.  It's like you can't even tell the truth of your feelings and experiences without being thrown out.  Well I hope my blue shirt, my 400-page binder, my positive attitude with enthusiasm, and my website where the rest of that binder comes from, and that follow-up thank-you letter will be enough to combat those 5 tought "Tell of a time when..." questions.  Again, I love this shirt, I can't stop wearing it, but I may have to take the blank white undershirt off, it's feeling kind of hot and sticky in here: 88 in my room with 46% humidity, and it's suppose to be nearly 90 today here in Chicago.

[Mindy]

400 pages?!?! of what?  I might have overlooked this in the top posts.

Yes, it's 90 degrees here where I live, too. Kind of a battle between staying cool and rising electric costs.. 

[ResidentEvil7]

400 typed/printed pages of my research on HDTV, PCs, iMacs, Best Buy company research, and their rivals's research (Circuit City and Sears).  If it was my website and I copied/pasted to a Microsoft Word Processing document it would be over 1,000 pages.  And after seeing that binder, that interview, my exciting ethusiasm, the follow-up thank you letter, and stuff, no none over there has seen my site nor called me.  I hope they're not ducking me, or I could be me being impatient, but I'm already looking ahead in case if nothing comes out of this, I'm testing the distance on my bike to the next Best Buys and see if they can transfer that one application there and I can try my luck to those other places.  The next Best Buy is 3 towns away 12+ miles, and the next one after that 20 miles, and I maybe doing on bike until I know I'm getting the job and I can gamble getting my car fixed so I wouldn't have to bike ride that distance for too long.

[Mindy]

Companies get in no hurry about these sort of things so I would just check in every so often and keep searching.

[ResidentEvil7]

Well I went out in 90-degree heat 30 miles round-trip on my bike to another Best Buy just in case.  On the way there and back people are giving me the greatest praises just on me wearing the blue shirt.  In fact, on the way back (1/2 mile from the North Aurora, IL location), someone honked his car horn and gave me a sollute.  That driver just happened to be an employee of that Best Buy.  It's amazing, total strangers solluting, thumbing up, smiling, and even saying "POWER UP!" just on the count of me wearing this awesome shirt.  Even though it's 30 miles round trip on my bike, I'd still go that distance for job at a Best Buy.

[ResidentEvil7]

I did NOT get the job.  I'm a bit crushed right now.

[Mindy]

Awww, it's huge blow, I know. But come around to the beginning of the school year, and they just might be hiring again in your area. You should still check in occasionally!

In the meantime, put that awesome energy of yours into other job opportunities!

[ResidentEvil7]

No I looked at that rejection letter, and it mentioned "Customer Service" position, but I applied for 5 other positions.  I went down there yesterday to talk to the guy, but he wasn't there; so I left a note with my name and number, and saying that I feel there has been a misunderstanding.  I mean I want to work something out.  I mean I'm NOT that stupid when they asked me those "Tell me of a time when..." questions.  So I want to see if I could work something out with him, even though he's completely avoiding me.

But there's no chance in hell I'm giving up.  In fact, last night I applied to that same Best Buy twice, and we have another Best Buy 15 miles (biking route), and I'm trying my luck with them.  Now that I know the kind of questions they're going to throw at me.  One of the questions that I bombed, I should of answered the answer I should have which included me getting student of the month for helping a physically disabled girl in PE class.

But I'm not giving up, I'm starting over again, while trying to see if I could work something out with the guy who inerviewed me.

[Mindy]

Here is a just wee bit of advice from one employee to another: sometimes too much can be, well... too much and that can be an overall negative mark against you. It shows you as too overeager and "desperate" and that is NOT my personal opinion, I must add. That particular location doesn't know what it's missing out on, honestly.

So what I'm trying to babble out: let it go and move on. Check in in about 3 months if you have not heard from them. I wouldn't want you to miss an opportunity!

[ResidentEvil7]

It's easy for you to say to just let it go and move on when you're not the one who's been unemployed forever--litterally.  And it also just that simple when the only thing you know best is consumer electronics.  Besides how can being over-eager be a bad thing?  Wouldn't they want someone who wants to work for them?  Besides I talked to someone on the phone over there, and after 15 minutes she said after mentioning that I indirectly helped a customer with a Magnolia employee about a 3D HDTV, when the employee neglected that 3D broadcasting is made with two camera angles overlapping.  The employee on the phone I mentioned that to said "you know you really ought to be working here with us."  She said that after mentioning all of my research, all of my skills and that I want to work with people, mention that I have the blue Best Buy shirt (I brought it, but not wear it there) and recommended that I try to work with the guy to come up with a solution and talk him out of the rejection.  I mean half that staff really wants me to work for them, including at the other Best Buy, which is still suffering from their Christmas loss and not hiring.  But I'm going to give it one last try tomorrow when he comes in; hopefully he will be in this time.  It's kind of hard to just let this one go after 8 1/2 it took to get that interview.

[Raphael]

No I looked at that rejection letter, and it mentioned "Customer Service" position, but I applied for 5 other positions. 

Which positions did you interview for, though?  Usually businesses only interview for one position at a time. And Mindychan is right, some businesses don't want you to be 'too' eager...not saying it's right, but it is the way business is. Employers can often misinterpret your intentions.

If you do get a chance to speak with the person who interviewed you, try to find out why you didn't get the position.  He might be able to offer some insight as to what you could do differently the next time.

Good luck, hope it works out.

[Mindy]

You're right but I have gone after jobs with a lot gusto and it's backfired on me.

Still, if you do have a good feeling about a job, follow it. Just thought I would poke a little friendly advice from past experiences.

[ResidentEvil7]

Well I did talk to the guy today.  I told him that I'm available for other positions, and he said that the Customer Service position is what they needed to fill in, and now they're fully staffed.  He also told me that my application will still be on file for 90 days (August 21) in case if something comes up between May 21 - August 21 (Day-90).  So all is not totally lost, yet.  But I'm still applying, and with my car in badly need of expensive repairs, it's real hard to get to further distances.  After leaving Best Buy, and punched a NO PARKING sign, I went next door to a Dominicks's private bathroom and released my hardened feelings over taking a massive blow.  I just had to let my feelings go, and pouring/crying them out like that is my best way to get rid of hard feelings; I can't keep them bottled up inside.

After that, I continued to look for other places to find work, but that word "Experienced" keeps coming up.  I tried applying to other places.  Try Wal-Mart; that was a VERY annoying application.  Target isn't hiring.  I applied to Dick's Sporting Goods the same time as I did as Best Buy, and they were open to all positions, and now they're fully staffed.  So I go to Meijer, and it took me 30 minutes just to find the position and location to apply to, because they're 14,000+ searches to look up.  These computer applications, or computer kiosk application has definately made this job market much harder and much more different now than it was around 9/11 when this NeverEnding unemployement started.

[Mindy]

90 days is about right to check back in. Although I hope they call you way before then!

And yeeeesh! You've been unemployed since 9/11? On and off? My husband went through some rough unemployed periods from 2003 - 2008. He finally landed a job where he has stayed for 2 years now. *knocks on wood* It was like holding our breath for those first 6 months!

Have you thought about volunteering your time somewhere? That could help you gain a bit of experience. I really am truly sorry that you are having a hard time!!!

[ResidentEvil7]

That's right, my first ever application went out on December 19, 2001--Jewel Osco.  The recession then was very hard, especially when you're at the age when it's time to get my future going, and I've made mistakes at these interviews before because I can't relate to certain situations.  So what I did to get myself prepared for that Best Buy interview was jot down all the questions that was ever asked of me in the past 8 1/2 years, and had my dad and my best friend help me come with appropriate answers.  The only downside is that every interview I get, the questions are completely different than of the previous interviews, and then I end up panicing, and stumbling to come up with a perfect answer and it always ends up coming up as a stupid answer.  If anyone ever asks me what my weaknesses are, and my answer would be tought interview questions.  But I'm VERY fed up being 27 and never worked; it's embarrasing, humiliating, and to put it directly it down-rights HURTS.  I even sometimes cry myself to sleep worrying about what's next. Management looks down at my unemployement/age, as if there's anything more I could do about it, but they keep holding it against me anyway.  Then I developed an anti-management attitude, blaming them for my NeverEnding unemployment. The fact of the matter is considering I'm at this age, never worked they're still giving me possible openings at Best Buy, still gives me some sort of hope, and that it's not too late, and the fact is I've not decided to quit and give up just yet.  Even though it's so easy.

[Mindy]

Uh, you probably have already tried this but... employment or temp agencies? :\

Going unemployed this long, I am very humbled by your tenacity to keep going. I would have given up ages ago!

[ResidentEvil7]

Well I did for a little while, trying to self-employ myself where I could fix and modify computers and capture/burn customer's home videos and edit them into 5.1 surround sound, Wide Screen and converted into HDTV.  Unfortunately I couldn't come up with enough money to get that going.  And it when you give up, then you accepted being homeless rotting on the side of the highway asking for money.  Besides you can't spell my name, Nathan, Q-U-I-T-T-E-R, because you can spell it as W-I-N-N-E-R!

[Leonardo_Mystic]

Let me offer a bit of advice. As Mindy herself has testified, more often than not, being overzealous can be a turnoff to an employer rather than a turnon. Yes, be confident and let them know you are willing, but don't be overkill. Sometimes too much is as bad as not enough. 

Also, I know you would much like to work in the field you love most, but you may have to make some sacrifices at this point and look in other positions elsewhere. Especially if you need the money to fix your car. I know when I had to get my first job I had to take what I could get. I love children and infants and I wanted so badly to get a job in a daycare. I've done some babysitting before, so I wasn't totally an amateur. I must have at least tried a half dozen, but I could not get a job in any of them due to my lack of experience. Eventually, I had to broaden my horizons because I needed a job and I landed one at Chick-Fil-A. It wasn't at all what I wanted, but it was a paycheck coming every two weeks and that's what I did want.

I stayed there for six years before I landed my second job at Walmart in the same field over two years ago. Again, I had tried a daycare too, this time with even more experience after practically raising an ex-roommate's infant daughter for nearly a year. However, it was Walmart that called me before they did. Again, I had to take what was available because the daycare certainly wasn't. Plus, they were offering a whole lot more money than I believe I would have been for the daycare. 

So I more than understand the desire to want to work in the field you love most, but in today's world, you can't afford to limit yourself. I have a cousin in the same position as you, but has now learned if he wants a job, he has to take what he can get.

[ResidentEvil7]

I hate the idea I have to take jobs I really don't want.  I will admit I have been real selective; 9.5/10 applications have been retail.  It's kind of tough for me to steer away from things that interest me most: people, electronics, and retail.  But I am looking at this as a sidetrack; apply to a Jewel-Osco where I can get retail experience with them.  The only downside applying to them is the same as Best Buy and that is the agree/disagree test.  I HATE THOSE DAMN TESTS!

What I really don't understand is this; how is it that they can hire high schoolers who have nothing to show, but they give people like me a hard time?  I mean a person at age 16, 17, or even 18 really have little to nothing to show for.  So how is it that they can work with thier no experience in anything, but they don't work with my no experience?  Managers!!!  Can never figure them out.  But the fact I can still get interviews with companies as large as Best Buy at this late age of 27 shows that some things ARE still possible.

Besides I'm applying to another Best Buy in my old neighborhood, and because I and a friend of mine used to visit that Best Buy 3 or 4 times a week, some of the employees got to "know us."  So perhaps that could help out.

[Raphael]

Unfortunately, in today's society, a lot of us do not get to work in the field we want.  It often comes down to deciding what you want more - your dream job, or money in your pocket. Not saying you have to work where you don't want, forever, but if you desperately need cash, you might have to be a little less discerning.

As for the employees getting to know you...don't count on that making a difference.  In my experience, unless you're using those employees as an official reference, it won't matter. Management does not tend to call the employees together and say "Hey, so and so is applying here, any of you know him?". The only things they're going by are your application, your references and your interview.

[ResidentEvil7]

Well the fact I'm still going on after all those years lost ought to mean something.  And besides, so I failed the Geneva, IL location; there's still "try again," and I have been.