Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Why ask me to interview?
Why do job postings have little relationship to the job requirements? Doesn't anyone read my resume? I'm including both recruiters and hiring personnel in my finger pointing here.
One job was posted as a Websphere specialist, and they were asking me about TAM and Tomcat. The technical interviewer also mentioned a move to JBoss. Why were you looking for Websphere? My recruiter now feeds back that they're really looking for Sybase, Apache and Tomcat. None of these products are mentioned in my resume (I did take TAM training over a year ago but did nothing with it). I was a good fit for the job they had previously described. It was almost exactly what I was doing at my previous company. It sounds like a dodge to me. Anyway, the company's changing hands at the end of the month (which my recruiter neglected to mention until the last minute, but I already knew). The HR rep said there would be no changes as result. Ha!
Another job was posted as a middleware specialist. The phone interview included questions about UNIX command line, Oracle8 and Weblogic. Granted the posting did mention very strong UNIX admin skills, and Oracle was a "nice to have". There were no WebSphere or UDB questions which were mentioned in the posting.
I know I'm shooting the messenger here, but it's really frustrating.
D.
One job was posted as a Websphere specialist, and they were asking me about TAM and Tomcat. The technical interviewer also mentioned a move to JBoss. Why were you looking for Websphere? My recruiter now feeds back that they're really looking for Sybase, Apache and Tomcat. None of these products are mentioned in my resume (I did take TAM training over a year ago but did nothing with it). I was a good fit for the job they had previously described. It was almost exactly what I was doing at my previous company. It sounds like a dodge to me. Anyway, the company's changing hands at the end of the month (which my recruiter neglected to mention until the last minute, but I already knew). The HR rep said there would be no changes as result. Ha!
Another job was posted as a middleware specialist. The phone interview included questions about UNIX command line, Oracle8 and Weblogic. Granted the posting did mention very strong UNIX admin skills, and Oracle was a "nice to have". There were no WebSphere or UDB questions which were mentioned in the posting.
I know I'm shooting the messenger here, but it's really frustrating.
D.
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
The second week in review
Monday and Tuesday were full days. Respectively, I generated an application for a government job and a ERP software shop. After that the Internet job market dried up. I'm not going to meet my quota of a quality app per day, but I still haven't started networking yet.
Also on Monday, I talked to the Ontario College of Teachers about getting certified. Thursday, I talked to Human Resources at my local school board. They weren't very helpful telling me that I had to talk to each principal. When I started going through the motions of applying to the OCT, I discovered I was still certified. All I have to do is pay up my fees. This saves me some aggravation (see Plan A vs. Plan B entry), but there's a timing issue. If I pay now, it's only good until the end of the year then it's another $184.
Friday, I tried working on a supply teaching application, but I gotta dig up some references first. I'm still not sure that my heart's really in this.
D.
Also on Monday, I talked to the Ontario College of Teachers about getting certified. Thursday, I talked to Human Resources at my local school board. They weren't very helpful telling me that I had to talk to each principal. When I started going through the motions of applying to the OCT, I discovered I was still certified. All I have to do is pay up my fees. This saves me some aggravation (see Plan A vs. Plan B entry), but there's a timing issue. If I pay now, it's only good until the end of the year then it's another $184.
Friday, I tried working on a supply teaching application, but I gotta dig up some references first. I'm still not sure that my heart's really in this.
D.
Saturday, November 20, 2004
Where does the time go?
I didn't get much done during the second half of the past week, and I don't really know where the time went. I think I got lost in the Internet.
I spent most of Monday and Tuesday working on job applications (one each day). There weren't any postings on Monster or Workopolis worth applying for after Tuesday. Wednesday, I went downtown to see my recruiter. That killed half the day.
Aside from making a few phone calls, I didn't really do anything on Thursday. I might have posted my resume at a consulting firm, but I think they're already aware of me from Monster. I find creating cover letters and finding references a major "time suckage".
Friday, I went out to the monthly fellowship lunch for my church where one of the ladies told me about her brother-in-law essentially never working again after being laid off at 51. This was not the kind of story I want to hear right now.
There's too many distractions at home, but I'm not getting any housework done either. Quelle suprise!
D.
I spent most of Monday and Tuesday working on job applications (one each day). There weren't any postings on Monster or Workopolis worth applying for after Tuesday. Wednesday, I went downtown to see my recruiter. That killed half the day.
Aside from making a few phone calls, I didn't really do anything on Thursday. I might have posted my resume at a consulting firm, but I think they're already aware of me from Monster. I find creating cover letters and finding references a major "time suckage".
Friday, I went out to the monthly fellowship lunch for my church where one of the ladies told me about her brother-in-law essentially never working again after being laid off at 51. This was not the kind of story I want to hear right now.
There's too many distractions at home, but I'm not getting any housework done either. Quelle suprise!
D.
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Plan A vs. Plan B
I went through university thinking that I would become a high school teacher. I had planned to major in music, but didn't make the cut so I majored in computer science.
When I finally graduated from the Faculty of Education many years ago, there weren't a lot of teaching jobs in the public sector. The ones there were went to the grads with A averages, and I wasn't an A student. Most of my friends got jobs in the private sector where the money wasn't that good. I decided to go with plan B and got a job as a computer programmer. It was the path of least resistance.
Right now, plan A is finding a job as a MQ/WAS admin, but I'm also looking at getting into teaching (plan B). I never taught after I graduated. The Ontario College of Teachers tells me that with university transcripts, photocopies of my birth certificate and SIN, a criminal record check and $219, I can get certified. I talked to one of my church buddies who's a teacher and he said that there are teaching jobs out there since so many teachers retire each year (about 10%, he says). Supply teaching can get your foot in the door.
I have an opportunity here to restart my career. I just don't know if I still have the patience and the courage to teach kids at the high school level.
D.
When I finally graduated from the Faculty of Education many years ago, there weren't a lot of teaching jobs in the public sector. The ones there were went to the grads with A averages, and I wasn't an A student. Most of my friends got jobs in the private sector where the money wasn't that good. I decided to go with plan B and got a job as a computer programmer. It was the path of least resistance.
Right now, plan A is finding a job as a MQ/WAS admin, but I'm also looking at getting into teaching (plan B). I never taught after I graduated. The Ontario College of Teachers tells me that with university transcripts, photocopies of my birth certificate and SIN, a criminal record check and $219, I can get certified. I talked to one of my church buddies who's a teacher and he said that there are teaching jobs out there since so many teachers retire each year (about 10%, he says). Supply teaching can get your foot in the door.
I have an opportunity here to restart my career. I just don't know if I still have the patience and the courage to teach kids at the high school level.
D.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Monday, November 15, 2004
The First Week in Review
What did I do last week? Mostly procrastinate!
I reviewed my outplacement courses and started getting serious about my self-marketing plan. I revised my resume five or six times and fixed it up on a couple of company sites where I had posted for future opportunities. I still gotta go back to IBM.
Before I left the office, I got an invitation to be a Clarica agent from my Sun Life posting. I completed the personality profile and passed the test! Haven't heard from anyone yet though.
Tuesday, the phone was ringing off the hook. It was recruiters who saw my resume on Monster (they never mention Workopolis in this context). They were all in a blather about an overnight support job at IBM. It's so flattering to be wanted.
Wednesday, I read an article about a guy who landed a job at Tucows partly because of his blog et voila! Actually, I've been curious about weblogs for a while so it was a good excuse.
I've applied for a (small) number of jobs via the Internet job boards, but it's very one-sided. You send your application off into the void, and you never really know if it got there.
I gotta do some serious networking this week. I need to talk to real people!
D.
I reviewed my outplacement courses and started getting serious about my self-marketing plan. I revised my resume five or six times and fixed it up on a couple of company sites where I had posted for future opportunities. I still gotta go back to IBM.
Before I left the office, I got an invitation to be a Clarica agent from my Sun Life posting. I completed the personality profile and passed the test! Haven't heard from anyone yet though.
Tuesday, the phone was ringing off the hook. It was recruiters who saw my resume on Monster (they never mention Workopolis in this context). They were all in a blather about an overnight support job at IBM. It's so flattering to be wanted.
Wednesday, I read an article about a guy who landed a job at Tucows partly because of his blog et voila! Actually, I've been curious about weblogs for a while so it was a good excuse.
I've applied for a (small) number of jobs via the Internet job boards, but it's very one-sided. You send your application off into the void, and you never really know if it got there.
I gotta do some serious networking this week. I need to talk to real people!
D.
Friday, November 12, 2004
It never rains but it pours ...
Three vehicles in the family and it doesn't seem to be enough.
This was all yesterday:
1) the old Ford pickup we kept on the road for the kids wouldn't start for my daughter. My husband had to go over to her work and got it started, but a belt is squeaking.
2) our mechanic put our new snow tires on someone else's van.
3) the MIL (check engine light) came on in the new Dodge pickup.
Probably no time for job search today as vehicle errands get in the way.
D.
This was all yesterday:
1) the old Ford pickup we kept on the road for the kids wouldn't start for my daughter. My husband had to go over to her work and got it started, but a belt is squeaking.
2) our mechanic put our new snow tires on someone else's van.
3) the MIL (check engine light) came on in the new Dodge pickup.
Probably no time for job search today as vehicle errands get in the way.
D.
Thursday, November 11, 2004
The Hunt Begins
Friday was my last day on the job. It was supposed to be September 30th, but I got extended to October 28th and finally November 5th.
It's been a long time coming. I knew after the big post-close meeting in July of last year that there wasn't going to be much left in Toronto. My company was acquired by a bigger one in Winnipeg.
D.
It's been a long time coming. I knew after the big post-close meeting in July of last year that there wasn't going to be much left in Toronto. My company was acquired by a bigger one in Winnipeg.
D.
