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Overly Nervous Employee Scares the Employee Under Him
Q: I work for a brokerage house that seems to be doing well. I am not yet a broker. I work under someone who is a broker but not in management. He is afraid of everything we do when the compliance officer comes into the room. We are supposed to scan …Read more.
Noncompete Agreement Cannot Take Away Person's Ability To Make a Living
Q: I worked as a medical biller for six years. Without warning, I was let go and told my accounts would be taken over by a team leader. When I started the job, I signed an agreement stating that I would not go to work for any of the company's …Read more.
Lost Job by Using Recruiter in a Tight Economy
Q: I am employed and happy in my job. I was contacted, however, by a recruiter for a job that was closer to my academic background, a more senior position than I am currently in, and located in another part of the country. The job interested me, but …Read more.
Company Fires New Employee
Q: I was hired away from my former employer and required to move to a new city for the new job. After I had just joined the new company, the senior staff resigned, one after the other. Then the company announced it was restructuring the entire …Read more.
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Frustration With Online ApplicationsQ: I have had a few problems with my job search. Last year, I was forced to quit my job because I was nitpicking too much. I was told that if I quit, I would get unemployment, which I knew was not true. I didn't have enough documentation to fight anything, so I quit as they wanted me to. All of the online applications I've submitted during my job search have caused me a lot of frustration. In each of my cover letters, I request a reply confirming the receipt of my application. I never get any. I also have come across job openings for which the companies want applicants to fill out online applications and take online personality tests. I guess my answers are never what they want because I never get interviews. Is it fair for them to make someone take a personality test before even giving an interview? A: Every company has its own procedures in place for responding to applications, whether they are received online, by fax or by regular mail. The way the company acknowledges applications has nothing to do with whether you ask for a confirmation of receipt. Some companies have auto replies set up that shoot out e-mails confirming they received the applications. Some may not. There is nothing personal about the process. No one is sitting and reading the applications as they come in. The computer system sorts the résumés according to keywords in the résumés that match the requirements entered by the company. That is the only way large companies can sort through the hundreds — perhaps thousands — of résumés they receive daily. Small companies are a different story. If your résumé interests them, you may very well get calls for either telephone or in-person interviews. It sounds as if your unfamiliarity with the process and unrealistic expectations are causing your frustration. Asking applicants to take personality assessments may not be common, but it saves companies from making hiring mistakes. As desperate as you are to get a job, getting into another ill-fitting job is not to your advantage. Find out as much as you can about the company, its history and work environment, its various departments, and requirements for the various job openings. Then decide where to apply. Online applications may be easy, but they are still a waste of time if you don't fit the requirements.
Using Recruiter Can Help if You're at the Right Level Q: What is your opinion on using headhunters for a job search? A: Recruiters, also known as headhunters, work for the companies, not for the people seeking employment. If your background suits a position a recruiter needs to fill, he will be interested in your résumé. If not, he can place you in his database for future searches that come his way. Recruiters generally work with high-level and midlevel management jobs. Some recruitment companies only place employees making $100,000 a year or more; some may focus on those making $50,000 or more. If you are in that category, it's also worth a shot. Please send your questions to: Lindsey Novak, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. E-mail her at LindseyNovak@yahoo.com, or visit her Web site at www.LindseyNovak.com. She answers all e-mails. To find out more about Lindsey Novak and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.
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