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Post by The Captain on Aug 25, 2016 11:22:31 GMT -5
^^ I think company's concerns with the latter two points come from a wariness that you're just after the job as a short term fix and then you'll leave as soon as something better comes along. If that happens, they will find themselves having to re-advertise the job and go through the rigmarole of interviewing candidates again in 3 - 6 months time. That may not be how you're viewing it at all, but I think that's what makes companies wary of folks like you that are applying for jobs below your management level and/or pay grade. The first point about them asking "Why do you want this position?" is a personal bug bear of mine too. I want your stinking job because I need the f%$@ing money, you dumb $#&%!!! If I could lay around at home watching TV all day and still get a regular wage paid into my bank account, I would! But I can't...and that's why I want this job. I certainly get your first point. If I were them, sure, I'd be concerned about someone taking their job and then bolting for greener pastures shortly thereafter, but from my side of the table, those are annoying questions. I will give one company I recently interviewed with credit for asking a seriously good question during the phone interview. The HR recruiter asked me this: "Out of all of the projects you've done, which was the best experience for you as a professional and why?" Great question, as it let me talk about something I'd done, what I'd learned from it, and what the result was beyond what I'd put on my resume in two lines or less. As for the points Roquefort Raider raised, if I hear "what is your greatest weakness" one more time, I'm going to scream. It's a dumb question, as though I'm going to tell you that I have a problem with authority, steal office supplies, or try to hook-up with as many female coworkers as possible. I'm going to give you some made-up crap about how I'm a perfectionist and because of that, I take a little longer on projects to make sure they are absolutely correct or that I hold myself, and thus those around me, to very high standards and this causes friction if I feel like others aren't taking their role in a project as seriously as I am. Maybe I should be honest and tell them that my greatest weakness is that I neither enjoy nor care about working and that I only do so because I need money to buy things so that I can be a "contributing member" of society. I will give their company enough effort so that their goals are met and they are satisfied enough to keep me employed, and while I'll never cheat them out of the salary they give me, I'm not going to be a 60-hour per week guy who spends an additional 3 hours per night at home taking calls and checking e-mails while my family sits idly by, wishing I was directing my time and attention toward them instead of some entity that neither loves me nor would stand by me in times of trial as they have. If these past six months have taught me anything, particularly through conversations I've had with friends and pastors, is that I cannot define myself by my profession, because that is temporary and can be taken away in a blink of an eye. To that end, I'm done trying to climb as high up the corporate ladder as I can, because it is a far more painful fall from those heights. All I want is a job that allows me to pay my mortgage, put food on my table, take the occasional vacation, and send my girls to college someday, while anything else is gravy that has to be on my terms, not theirs.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2016 12:52:37 GMT -5
Never heard 'dank", or heard anyone seriously use "mary jane". The word "pot" was passe when I started toking; it was "grass", or "weed", or later, "herb". 20 years later the word "pot" came back. I guess for some people it never left. More recently I've heard "tree". Never heard "squares" for cigarettes either. I don't recall any slang terms for cigarettes except "fags" in Britain."Cigs" & "ciggies" also come to mind. "Coffin nails," too.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2016 12:59:01 GMT -5
"What is your greatest weakness?"
"I'm so godlike in my genius that I make all others, no matter how skilled they are, feel inferior by comparison.
"I'm also probably too humble."
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Aug 25, 2016 13:00:48 GMT -5
Also, my joke to the budtender when I first walked in and saw all the different strains on display: "When I started, there were two strains - 'yes, I've got some', and 'no, I'm out'." Not entirely true - there was Mexican, Colombian and Thai Stick, in increasing quality order. Jamaican fell in between Mexican and Columbian I believe
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Aug 25, 2016 13:13:24 GMT -5
What is your greatest weakness?
At the risk of being immodest, I have no weaknesses. Unless you find me immodest. Then I have one weakness.
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Post by Prince Hal on Aug 25, 2016 13:20:58 GMT -5
What is your greatest weakness?
The ability to listen to stupid people ask stupid questions and give convincing answers.
What is your greatest strength?
The ability to listen to stupid people ask stupid questions and give convincing answers.
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Post by dupersuper on Aug 25, 2016 20:54:41 GMT -5
Never heard 'dank", or heard anyone seriously use "mary jane". The word "pot" was passe when I started toking; it was "grass", or "weed", or later, "herb". 20 years later the word "pot" came back. I guess for some people it never left. More recently I've heard "tree". Never heard "squares" for cigarettes either. I don't recall any slang terms for cigarettes except "fags" in Britain."Cigs" & "ciggies" also come to mind. "Coffin nails," too. also: smokes
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Aug 25, 2016 22:28:11 GMT -5
Internet list of cigarette nicknames
Cigarettes have accumulated a variety of nicknames such as "smokes", "butt", "square" (from the shape of the box), "cigs", "ciggies", "stogs", "stogies", "stokes", "snouts", "tabs" (especially in NE England), "loosey" (a single cigarette), "backwards", "bogeys", "boges", "gorts", "ciggy wiggy dilly's", "darts", "refries" (already used cigarettes being relit and smoked), "straights" (for factory rolled ones), "dugans" (especially in NYC), "hairy rags", "hausersticks", "jacks", "joes" (taken from the "Camel Joe", an old Camel Cigarettes mascot), "grits", "grants" (A common phrase used for asking someone for a cigarette is "Can you grant me a grant?"), "tailies" (short for "tailor made", only in New Zealand) and "fags" (the term "fag" is used more commonly in the United Kingdom and Australia, whereas in the United States and Canada, it is primarily a derogatory term for a male homosexual). Cigarettes have also attracted somewhat fatalistic nicknames related to their effect on the smoker's health, such as "coffin nails", "cancer sticks", "lung darts", "Sweet cancer", "gaspers" or even "black lungs" in terms of the "smoker". In Australia, cigarettes are sometimes called "Doogans" or "Durries". A relatively new term emerged with the release of Star Wars: Attack of the Clones after Obi-Wan Kenobi was offered a "death stick" in a nightclub, even though the 'death sticks' were some form of glowing liquid rather than anything smokable. Self-rolled cigarettes are called "rollies", in the UK they are called "ronnies", "prison rolls"(which are particularly thin, as tobacco needs to be used sparingly) and "gyppo fags".
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2016 12:14:23 GMT -5
Guh. What a ghastly nightmare. Dreamed someone broke into the house &, apparently via messing with some electrical appliance or connection (though the cops thought it might just be attributable to an electrical problem, period), started a fire that consumed several rooms, though the house itself was still standing. (It was the ramshackle place I inherited when my mother died, which IRL was razed circa 1989.) The blaze destroyed all my furniture except for my antique (I guess ... it was my great-aunt's) 4-piece bedroom suite & all of my comics except for two short boxes.
No more Sgt. Furys or 80-Page Giants, etc. etc. etc. My Capt. Savage complete run (all 19 issues ... woo-hoo) survived, as did some post-Giants DC reprint title (a la DC Special), but otherwise ... zilch.
I dreamed I posted about it on Facebook & then came here to pass along the dreadful news, only to worry that I was writing too long a post for the site to accept.
Here's hoping this one doesn't obtain recurring status.
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Post by Cei-U! on Aug 27, 2016 12:47:12 GMT -5
If I dream about something similar happening to my collection tonight, Bailey, I'm coming for you.
Cei-U! I summon the power of suggestion!
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Post by Prince Hal on Aug 27, 2016 12:50:16 GMT -5
Guh. What a ghastly nightmare. Dreamed someone broke into the house &, apparently via messing with some electrical appliance or connection (though the cops thought it might just be attributable to an electrical problem, period), started a fire that consumed several rooms, though the house itself was still standing. (It was the ramshackle place I inherited when my mother died, which IRL was razed circa 1989.) The blaze destroyed all my furniture except for my antique (I guess ... it was my great-aunt's) 4-piece bedroom suite & all of my comics except for two short boxes. No more Sgt. Furys or 80-Page Giants, etc. etc. etc. My Capt. Savage complete run (all 19 issues ... woo-hoo) survived, as did some post-Giants DC reprint title (a la DC Special), but otherwise ... zilch. I dreamed I posted about it on Facebook & then came here to pass along the dreadful news, only to worry that I was writing too long a post for the site to accept. Here's hoping this one doesn't obtain recurring status. Man, your dream got very specific about your collection, Dan The ony dream I ever had that was this bad was when I dreamed that my copy of DC's Sherlock Holmes #2 was stolen, which really upaet me because that was the only comic that ran the full-page ad for Brother Power the Geek #4.
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Post by hondobrode on Aug 27, 2016 19:14:01 GMT -5
Unemployed Guy RantI've had a number of interviews over the past month or so, and I have come to find that there are certain stock questions that are asked, particularly during phone interviews, that I have come to hate. The first is: "Why do you want this position?" Sure, it seems pretty innocuous, but they should already know the answer, which is: "I've been out of work for six months now, I'm completely caught up on Game of Thrones, and I'd like to start putting money in my bank account again on a regular basis." I'm not going to blow smoke up your rear telling you about how great it would be to work for your company, because, unless your company is Google, Apple, Microsoft, or some industry-defining organization, your company is just another employer that happens to have an open position. The second is: "It says here that you were a supervisor at your last position, but this position doesn't have any direct reports. Are you going to be happy with that?" Yeah, if I applied for it after reading the description, in which it was explicitly stated that this was not a management-level position, I'm OK with it. It's as though they want to find a reason not to hire people, rather than realizing they are getting someone into their organization with a whole lot of experience and skill at a lower pay point. Lastly is: "You made $X at your last position, but this position only pays $Y. It seems a little below what you are used to, so why are you interested?" As with the first response, unemployment only lasts for 26 weeks, and after that, my income becomes $0, so anything greater than $0 is a win. Stop assuming that it's all about money, as commute length and/or distance, work/life balance, and other things may be playing into my decision-making process at this point in time. Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!! From a guy who recently went through this as well : Emphasis the opportunity that they want you to see and how with your previous experience you're confident that you'll be rising through the ranks back into management. Do some background research on the company. Really dig. I dig into competitors, products, and what's the latest on the net. I know it's hard especially after trying so hard for so long. Been there done that. BTW, I found out last year that statistically, only 1% of people find a job off the internet. I couldn't believe it when I read that. Sometimes you're best strategy is focusing on companies and industries you're interested in despite no current opening. If you can get face to face with em and make a good impression, that's paramount. Maybe they don't have anything open now, but they could later. Good luck and God bless, Captain.
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Post by hondobrode on Aug 27, 2016 19:18:27 GMT -5
I wonder who this guy is? Probably it's obvious if one pays more attention to the Modern Age than its Silver/Bronze predecessors, but that happens not to describe me ... I'm not happy. Younger, cheaper talent will be hired. It happened to me in the comic book industry. And thanks, Peter, for letting us know. I love your writing too. Keep it coming. —Tom L., Savannah, Ga.(Taken from a comment today on a Sports Illustrated board, regarding the recent layoff of some football writer.) My first thought is Tom Lyle, who did those cool Tim Drake Robin minis, but not the following monthly series if I remember right, which I didn't really get into (his absence may have contributed to my disinterest). I agree. He wasn't in the industry for long, but I met him at a con. I wasn't reading Spider-Man when he was on it and he was pretty bitter.
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Post by hondobrode on Aug 27, 2016 19:31:45 GMT -5
Yesterday I did something that I've never done before. Marijuana has been fully legal here in Oregon for about a year. Yesterday after work I stopped in at a clean, well-lit store on one of the main thoroughfares of southwest Portland, a store that until recently had housed a New York-style pizzeria. I showed my ID to the lovely young lady at the reception desk to prove that I'm of legal age. Then I was allowed in to the inner sales room, which had display cases and shelves full of glass canisters with dozens of varieties of marijuana, edible items, concentrates, paraphernalia and t-shirts. I spoke with another lovely young lady whose job title is "budtender". I'd already perused the shop's inventory on the web, so I told her which strain I wanted and how much. She fetched the canister with my strain and used large tweezers to pull out nuggets and put them on a scale until the right weight was reached. Then she poured my nuggets into a small plastic cylinder like the ones that were once used for film and attached a label with the strain's name and its THC and CBD content. As I paid, she gave me a punch-card so that when I've bought from them a certain number of times, I'll get a freebie. Also, since this was my first visit my purchase was discounted 10%. That was nice, because although there is no sales tax in Oregon, marijuana is taxed at 25%. Altogether, buying pot was a quick, easy, pleasant experience - the way it should always have been, and the way it should be everywhere. Best of all - the strain I chose is called "Bruce Banner". Rob, I envy you. I lived a pretty sheltered live until I went to college and then I made up for lost time. Never did any hard drugs, but one of my room mates was a stoner and couldn't believe I'd never had any. Reluctantly, I tried some, and liked it. Didn't smoke it a lot, but here and there a little bit. It's weird cause I've talked to people like my brother that just really hated it. It's not right that I can't have a smoke in my home, putting no one else at risk, and just getting mellow. That truly is government overstepping its bounds IMO. Here in Oklahoma we've fallen short of having enough signatures to make it to the ballot until this last time. The organizers got smarter and positioned themselves at a very central location here in town. I saw their stand and signs and pulled over to sign it myself. Hopefully it'll pass in November. Believe it or not, there are still dry counties here ! I take nothing for my back pain except one Cymbalta tablet daily which has an off-label use for helping with pain. No opiods, or Aleve or anything else. Pretty sure more and more states are going to follow suit. Like many, I've been of the mind to legalize it, tax it, and take the crime out of it, like alcohol and the lotto years later.
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Post by Mormel on Aug 28, 2016 3:34:45 GMT -5
Didn't get much sleep last night. Aside from the temperature being ludicrously high, there was also crazy lightning and thunder around 1:00 AM. Also, I woke up several times from a loud noise. It couldn't have been that I woke myself up snoring? It sounded like a loud groan.
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