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Ben X

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If you notify people that you're actively looking, they're sometimes willing to work with you to make your position more manageable/enticing, if you want to give hefty notice for leverage?

That can also backfire big time.

 

This is rarely a good idea, as studies have shown that people that "threaten" to leave or have another job offer in hand will generally be gone in 6 months anyway, regardless of the current employer offering incentives to stay. At that point, it's easier for the current employer to let you go and find another person they can depend on staying for a while.

 

As for the straw poll, I have heard those sorts of comments before, but it's mostly in the context of being a contractor with a company versus actually being employed full time by them. My experience is that smaller companies will tend to do things haphazardly, while larger companies tend to plan things into oblivion Office Space style, so there's a bit of "grass is always greener" effect going on there.

 

Edit: The only time I have offered more than two weeks is when I worked for a company of three people. A company of 500 should be able to figure out how to make 2 weeks notice work. If they can't, then hopefully they'll learn how after it's bit them in the ass once.

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Sometimes my fantasies about working a job that is Not This One get so out of hand that I think of applying to a great company in a far off place, say, oh, maybe Amsterdam, knowing that the associated salary and requirement to uproot myself, belongings, and associated lives would be a complete wrench and indeed a Very Difficult Decision.

 

But then it is a great company doing something truly worthwhile, so.

 

Hm.

 

 

 

it's hard for me to imagine that most companies do things the way we did, which was often haphazard. I'm curious how common that sort of sentiment is.

 

This reminded me of the stories about Apple's first live demonstration of the iPhone. Not that I'm saying Apple is or was haphazardly managed, but that account makes the iPhone demo sound like a very close-run thing.

 

Of course they had many additional factors in their favor. I don't know why I brought it up really. Silly.

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Recruiters on linkedIn are a pain if you have a whiff of programming on your page. I have 5 months experience and no qualifications at all but I was contacted asking if I was interested in a job with three simple requirement none of which I matched. I guess even recruiters never read the job requirements?

 

Also just in case anyone's gonna suggest going for it, I'm entirely happy where I am and if I'm right about where this job is for they'd be kinda terrible to work for.

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This reminded me of the stories about Apple's first live demonstration of the iPhone. Not that I'm saying Apple is or was haphazardly managed, but that account makes the iPhone demo sound like a very close-run thing.

 

Of course they had many additional factors in their favor. I don't know why I brought it up really. Silly.

Hilarious. The owner of this company printed that article out and passed out around to everyone a while back. I suppose what he wanted us to get out of it would have been to think that the parallels we have on our projects are OK, it's fine to burn out your employees if you end up inventing the iPhone?

Thanks for all your advice, everyone.

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Yeah. It's not like there are other significant factors that would serve to minimize risk on succesful projects rather than magnify it or anything.

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Fuck job hunting. I've applied for dozens of positions, but it's a competitive field and the best reply I've gotten is one automatic rejection. I guess I don't have a point to make, I'm just broke and unemployed and I hate it.

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Oh hey, in February 2014 I secured my dream job after doing a terrible career move and graduating with a Honours in the Sociology and Philosophy of Science. For privacy reasons I would rather not mention the type of work I am in, but I am really happy with it and it basically gives me a lot of opportunity to move forward and upward. Salary is decent considering I have been there for less than two years, and I have a lot of opportunities to move around and soak up as much experience as possible.

 

I just wanted to pop in and say that I get the search grind, but if you studied in school (or even if you didn't), all you need is your foot in the door. It will change everything. Chin up. 

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For privacy reasons I would rather not mention the type of work I am in

 

Spy.

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In the graphics world is CorelDraw really such an anomaly? Every serious sign shop i've worked at or with at least has it, if not uses as their primary graphics program - there are major advantages to the Adobe suites including interface with other software, built-in scaling, multi-page functionality, price

 

We are in a serious crunch this month and are looking for contract sign designers to take work on at an hourly/per site basis for a few weeks - but everyone seems to use Adobe which is counter productive when i bring it back into my system for future revisions/production/reference.

 

Also, this is a casting call for anyone who works in CorelDraw and can free lance - drop me a PM and we can check details.

Its not really design as much as interpretation of field conditions & application of a set of rules - or custom work.  Any sign experience is a major advantage.

*i'll edit this portion if we find another solution or if position is filled*

 

have four independent contractors setup, see how this goes now

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I work in animation and my girlfriend is a freelance illustrator. Neither of us have ever heard of CorelDraw before.

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Yeah Corel Draw is super old news, like software that was big for 90s Mac users. If I recall the reasoning I heard for people still clinging to it is just the fonts it has and the clip art? Maybe I'm wrong, I've opened it like twice because I had to.

 

I thought Corel Painter was the big one for the longest time with concept artists and digital painters but it lost favor because I heard it turned into a buggy thing with infrequent updates and limited compatability. Considering people put up with shitty bugs every Adobe iteration, it makes me think Painter must have been pretty fucked. I messed with it a few times but by the time I wanted to get serious about it, I realized no one was using it. Also I think Photoshop CS4 or 5 added mixer brushes which does what Corel Painter does, although in many ways less user friendly.


But seriously, Corel Draw is so old. Although why not just tell people to use Corel Draw and give them a little time to get used to it? I can't imagine it would be hard for anyone who is not already adept at creating vector graphics and layouts.

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I think that thinking part of the problem.  CorelDraw has been around since early 90's, but in a poor effort  they didnt capture the market share like Adobe did; maybe because "photoshop" is a better verb than "CorelPaint", didnt partner with art schools for reduced educational software, or whatever the case might have been.

 

However, it gets a full version update every other year.  They are currently at the end of the X7 life cycle, 8 coming out in the spring.  You can still purchase the full software suites rather than forced monthly installments (ideal for small businesses like here that dont need constant updates, once every 3-5 years is plenty).  Features are comparable to modern Illustrator, and all my designers I've converted eventually admit it makes more sense for the work we do.

 

It is not an "art" program though, which is why I believe it has been left to second place.  It is possible, but not nearly as native to do wild designing, I do, but I'm a 9yr convert - I think it shines more in layout and manufacturing related work

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I didn't realize they still did versions every year. Looking it up, it does seem like it is THE program to use when making signs.

 

The other thing is Adobe never really updates Illustrator much either. I am proficient with that program because a game company I used to work at loved using vector art, but even with CC it seems like the same as always. I notice lots of artists I know just use Photoshop for vector work and honestly, doing anything like that in Photoshop is kind of crap. I kind of hate that Adobe says they make updates every year for Illustrator and charges for it, but I can't usually see anything new. Not all of the programs are even 64 bit! For Illustrator and Flash they are definitely charging for glorified patches.

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How do you ask for a job without asking for a job?

 

I graduated in May with a CS degree and am starting to look for jobs. Turns out my brother's girlfriend's friend's boyfriend works at a company and location where I REALLY want to work, and I got his email through that chain.

 

How are you supposed to use a contact like this? I completely don't understand networking. I don't want to just ask him to get me an interview, nor do I think that would work anyhow. And it's not like I'm an old friend hoping to chat. 

 

Anyway, any advice would be great.

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Don't ask "can I have a job", email and say something about how you've just graduated and you'd appreciate if he let you know about any jobs. You could reference that you'd love the area and company, as long as it doesn't sound forced or anything. Mostly just don't make it sound like you expect him to hand a job over.

 

Also for your own sake, be aware that he might just not answer. His connection to you is tenuous, so if he's busy/lacks any leads for you/both then he'll quite possibly prefer not to answer rather than having to answer with a polite no.

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This is the kind of thing you can be completely honest about.

 

Simply email him, tell him that you got his contact information from <person closest to him in the chain you're most comfortable reporting> (maybe use first+last name if you're not sure who's met who).

 

Tell him you recently graduated with a CS degree, give a couple of little details about yourself and what you're interested in. Talk about the kinds of things that make you interested in his company. Ask him if he has any advice on entering the job market, if he knows of any opportunities (if he's in the industry, he also probably knows some other people in the same industry) or if he would mind giving you some pointers on your resume. Ask if you can meet for coffee.

 

Are there any openings at that company listed on LinkedIn, their website, etc? If so, and you've applied to them (or are planning to), tell him that and ask if there's anything that might help you stand out. If there aren't any specific positions, just let him decide if there's anything that he thinks would be a good match.

 

Let your side of the chain (brother, girlfriend, etc) know that you're reaching out to him. If he doesn't reply after a week or so, ask your brother's girlfriend if she can mention it to her friend and maybe send a follow up. Say: I know you're probably very busy, but I'd really like the opportunity to get your insight about this.

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If it's not too late, I'd try and get someone in the chain to let him know you'll be contacting him *before* you do.

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First ever job interview in 15 minutes, oh god, bricking itttttt

 

e: That might have gone okay or it might have been a disaster, I can't tell

 

e: e: I have a second interview yessssssss

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Congrats! Job interviews can be rough, but in my experience the best thing ever is just to be totally and completely transparent. If you don't have something nice to say, say something not nice diplomatically. I got hired in gifted education in large part because I was in a gifted program myself as a student and during the interview pulled no punches about how lacking their exact program was from a student's perspective. Because I also said what I would do differently instead of just tearing it down when asked what I'd thought about it, they liked me enough to give me a shot and it was the best job I've ever had. It certainly felt like a disaster at the time (in a "hmmm... maybe I was a bit too blunt" kind of way) but any time I've tried to sugar coat something I have not been hired, while any time I was willing to be honest and call someone on something I've got it. Another (lower stakes) example was when I was in school and getting a part time job at HMV. "What can you tell me about any of the artists on our top 40 wall?" "Honestly, I think most of the things you guys play in the store are horrible. Here's what I do know about..."

 

Scary to do, but if you value being able to speak frankly with a supervisor, may as well start early and diplomatically (ie: keep it constructive).

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Makes sense Miffy, I can't imagine the perfect candidate is the one who gives the "perfect" answer every time.

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Our new director was genuinely distressed when he found out about the way that big changes were being communicated to the workforce.

 

Apparently the entire deptartment was to be shut down in September and everyone was being given (slightly) less than a minimum notice period with otherwise no warning beforehand. The message was being distributed through green 'fortune cookie'-style slips inside unsealed envelopes.

 

Contrary to the manager's response, I felt elated and relieved. I'd never have to work there again and would receive state support, the backing of a nation, in dedicating myself to finding a new job. I visited my parents' home to share the good news and started decorating the exterior brickwork like so many Minecraft blocks. Then I woke up. It was all a happy dream.

 

...it's probably time to find a more appropriate employment.

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Congrats! Job interviews can be rough, but in my experience the best thing ever is just to be totally and completely transparent. If you don't have something nice to say, say something not nice diplomatically. I got hired in gifted education in large part because I was in a gifted program myself as a student and during the interview pulled no punches about how lacking their exact program was from a student's perspective. Because I also said what I would do differently instead of just tearing it down when asked what I'd thought about it, they liked me enough to give me a shot and it was the best job I've ever had. It certainly felt like a disaster at the time (in a "hmmm... maybe I was a bit too blunt" kind of way) but any time I've tried to sugar coat something I have not been hired, while any time I was willing to be honest and call someone on something I've got it. Another (lower stakes) example was when I was in school and getting a part time job at HMV. "What can you tell me about any of the artists on our top 40 wall?" "Honestly, I think most of the things you guys play in the store are horrible. Here's what I do know about..."

 

Scary to do, but if you value being able to speak frankly with a supervisor, may as well start early and diplomatically (ie: keep it constructive).

 

Thanks! I was nervous as hell and knew nothing about the first question he asked me, which made me feel like I'd soured the tone of the whole interview. I guess I managed to recover and give some decent answers, and I asked a couple of questions about the company at the end which probably made me sound more informed, so I think that brought him around on me. It's a software QA job, and my degree is related to that but I haven't done any formal testing so I'm getting by on experience in game development and what I've read about testing. I've got an in-person interview in two weeks time so I've got plenty of time to catch up and get prepared.

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