How did you find your job?

[Hombre Secreto]

Originally Posted by longskate88

I've simply never asked someone to meet for coffee like this becuase I feel they would see through it as an attempt to get a job with them, is this not the case?

Depends...

Sometimes I do this, but mostly to dissect their brains. I use the answers I get from them for jobs I really want. Some of these guys are really open with you and you do actually learn something.

 

[deadly7]

Originally Posted by longskate88

Do employers/recruiters see through these attempts? Not saying you weren't genuinely interested in meeting the guy for coffee, but the logical conclusion is that you're going to ask for a job/interview at some point.

I've simply never asked someone to meet for coffee like this becuase I feel they would see through it as an attempt to get a job with them, is this not the case?

When I've seen that strategy used, the person was interested in the company/position without initially wanting an interview. Bypassed HR and spoke directly to the manager and went from there. Managers typically hate HR, because HR is ******* stupid, so this works.

 

[lee_44106]

Originally Posted by IUtoSLU

In conclusion: use every connection you can to get your foot in the door. Once you are in, you have to earn your place almost every day over and over again.

+100


It's all about the connections and who you know.

Work on that!

 

[Stazy]

Working for one of the business my dad started. He started it, sold it. Started another...started another...I don't really stay that busy anymore. We're so successful I don't have to work much.

 

[globetrotter]

I've gotten 4 jobs through connections - 3 people I had worked with in previous jobs, one a good friend of mine introduced me to his boss who was looking for somebody with my profile.

2 jobs through ads on monster

1 job by sending out unsolicited resumes to specific companies

1 from a newspaper ad



here is the best advice that I can give you - think about what you have to offer that not that many people have, and try to leverage that. for the first 5 years, be willing to do all sorts of ****, twice I have taken steps backwards because I thought that it would lead to a major step forward, and the gamble and sacrifice paid off.

good luck

 

[Histrion]

Originally Posted by longskate88

Do employers/recruiters see through these attempts? Not saying you weren't genuinely interested in meeting the guy for coffee, but the logical conclusion is that you're going to ask for a job/interview at some point.

I've simply never asked someone to meet for coffee like this becuase I feel they would see through it as an attempt to get a job with them, is this not the case?

Well, it worked because of a couple of factors:

1) My industry is not one where you have recruiters and a lot of HR people looking around for folks.

2) My introductory email stated that I was interested in the industry and looking at my options. I asked him if we could talk so I could learn more. It was a pretty straight-forward "come and get me if you want" kind of thing.

3) We had a few friends in common, which may have helped.

4) I was pretty confident he was looking at hiring.

In any case, it is a good thing to reach out to someone at the place you want to work for right away. Even if they don't have the power to hire you, they can still put in a good word for you and facilitate things. Also, it shows that you are eager and entrepreneurial to a certain extent, which is always something firms are looking for.

 

[yjeezle]

best way is to network. almost i know of that graduated in '10 got in through networks. (of 10, 1 got in b/c it was TFA, the other got in b/c she has crazy credentials with RTF)

 

[Johnny_5]

I got my job through networking. You would be surprised how much people want to help you once they get to know you. I had applied for an internship mentioning someone I knew in the company in my coverletter, and got a call from a recruiter for an on campus interview. Someone from my network who gives the firm a ton of business and put in a good word for me and I was offered a paid summer internship. Worked ****** off and was offered a job.



Do recruiters come to your school? Recruiters like to hire people they have gotten to know, so whenever they are presenting at your school make it a point to go an meet them and stay in contact.

 

[gdl203]

Job posting at school out of undergrad. Campus recruiting out of grad school. Guess I'm pretty lazy when it comes to job searching...

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by deadly7

When I've seen that strategy used, the person was interested in the company/position without initially wanting an interview. Bypassed HR and spoke directly to the manager and went from there. Managers typically hate HR, because HR is ******* stupid, so this works.

More lulz than I know what to do with. Good mangers love HR. They know that if the **** hits the fan, it's HR that saves their bacon and staunches any bleeding for the organization. If you hate and/or circumvent HR, you are an idiot.

 

[Johnny_5]

Originally Posted by Piobaire

More lulz than I know what to do with. Good mangers love HR. They know that if the **** hits the fan, it's HR that saves their bacon and staunches any bleeding for the organization. If you hate and/or circumvent HR, you are an idiot.

Do you work in HR?

 

[Don Carlos]

Originally Posted by Piobaire

More lulz than I know what to do with. Good mangers love HR. They know that if the **** hits the fan, it's HR that saves their bacon and staunches any bleeding for the organization. If you hate and/or circumvent HR, you are an idiot.

Really depends on the company and the industry. In some industries with high turnover rates, HR is a godsend. They manage the inflow and outflow of bodies very well, and they are extremely well versed in how to deal with fire drills and legal concerns.

In other industries or companies, HR is a no man's land to which the dumbest and least ambitious professionals are relegated. These HR folks are barely smart enough to operate a telephone, let alone assist in tough situations or put efficient recruiting measures into place.

The quality of the HR department in a given organization really depends on a few things:

1) Company size (bigger is not necessarily better, but giant companies usually have well-tested systems in place that are fairly foolproof -- even if the HR workers are fools)

2) Industry and its average turnover/burnout rates

3) The presence (or absence) of formal training programs, such as leadership rotational programs

4) A company known for mentoring and promoting from within

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by Johnny_5

Do you work in HR?

No, they report to me.

 

[boo]

My current job was identified through the Bloomberg terminal jobs section. It's a great source for investment-related jobs, but it might not be helpful to you since companies list there with the expectation of finding people with experience.

Prevous jobs were also found through Bloomberg and newspaper ads. The CFA website seems to be gaining prominence for investment-related jobs. I don't know if this is still the case, but at one time it seemed undergrad job listings were almost universally listed in a database called Jobtrak. I found a backdoor, where if you had access to one university, minor adjustments to the url would yield you access to what seemed like practically every school in the nation, including Ivy Leagues. Landed a job through an NYU listing obtained that way.

 

[Johnny_5]

Interesting, so what department are you in?