#job advice

[thatsbelievable]

#Three Things You Should Know About Bellringing #Quasimodo #The Hunchback of Notre Dame #Victor Hugo #job advice #lifehacks #helpful hints #tips #tricks #advice #employment

[gothiccharmschool]

Life in the workplace advice from your Goth Auntie

(Caveat: this mostly applies to the tech industry, but there are probably parts that apply elsewhere.) Now that I am on the other side of the management veil, I've learned things that I wish I'd known when I was a regular employee.

A competent or good manager doesn't want to set you up to fail. Firstly because it's the decent thing to do! Treat folks with respect! Secondly, because employees failing signals the manager is failing at their job, and managers up the chain notice. Self-serving? A bit, and anyone in a management slot should be dedicated to helping their team, but sometimes the only thing that will get not-so-competent managers to help their peeps is a sense of "Oh shit, this is going to put my own ass on the line".

A competent/good manager should be giving you feedback all the time, and help you strengthen areas you're weak at. Any annual review talk should never come as a surprise. That goes double for performance improvement plans, extra coaching, etc.

A competent/good manager also asks for feedback on themselves. I have weekly 1-on-1 meetings with all my peeps, and in every meeting I ask where I need to do better, and if I'm failing them somehow. I need to know so I can better defend them, which leads to my next point ...

A competent/good manager actively protects you. From meetings, from sudden randomization, shifting deadlines, etc. If one of my peeps says "BTW, my feature team just cut time from the deadline", I immediately set up a meeting with said feature team to set expectations of what my folks are capable of with less time. I make it clear that the original amount of work isn't possible with the new deadline, and if it has to be done, we take it higher up the chain and play project management thunderdome.

If work gets weird, deadlines get crunched, etc, a competent/good manager gets that IN WRITING from the folks responsible and gives it to you IN WRITING. No vague "Oh, we discussed it in the meeting" or DMs in Slack - in an email that can be saved. Again, actively protecting their team.

I would never have taken a management role at any other company I worked for because I didn't trust the management chain above me to let me protect my team. Because that is the number one job of a competent/good manager. If you're working for someone who doesn't tick these boxes, start doing the arduous thing known as "managing up" (oh how I hate that phrase), and ask your manager for feedback at every meeting. Ask for information in writing, give important information in writing, and (tactfully) give your manager feedback. And the moment it seems that's not helping, start figuring out an escape plan.

#today's advice from your goth auntie #job advice #learning management culture is fucking weird

[why-animals-do-the-thing]

Weird question but do you think its possible to become a zookeeper without a degree? I'm 29 and don't have the time, energy, or money to go back to college and fear I've missed my chance at my dream career. I'm not sure how to get experience or what I could possibly do to help my resume.

It’s definitely possible! Not super common, but possible - and much more so than it would have been a couple of years ago.

When I was in college (early 2010s) and wanting to enter the field, there was a pretty clear pipeline: four year degree, unpaid summer internships, then apply for a part-time or temp position somewhere, and volunteer somewhere until you get a first job. This is still somewhat of the way it’s done at bigger AZA facilities.

But, interestingly enough, things are changing. There’s two things really driving that. The first is the massive push for increased DEAI efforts in the zoo industry. After the big commitments AZA and many individual zoos made during the BLM protests in 2020, one of the big conversations that started was how inequitable zoo hiring and especially internship programs are. Requiring four years degrees and large amounts of unpaid labor before getting a job - and paying poverty wages once someone gets that job - biases success entering and staying in the zoo field towards people with generational wealth. I honestly didn’t think the advocacy that stemmed from those discussions would do much, and I’ve been very pleasantly surprised to see that I was wrong! There’s a been a lot of real movement towards creating paid internships and making hiring requirements more equitable. It isn’t happening everywhere, but I know it’s becoming more and more common (and last year there was a ton of presentations about this on the AZA annual meeting schedule, which is a huge deal). The other thing that’s happening is less formal, but equally fascinating. I’ve been present for a lot of discussions about how there’s a disconnect between what zoos are hiring for (formal education, complex resumes) and what skills the job actually requires. It seems like it’s easier to train people to work with animals and learn their behavior than it is to teach people practical skills like how to do manual labor without hurting themselves and operate heavy machinery. I’ve seen some discussions of how some of their most successful new staff have come from adjacent industries or even just other “blue-collar” jobs that involve similar types of work, regardless of what their academic background is. Which is great! Because that adds to equity and diversity of staff across the industry.

To start off the rest of my answer, there has to be a disclaimer that I’m not in hiring, so I can’t say for sure what will get you a job (and while I’ve volunteered and interned, I have never been formally hired as staff by a zoological facility). So my advice for the rest of this comes from watching and listening to a whole ton of industry folk for the past decade or so, and from what I’ve seen my friends do that’s been successful to get jobs in the field.

In terms of experience, the best thing you can do - and I hate to say this, because it does require a level of privilege to be able to do - is volunteer somewhere. It doesn’t have to be at a zoo. Anything that will give you some animal experience for a resume and references will be valuable: shelters, vet offices, riding barns, farms, even 4H. You need to be able to demonstrate that you’ve worked around a variety of species (even if they’re all domestic) and have people who can speak to the fact that you’re diligent, attentive to detail, and have common sense about things like safety protocols. If you can’t volunteer, try to find a job in any of these areas with similar skills. Or where you can learn them! Say you can’t get an animal care job, but you’re good at phones and people - you could get a desk job at an animal shelter, and help out with cleaning and animal enrichment when possible. Boom! Experience!

It’s also important to learn how to shape your current job experience to an application, which is something I can talk more about and maybe pull in advice from folk actually in hiring for. There’s a ton that can be applicable to animal jobs. Office work? You can probably speak to experience with proprietary software systems and record-keeping (which is a bigger deal than you’d think). Construction / landscaping / similar physical labor jobs? You know how to work hard in a range of weather conditions, keep a project on spec, have experience with complex project planning, and probably know a thing or two about basic safety stuff (don’t store heavy things above your head, lift with your legs, etc). You’re basically looking to communicate “I haven’t worked in this field, but here’s all the skills I have that will translate to this job.”

Realistically, if you’re coming in without a degree or a ton of animal experience, you’re much more likely to be able to get a job at smaller, non-AZA facilities to start (they might not even be zoos - there’s sanctuaries and petting zoos and all sorts of other professional animal care gigs). And this is fine and good! There’s lots of good ones out there. You can always use experience gained there to move up in the field, if it’s your dream to work at an AZA facility specifically. And a lot of people do that - you’ll hear some places talk about how they know they’re training zoos, because their staff get a foot in the door and then consistently leave for other facilities after a couple years. But there’s also a lot of reasons to stay with some of the smaller facilities. They’re often in areas with cheaper cost of living, and so a zookeeping salary will go farther. I’ve also seen that a lot of the smaller facilities - ones where like, staff know and interact with the zoo director frequently - tend to take better care of their staff. They may not be able to increase salary, but I’ve seen some of those facilities go the extra mile for their people in other ways when it’s possible. It’s a very different experience than being a small cog in the giant machines that are many AZA zoos. It’s the sort of thing you have to vet carefully, but when you find a small facility that really invests in it’s people, it can be very worthwhile.

You also have to think about the fact that you don’t have to start in zookeeping to get an animal care job! I’ve seen a lot of people start in education or in summer camp staff, and then use the relationship with the facility and their track record in those jobs to transition into animal care. Especially education, if you’ve got the skill-set, because you’re often working with ambassador animals or in collaboration with the teams that care for them. I’ve seen some people start in facilities or ground crew, too, but I think that’s less common. Getting your foot in the door somehow and building relationships is one of the biggest parts of getting a job in the field if you’re not following the traditional pipeline.

If you’re near enough to a smaller facility that you can visit regularly, do. Learn as much as you can about the zoo and what they do and what they’re involved in, to show that you’re interested and invested, and then go talk to someone there. Tell them exactly what you told me: this is a dream, and you’re really interested in their facility specifically, and you’re wondering what you should do to build a resume to apply for a job there. At worst, you’ll get some advice. At best, they might take a chance on you. I’ve heard of it happening. (The hardest part of this is, honestly, figuring out who to talk to - it’s not the sort of thing where you can just ask a keeper while they’re cleaning. But you can find opportunities, and then ask if there’s someone in management who might have time to answer a couple questions.)

So in short: yes. It’ll take some work and time, and probably some free labor, but it’s doable. More so now than any other time recently. Good luck!

#zookeeping #zoo industry #getting a zoo job #how to become a zookeeper #job advice

[mckitterick]

Job advice #1014

Eat their pizza and form a union anyway.

#unions #job advice #managers are not your friends #pizza is way cheaper than pay raises #or humane treatment #my screencaps

[bettsfic]

Desolately need a teacher’s perspective. If you feel comfortable can you way in on this:

I’m thinking of switching to English with a writing concentration because I love reading and learning about writing. However, I’m worried about a few things:

1. People keep saying there are no jobs for English majors

2. I’m worried that reading and writing in my academic life, may either crush my love for it in my personal life(e.g. bad professors or students who rip you to shreds(so not constructive criticism really))or cause me to be too burnt out to read or write on my own time.

Sorry just to add (in regards to my question about being an English major): I’m terribly afraid that my writing voice may change into something inauthentic when takings certain writing courses in this major.

these are all good and difficult questions.

to start, there are as many jobs for english majors as there are for anyone else. except maybe, idk, engineering or nursing or something. and if engineering or nursing are things you enjoy *almost* as much as english, then that might be a good option. but an english degree will qualify you for any basic office job and also jobs in publishing, copywriting, copyediting, media and communications, and a whooole lot of other things. publishing is a nightmare, yes, but not more so than most other industries. and with the right amount of hustle, freelance copywriting can be an extremely lucrative profession. if you're willing to move to LA or NYC, there will be many, many opportunities available to you. they might not be good opportunities, and you might not succeed all the time, but you'll make do. personally i think it's better to spend 4 years (and a lot of money) learning something intrinsically valuable to you and risk a more unstable job market than it is to slog through 4 years in a subject you're less passionate about but that has a clearer career trajectory.

more importantly, your major doesn't matter nearly as much as it might seem. what matters is completing the degree to the best of your ability and learning to apply the knowledge you obtain to multiple fields. as much as some people would have you believe, you can't predict or plan for your entire future. you can only honor yourself and your interests in the present.

but that's english. creative writing is a different beast. i don't recommend majoring in creative writing unless you need the motivation of a hard deadline. it doesn't open more doors for you than an english degree does, and very very few cw professors get adequate training in creative pedagogy. a good professor is great, but a bad professor can ruin writing for you for a long time. unlike an english degree which is a medium risk for a big reward, a cw focus is a high risk for a medium reward. if you're already writing on your own time for your own fulfillment, that's more important than writing for a class.

you're right about a cw degree changing your voice into something inauthentic, and you're right about it damaging your creative motivation. both of those things have some benefits, though: when you adapt your voice into something it's not, later it'll snap back into an even stronger version of what you're doing now; and being forced to write for certain assignments will offer discipline so that you learn to write well even when you're uninspired and unmotivated.

regardless, all of that is better suited for an MFA. 4 years reading, 2-3 years writing. that will get you the education you're looking for and you'll be spending that time doing work you enjoy. i don't recommend going straight to the MFA after the BA, but people do that all the time anyway. the MFA will pay you so you won't go into any additional debt, and you'll gain teaching experience to boot (i do not recommend any programs you have to pay a single cent for unless you're filthy rich and bored). you'll write a thesis and go on to begin a life of words, be it reading the words of other people or writing your own.

so spend this time reading stuff and thinking about the stuff you read, writing some original work for a writing sample, and maybe sending that work out to some magazines. go meet with the creative writing faculty at your university and ask these questions to them as well. they'll give it to you straight about what your specific university's program is like and what it can offer you. even if you don't focus in cw, there are probably a ton of other extracurricular cw opportunities available to you, like working at the undergrad lit mag or attending readings.

#writing advice #job advice

[izicodes]

Hello, I'm only wondering how you would go about building a track to get a job in these lines of works, if you have advice. Thank you :)

Hiya! 💗

I have some advice yeah! Do bear in mind, the way I got into Software Development, now focusing on Web Development, was:

A couple of months of self-studying HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Python

Applied for a Software Development Technician apprenticeship - working in a company whilst studying at a college (had to do it online because of COVID restrictions)

Completed the apprenticeship + 2 exam certificates in Programming and Software Development

The company I did my apprenticeship hired me straight after I passed.

Other people had similar routes e.g. via higher education at a university or college, or did the complete self-study route and got a job at a company or just freelancing. Everyone's journey is different!

Building a successful track to get a job in Software Development requires a combination of a lot of things and not just learning how to program. I will assume you want to get into Web Dev, but this can be applied to other areas e.g. Game Dev or Moblie Dev. Here are some steps you could take:

Education and Skill Development

The most obvious: you need the skills...

Could find schools, online schools, colleges or universities to learn the subject: This is if you can. Some people learn better with a teacher there to help them so maybe attending a school setting is better for you!

Online courses and tutorials: Enroll in online platforms like Coursera, Udemy, or Codecademy to learn specific programming languages (such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript), frameworks, and development tools commonly used in web development.

Build a portfolio: Create a collection of projects that showcase your skills. Develop websites, and web applications, or contribute to open-source projects to demonstrate your abilities to potential employers. Use places like GitHub or GitLab!

Practical Experience

If you don't have the opportunity to be already working in a company in their IT department for experience, try these two types of experience you could try for experience:

Internships and part-time jobs: Seek internships or part-time positions in software development companies. This provides hands-on experience, exposes you to real-world projects, and helps you understand industry practices.

Freelance work: Take up freelance web development projects to gain practical experience and expand your portfolio. Platforms like Upwork and Freelancer can help you find clients and build a reputation.

Networking and Professional Development

Join online communities: Engage with online forums, developer communities (such as Stack Overflow), and social media groups to connect with like-minded individuals, seek advice, and stay updated on industry news.

Create a presence and show off your coding journey: I am a huge advocate for this. I had friends that I've mentioned on my blog that got their first developer job solely because they were posting their projects and learning journey on their Twitter accounts. For example, my friend Hikari (her Twitter) got her job because the employer saw her tweets of her progress then he noticed her portfolio page and asked for an interview with her - then she got the job. Try your chances with this method!

Contribute to open-source projects: Collaborate on open-source projects on platforms like GitHub. This not only helps you enhance your coding skills but also showcases your ability to work in a team and contribute to larger projects! Working in a team is a key skill!

Hope this helps! Thanks for the ask! 🙌🏾💗

#my asks #codeblr #coding #progblr #programming #studying #studyblr #tech #comp sci #software developer #career advice #job advice

[beemovieerotica]

job hunting advice:

algorithms are used to sort and discard resumés now, so there is a >99% chance that any electronically submitted application will never be seen by an actual human being. here's what you do.

copy the entire text of the requirements section directly from the job listing

paste in size 1 font into the header or footer of your resumé

change the font to white, making it invisible but still present

job application sorting software will still be able to parse the white text, and you will check every single requirement that they are programmed to look for. your app will then actually get seen by a human being who will be able to judge your qualifications from there.

good luck to everyone in this AI-driven dystopia. outsmart the machines.

#job advice

[raynedayys2]

Uhh job recommendations for an autistic person & possible college majors.

I really like art, but I don't know if doing it full time is so for me. (But at the same time I really want to make my own cartoon)

I've considered psychology, but as I think about it, I don't think it's for me. I hate math sm & stats is a huge part of psych & you kinda need decent communication skills for what I wanted to do.

I've considered teaching as well, but there's absolutely no way. (For very obvious reasons)

#text post #neurodivergent #autism #autistic #job advice #advice #and I'm a black trans guy so preferably stuff that won't get me hate crimed

[continent-of-wild-endeavor]

Really the only job advice anyone should take from me is

You deserve a living wage and tolerable, safe working conditions

Don't take unreasonable shit from customers, coworkers, bosses

Always join the union, if there is one

and most importantly...

If there's not a union yet, get together with your coworkers and start one! Check out IWW.org for contacts & info on how to start.

#labor #job advice

[asassydork]

I need job interview advice. I have 2 next week. 1 is for the municipal court system where I live. The other is a retail backup job that’s gonna have to just be a little money for right now.

But I could use any advice you’ve got for the neurospicy.

#audhd problems #audhd #audhd job interview #help me find a job #job help #jobseekers #jobsearch #jobs #job hunting #part time jobs #job interview #job advice #jobopportunity #advice #audhd things #adult audhd #audhd brain #character advice #adhd problems #adhd brain #actually adhd #adhd #adhd things #adult adhd #adhd struggles #neurodivergent #neurospicy #neurodivergent job advice #all advice #need advice

[cray-cray-anime]

Shit has happened so let me pass my knowledge onto you abt dealing w shit at work

Document conversation preferably in email and get the shitty employer and/or coworker to confirm the shit they said like literally "dear blah following our discussion... please confirm these details are correct"

Changing upper management like manager or owner please do get written agreement whether there are any changes in your contract or not cos changing payrolls may not be enough

If you can record conversations and tho some will be like "oh but they don't know so that's illegal" if they're saying shitty stuff do record when you can as proof for later

And as always get legal advice as soon as you can

Anywhoooo tired bby rn but yes keep this in mind document, contract and record

#cray-cray-anime post #life advice #job advice #dealing with employers #dealing with unfair treatment #employment advice #shitty boss #shitty manager #fuck my life #fml #im ok #but still #i’m so exhausted

[supervillainny]

Some interview advice

My sister has asked me to help prepare her for a job interview, and I kinda ended up writing a guide to answering common interview questions. Thought some of you might find it useful. XD

Key advice? Write down examples they are likely to ask about, or times you have used the skills outlined in the person spec. It’s not cheating; they are often impressed that you’ve prepared!

Interview questions:

Likely questions include:

Describe a time when you have worked as part of a team

Describe a time when you have worked independently

Tell me about yourself

What can you bring to the company?

Why do you want this job?

Tell me about a challenge you’ve faced at work, and tell me how you dealt with it

How do you prioritise your work?

What’s your greatest weakness?

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Do you have any questions for us?

Describe a time when…

Have specific examples of times you have done things, especially working independently, working as part of a team, and liaising with other teams or departments. Focus on the way you personally contributed to the success of this thing. Talk about the skills that you have used in order to create that success.

Independently - pick an example where you had to prioritise a workload, make a decision or deal with an issue/challenge

Team - pick an example where you helped someone else improve what they had done, or facilitated a decision-making process

Liaising - pick an example in which you were able to communicate effectively, establish the other team’s needs, and get everyone what they wanted. 

Tell me about yourself/what can you bring to this company?

Focus on your strengths here, and where possible tie them directly to the role and the person specification that you have been given. Make every hobby a point that you are making. E.g. “I really like to be informed about current events, so I listen to podcasts regularly. I’m a quick learner, so I find this really allows me to find new areas of interest.” It’s an exaggerated example, but that kind of thing, where everything becomes about how your hobbies develop your skills, and how your skills will serve the company. “I really enjoy collecting clothes and when the amount becomes overwhelming I really enjoying selling them on vinted and depop. I’ve managed to develop my skills in photography and communication because of my experience selling, and it’s developed my use of search engine optimisation.” That kinda thing. But, like, subtler. :D 

Why do you want this job?

Be specific here. Use some research. Tell them something they’re doing that you’re excited about, and what you might have to offer within that field. Think about what your place could be in contributing to that. Healthy balance of ‘what the company is doing that I’m interested in’ and ‘here’s what I can offer in that specific area’ here. 

Tell me about a challenge you’ve faced and how you resolved it.

Honestly one of the best pieces of advice I’ve got here is to tell them you’re not afraid to ask for advice, to Google, to watch a YouTube tutorial, to read blogs of people who’ve dealt with this and learn from them. They want to know that you’re not going to be paralysed with indecision. Emphasise the ability to keep calm in a crisis, work under pressure, and provide the best solution in difficult circumstances. It’s entirely possible that they’ll tie this question into the pandemic, so think about how your work has changed and how you’ve handled those changes. 

How do your prioritise your work?

This is one for you to answer, but I would suggest making sure that company policy/current priorities/time pressures are good things to think about. 

What is your greatest weakness?

And we come to the humblebragging. :D The thing is that interviewers know a humble brag when they hear one, so saying something like ‘sometimes I work TOO hard’ is not going to fly. Instead, give them something that you can then talk about how you’ve progressed and put in strategies to deal with it. An example: I mentioned that I can be a bit of a perfectionist, and that can mean I spend too long on things trying to make them perfect. To counter this, I set myself criteria that will be ‘good enough’ and a deadline by which to try to meet this; I can then use any additional available time to add the bells and whistles. Shows you’re reflective, and always working on improving, which are excellent qualities for an employee. 

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Ugh I hate this question. Talk about developing, talk about advancement within the role you have applied for, try to make it specific to the job. 

Do you have any questions for us?

Make sure you have some. I tend to go with ‘how will you develop me within this role’, ‘what’s your employee retention like’, ‘how do you think your employees would describe you’ that kind of thing. Get a sense of them, but also show that you’ve thought about what to ask and prepared for this. :) 

#job advice #interview advice #actually adhd

[sapphos-tooth]

@ neurodivergent people with social anxiety: how do y'all survive working? and doing job interviews?

asking as someone who is AuDHD with anxiety, who'll eventually be working. i dunno how to "just do it" 🥺

#.txt #advice #tips #actually autistic #actually adhd #audhd #job advice

[yinlotus]

bro,,,, how do i apply to be a barista (at a bakery or boba shop)... like i'm applying to my first real job and i don't even know what i should say my qualities are?? every job i've done has been work studies or internships like teaching assistant, observatory worker, librarian assistant, office assistant, etc.

i'm also currently applying to be a bookseller. please any advice to get at least one of these jobs???

#academia #studyblr #black studyblr #student #black academia #college student #college #job #job help #job advice #career advice