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Not Smart Enough for a Job

this is only temporary said:
Nonsense. You are a recent college grad in a time of high unemployment, and from the sounds of it you just got through with an interview with an asshole.

Your difficulty finding a job has
NOTHING
to do with "having what it takes" or your potential as a person.
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Yes! I'm a recent college grad with lots of yummy experience in my field (for my level in graphic design) and I'm sucking pond water myself! I'm even employed (part-time) and I'm still not getting hours that I want or need! >_< I'm thinking about looking for more freelance work, or even work on that web comic I started back in 2008..

I suggest starting your own business; it would show dedication, organization, and leadership/motivation.
 
Double post... ><
 
omg do not get a job at best buy if you don't have too, it will kill your spirit! Bartend , if your good looking you will make alot of money at a club, if your funny you will make more money at a local bar where you can interact better , it will help you with your confidence more then doing jobs that wish to program you into one of their clone's . While your bartending you can network which is the most important thing, because it's not what you know but who,

You do have to do a little bsing mixing lies with truth(everyone loves a good story and likes to be entertained) because everyone is phony(in the outside world to some degree) they just like to pretend like they are real(so they can get close and find out how to spot the crack and your armor(in the workplace) (who said that bs)

Because when it come's between you and another person, people become cut throat and will smile in your face and throw your ass under the bus quick, which will bring you out of who you are and be tortured with guilt because of what you will have to do (which is why you need to prepare yourself with experience), bar tending will teach you how to be cutthroat while still being charming , remember when it come's to the workforce think the hunger game's because that's the reality behind anything dealing with money , the choice's you make through it are purely up to you of how you reach the top and how you will fall to get back up (pick a deadly animal and learn how it works and use it as a guide)

there are other options to i just wanted to give you what i know best as i don't like to speak about things i don't know, for that i just listen and learn......
 
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While you're looking for work, and as a way to gain greater experience, develop relationships with future references, and generally prove yourself to be a reliable and valuable employee, how about offering your public relations/marketing skills to a non-profit -- they will probably love to have you if your goals are mutual!
 
also you can make alot of money bartending and if you do right and not get caught up in the fast life you can fuel alot of your dreams with the money and connect's you will make being at the right place's with the people who's world you wish to join.. good luck oh and dont forget to have some fun with it all (stress creates cortisol and that very bad for you
 
Really appreciate all the feedback so far - thanks!! Unfortunately...

I had another interview the other day, and just found out that "it wasn't a great fit."

I don't recall messing this interview up. I keep reading that attractive people have an easier time getting hired than unattractive people.

Perhaps I'm too ugly to get a job. I don't want to post my picture publicly, but if someone wants to *honestly* let me know if my appearance is the problem, pls message me.

(And I dress properly, I'm well-groomed, I'm thin. I must have an ugly face.)
 
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Scorpio said:
Really appreciate all the feedback so far - thanks!! Unfortunately...

I had another interview the other day, and just found out that "it wasn't a great fit."

I don't recall messing this interview up. I keep reading that attractive people have an easier time getting hired than unattractive people.

Perhaps I'm too ugly to get a job. I don't want to post my picture publicly, but if someone wants to *honestly* let me know if my appearance is the problem, pls message me.

(And I dress properly, I'm well-groomed, I'm thin. I must have an ugly face.)
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Oh dear.

I know it is hard to not get hired. I've been there, I've done it, and I didn't understand why in the world I wasn't even called for interviews. But there are usually reasons that fall outside of "I'm ugly" -- you've got to believe this otherwise you'll tear yourself to pieces going through this process.

I'm surprised that given all of the possibilities, this is what you've surmised. This begs the question: how confident and secure in your skin are you? How charismatic are you? How engaging of a communicator are you? And so on.

Other than that, I am speechless. If you genuinely believe that you are too ugly to get a job, then you will probably benefit from speaking with someone about this because this is unhealthy and probably irrational, unless you are looking for work where one's appearance matters a significant deal and then I can't help but wonder why you would put yourself through that. Or is it possible you are feeling sorry for yourself about not having had received a job offer thus far?

I would suggest that every time you don't get a job, to consider the possibility that it does not mean there is something wrong with you and that for better or worse it just wasn't meant to be. And perhaps I would ask why you feel the need to blame yourself for every occurence that isn't in your favour. Would it help you to google statistics about how many jobs people apply for vs. interview for vs. are offered? Keep in mind, maybe you did not mess up. Maybe someone else was better qualified, maybe they interviewed better, maybe their experience was a better fit with the organization, and so on. You can speculate until you arrive at hundreds of reasons, but there is truly no way to actually know and so it is kind of a waste of time unless this speculation leads you to productive outcomes. If it leads you to self-belittlement and decreased self-confidence, then you are doing yourself one hell of a disservice that certainly cannot be blamed upon the employer. I encourage you to reconsider your approach and to roll with the punches of the job search in ways that doesn't leave you beat up by your own mindset.

The best of luck.
 
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oceanbreeze said:
Oh dear.

I know it is hard to not get hired. I've been there, I've done it, and I didn't understand why in the world I wasn't even called for interviews. But there are usually reasons that fall outside of "I'm ugly" -- you've got to believe this otherwise you'll tear yourself to pieces going through this process.

I'm surprised that given all of the possibilities, this is what you've surmised. This begs the question: how confident and secure in your skin are you? How charismatic are you? How engaging of a communicator are you? And so on.

Other than that, I am speechless. If you genuinely believe that you are too ugly to get a job, then you will probably benefit from speaking with someone about this because this is unhealthy and probably irrational, unless you are looking for work where one's appearance matters a significant deal and then I can't help but wonder why you would put yourself through that. Or is it possible you are feeling sorry for yourself about not having had received a job offer thus far?

I would suggest that every time you don't get a job, to consider the possibility that it does not mean there is something wrong with you and that for better or worse it just wasn't meant to be. And perhaps I would ask why you feel the need to blame yourself for every occurence that isn't in your favour. Would it help you to google statistics about how many jobs people apply for vs. interview for vs. are offered? Keep in mind, maybe you did not mess up. Maybe someone else was better qualified, maybe they interviewed better, maybe their experience was a better fit with the organization, and so on. You can speculate until you arrive at hundreds of reasons, but there is truly no way to actually know and so it is kind of a waste of time unless this speculation leads you to productive outcomes. If it leads you to self-belittlement and decreased self-confidence, then you are doing yourself one hell of a disservice that certainly cannot be blamed upon the employer. I encourage you to reconsider your approach and to roll with the punches of the job search in ways that doesn't leave you beat up by your own mindset.

The best of luck.
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Well, I know it's me because in the rejection email, they said I wasn't a great "cultural fit."

Also, I interviewed for an internship as well a few weeks ago. Never heard back.

It's definitely me. When I've been to mock interviews, I've been told that there were no problems with my interviewing skills.

So all I can possibly conclude is looks discrimination. People only want to hire attractive people. I didn't realize until now that I was unattractive, but there's no other possibility.
 
Scorpio said:
Well, I know it's me because in the rejection email, they said I wasn't a great "cultural fit."

Also, I interviewed for an internship as well a few weeks ago. Never heard back.

It's definitely me. When I've been to mock interviews, I've been told that there were no problems with my interviewing skills.

So all I can possibly conclude is looks discrimination. People only want to hire attractive people. I didn't realize until now that I was unattractive, but there's no other possibility.
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I don't know how to express how incredibly close-minded and short-sighted this sounds. Of course there are numerous possibilities for why you were not hired, and most of them probably much more likely, to boot.
Perhaps you were not hired because you are of a certain race or appearance. I do not know. However, to determine that you are ugly because you were not hired is just unbelievable.
Anyway, I want to offer feedback if it helps, but I don't know what to say if these are the types of responses you continue to field. I encourage you to open your mind and relax a little bit with your conclusions. Keep going at it and I imagine sooner or later you will be offered a position. All the best to you.
 
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If you are interviewing for a sales position, can I ask you what your attitude is like during the interview? Companies hiring a salesperson are looking for an extroverted go-getter ambitious attitude, and I'm not getting that vibe from you. They care about business and profits, not if your job will give you meaning.
 
Sriracha said:
If you are interviewing for a sales position, can I ask you what your attitude is like during the interview? Companies hiring a salesperson are looking for an extroverted go-getter ambitious attitude, and I'm not getting that vibe from you. They care about business and profits, not if your job will give you meaning.
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I usually am very upbeat and a positive go-getter, especially in interviews. This last interview was a day-long working interview, and they even remarked happily at the way I took initiative with things.

But when I find out that no matter how hard I try, I fail -- of course I'm going to be down in my spare time. lol. But I definitely don't project this attitude in interviews.

Btw if it helps, this one was for a phone sales position (I'd never see the clients face to face), the interview from the OP and the internship interview were for more admin positions, I wouldn't ever see the clients, either).

What really kills me is that this last interview I had took place AFTER they had me fill out 4 separate, EXTENSIVE questionnaires (40 min long, each), submit a video interview, AND go through an hour-long phone interview.

I invested hours and hours and so much effort into that ONE position, and sacrificed an entire day for that interview...and I found out on the day of the live interview that they hadn't even read the responses yet. They have a right to not hire me of course, but I'm just wondering if it was something in those questionnaires that did me in. And they decided to waste candidates' time rather than to just put the rejects out of the running ASAP.

All for naught, all for naught. Crime is appealing sometimes.
 
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Scorpio said:
Well, I know it's me because in the rejection email, they said I wasn't a great "cultural fit."

Also, I interviewed for an internship as well a few weeks ago. Never heard back.

It's definitely me. When I've been to mock interviews, I've been told that there were no problems with my interviewing skills.

So all I can possibly conclude is looks discrimination. People only want to hire attractive people. I didn't realize until now that I was unattractive, but there's no other possibility.
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:( It sounds like you need to do some work on your self-esteem. I know it's tough to be rejected but these things happen. The plus is you are 21 yrs old and you have time to work on your shtick.

If you don’t mind me asking, how do you present yourself in an interview?

Because I have a feeling they are picking up on your lack of self-confidence.

When you are being interviewed, attitude is everything, especially if you are looking for a sales gig. If you have an optimistic view of yourself and confidence in your strengths and abilities, you need to convey that in your interviews through body language and energy. Be confident in what you have to offer but also know that there are going to be a-holes out there (e.g. that first interviewer) who will be looking for a way to knock you down. You can’t let it affect you so deeply.
Sales is all about selling yourself, and if the employer feels you can’t sell yourself to them in an interview, then you won’t be able to sell their product. And that’s that.

And looks have nothing to do with it. Wait, let me take that back. If you have boobs and look good in a tight skirt then that would change everything, lol jk, but… :)

You need to exude confidence…that’s all they really want to “see”. And if you aren’t naturally confident then “fake it til you make it.” ;)
 
It probably has nothing to do with your looks.
Maybe the interviewer just didn't feel a click with you personally.
Sometimes, it helps to reveal just a bit of yourself personally in these things. You just have to make sure it's appropriate. Mention an interest casually, if an interviewer mentions something about themself maybe find a way to relate and remark on it. But keep it brief, friendly, and professional. It's about building a rapport. Showing an interest in the person interviewing may help. I've asked interviewers how long they have been with companies and how they got to where they were and they seemed to like it because I got those jobs. Do you do your research on companies? If its a sales job, I'd really look into sales figures and that kind of data and then ask them questions about future goals. I also think its a good idea to familiarize yourself with their vision and mission statement. These are usually in the website, and use these as talking points.

It is nerve wracking to go to an interview and easy to forget that the interviewer is just another person.
 
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Scorpio said:
I usually am very upbeat and a positive go-getter, especially in interviews. This last interview was a day-long working interview, and they even remarked happily at the way I took initiative with things.

But when I find out that no matter how hard I try, I fail -- of course I'm going to be down in my spare time. lol. But I definitely don't project this attitude in interviews.

Btw if it helps, this one was for a phone sales position (I'd never see the clients face to face), the interview from the OP and the internship interview were for more admin positions, I wouldn't ever see the clients, either).
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And what do you do in these interviews that you feel makes you upbeat and positive? I used to train and hire people for sales positions so I'm trying to get a better understanding of what is going wrong here. And try not to use the word "fail"...you haven't failed, the job just wasn't meant to be.
 
lisamarie said:
And what do you do in these interviews that you feel makes you upbeat and positive? I used to train and hire people for sales positions so I'm trying to get a better understanding of what is going wrong here. And try not to use the word "fail"...you haven't failed, the job just wasn't meant to be.
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Hi Lisa Marie -

I do all the stuff that's recommended for interviews. That is, making eye contact, smiling (but not in a child molester way), constantly tailoring my responses to reflect what I can do for the company (rather than just talking about myself and my own selfish desires), not speaking negatively of anyone or anything.

During the last interview, I got grilled relentlessly for my "real weaknesses." Because apparently, when I originally answered that question, the weaknesses sounded too "interviewy."

(I said that I tend to be a worrier, and that I tend to be overly optimistic at times.) Both of which are true.
 
Scorpio said:
I usually am very upbeat and a positive go-getter, especially in interviews. This last interview was a day-long working interview, and they even remarked happily at the way I took initiative with things.

But when I find out that no matter how hard I try, I fail -- of course I'm going to be down in my spare time. lol. But I definitely don't project this attitude in interviews.

Btw if it helps, this one was for a phone sales position (I'd never see the clients face to face), the interview from the OP and the internship interview were for more admin positions, I wouldn't ever see the clients, either).

What really kills me is that this last interview I had took place AFTER they had me fill out 4 separate, EXTENSIVE questionnaires (40 min long, each), submit a video interview, AND go through an hour-long phone interview.

I invested hours and hours and so much effort into that ONE position, and sacrificed an entire day for that interview...and I found out on the day of the live interview that they hadn't even read the responses yet. They have a right to not hire me of course, but I'm just wondering if it was something in those questionnaires that did me in. And they decided to waste candidates' time rather than to just put the rejects out of the running ASAP.

All for naught, all for naught. Crime is appealing sometimes.
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Sounds like their HR dept. is shit, and the person who interviewed you was an a-hole. You can find someplace better to work.

I know for marketing and sales there are internship opportunities out there- at least in cities. Apply for a lot of internships. Apply for paid ones if you need money. A marketing internship for a private firm should pay or offer a stipend.

I don't think that there is anything wrong with you. The economy is still recovering slowly right now, and getting a job is still difficult. When sequestration takes effect soon, it will get worse. We could be on the eve of a second recession. I know it will be very difficult for me to find a job in my field because of that, and it will spillover into the private sector as well I'm sure.
 
Scorpio said:
Hi Lisa Marie -

I do all the stuff that's recommended for interviews. That is, making eye contact, smiling (but not in a child molester way), constantly tailoring my responses to reflect what I can do for the company (rather than just talking about myself and my own selfish desires), not speaking negatively of anyone or anything.

During the last interview, I got grilled relentlessly for my "real weaknesses." Because apparently, when I originally answered that question, the weaknesses sounded too "interviewy."

(I said that I tend to be a worrier, and that I tend to be overly optimistic at times.) Both of which are true.
Click to expand...

I don't think there is anything wrong with talking about yourself. They want to know more about you. If you can connect with the interviewer on something as simple as (let's say for example) a passion for baseball, then you will be more likely than not to get a call back. You need to make some sort of personal connection in order to sell what you have to offer to this employer...and same goes with a customer, right?

An example: Doctors. They have to sell themselves everyday to get patients to stick with them. My mother in law has been going to the same doctor for 20 yrs and the man doesn't have a clue. She complains constantly about him. I asked her why she doesn't find another doctor then? Her answer? "Well, Lisa. He's from New York and he likes the Yankees (she's from NY and a die-hard Yankees fan). My father had a passion for the Yankees and when we talk about baseball it brings back good memories of my dad. Oh, and he's very polite."

Yeah. Polite isn't going to cure that pneumonia. But this is how a lot of people make their decisions on this likeability factor. This connection.

Might I add also, it seems like you had a couple of d-bags for your interviewers. Don't let it bring you down. Let it make you stronger.

It's really hard to give advice when I can't visually see what you are doing in these interviews so that is all I can give you for now :) You can say you are doing all of these things but who's to say you are executing them in the right manner? Don't know. Or you are doing everything right and you just came across a couple of bad interviews. I'm going to go with the latter. :)

And a lot of people out there are having trouble finding work...it's not just you. So don't beat yourself up about it. It will get better in time.

Good luck and I hope you find the job you are looking for! :)
 
Well, I've emailed a bunch of nonprofits last night offering free marketing services (to help build a portfolio).

No responses.

There is really no room for me in this world.
 
Scorpio said:
Well, I've emailed a bunch of nonprofits last night offering free marketing services (to help build a portfolio).

No responses.

There is really no room for me in this world.
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I'm not trying to tell you what to do but being that you do seem to be looking for advice, I would say that you should avoid writing things like that ("there is really no room for me in this world"). It's very depressing which only leaves me to believe that you are very depressed and this just very well may be showing in these interviews. Who's to say your interviewer isn't an INFJ and picking up on this depression? (trying to be funny there but you never know...)

I don't even have to know you personally to know that you are a wonderful person. So don't let a failed interview or two determine your self worth...
 
The title is obviously not true.

I know telling people to move where the jobs are is sometimes not helpful, but it's really the advice I've found most useful. If you've absolutely dedicated yourself to looking for work in your area (and I mean a paying gig that will allow you to at least save up for future plans) and nothing comes up, then nothing comes up. Move elsewheres.
 
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