Post-Interview Question

Ah, the last post of 2017. A lot has happened in the last 12 months, ranging from the forced closure of the Dante Denmore Facebook page to my inevitable termination from a recent job earlier this year, so it's been a challenging time for me personally. Although I probably said something similar like this last year, I'm sure the difficulty will ramp up in the months to come in 2018.

And here's some blog update information!

Due to changing circumstances, blog posts will most likely shift to Friday nights or Saturdays, and maybe on Sunday if things get peculiarly crazy.

Only about 8 weeks left until the next series begins! If you enjoyed or disliked "Below Minimum Wage" in any way, shape or form, let me know how you thought of the blog over the last (but not quite) two years.

There have been intentions to bring back a Facebook page for the Dante Denmore blog, but I'm still trying to get over the reasons why the old one had to get pulled down. Apparent impersonation, "suspicious" activity, lack of account recovery options: I will surely have to think about these.

Career Opportunities - Word Search Metaphor

With the results for the last semester at the university confirmed, and graduation being just around the corner (i.e. whenever the university decides that I'm "qualified" to attend the graduation ceremony), I've certainly needed to think about where my career path rail should go, because this train isn't big enough for the both of us, bucko.
In regards to this week's comic, I've deliberately made errors for almost every word, such that only three possible career opportunities can be found. There are some extra words you may find, only to notice that it's not a word you need to find!

And between me and you, and practically everyone else who's still reading this blog on a semi-consistent basis, it feel as though the blog is on a bit of a slump. Maybe it's because people are getting tired of the whole "employment disappointment" concept, but if there's anything like an idea you want to see on this blog, yell it at me through appropriate social media channels and I'll see what I can do.

LinkedIn Messaging

You know all those times when some unknown associate of yours contacts you on LinkedIn and makes it sound like they have a rich, memorable history with you? Yes, I got one of those messages recently, which consequently inspired the comic for this week. Usually you can get away with saying general things like "How has everything been?" or "What have you been up to lately?".
And even if they do try to keep the conversation alive, just remember that 90% of listening is just pretending to listen. Good grief, did I just promote introversion as a viable way of social interaction? Put it this way: If you're talking to someone but no value is being generated, you're essentially taking away from the economy rather than contributing to it.

Food Escalation Scale at Networking Events

Based on a recent networking event I was pulled into by a team member of a group I was working with in a university project. I've only really been to a few of these networking events that have on-site catering, and it seemed that the aforementioned networking event was the first time I realised a potential "pattern" of food items, where the more fancier foods would be released at later times at the event while also having you be less likely to take on said fancier foods because you filled up on the less fancy foods earlier on.
Surely, it is yet another great tragedy of life! Though naturally you should ask yourself: Why are you worrying about the food at a networking event when you should have been networking with other people in the first place? And that's one reason why I still can't seem to land a job sometimes...

Partial Recall

The idea for this comic originated from a similar interaction with a company I keep bumping into at the Careers Fair. The first frame (the wide one at the top) also originated from the actual handout I got on the day of the Careers Fair, providing some handy hints for how to engage with various companies. I think I might still have it after all these years.
Heck, even the second last frame mirrors my dialogue with relative accuracy. It turns out that the company is more of a technical company with specialisations in finance and consultancy.

With the university semester coming to a rather elongated close, you'll find that posts around Sunday or Monday are more probable, with the time I have to spare. While I can't say this will be entirely possible next year, I'll give s'more details when the time comes.

The Last Call

As "promised" from last week, we have delivered on time! Well, at least in terms of AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time).
This was inspired from a call yesterday by some phone number I didn't recognise at that time. Being at the university at the time of this call, the reception really was not working in my favour, and they just hung up after 5 minutes of me pacing around trying to find a good place where I could hear this person on the phone.
So I panicked for about 10 minutes, unsure if this was a HR person who was trying to contact me about a possible job prospect, or just some poor fellow who called the wrong number. Either way, it was a missed opportunity for the both of us.

A Recursive Experience

Can you imagine this happening in a real job interview?
Employer: Tell me about an instance where you had to solve a spontaneous problem.
You: Well, there was this one situation where I was in another job interview where I was asked "Describe a time when a problem suddenly occurred and how you addressed it", in which I responded by describing an experience I had in another job interview when I was asked by the employer "Explain how you went about solving an unplanned problem in your studies, or in general" to which I described a time in which I was --
Employer: Can you please get to the point?
You: I'm going to get to the point once I describe a case where I answered a job interview question without having to refer to another job interview.

For obvious reasons, I wouldn't recommend doing this practically. But I suppose if you're in that bad of a pickle, you might be inclined to use another job interview as a valid experience of a certain problem. And that would be like brushing your teeth with a glue stick: It can work, but there are many better options out there.

On another note, I will be unlikely to post comics next Monday. I think this is the first time I'm doing a notice ahead of time, but this just a one-off (probably) to account for a certain oddity I need to address on that day. So return on Tuesday or Wednesday for more employment disappointment. Also I'm unsure if people get annoyed when I shift comic post schedules without prior notice. Perhaps we'll see if that's the case next week...

Life as a Jobseeker - Maze Metaphor

This week sure has been busy. But not as busy as trying to solve this maze! Can you help Dante reach the job of his dreams? You can try all you want, but let's face it: It's not happening.
But wait I think I see -- Nope, still nothing.
Okay, but have you tried -- Just another dead end.

And for those of you who can relate, I can sympathize with that: You've prepared yourself for this one position in the company and then it just doesn't happen. Well, at least you're not stuck eternally in a maze that literally has no exit.

On another note, this week has been fairly busy on my end. Having to patch up various holes in a product, working with a team with varying schedules and some big deliverables in the next few days! At least I managed to get something on the blog this week.
And don't try to solve the maze. It really has no solution...or does it?

Handling a Challenge

To an abstract extent, every job interview is essentially one big trick-or-treat encounter, with the "treat" being a job offer and the "trick" being you wasting your time standing out in the cold, begging employers to give you said job offers.
On the topic of Halloween, you know what costume I'll be wearing? You guessed right: None! Although I could have said "Super Saiyan Goku" or "'Frieza Saga' Young Gohan" and probably get away with it, I wouldn't pull such cheap tricks just for the 😱 or the 😳.

Handwriting

Some job interviews involve some sort of written component, whether that's a small exam paper, a whiteboard or on a small disposable serviette because you forgot to bring your own paper and the employer won't supply you any, even though they have literal bins filled to the brim with scrap paper.
In any case, this comic is a tribute for all those times when handwriting practice for said job interviews count for nothing in the heat of the moment.

Referrals in a Nutshell

Referrals: The professional way of saying "You're someone else's problem now" without having you know that fact directly. Personally, I've only been in one referral, which failed before I could even make it to the first stage of consideration. Still, I'm not completely sure what to expect out of a referral. A job? Exposure? Experience in almost landing a decent job? Wasting your time?
All these answers are correct, and more too, when at the end of the day, someone else is just going to snag that sweet source of financial income before you can think "Gosh, I was in a referral! My credentials must be improving!".

Cold Calling

Surely, it's not your fault you don't have much experience in literally hounding prospective employers for jobs. And when you do, they just give you the cold shoulder. They'll tell you this is snow place for a novice like yourself, and that you're on thin ice. But never mind those jerks, thinking they're all cool and flashy. Because an avalanche is coming, and when it hits, you'll be the one riding the breeze.

This week, I've got a bit more time than usual, so much so, I can spend a but more time thinking about cold-related puns to go with this week's comic. Don't expect this to be the norm, but I'll try to get these comics to you on Monday or Tuesday, even if I'm frozen with fear. I'm running out of ideas for these cold-related puns, so I should probably end this paragraph before things get too slippery (because ice is slippery...you see what I'm talking about?).

Networking

A man can dream though. And I think this is one of the last times I use uneven frame sizes for comics; the uniformity just ain't right!
But I don't know what's more saddening: The fact that my networking experiences have never really made it past the first frame, or the fact that I realized that my networking experiences have never really made it past the first frame. Self-consciousness can be a dangerous corollary...more so than not actually having a job.

A Sense of Urgency

Most people want everything done immediately with few resources. That's how we get things like terrible video games, questionable workplace practices and, not surprisingly, disappointingly inflexible employers. Sure, you might try and do something about it, like trying to negotiate a middle ground for yourself and the employer, but in a number of cases I've probably been in, they'll just point you to the door, refuse to answer your follow-up emails, and make things awkward every time you encounter them at a careers fair.

Also, a brief note about the monthly updates: It's been fairly busy lately with university projects and such, so I might have to skimp out on a monthly update this time until the workload (i.e. stress) drops considerably. While the *old* Dante Denmore Facebook page is still showing up on Google searches, I'll just remind you that the page will never be recovered due to circumstances described in a previous blog post. I've been thinking of a running another Facebook page in place of the old one, but if you want to object that, you can tell me on Twitter, email or on the blog itself.

Pre-filled Job Applications

Personally, I would prefer that I fill out my own job application rather than automate it, simply because I get to completely control what the employer might or might not see.
Ever worked for a company with a questionable reputation? Just forget that ever happened.
Overall grades are a Pass average? Just say "Completed university degree at ...".
Then again, as with most things involving me finding a job, it's probably that the other 99% of job seekers have a more reliable and better experience with pre-filled job applications. Different strokes for different folks, I suppose.

Repeat Offender

What goes on behind the curtains stays behind the curtains. That is to say, the curtain of obligatory politeness and professionalism. Personally, I've only really applied for a few positions on repeat occasions, only one of which led to a job interview...and then a subsequent though quickly delivered failure.

Also, apologies for the late upload this week. It's been rather busy and stressful working on the most recent team-based project at university. Though I'm surprised the reader stats haven't slumped, so I certainly encourage you to keep on keeping up. Because the best developments will certainly be worth the wait.

Spell Check

For all those times you send error-riddled, badly formatted and overall uninteresting job applications to companies with a vague sliver of hope that they'll overlook aforementioned errors because they see "great potential" in you. Yeah, not going to happen, is it? Well, maybe it might, although it probably says more about the employer than anything else (i.e. poor grammatical skills and such).
But even with a professional CV, you're still not going to get that job, so in some situations is it even worth trying? Most careers advisers would say to make it so, but at the end of the day, you are the Bob Ross of your own job loss... I have to admit, that was a good rhyme.

Phone Interview Distractions

Other distractions can also include phone hardware failures (sometimes when I try to make a swiping motion on my phone, it isn't recognised properly and occasionally cancels the call) and personal illness (it's hard to talk when you're spitting out blood at the bathroom sink).
Interestingly enough, I can sometimes make it to the next stage (where I inevitably fail in a miserable way) even in the face of these distractions, in particular with ambient noise. That one's just the worst, because you can't tell if your phone is terrible, your hearing is worsening, the employer is speaking too softly or it's actual ambient noise.


Moving on, the question some of you might be asking: What will happen with the monthly Facebook updates?
As it turns out, the account used to operate the Dante Denmore page has been shut down / become defunct. Long story short, I think it has to do with the account name being Dante Denmore, although I'm not sure why Facebook would let this slide for one and a half years. I'll have to make a new account to make future posts, although this will mean that anyone could post anything on the page without proper administration. Should that happen, I will report my own page and ensure its deletion, so I trust that we're all jolly good fellows and can act responsibly.

EDIT: Seems I can't post anything to the page as an external user anymore, since the linked account is down. I should probably start a new page for the future updates. I could just end these monthly updates right here, but I do like the opportunity to reflect and ponder the happenings over the past month...

An Untimely Opportunity

Inspired by an interaction with a particular associate from another time and place, who now has some kind of stable employment as far as I'm concerned. I think the last thing he said was that the company was really busy at the time, which makes sense. Then again, potential dating partners will also make all kinds of excuses to avoid you at any cost. Just read some of Jon's dating adventures from the Garfield comics in 2003 - 2005.
But whether it's sincerity or outright intolerance of your existence, be assured that mistakes had to be made in the grand scheme of things. Mistakes at the expense of your own sanity.

Interview Fatigue

We've all had those days. When you just want an interview to end, knowing full well that you're not the ideal candidate without even getting to the end of the interview.
Personally, I'm not sure if employers can tell if you're not paying attention. I'd imagine they would, considering the fact that it's the HR department's job to deal with people in general. Guess you gotta go big... or go home, son.

Hating your Job

I've always had this despise of people with jobs and how they complain about the fact that they have to work, and its lack of fulfillment. After all, isn't this what you signed up for? Isn't this "living the dream"?
Looking back, I suppose I could say the same thing about my university degree and how, at times, I would not have preferred to do the work nor feel any fulfillment. Yet, here we are, in the midst of yet another semester.
Sometimes it can be hard to appreciate the little things. Most times, I accept the fact that I'm a shallow fool. Almost every time, I never quite change enough than I know I should.


On a more serious update, the Facebook account for this blog is currently busted (the page can still be viewed, but I can't post things like I used to), so I'll have to resort to one or more of the following solutions as alternative work-around's:

• Use another Facebook account to post all the end-of-monthly updates on the page.
• Retire aforementioned updates, deeming July 2017 as the last month with an update.
• Start doing monthly updates on the blog, or on Twitter.
• Wait for Facebook to do something about this problem (arbitrary effectiveness).

Negative Score

Based on a real website I stumbled across in my crazed pursuit for a job. Also based on that one time some random person added me on LinkedIn, and it turned out that the person was a complete fake with several logical inconsistencies on their profile (if you're going to scam someone, at least get your grammar and spelling checked up).
But even beyond these, I think I speak for many of the readers here (i.e. the web crawler applications that collect data for RSS and Atom feeds) when I say that our network is generally neglected, just like our tax returns. But unlike our tax returns, your network can get you to some interesting situations. Perhaps not beneficial or easy situations, but you just have to take the good (if any) with the bad...

Time Complexity

For those who aren't familiar with the notation in this week's comic, time complexity (or "Big O Notation") describes the approximate number of computations in a given segment of computer code.

Using this concept, you can see that under the most stressful conditions and when applying for a painfully vague job description, it takes me 320 minutes of non-stop preparation. Inversely, it only takes me 80 minutes to prepare for a well-defined job description with minimal stress levels.

I'd like to think that I'm improving my ability to prepare for job applications with most employment efforts. Frankly, it's hard to say for certain, especially for those times when you never hear back from companies. Those times are generally the worst.

I want the truth!

The world of job interviews is certainly a vicious one. Even the slightest detail or attitude can be thrown against you, which then means you're relying on your clutch skills to talk your way into a more positive mental image. I've had employers question my degree, sometimes the university I attended.
In any case, when your children ask you "What did you do in the greatest war?", you can tell them: I fought. Though if you're gutsy enough, you can also tell them you lost horrendously and have never recovered since. Because at the end of the day, can you actually be better than all the rest? You'd hope so...

Good Advice

Someone once challenged me to think about the long term plan (specifically, 5 years into the future), regardless of whether I found suitable work or not. In most cases, I struggle with these deep and personal questions. But this time...was no different. I still struggled, if not more than ever before.
I think at that point I'd come to the realization that even as I chase after the lucrative prize of a paid job, it would be a classic case of  "the empty pursuit", where people simply aim for the things that they simply don't have. A very problematic mindset, and one which I hope I'll still think about in months later.

This encounter was about 2 weeks ago. I (still) think it would have been suitable last week, but then again, who doesn't like a good Halal Snack Pack?

Lunch Interview Food Matrix

Confused about what to order at your next lunch interview? Don't want to look like an idiot in front of the CIO (Chief Information Officer)? Are you hungry...FOR A JOB?!
Then you've come to the right place, pal! Follow this intrinsic guide to foods you might want to order at a lunch interview according to their cost and social elegance, partly inspired from other culinary experiences in the past.
I ordered a Steak Sandwich with Potato Wedges at the last one I went to. I could've ended worse, as with many things. But, had I followed this easy 3 x 3 matrix to success, I could've look just that little bit more sophisticated. After all, a lunch interview isn't actually about the lunch at all, in the big scheme of things...

Technical Difficulty

Portfolios are important, no doubt about that. But any applicant worth their salt knows the cost of making mistakes during a job interview. Unless you can make it look like it's all part of the plan. In most cases, you'll just end up wasting a bunch of time and sweating like it's the middle of Summer (sometimes I do get job interviews during that time of the year as well) while having your interviewers stare at you irritatingly as you fumble around with your device BIOS.
Long story short, make sure things work before you show that the thing works. Gee, that was really vague in hindsight. But at least you get the general idea...

Painful Choice

I've had an employer give me this ultimatum once. As far as I know, it went better than he expected. Still, there's no experience like the feeling of getting your unemployed body tossed out of the building premises and having a terrible referee to validate your lack of practical sense. I mean, you can't get that in any university degree... Wait, no I think you still can if you get expelled from the university.
The point is that you're always going to miss these core opportunities for employment. But that's fine, there's more where that came from. Just like that meme of the dog drinking tea in a burning house.

Call Me, Maybe

Whenever people call me, it's either someone wanting to get into my house or a possible job prospect. Occasionally there are instances where I'm called about neither of those things.
But if it's about jobs, I always seem to be in this back-and-forth asynchronous conversation in order to get the application process in the works. This comic is based on one of those days a couple of years ago.

Some things are a bit different for this specific post. I will try and address the most immediate questions below:

Q. Why is the comic posted in two sections?
A. Blogger shrinks your images if they're too long or wide. And frankly I like to be able to read my comics  with minimal seeing effort.

Q. Piggo does HR work now?
A. Why not? He's a pig of all trades.

Q. Why are you posting on a Tuesday this week?
A. Because I have to study for exams while still having to deal with job applications from a few weeks ago. Also yesterday was the Queen's Birthday here in Australia, sort of like <insert public holiday here> in <insert country here>.

Emotional Breakdown

The feels are reals. Back when I used to use Facebook for more general purposes, I'd often see posts about landing that "dream job" or working your last shift at Subway before going off to become one of the best event organizers the country has ever known. These days, I'm more using LinkedIn and I still feel moderately inadequate when I read about other peoples' success. Perhaps I should move to those old school social media platforms like MSN or even *shudder* MySpace. At least the bar is set so low there that you'd actually have to try to fail in order to actually fail.
Well, as I've once said in the past: Prepare to be homeless...

Types of LinkedIn Mugshots

Trying to find network leads on LinkedIn is certainly made easier when they actually provide a mugshot. Understandably, some people don't update their profiles that often because, you know, they actually have a stable career.
Even so, most LinkedIn mugshots I encounter usually fall into one or more of these general categories. As in the case of my own profile, it's my go-to prison mugshot from the police station/photo processing store sort of close to the police station.
No that's not actually my face, just an image I found on Google Image Search.

Suspicious Job Interview

You know that feeling when you're *just* about to land that dreamy job, and then you realise that it's a huge scam and your entire life up to that point has been a lie? Yes, it seems that we're back to square one on this one, where every job opportunity always finds someone better as a potential hire and every entry level job sounds as suspicious as that one interview in the city library.
Well, you know what they say: Watch like an eagle, strike like a hawk, dance like nobody's watching...

The Last Laugh

Sometimes I'm able to crack a joke or something the employer can relate to, in context of a job interview. I would like to think they're not laughing at my stupidity or incompetence, although it might explain my track record of past failed job interviews.
Even so, I have to casually laugh along as well so that it appears that was the intention. Not sure if employers can see through that weak social facade, but then again, would you rather have a dead serious job interview instead?

GitHub

If you're not a technology-development-minded person, GitHub is more or less like Instagram but for code. It's a lot more complex than that, but it should suffice. Anyway, I'm not sure if there's any employer that's ever looked at my GitHub projects, especially since I read from a semi-reliable source that employers only spend a few seconds looking at a CV.
Even so, I suppose you shouldn't just be doing things solely for landing that job interview, but it is helpful to know that you are still capable of learning new things, with or without proper schooling.

Jobs are like Girlfriends

Recently, I've just lost my job more or less, and so after a few months of superiority and expendable cash, I'm now back to square one. I will probably mention this on the Facebook page later this month (as in end of May, I don't know why Blogger keeps timestamping everything in U.S. time).
One initial recurring question was "Is this what a breakup feels like?". Looking deeper (i.e. doing Google searches for "how to recover from a breakup"), there were certainly similarities between the procedures described and the actions my manager recommended to "sever ties" as cleanly as possible.

I guess, like a crazed ex-boyfriend hooked on dopamine, I need some time to think. You know, man time. Or maybe I should just find the next curvaceous job opportunity and hope things turn out better.

Failed Efforts

There was once a time when my parents were so desperate for me to get employed, that they kept bringing up the subject over and over again, hoping I'd do something novel about it. One of their vain attempts to achieve this was look for articles that vaguely relate to getting a job.
Admittedly, it was a noble cause but the problem was that they don't exactly know the most reputable or go-to places like LinkedIn and Seek.com, so in the end, it was just me reading general articles about the I.T. industry itself.

Also, a groovy reminder about a new monthly meta-blog update on the Facebook page! I will try and put something there at the end of every month, as a bit of a progress log so you know what I'm up to these days.

Acronyms

They say that there's no such thing as a stupid question. Of course, that would vary in stupidity depending on the listener. But in the context of a life-or-death employment scenario where you've got your back to the wall, anything goes to show that you're marginally better than the 30 or so applicants that are more qualified than you'll ever be.
Even if that means questioning the very fabric of what the employer does.

Inexperienced

Even after a long day at work or university or anything that involves me commuting, I can feel the realism of this graph at hand. After all, what have I really achieved in over 15 years of schooling? The ability to sit with proper back posture? No, the true heroes are OUT THERE! In the mines! Because here in Australia, you'd better ride that gravy train called the Mining Boom until it stops at Emu Plains (you'd get the reference if you know a bit about the Sydney rail network).

People You May Know

Linkedin is a weird machine. From past experience, I usually get recommended finance students who attended the same university as me and are recommended through 4th degree connections. One time I got recommended someone working at a coffee shop, simply because they knew someone who is proficient in Microsoft Word.
Sure, the university I attend is known for finance and law, but I'm fairly sure that the matchmaking algorithms used in dating applications have a better time finding relevant connections for me than what Linkedin drags in most of the time.

The Job that isn't a Job

It's a sad day when you know your job will one day be replaced by a simple stand. More so, it's a deadbeat day when you job is just to tell other people where to get jobs. You know, like an unsolicited careers adviser.

Anyways, apologies for the late post! This week has been unbelievably busy, and stressful might I add. In 2 - 3 weeks, I may not even have a job anymore! So, while I sympathize that the content here has been a little lackluster, finding time even for a simple post like this one is becoming increasingly challenging.

Near Hopeless

Like many things I've posted on this blog, this too happened to me a few years back. Great opportunities to network. No prior experience required. Free lunch and maybe coffee. I knew it was all too good to be true, but I tried anyway. Yes, even the first-year undergraduates who don't even know a quarter of the campus grounds can land these jobs more frequently than I could.

On another unrelated note, I think this is the first time I've posted a one-frame comic so far, but I guess it still constitutes as a legitimate comic in the abstract sense. Perhaps readers might be into really short comics?

An Unsolved Mystery

Would you be surprised to see someone you met at the careers fair suddenly turn up on the news in a missing persons report, with virtually no trace of their existence? That means you can finally be a useful contribution to society just by being at the right place at the right time with the right person on the right day!
After all, if my experience has anything to vouch for in terms of getting a job, that's more or less the crux of landing any job in the first place...

Thanks for Nothing

Frankly, I've always had a weird perception of post-interview thank-you notes. Maybe it's just me, but it always feels like you're directly telling the employer how desperate you are for work, that you're willing to kiss their feet and shine their shoes just for a lousy 2-month casual internship.
Some of you might think it's totally worth it for the experience, but at the end of the day, who really got the better end of this career stick? Answer: Probably not you.

Availability

From personal experience, nobody really cares how much you work, just as long as it isn't some stupidly low amount like 1 day a week. 2 days a week is fine, if you have other legitimate commitments like a family or a shady side business. 3-4 days is the sweet spot for most people. 5 or more days is like saying: "Listen, if I don't get paid for the week, let's just keep that as our little secret, okay?"

Multilingual

Compare the pair: Same accreditation, same socioeconomic background, same drive to make a difference in the industry. One of them knows a couple of words in Spanish, the other only knows English. Now, you tell me, who is obviously the better candidate at face value in this situation? Exactly.

It's also the last week of university holidays, so I might have to resort to blog updates at the actual university premises. Ugh, so many things I have to do on Mondays now... Hopefully the blog quality doesn't diminish too much over the next 13-20 weeks.

Making Money

A true tale, my good comrade; I really did search "how to make money" and click on a link to find many questionable and semi-reliable ways to make MONEY! Who knew there were so many ways to make money besides legitimate employment?
In hindsight, I suppose this source isn't the most credible source of information about making money. Then again, it's either this or Tai Lopez talking about his "brand new Lam-bur-gee-nee".

Referees - Expectations vs. Reality

To be honest, my experience with bad referees hasn't been all that comprehensive (mostly because I usually fail in the application process way before this point), but I can imagine the worst thing happening is that you're about to get the job, and then some snot-faced yokel tramples over your hopes and dreams of landing that one job in just mere minutes.
Which, at this point, I would question why you would even have said yokel as your referee to begin with. After all, it might just be better to have no referee than to have several bad referees.

The Spectrum of Work

If you haven't already read from the Facebook update (which I imagine is most of you reading this, but I wouldn't blame you), I have started work as of this week! So that means the new upload date will either be Monday nights or Saturdays.
Like searching for a job, work is already starting to feel like a drag: Wake up at 5am, commute for 2 hours, work for 8 hours, commute back for another 2 hours, 3 hours to do whatever, and repeat again for the next 12 months. I guess it would be a reasonable assumption to call this worse than job searching, but then again, all you've done is just change the domain of the problem...

A Well-Earned Rest

Sometimes this is what I imagine what employers and HR personnel are doing while you wait for them to get back to you (if they even decide respond to you anyway). While I understand that these people are working in demanding full-time jobs, they still need to keep their word about delivering on certain things. Then again, who is it that needs this job? <sarcasm> Oh, I almost forgot: Me. </sarcasm>


EDIT: New life-related update in regards to the future of this blog! Nothing big, but certainly worth noting if you're a bit of a regular here on the blog.