Mega Thread The Random Thoughts Thread Part 1

[Duck Farmer]

As part of my quest to work through older PS3 titles that I never played, I've just finished MGS4.

Has anyone ever made sense of that f**kin' storyline?

 

[El_Scorcho]

A lot of people need to lower their expectations and take jobs that they might otherwise consider "below" them.

There are plenty of jobs out there if you want one.

Working at a supermarket or behind a bar is better than sitting on your ass on the dole complaining about how there aren't any jobs.

 

[Doctor Feel]

A lot of people need to lower their expectations and take jobs that they might otherwise consider "below" them.

There are plenty of jobs out there if you want one.

Working at a supermarket or behind a bar is better than sitting on your ass on the dole complaining about how there aren't any jobs.

My career has gone:

Cheap as Chips (1 year, started as Christmas Casual) > Dick Smith (5 years, started as Christmas Casual, progressed to Manager) > Government (over 1 year so far, started from work experience and landed a job after it)

I viewed cheap as chips as below me, but I went to it with a good attitude and that experience and work history landed me the role at Dickies, and then the role at Dickies helped me get this Government role. Seriously.

I asked the Director in my department what made her offer me a role after my work experience was up, she said "your exceptional work, and the fact you had worked 5 years at Dick Smith."

Everything, and working an average joe job for a number of years has got me to where I am now, and I'll never forget it, I still pop into my old Dick Smith every now and then to see how everyone is going. They gave me an opportunity, and I'm thankful.

I have studied while working though and I hold a bachelors of networking and security and a masters of business information systems. That said, all the experience, history and education in the world will never land you a role if you suck at interviewing, period.

 

[LukeSA]

So my mum rang the nursing home where her dad was tonight to confirm he died. He did.

The staff there sound lovely, they really took to him, it sounds as if his current family dropped him off and rarely visited, and he spent most of the time talking about how he loves his family in Broken Hill and wanted to go back there, which is a double edged sword. Now mum feels crap for not making more effort to see him in the last 30 years, but ironically he was treated better in the home than he was at home. The current family didn't even have a funeral or proper burial.

Gee life can be a real shitcampaigner sometimes. I wish a got know him better, he sounds like an interesting man. Not a perfect man, but interesting. One of the reasons he left town was his stepson shot a kid, more like chased out actually. Ah well.

Tell me about it, My dad passed away this July, not unexpected as he had a massive stroke nearly 10 years ago and had severe dementia, he went quickly and it tore my mum to the bone, they had been married 45 years this year.

Now another kick to the campaigner, now mum is laying in hospital with what we thought was a case of shingles was cancer and what we though was a chest infection was a blood clot that could have gone to her heart, the same way her mother died.

Can't wait for this absolute campaigner of a year to end and hope start a better one.

 

[afl2004]

A lot of people need to lower their expectations and take jobs that they might otherwise consider "below" them.

There are plenty of jobs out there if you want one.

Working at a supermarket or behind a bar is better than sitting on your ass on the dole complaining about how there aren't any jobs.

unless your young its not easy to get a supermarket job , i had 3 years experience and amazing references from 4 store managers and it took me 2 years of applying before i got my current job and the job i got was a brand new type of department and i won out over 1100 people

 

[edgie]

A lot of people need to lower their expectations and take jobs that they might otherwise consider "below" them.

There are plenty of jobs out there if you want one.

Working at a supermarket or behind a bar is better than sitting on your ass on the dole complaining about how there aren't any jobs.

Try living in a country mining town, so many unemployed people think they're owed a 6 figure mining job and won't work for anything less, so in the meantime sit in centrelink.

 

[afl2004]

although you're not completely wrong , some people are picky fools

 

[LukeSA]

A lot of people need to lower their expectations and take jobs that they might otherwise consider "below" them.

There are plenty of jobs out there if you want one.

Working at a supermarket or behind a bar is better than sitting on your ass on the dole complaining about how there aren't any jobs.

Even getting supermarket jobs is unbelievably tough, when i was at school i went for a job at Big W as a christmas nightfill shelf packer, first there was a massive group interview with 100+ people, then they chose 10 out the 100 to go to this week course in the city and then the final interview which i didn't get the job for some asinine reason, because i had long hair at the time, my hair tie came loose and a strand of hair came free. The campainger of the interviewer didn't even have the balls to say it to my face.

 

[Powerstufff]

So my mum rang the nursing home where her dad was tonight to confirm he died. He did.

The staff there sound lovely, they really took to him, it sounds as if his current family dropped him off and rarely visited, and he spent most of the time talking about how he loves his family in Broken Hill and wanted to go back there, which is a double edged sword. Now mum feels crap for not making more effort to see him in the last 30 years, but ironically he was treated better in the home than he was at home. The current family didn't even have a funeral or proper burial.

Gee life can be a real shitcampaigner sometimes. I wish a got know him better, he sounds like an interesting man. Not a perfect man, but interesting. One of the reasons he left town was his stepson shot a kid, more like chased out actually. Ah well.

I was pretty casual towards family connections etc but meeting Mrs Powerstufff changed that, Her giant family will send a cast of thousands to a second cousin's* dental appointment, the results are really rewarding. I've worked hard at it since and it has paid off. Much more contact with my sister and her family. Also my cousins. I recommend working at the family stuff, of course it won't all be +ve - it can't be.

* I didn't even know or care what a second cousin was until one of her many aunts sat with me at one of their family gatherings and went through the interconnectedness of about 60 people at a BBQ in northern Melbourne

 

[Doctor Feel]

Even getting supermarket jobs is unbelievably tough, when i was at school i went for a job at Big W as a christmas nightfill shelf packer, first there was a massive group interview with 100+ people, then they chose 10 out the 100 to go to this week course in the city and then the final interview which i didn't get the job for some asinine reason, because i had long hair at the time, my hair tie came loose and a strand of hair came free. The campainger of the interviewer didn't even have the balls to say it to my face.

When you are up against 100+ people, you need to be 100% on your game, because they can afford to pick you off for the most basic of reasons. Therefore, prepare like you wouldn't believe. Cut your hair, shave your beard, buy nice clothes, research the company blah blah blah. The one thing you should never do at a recruiting event is slack on absolutely anything, no matter how minute. It's ruthless and you need to be savage.

 

[Powerstufff]

.... Everything, and working an average joe job for a number of years has got me to where I am now, and I'll never forget it, I still pop into my old Dick Smith every now and then to see how everyone is going. They gave me an opportunity, and I'm thankful .....

Well done.

 

[edgie]

I was pretty casual towards family connections etc but meeting Mrs Powerstufff changed that, Her giant family will send a cast of thousands to a second cousin's* dental appointment, the results are really rewarding. I've worked hard at it since and it has paid off. Much more contact with my sister and her family. Also my cousins. I recommend working at the family stuff, of course it won't all be +ve - it can't be.

* I didn't even know or care what a second cousin was until one of her many aunts sat with me at one of their family gatherings and went through the interconnectedness of about 60 people at a BBQ in northern Melbourne

Somewhat ironically, mum only connected with her half sister from her now deceased dad, she was an illegitimate baby and her birth mum gave her up for adoption, so she literally knew nothing about us. The things that happen when middle aged women get a Facebook eh? Unfortunately she'll never get to meet her biological dad, but in way, as mum remarked today, he's given her the best gift, a sister and a new family, and a whole new family from her dad.

Ironic because she hates dads family and does whatever she can to minimise our contact.

Life is too short for that shit. Dad's uncle passed earlier this year as well and he loved his uncle and would've liked to seen him more often I reckon.

 

[edgie]

I got told I interview really well, unfortunately for a few jobs I've put in for in recent times the killer has always been my lack of license.

 

[LukeSA]

When you are up against 100+ people, you need to be 100% on your game, because they can afford to pick you off for the most basic of reasons. Therefore, prepare like you wouldn't believe. Cut your hair, shave your beard, buy nice clothes, research the company blah blah blah. The one thing you should never do at a recruiting event is slack on absolutely anything, no matter how minute. It's ruthless and you need to be savage.

I wasn't a slob i take pride in my appearance, i was in nice neat clothes, clean shaved etc... But the thing was i was going for a nightfill position after hours, i understand if i was going for a checkout chick job (which i could have chosen)

The thing that floored me was, i went to the group interview, the week course and the final interview dressed the same, the interviewer was so stuck up her own arse, i could have given her a $100 note on cushion lined with gold and she would have still looked down her nose at me.

Oh well, no point dwelling on it now.

 

[Doctor Feel]

I got told I interview really well, unfortunately for a few jobs I've put in for in recent times the killer has always been my lack of license.

Yup. It only takes one thing to be wrong for you to be overlooked for someone else. It's not discrimination, it's business. When I recruited for Dickies, if someone didn't have a licence it was a rather large black mark in which they would suitably need to outline to me how they would make themselves available for shifts on short term notice and what they would do if there was public transport delays and so on.

 

[Doctor Feel]

I wasn't a slob i take pride in my appearance, i was in nice neat clothes, clean shaved etc... But the thing was i was going for a nightfill position after hours, i understand if i was going for a checkout chick job (which i could have chosen)

The thing that floored me was, i went to the group interview, the week course and the final interview dressed the same, the interviewer was so stuck up her own arse, i could have given her a $100 note on cushion lined with gold and she would have still looked down her nose at me.

Oh well, no point dwelling on it now.

Unfortunately, they wouldn't have looked at you as if you were just doing nightfill, they look at you as if they would want to employ you in any facet of the business. Quite often nightfill overlaps with opening hours and there is times of outwaard facing customer contact so they take that all into account.

That said, some recruiters are genuinely awful.

 

[LukeSA]

Yup. It only takes one thing to be wrong for you to be overlooked for someone else. It's not discrimination, it's business. When I recruited for Dickies, if someone didn't have a licence it was a rather large black mark in which they would suitably need to outline to me how they would make themselves available for shifts on short term notice and what they would do if there was public transport delays and so on.

Which is fair enough but i had a pearler once, i've had my license since i was out of school and was turned down for a job because i had "unreliable" car.

 

[Doctor Feel]

I got turned down for a job because they found out I lost my father at a relatively young age. They sent me to a psychologist to have a report done which said I was fine, only for me to get knocked back on that basis and told I could never re-apply.

Another job I got knocked back on after reaching the medical because I tested positive to an illicit substance. I had recently had a minor medical procedure done which included the use of a form of cocaine as a numbing agent, it came up in my report and I had no idea.

Beleive me, I know how shitty it can be.

 

[edgie]

Yup. It only takes one thing to be wrong for you to be overlooked for someone else. It's not discrimination, it's business. When I recruited for Dickies, if someone didn't have a licence it was a rather large black mark in which they would suitably need to outline to me how they would make themselves available for shifts on short term notice and what they would do if there was public transport delays and so on.

Nah I understand completely, its a big thing, it would just be nice if it was stated in the advertising under requirements. I've got a very understanding current workplace but the jobs I've put in for have been what I consider to be upgrades and require these things. I started at my current workplace when I was 16 so managed to get around the license issue at the time.

 

[Powerstufff]

I wasn't a slob i take pride in my appearance, i was in nice neat clothes, clean shaved etc... But the thing was i was going for a nightfill position after hours, i understand if i was going for a checkout chick job (which i could have chosen)

The thing that floored me was, i went to the group interview, the week course and the final interview dressed the same, the interviewer was so stuck up her own arse, i could have given her a $100 note on cushion lined with gold and she would have still looked down her nose at me.

Oh well, no point dwelling on it now.

Many years ago I was bored, under-employed (ironically in part working supermarket nightfill), and trying to get out of a cycle of dud jobs. I decided to work as a volunteer a few days a week for a charity. 3 months later at an interview for a job that changed my life the interview was going so-so when the interviewers sort of dragged the volunteer job info out of me, I hadn't mentioned it as it didn't seem relevant. I swear lights went on in their eyes. As you can guess I was successful.

 

[edgie]

I got turned down for a job because they found out I lost my father at a relatively young age. They sent me to a psychologist to have a report done which said I was fine, only for me to get knocked back on that basis and told I could never re-apply.

Beleive me, I know.

Lolwut? That's ****ing crazy. I'd be livid if that were me.

 

[Doctor Feel]

Nah I understand completely, its a big thing, it would just be nice if it was stated in the advertising under requirements. I've got a very understanding current workplace but the jobs I've put in for have been what I consider to be upgrades and require these things. I started at my current workplace when I was 16 so managed to get around the license issue at the time.

What's stopping you from getting a licence though? Anything?

 

[Doctor Feel]

Lolwut? That's ******* crazy. I'd be livid if that were me.

I appealed the decision to Canberra and as a result, had my time to re-apply reduced from "never" to 3 years.

**** them.

 

[Jonts]

"But i can drive a truck"

Try living in a country mining town, so many unemployed people think they're owed a 6 figure mining job and won't work for anything less, so in the meantime sit in centrelink.

 

[edgie]

What's stopping you from getting a licence though? Anything?

Time. Its just me, mum, and my partner, and with 2 full time jobs and 3 part time jobs between us, I just can't get out for lessons frequently enough to build confidence. Also my partner and I only have one car (at least til I start getting my HQ fixed up) and I'm pretty paranoid driving it as any accidents and she wouldn't be able to work.

Dad took me out once when I was younger and he was in town, I mounted a curve then he mounted my face in the steering column. We decided its best if he doesn't take me out anymore.