Got an interview please give me some advice.

[SeattlePioneer]

Hello Baden P,

 

 

I don't get that impression of desperation at all.

 

I see a young man using this discussion board for it's intended purposes, asking a broad audience for information and advice and sharing experiences in return.

 

 

[moosetracker]

No.. I can see what BP is saying.. The boy may be loosing some points on confidence, if he is showing desperate at the interview.

 

I can see some of it in his post. The only place I know it showed up while talking with an interviewer was after the interview, when he tried to pinpoint them on why he did not get the job.

 

I have no doubt he is feeling desperate.. These are hard times, and young people are having a hard time landing job.. Older people are hanging desperately onto the jobs they have, even if it is not a great one, or also desperately looking for a job..

 

I remember being out of a job in 1990, when we had a much smaller recession.. Just bought my first house, had a baby 3 months old (laid off after a months return from pregnacy leave, as by law they couldn't lay me off until then, all the other layoff happened while I was on leave.) I had that fearful image of being homeless with a newborn baby, and not being able to provide for him.

 

Anyway I was desperate, but I also looked for a positive angle.. That was I did want to look for something a slightly different then what I was doing. I did my resumes promoting the skills I had that I wanted to get a job that was more promenent in those skills, and I informed employers that I saw this layoff as an opportunity to move me into a better job for my talents. I found a job after 3 months.. I think it would have been alot longer if I had clung to the feeling of desperation and projected it at the interviews.

[jgood53]

I def try my best to not seem as if I am desperate because I know it can look bad. It may be a problem I dont notice maybe with my tone I dont know for sure.

 

2.5 years I have spent lookong for a job other than our farm where I get paid in the form of place to live and lights.

 

By asking about why I wasnt selected I was just hoping to be answered in a way such as not having had as much experience as someone else or whatever. I was just told they were gonna go in anothed direction.

[johnponz]

Do you have a college degree? If so, what is your major?

[BadenP]

jgood

 

ponz brings up a valid point, in order to even be considered for a DE position the BSA does require a bachelors degree from an accredited college/university. With the job market being so lean right now there is a lot of competition out there. Where you went to school and what your major was could be a deciding factor in making the final decision for the councils in which you have interviewed.(This message has been edited by BadenP)

[jgood53]

Yes I went to the University of Kentucky I earned a B.A. double major International Economics and Japanese as a foreign language. I graduated in 3.5 years avg time to graduate with that degree is 5 years.

[jgood53]

Also I havebe already been approved by nationals as well.

[AlamanceScouter]

Jgood, the SE in Wilmington, NC is originally from Kentucky and I am pretty sure has tons of connections throughout the movement. Maybe you should reach out to somebody like him......not for a specific job but as a mentor.

[johnponz]

Sounds like the degree is not the problem. I have heard that is better to get your professional commission after you land the job instead of before you land it, but that is just what I heard. The job market is tight, and competition is tight. I was out of work for 9 months, and I have a MS and more than 10 years of experience in my field. Looking for an entry level position is just tough right now, and if you limit your pool to a BSA position you have compressed your universe of positions.

 

Keep trying and eventually it will pay off, you just may be trying for a while, and the rejections get harder and harder the longer you have been looking.

 

My next advice will seem pessimistic, but don't let each rejection get you down. Getting a job today is a long process. You really need to leverage your home Council's SE if you have a good relationship with him. The SE community is rather small, and everybody knows each other. The job hunt really is about relationships (the real kind not the on line kind).

 

By the way, are you an Eagle Scout? For this job that qualification should help (but is nor guarantee).

 

 

Good luck and chin up!

 

[johnponz]

I was thinking about your situation, and have an idea. Have you tried getting a support role such as Council Registrar or running a Council's Scout store, or maybe seeing if there is a support role at National?

 

This is not your final destination, but may help to get a foot in the door, and your face in front of the right people. I know DE is considered an entry level position. However entry level does not mean what is used to.

 

[BadenP]

j good

 

The truth of the matter is that the number of DE positions nationwide continues to shrink due to councils closing and merging, and it looks like this trend will continue. However DE positions do have a high turnover rate due to the demands put on the person and the long hours it requires. It is just a matter of timing and best qualified for the position. Don't stop trying.