Interviews and the job hunt

Well, that was interesting.

I had an interview lined up for today with TripAdvisor, a well-known company.

LUCKILY, a couple hours beforehand, I read the internal anonymous employee reviews on Glassdoor, and thank GOD I did!!!!

One after another were multiple extremely sour and negative reviews stating that the company culture had dramatically shifted to a negative one back in 2019, and which continues and has worsened in 2020. Several people used the word "toxic" to describe upper management and the new company culture, which SCREAMED at me in bright neon light to RUN AWAY.

So I cancelled the interview. Screw that. I wasn't even looking forward to this one anyways, and didn't really want this job, even before reading these terrible internal reviews.

Thank GOODNESS for Glassdoor!!!!! I could have been swayed possibly.

I have an interview tomorrow, however, for a job I REALLY am interested in and would love to land!!!!!! They're an award-winning web design and marketing company, my ideal kind of company to work for, and it's a Director level role, which is exactly what I seek.

So I'm going to pour my energy into that interview instead.

I am also most thankful and grateful that my CEO and two former clients have written me glowing endorsements on my LinkedIn profile. Thank goodness!!!! With a layoff, people could question it, and also it's a fierce market, so I need all the positive endorsements I can get right now.

That's it for now. I pray I land this Director level job!

Fingers crossed!

Thanks!!! Mine too!!!!

It's super lame when people don't get back to you though. A recruiter contacted ME last week, and I replied, asking if he wanted to speak today. He never followed up. SO LAME.

Recruiters are notorious ghosters. They're worse than people who online date as far as their fake promises of follow-up. I HATE recruiters but unfortunately we're stuck dealing with those sleazy sales people (that's what they are). I was up for a technical writer job for a yearlong contract after a recruiter on LinkedIn contacted me about. When I read an article that explained how recruiters make commissions for all the resumes that they collect from job seekers, especially from LinkedIn, I knew I had been scammed by that LinkedIn recruiter. There was no contract or technical writer job. I even contacted the company she claimed had hired her to verify the writer contract. Their human resources recruiter claimed she didn't know who that recruiter was, so either SHE was also lying to me to cover her ***, or was telling the truth.

I hate recruiters. They're all sleaze bags. I miss the previous way human resources depts were structured when an actual human resources assistant did the hiring.

I've never heard that they make commissions just by collecting resumes? Seriously????

I hate them too - they are the bane of my existence! They're like predators, preying on the vulnerable.

UGH!!!!!!!!!

The Director level role I just interviewed for is project-based to start, with a couple of PAID projects, after which they will decide if they hire you on and give you a salaried position.

I am now on hold with the unemployment office to find out if doing any kind of freelance project work would screw up my claim for benefits IF they decide NOT to hire me on.

What a pain in the royal $%@$@#*.

I don't think this is the right opportunity for me. I don't want to start on a project basis, or gamble about getting hired after doing two months of hard work for a company. No thanks. Not for me -- PASS.

So I reached out to two former colleagues who work for another digital marketing agency. One of them is the Director whom was fired in my last company. Strangely, he viewed my LinkedIn profile, but was unwilling to forward my resume to a hiring manager to review. He said I should ask the more junior team member (former colleague) to forward my resume.

Reading in between the lines, I assumed this meant he is unwilling to recommend me, and I don't understand why.

The only thing I can come up with is that he must still feel threatened by me. I think he felt threatened by me when I was first hired in my last job. He acted like it. Then he got fired. And now, he is an Associate Director in an agency, he saw that I am looking for a Director level role on my profile, and perhaps he feels threatened by that?

I am scratching my head. It doesn't make sense otherwise.

I also turned down the interview with TripAdvisor after reading several horrific reviews.

Three days later, the recruiter writes me asking me to get on the phone so she can help clear up any concerns.

So I took two screenshots of two of the worst reviews, I sent them as attachments and very politely and professionally explained that these negative reviews and toxic nature of the management, leadership and culture are enough of a deterrent to wanting to work there.

It actually feels refreshing and good to be able to be so honest and forthcoming about a toxic work environment - from the outset.