The Grimm Adventures...

It looks like the cold is really here.

The weather folks (meteorologists) have some interesting ways to make you feel better, or is it worse, about how cold it really is. I am a little confused by their descriptions. Is it -7 when it says its -7 or is it really -15 because that's how it feels. How could it be one temperature and feel like another. Don't get me wrong I understand about wind chill and how that can make the temperature drop but shouldn't they just say, "it's -15 but if that damn wind ever stops we could warm up to -7." That way you wouldn't have to read the fine print you could just look at the -15 and dress accordingly. As it is I see -7 and think, 'That's not so bad.' and then I get outside for my two minute stroll to take out the garbage and freeze my butt off.

What can you expect when these so-called weather professionals are not really doing what they were trained to do. I mean with the few positions available around here for people to study meteors they all seem to find the not so popular weather analyst jobs.

by Chad

What a strange thing, after living in Victoria for 9 years, to wake up to an inch or two of snow and know that it is here to stay. Nicole and I were a bit taken aback by the white blanket covering everything but Abby was anxious to get out into the "Winter Wonderland" and play. She thought snowmen, snow angels, snow dogs and possibly an igloo would all be fun to build. Well maybe not an igloo.

by Chad

Welcome to our Blog. Enjoy!

After a number of interviews with an interesting variety of companies a referral from one of my Royal Roads professors put me on a road that ended in a job offer from ATB financial. I will be training for a role as in business banking. So the fun will begin on Nov 6th.

While searching for a job is a stressful experience, if I could get paid to do it, I'd take the job. Here is an insight into the fun I had interviewing.

I had three interviews in three days recently and had a great time. First I went to an industrial company for an interview with a peer group. (two people in Inside Sales) It was a fun interview. They had some pretty basic questions and a couple of scenario questions that I handled well. The trouble there is that when the interview was coming to an end I asked what the next step was. They said I would next meet with HR and the hiring manager as this was just the first phase of interviews. They didn't know when I would hear about whether or not I got the position. Then we walked to the front and I left. 2 days later I was thinking, "I haven't heard from them, was I supposed to meet with HR and the manager right then? Did I walk out not knowing I was to hang around for a second interview? Holy Shit what if I made a major faux pas and lost myself the job because I couldn't follow simple instructions.' I left a message with the HR lady that day so hoped I was still in the running and would hear the next day.

Next I went to a feed manufacturer. Yes a livestock feed company. This was a pretty funny interview as well. I met the guy, operations manager for Edmonton, at a career fair the previous week and we hit it off right away; he seemed easy-going and we had a bit of a laugh at the enormity of the fair etc. He mentioned a job they hadn't posted with a slew of duties from Inside Sales to Quality Control and everything in between. Sounded like a fun place to work with a job with no end to the variety. I followed up a couple of times over the week and he called me to come in for an interview. So here I get on my tie and head for the hills (rolling rises in the distance to the east) and arrive at the feed plant. A pleasant woman around 60, greets me and another woman a few years younger tells me that Bill saw me pull up and I could go right in. It felt like meeting an old family friend who I hadn't seen since childhood. He greets me with a hand shake and a, "great to see ya, coffee?" So I grab a coffee from the machine with that powdered cream. I found this funny since one of their main customers is Dairy-farmers. We go back into the office and as I am closest to the door I am not sure if I should close it. - Seemed like a pretty open place with everyone knowing everyone else's business - Just as I am about to ask, Bill sort of awkwardly reaches behind him and pushes a button on the wall and the door magically closes. I guess this is his little parlor gag so I give him a courtesy laugh. He smiled like a kid who just received a lolipop and said, "pretty neat eh?!?"

So at this point I am still not certain what the job entails. I almost didn't go out because the website had a posting for a $12 per hour Office job that I thought may be what he had to offer. So I start by asking what the position is. He then takes a piece of lined paper from under a stack on this messy desk and takes a quick scan of the hand scribbled notes on it and starts describing the $12 per hour job. Then he goes well beyond that to describe a job that... all I really took away was document, document, document, and take minutes. Bill really hates long meetings so the minutes would have to be ready at the beginning. No running off for 20 minutes to copy them or make the legible, etc. etc. All the while I was thinking, "keep smiling, be positive, this may work out."

Since he was such a nice guy and seemed to really need someone I listened and asked for clarification here and there. The strange thing is, he did not ask me any questions about my history or experience, whether I could deal with conflict or what I would do if a coworker didn't seem to be listening to me in a meeting. None of the typical stuff. I asked him about the products, the markets, the typical customers, the nutrition of the product, and what it means to flush the system and when would they have to do that.... He did ask about salary expectations and that's when we hit the impasse; we were so far apart that the difference could have bought a Smart car. The funny thing is we didn't end there. We talked about what else could be done to get me on with his company and he is even going to forward my resume with a recommendation to a friend of his who is a VP in a major commercial bank.

Later in the day I went to interview at a company that is in the printing industry. They print magazines, directories and flyers locally and everything else across their other locations. The main question they had was if I found the place OK. Pretty darn simple, find the West Ed mall and keep going turn left and look for the huge help wanted sign beneath the corporate sign that is about 50 feet high. Nice people in this one; a representative from HR and the production supervisor. They had their multi-page question sheets with them and they were ready to go. We dove right in with some questions on my work history, why the gap while you went to school, what could you bring to the job. I just did my thing and gave them the straight goods. When asked about weaknesses I always stumble, I think about it ahead of time and then only come up with one, sarcasm. Which I explain away and then I talk about how I have overcome issues with time management and organization in the past. Questions about receiving negative feedback are difficult too, but thanks to my former team-lead Richard, I can give one example and then talk about how we worked through it. This interview ended well though I get the impression that they see me as over-qualified. Which I am, but it seems that here in Edmonton, as elsewhere I'm sure, the ...it's who you know thing is really apparent. To get above the entry-level position into those non-posted positions you really have to know someone. So I just say that and talk about learning the ropes and progressing in their company. I think this sounds good and by their reaction they like it too.

I find it funny that I was ever intimidated or nervous in interviews. Now that I have conducted about 30-40 of them I just sit back on the other side of the table and let them have the straight Chad. My favorite questions are, "what would your former boss say about you?" and "what would your former co-workers say about you." I had a great relationship with them and I can't think of any negative things that they would say about me. I love to look at the pages of questions and know that I can handle anything they throw at me. Of course none of these are the job I got so i couldn't have done that well. I came in second at the industrial place, and, "would have been bored very quickly" at the printing company. The feed manufacturer job would hav ebeen mine if we could be comfortable living in a cardboard box but that didn't work out.

by Chad