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So I put in my 100 hours. I made a custom resume that I illustrated with little Evernote-style animals. I got out my guitar and sang a song about why I wanted t

So I put in my 100 hours. I made a custom resume that I illustrated with little Evernote-style animals. I got out my guitar and sang a song about why I wanted to work there. I designed a custom iPhone app for them. Eww. Talk about trying way too hard.

stevenp 13y ago
Seriously? It's not trying too hard at all. If there's a job you really want and you're really passionate about getting it no matter what, you should do anything in your power to try to get it. If you fail, you can at least say that you tried as hard as you could and it just didn't work out.
- null_ptr 13y ago
  If you're worth anything you don't need to break into song to get them to hire you. Your time would be better spent honing your skills and looking toward new opportunities. Workers have the right to dignity just like everybody else.
  - bonemachine 13y ago
    Exactly -- "breaking into a song" doesn't seem to convey anything other than a palpable lack of confidence.
- bonemachine 13y ago
  If there's a job you really want.. you should do anything in your power to try to get it. No really, you shouldn't. For the sake of your long-term self-esteem & professional stature, what you should be looking for is a 2-way street. Which is not to say you should apply for companies that are hard to get into, or for which get tons of applicants that you'll have to stand out against -- of course you should. And of course you should do your homework -- look into their business plan, the profiles of people they've hired (and who are likely to interview you), etc. But you shouldn't ever have to feel that you have to bend over backwards to get their attention. The basic point is that ultimately what you're after is a relationship where they need you as much if not more than you need them. And to get to that point, you have to head off any inkling in their mind that you're "chasing after them." Not that you should be doing the opposite (i.e. playing hard to get). But one way or another, you need to enter into the courting process with a rock-solid sense of self-assurance that -- whatever your deltas (+/-) against their ideal profile/skillset -- you're bringing something very valuable to the table, namely, yourself. And that it should be obvious to them that stand out against the pack, and -- while you may not end up being their first or final pick -- you clearly deserve front-line consideration. Without having to jump up and down, wave your arms, or make mixtapes for them, etc. Analogies to dating being of course more than appropriate here.
  - pedalpete 13y ago
    There is nothing wrong with working hard to get their attention. It isn't a 2-way street until you've already proven yourself, that's when the relationship become symbiotic. The dating analogies don't apply.
    - mb_72 13y ago
      The way I see it you've already proven yourself to some degree before you even apply. 99% of your experience has been acquired, 99% of your projects have been done, 99% of your skills are already in-hand. If that doesn't get the possible employers' attention already, then a few last minute stunts aren't likely to do it either. IMO 100 hours is an excessive amount of time to spend on a single job application, even if you really want it. In 100 hours you can do a hell of a lot - I would kill to have an extra 100 hours available over the next couple of weeks (say).
    - bonemachine 13y ago
      The point is that as with dating, there's a penalty (in some cases fatal) that comes with trying too hard -- you just come off as cloying and desperate. The OP clearly exceeded that threshold, by leaps and bounds.
      - zeidrich 13y ago
        Assuming you put a decent effort into the process prior to applying: The point is, at this point you've already been told no. The worst case scenario is that you're told "Still no." Depending on what it is you do to impress them, that can be used in other scenarios. You make some marketing plan or a brochure or redo a website? Stick it in your back pocket and save it again for later. So you look desperate? So what? Either they say no, in which case apart from the extra work you've done, you're no further behind, or they say yes and think you're desperate, but you have the job.
        overgryphon 13y ago
        How someone conducts themselves in response to rejection can affect future opportunities. It isn't uncommon to be reject a candidate for one job, but approach them about a different job that better fits their skillset. This can happen even year or two down the road if that candidate left a good impression with a senior person who hires people regularly. Worst case scenario is that not only are you rejected for that job, but are considered not hirable for other positions in the future. Trying to prove someone wrong after they have rejected you for a position indicates that you do not respect their decision, and feel entitled to reconsideration after they already made their choice clear. It's disrespectful. Keep your dignity, and maybe that job rejection turns into a valuable opportunity down the road.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- rfnslyr 13y ago
  How about instead of making pointless songs and trying to appear cute, have your expertise speak for you? 100 hours on shit not related to the job, yikes.
  - collyw 13y ago
    I reckon I could get the bulk of a side project done in that time.
- collyw 13y ago
  You should watch The Apprentice (UK version at least). These people are willing to humiliate themselves on public TV to get that job. And usually they have quit within a year. Actually X-factor is an even better example. Some people on it are clearly talentless. They have been deluded into thinking if they want it bad enough and try hard enough, they can become a star.
mathattack 13y ago
There is a very fine line between "Trying very hard" and "Trying too hard." I've seen people try very hard for getting a job, and then stop right before the finish line. In this case, it's all about the outcome you want. It seems like she wound up with the right outcome (first choice school, eventually landing in the right job) so it worked out. I can't begin to describe how many people I've interviewed who had no idea what my (small) firm did.
- logicallee 13y ago
  "Some kind of web development right? Maybe corporate clients? Am I at least getting warmer??"
- collyw 13y ago
  This is another thing I find strange in interviews. People are expected to know the ins and outs of the company. Fair enough if you are Apple or Google, but for anything smaller, why would you be expected to know much about the internals of a company. So everyone just reads the webpage, the interviewer gets the answer he expected. Not sure how that makes the developer better at his job. Sure they took an hour or so to read the webpage, but does it in any way matter? (Actually one company I applied to recently did the opposite - they had a fake webpage with minimal detail - I am not sure if this was to catch out bullshitters. Anyway, when asked what I knew about the company, I was honest and said I didn't know much. The job didn't go ahead in the end, though the guy said he was impressed with me at the end of the interview).
  - kstop 13y ago
    Then again there was the person (actually, over 6 years, 2) I interviewed who thought we were a completely different company in a different industry (we were a broadcaster, they'd confused us with a bank with a similar name). A bit of basic research is not a bad thing. I'm more impressed with people (for web dev jobs anyway) who've taken the time to poke around on the site and figure out our technology choices, even at a pretty basic level.
theseoafs 13y ago
That part definitely put me off too, but I wouldn't chalk it up to "trying too hard". I have a problem with the author's idea that putting "extra work" into a resume with animals on it actually made her a better candidate for the job in any way. It's worded as if she's surprised the song she recorded failed to actually demonstrate her competency to the hiring manager any better. Of course it didn't. No one hires software developers based on the colorfulness of their resumes or their vocal range.
- kstop 13y ago
  I got the impression it was a designer job. The work she did made sense in that context.

stevenp 13y ago

Seriously? It's not trying too hard at all. If there's a job you really want and you're really passionate about getting it no matter what, you should do anything in your power to try to get it. If you fail, you can at least say that you tried as hard as you could and it just didn't work out.

null_ptr 13y ago
If you're worth anything you don't need to break into song to get them to hire you. Your time would be better spent honing your skills and looking toward new opportunities. Workers have the right to dignity just like everybody else.
- bonemachine 13y ago
  Exactly -- "breaking into a song" doesn't seem to convey anything other than a palpable lack of confidence.
bonemachine 13y ago
If there's a job you really want.. you should do anything in your power to try to get it. No really, you shouldn't. For the sake of your long-term self-esteem & professional stature, what you should be looking for is a 2-way street. Which is not to say you should apply for companies that are hard to get into, or for which get tons of applicants that you'll have to stand out against -- of course you should. And of course you should do your homework -- look into their business plan, the profiles of people they've hired (and who are likely to interview you), etc. But you shouldn't ever have to feel that you have to bend over backwards to get their attention. The basic point is that ultimately what you're after is a relationship where they need you as much if not more than you need them. And to get to that point, you have to head off any inkling in their mind that you're "chasing after them." Not that you should be doing the opposite (i.e. playing hard to get). But one way or another, you need to enter into the courting process with a rock-solid sense of self-assurance that -- whatever your deltas (+/-) against their ideal profile/skillset -- you're bringing something very valuable to the table, namely, yourself. And that it should be obvious to them that stand out against the pack, and -- while you may not end up being their first or final pick -- you clearly deserve front-line consideration. Without having to jump up and down, wave your arms, or make mixtapes for them, etc. Analogies to dating being of course more than appropriate here.
- pedalpete 13y ago
  There is nothing wrong with working hard to get their attention. It isn't a 2-way street until you've already proven yourself, that's when the relationship become symbiotic. The dating analogies don't apply.
  - mb_72 13y ago
    The way I see it you've already proven yourself to some degree before you even apply. 99% of your experience has been acquired, 99% of your projects have been done, 99% of your skills are already in-hand. If that doesn't get the possible employers' attention already, then a few last minute stunts aren't likely to do it either. IMO 100 hours is an excessive amount of time to spend on a single job application, even if you really want it. In 100 hours you can do a hell of a lot - I would kill to have an extra 100 hours available over the next couple of weeks (say).
  - bonemachine 13y ago
    The point is that as with dating, there's a penalty (in some cases fatal) that comes with trying too hard -- you just come off as cloying and desperate. The OP clearly exceeded that threshold, by leaps and bounds.
    - zeidrich 13y ago
      Assuming you put a decent effort into the process prior to applying: The point is, at this point you've already been told no. The worst case scenario is that you're told "Still no." Depending on what it is you do to impress them, that can be used in other scenarios. You make some marketing plan or a brochure or redo a website? Stick it in your back pocket and save it again for later. So you look desperate? So what? Either they say no, in which case apart from the extra work you've done, you're no further behind, or they say yes and think you're desperate, but you have the job.
      - overgryphon 13y ago
        How someone conducts themselves in response to rejection can affect future opportunities. It isn't uncommon to be reject a candidate for one job, but approach them about a different job that better fits their skillset. This can happen even year or two down the road if that candidate left a good impression with a senior person who hires people regularly. Worst case scenario is that not only are you rejected for that job, but are considered not hirable for other positions in the future. Trying to prove someone wrong after they have rejected you for a position indicates that you do not respect their decision, and feel entitled to reconsideration after they already made their choice clear. It's disrespectful. Keep your dignity, and maybe that job rejection turns into a valuable opportunity down the road.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
rfnslyr 13y ago
How about instead of making pointless songs and trying to appear cute, have your expertise speak for you? 100 hours on shit not related to the job, yikes.
- collyw 13y ago
  I reckon I could get the bulk of a side project done in that time.
collyw 13y ago
You should watch The Apprentice (UK version at least). These people are willing to humiliate themselves on public TV to get that job. And usually they have quit within a year. Actually X-factor is an even better example. Some people on it are clearly talentless. They have been deluded into thinking if they want it bad enough and try hard enough, they can become a star.

mathattack 13y ago

There is a very fine line between "Trying very hard" and "Trying too hard." I've seen people try very hard for getting a job, and then stop right before the finish line. In this case, it's all about the outcome you want. It seems like she wound up with the right outcome (first choice school, eventually landing in the right job) so it worked out. I can't begin to describe how many people I've interviewed who had no idea what my (small) firm did.

logicallee 13y ago
"Some kind of web development right? Maybe corporate clients? Am I at least getting warmer??"
collyw 13y ago
This is another thing I find strange in interviews. People are expected to know the ins and outs of the company. Fair enough if you are Apple or Google, but for anything smaller, why would you be expected to know much about the internals of a company. So everyone just reads the webpage, the interviewer gets the answer he expected. Not sure how that makes the developer better at his job. Sure they took an hour or so to read the webpage, but does it in any way matter? (Actually one company I applied to recently did the opposite - they had a fake webpage with minimal detail - I am not sure if this was to catch out bullshitters. Anyway, when asked what I knew about the company, I was honest and said I didn't know much. The job didn't go ahead in the end, though the guy said he was impressed with me at the end of the interview).
- kstop 13y ago
  Then again there was the person (actually, over 6 years, 2) I interviewed who thought we were a completely different company in a different industry (we were a broadcaster, they'd confused us with a bank with a similar name). A bit of basic research is not a bad thing. I'm more impressed with people (for web dev jobs anyway) who've taken the time to poke around on the site and figure out our technology choices, even at a pretty basic level.

theseoafs 13y ago

That part definitely put me off too, but I wouldn't chalk it up to "trying too hard". I have a problem with the author's idea that putting "extra work" into a resume with animals on it actually made her a better candidate for the job in any way. It's worded as if she's surprised the song she recorded failed to actually demonstrate her competency to the hiring manager any better. Of course it didn't. No one hires software developers based on the colorfulness of their resumes or their vocal range.

kstop 13y ago
I got the impression it was a designer job. The work she did made sense in that context.