When an interviewer asks you if you have any questions, the answer should ALWAYS be “YES”. If you don’t ask any questions they will think you aren’t interested in the job or didn’t prepare for the interview. Some great sample questions to ask are “Can you tell me what the work culture is within my team?”, “What would a typical day be like for me in this position?”, “What are the short-term goals of the department right now?” and “What types of challenges are you facing?”
Not Knowing Enough about the Company
One question you’ll almost always get at every interview is “Why do you want to work at THIS company”. Your answer should show that you know about this company. Talk about how you would be proud to work for a company that has 75 years history and is the top retailer for the industry for example
Of course, you need to speak about yourself and answer the questions but an interview is also for LISTENING. Be sure to pay attention to what the interviewer is saying. An interview is not just a chance for a company to check you out. It’s also your chance to check out the company.
2. Not Asking Questions
When an interviewer asks you if you have any questions, the answer should ALWAYS be “YES”. If you don’t ask any questions they will think you aren’t interested in the job or didn’t prepare for the interview. Some great sample questions to ask are “Can you tell me what the work culture is within my team?”, “What would a typical day be like for me in this position?”, “What are the short-term goals of the department right now?” and “What types of challenges are you facing?”
“My teacher did it the best way! He asked difficult questions and gave feedback.”Alex, IT engineering candidate at a software company talking about working with Language Shine
3. Speaking Too Much
Of course, you need to speak about yourself and answer the questions but an interview is also for LISTENING. Be sure to pay attention to what the interviewer is saying. An interview is not just a chance for a company to check you out. It’s also your chance to check out the company.
4. Not Speaking Enough
When the interviewer asks a question, you should NOT be answering with a one word answer or in very short sentences. Usually, you’ll want to answer the question and then discuss some supporting evidence for why you gave your answer. Prepare a few stories to discuss in advance of the interview.
5. Not Knowing the Language of the Industry
When you are interviewing for a position, you should have some knowledge of the business words and phrases used for that industry. It would be a mistake to go to a sales job interview if you don’t know the business meaning of words like: “leads”, “cold calling”, and “closing. Don’t go to an technical interview without understanding “requirements”, “production”and “QA” as well.
Sign up for a mock interview consultation with Language Shine
Tell anyone you’ve started a blog and you’ll inevitably get the question about how much money you’re making blogging. It’s pretty straightforward to answer how much money I made THIS MONTH. But it’s not at all easy to answer how much money you CAN make from blogging or how much you’re likely to earn in the future. It’s largely dependent on how much effort you put into being successful. But what could a person expect?
Different Way Bloggers Make Money
Well, there are many things to consider about making money from a website. There’s a great variety of ways to earn money. Here’s some that come to mind for me:
You can sell your own product
You can promote your own service (I do a bit of tutoring on the side)
You can promote a product of another company which is typically called affiliate marketing ( I promote a few services I have used and recommend)
You can run ads on your site and get paid for your views. ( I believe you need a lot of traffic for this to be profitable..probably not ideal for early on)
These are some of the fundamental ways to make cash from your website or blog. This blog “Getting Canned” seeks to provide entertainment and information about the experience of losing your job and I do hope to generate a bit of revenue from affiliate marketing to help keep the site running.
That means that on some of my pages, I refer to products or services like web hosting or scheduling software that I use and recommend. If someone clicks the links and signs up for a service, I can earn a commission. So how much have I earned from doing this so far?
Earnings From My Two Sites
Well I started this site in April 2018. So I’m about 3 months in and I’m just now starting to ring up a few commissions. I’ve helped refer others to sign up for web hosting and domain services and earned a few commissions that will pay out this month. The sales commissions were earned from either clicking my site links or me sending the customer the link directly. Here are screenshots of sales I’ll be paid for this month.
From Bluehost. I referred two signups and should earn $130.
Bluehost Affiliate earnings for the quarter
And I’ve had one signup for the host I am currently using to host this site, which is Siteground. This resulted in $50 of commissions.
Here’s earnings from Siteground affiliate program .
This felt pretty good to see earning commissions like this with minimal effort. Full disclosure: For web hosting signups, I typically have worked with the person to help them set up the site so it wasn’t totally passive income.
Earning my First Passive Income
I did earn my first passive income commission this month. Someone saw the value in the M1 Finance signup which paid out a commission of $100 to me. This resulted from them viewing my site and clicking the link. I wasn’t involved. To be honest, I didn’t even realize I earned this commission a few weeks ago because I’m a bit behind on my email. But how’s that for passive income? Thanks, fellow investor out there.
My first signup from M1 Finance
Dare to dream but perhaps someday I can earn the types of commissions that some of the top people do. It’s crazy to think some folks out there are making 10’s of thousands of dollars a month. Take for example Michelle Schroeder who made $136,000 last month from blogging.
So the question is could you generate income from blogging? This is capitalism so there are no guarantees. It will take a little luck and a good deal of hard work. Generally the harder you work, the luckier you’ll be. In my opinion, it’s certainly worth a shot. If you’ve been terminated and can spare around $90 that’s enough to get started. Ping me if you need help.
How To Get Started Making Money From Running a Web Site
The first step is signing up for web hosting. If you don’t feel like spending money and are tech-savvy, why not try Digital Ocean? Sign up here for a free $100 credit just for trying Digital Ocean.
Click here for a $100 Credit good towards hosting with Digital Ocean.
And What am I Doing With the Profit?
Some money gets reinvested back into the business and the rest gets invested into my new favorite no fee robo-advisor M1 Finance.
Disclosure: I have an affiliate partnership with M1 Finance, Digital Ocean and Siteground and may earn a commission on new signups over a certain threshold.
I sympathize with those that have ever been long-term unemployed. I experienced this myself several years ago. Back in the financial crisis of 2008, I found myself long-term unemployed for about two years before taking action that sent me to the other side of the planet.
It happened a few months after accepting a consulting position in a large batch of hires who were doing the same role in implementing software. After about five months, I terminated for somewhat dubious reasons. Regardless of the company stated cause for termination, it was my opinion that the company hired 25 people, knowing that the need was probably closer to 21. I think the first few months of employment was a vetting process to determine who would make the cut. I was getting paid significantly more than some of my coworkers, and I’ll be the first to admit, my skillset did not justify it at that time. I was let go.
The 2008 Financial Crisis Begins
But I wasn’t let go into any old job market. I was let go towards the end of 2008 – and towards the very beginning of the greatest financial crisis of my life which has since been called “The Great Recession.” Those that lived it know it would later become more like a depression. But at this time, no one could have known how big it was about to become.
I had worked ever since graduating in 2001 without any breaks and my initial attempts to find employment didn’t even yield any interviews. I didn’t panic.I figured this would be a few months off work to relax and finally have some me time. I foolishly thought I might be passive on the job search a bit and then in a month or two and when the job market picks up, I’ll rejoin the workforce. The job market did not pick up.
The Job Market Becomes Impossible
The job market continued to plunge into hopelessness. As the outlook became bleaker, my efforts increased. Every day became a ritual. Some time at the gym followed by some time at the coffee or tea shop sending resumes. After some time, what began to happen is every open position I came across I recognized as being one that I’d already applied to. I applied again. I was qualified for the positions. Sometimes I was overqualified. But the phone never rang, and recruiters never came.
Time progressed. Week after week; then month after month. A year had passed. I was officially long-term unemployed. The job market didn’t want me. To be fair, they didn’t want much of anyone else either but that was little consolation to me. I expanded my job search. Despite having a previous role consulting on software implementation, I was applying to positions in customer service and sales which I thought I might have a better chance. No luck.
They called it “The Great Recession” but for those living it, it felt like a Depression.
I continued to expand my job search this time thinking I would turn down no opportunity. I applied to retail positions. I applied to server positions at local restaurants and bars. I applied at McDonald’s. I wasn’t sure how my previous position in software implementation would affect my chances. My guess is that they wouldn’t want someone that had higher earning potential. But that’s all it was…potential.
There’s a cruel irony about being long-term unemployed. The very fact that you are long-term unemployed makes you MUCH less desirable to companies. Companies actually want the people that are currently working. The (incorrect) thinking is that if they are long-term unemployed it’s for a reason. They are the leftovers that no one wants and there is no reason to waste time even considering them. The reason this is incredibly wrong is this:
If you ever wanted to hire someone that is going to take the job seriously and give it everything they have, a person that has been long-term unemployed definitely knows the value of finding work. Because they know the feeling of not being able to find work.
So after two years of trying I started working on building a business. If I knew what I know now, I could have taken it somewhere but I just didn’t understand anything about marketing. As such, I abandoned the idea at the first sign of an opportunity to earn real money.
Things Finally Turn Around
After two years of searching and losing a sense of self, I honestly figured I wouldn’t ever see another W2 paystub again. But things changed and I was finally to be paid again. At an hourly rate that I had never anticipated. I accepted a job paying $600 an hour. But my earlier notion that I might never again see a W2 still remained plausible. For this $600/hour wasn’t in US currency.
Money Changing Colors like Tie Dye
I accepted a job teaching English in another country.
I flew overseas to go teach English in Taiwan. I’d never taught anything in my life and I would have figured I was ill-qualified to do so. But the school assured me this was the norm. I did well enough to remain overseas for a few years.
Taiwan
Living overseas was an eye-opening experience. Seeing how other cultures lived gave me a much different perspective on life. Why is it that I could visit an ER room and get stitches and walk out with some pain meds and without any insurance be stuck with a bill of less than $30? This would easily cost $1000 in the USA.
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Dealing With It
So what is the takeaway from my story? Well for one, if you find yourself long-term unemployed, you’ve simply got to think outside the box. Conventional thinking would be to keep hitting the job search. This was not too different from hitting your head on brick wall. Looking outside your own country is an option. But what else?
Knowing what I know NOW, I’d definitely consider other options. Like what?
Starting a business. I had a good business idea but I didn’t know how to market it. Thinking back, I don’t know why I didn’t do more research on learning HOW to market it. Google’s your friend right? Nothing was stopping me from searching how to market.
Freelancing. I could have taken my skillset which consisted of among other things knowledge of databases, systems, SQL, requirements gathering and looked for freelance work or any other type of non-job income.
Starting a blog. Regret. I know it’s not good to look back, but this was sort of the golden age of when blogging first blossomed. I had a good story and if I knew what I know now, I could have started a blog and made a good deal of money documenting my travels and earning some affiliate money. But later is better than never hence this blog.
Photo courtesy of https://catalog.archives.gov/id/541927
Vietnam is a great place to visit in Southeast Asia. If you’ve recently lost your job and are watching your budget, you’ll find Vietnam a very affordable place to stay for a good while and soak up asian culture.
Delicious and healthy pho is plentiful from a variety of street vendors at prices that are a steal. Vietnam is also known for a special type of “egg coffee”. I ate most meals in Hanoi for a price of around $1 to $2. Good luck finding meals for that price in the US! Vietnam is a destination that promises fun, affordability, and culture.
Pho for lunch in Hanoi, VietnamVietnamese Egg Coffee at a charming little cafe in Hanoi, Vietnam.
If you’re an American that has traveled abroad to several countries you’ll know that there’s a good list of countries Americans can visit with no visa. They will typically allow you to arrive and simply fill out visa on arrival paperwork and you’ll be on your way through the immigration gates to explore a new world.
Getting a Vietnam VISA
The Vietnam visa process is a bit more complicated. If you’ve done a bit of research online, you may be asking yourself “How do I get a Vietnam Visa on arrival?”
My initial research seemed to provide some conflicting answers so I’ll break out your options clearly. Here’s an overview based on my experience and a fair amount of research to combat the confusion.
The Streets of Hanoi are lively and busy
From my research, I discovered you have two main recommended choices on how to go about getting your Vietnam Visa.
One Country. Two recommended Visa Options
Visa Options for Vietnam
Get an E-Visa
For many, the best option is to first get an E-Visa. You need to go to the official Vietnam embassy website to get an e-visa. This can take a few days.
It’s relatively simple and will cost you just $25 for the e-visa. (It’s worth noting that there are several companies (some reputable some not) that have websites that seem to misrepresent themselves as representing Vietnam.)
The above site is the true Vietnam embassy site and the only one qualified to issue an e-visa directly. It seems like a great option as long as you have time. If you’re in a hurry, then you may want to consider the “visa on arrival” option below.
Visa on Arrival
The alternative option is the Visa on Arrival option. If you aren’t a planner and your trip is in a day or two, you’ll probably need to do this option. To get a visa on arrival, you’ll need a letter of approval from a travel company and pick up your visa at the airport. You’ll want to work with a company that can get you a letter of approval very quickly, often within one day depending on the company. There are several sites and companies that provide this service. See below for my experience using one.
Disclaimer: It’s also possible to go to the Vietnam embassy in your home country but I’ve been advised that this method can actually be quite costly. E-Visa is my method of choice.
Getting a Letter of Approval Notes
For option two,”visa on arrival”, there are a variety of sites that can assist with option three. With this option, you’ll pay a fee that varies for your approval letter. And then you’ll also need to pay for your visa on arrival.
This is the best option if you don’t have much time. This means after disembarking from the plane you’ll go to the visa area and you’ll probably need to wait a bit for them to review your letter of approval then process and issue the visa.
You’ll need to pay $25US or $520,000 Dong to get your actual visa. In my experience, we needed to wait about 30 minutes to get the visa processed and then we were free to head out and explore the exciting things to do in Hanoi
My experience with getting a letter of approval
We chose Vietnam Visa Pro to get our letter of approval. The approval letter really just acts as a sort of required first step to getting your visa on arrival. I’m not being compensated for this review so it’s unbiased.
The price was good. I got expedited service to get the letter of approval in a day for around $11. It came the next day in an email by PDF.
It should be noted there are several companies that run websites that do this. These sites aren’t government organizations but rather they are companies that are qualified to create your approval letter to make you eligible to get your Visa on arrival. You can’t get a visa on arrival without an approval letter so it’s a necessary step for the third option
Getting Around in Vietnam
It’s worth noting that as of December 2018, Uber is no longer available in South East Asia, including Vietnam. A nice alternative we discovered is Grab which is an Uber-like service. Sign up for Grab here, and get discounted rides. Or you can simply type in referral code: grabqnjfwbw4
Experiencing Vietnam Culture at Home
If you’re currently not up for the challenge of the long flight to get to Vietnam but still would like to try their amazing coffee, you can purchase it on Amazon here:
Once you have this you can easily make some Vietnamese style egg coffee by following instructions on youtube. Here’s a good tutorial.
If you speak Chinese, here’s a great page to get info on the Vietnam Visa process.
Modern life often has us on a treadmill that can make enjoying life a challenge. Our time typically falls into two categories throughout our careers. Gross oversimplification, but I’m talking about time employed and time unemployed. But there is a third category that arises once every few years for many people.
TIME WHILE EMPLOYED
“Time employed” is the default state of most adult lives with respect to where their time goes. You may have the money to live and enjoy life, but you don’t have the time. Even if you secure the time with an approved vacation, the time is often limited. Many office workers these days are uncomfortable taking more than 5 consecutive days off at a time.
Time to update our work culture.
This is at least partially for fear of losing their job. “If the company can get by without me for two weeks, maybe they’ll realize they don’t really need me” the thinking goes. The other rationale seems to be with keeping up the image and playing the game so to speak.
Even if you are brave and make your happiness and health a priority securing an extended two-week vacation, there is unintended baggage coming with you on your travels. Whether you check your luggage or do carry-on you’ll likely be bringing an unintended co-passenger; Workplace stress.
Even on a vacation, it takes some time to let go, unwind and truly relax. Even if you can relax and let it go, in the back of your mind is the knowledge that when you return, you’ll have 500 emails to catch up with and the dreaded return to the daily grind awaits.
Time off is great but it often creates a backlog of work that needs to be done when you return. A vacation is great but is there a better way? I think so. But first, let’s discuss the other time period.
TIME WHILE UNEMPLOYED
You’re unemployed. At last, you finally have some free time to come and go as you please. You can truly let go of all your work stresses and enjoy life. Travel and exploration is a possibility. Right?
Well, that would be the case except for one thing. You’ve likely occupied with finding your next job. You spend your days sending resumes, scheduling interviews, re-writing the resume. Good times for sure.
And while the free time being unemployed provides is great, it’s just not the time most of us feel comfortable spending any money since our next pay date is likey unknown.
THE GOLDEN EXCEPTION
Except for when we do know. This is what we might refer to as a golden time in life. The time when you’ve secured a new job but have not yet started. You’re not tied down to employment but you almost certainly have a paycheck in your near future. This time period can vary significantly but it’s usually between one week and a month by my estimates.
If there was ever a time to celebrate it’s in these two to four week period of employment limbo.
Here’s what I’m saying: Savor this time. It’s doesn’t typically happen so frequently in life for most of us. The time where you’re unencumbered by the constraints of current employment, yet secure in your career and financial future with a signed offer letter. Do all you can to stretch this time out as much as possible. If there was ever a time to celebrate it’s in this two to four weeks employment limbo.
Good fortune has shined on me as I have a free weeks before my next work project so travel will follow. I’ll post my findings with pics.
Well, one of the ideas of this blog has been validated. Getting canned can often result in putting you in a better situation in the long run. It took less than three weeks from my termination date, but I’ve now got a contract with a new employer that on first appearances seems to be better. But what’s interesting is that I’ve broken a few of the supposed rules of interviewing and still go the job.
Rule #1 You Need A High- Quality Well fitting tailored suit.
Our consumer culture would have us believe that we ought to spend probably somewhere between $500 to $1,500 for a quality suit and have it tailored to present an excellent fit in order to showcase our best selves. My theory was that the value of expensive suiting up is WAY overstated. In reality, I believe you need only to present as well groomed, clean, and basically not stick out with any egregious fashion mistakes. Don’t show up to an interview with khakis and short sleeve dress shirt for example.
So what did I wear? Well…unfortunately, my previous years of sitting in the office caused some weight gain and I no longer fit in the fancy tailored suit I bought just about 5 years ago. I didn’t really have the time nor the inclination to drop $700 on a new suit and wait for the fitting. So I went to my local JC Penny’s. I found a plain black suit jacket and pants for around $160. The fit was…ummm…not horrible. But definitely not ideal. The material was ok. It was just good enough to not stick out and be embarrassing but I’m sure a super in the know fashionista could rip me to shreds. But that’s the point. I’m not trying to impress someone from GQ. I’m trying to have a conversation about my skillset.
Getting up early for an interview after not working was difficult. Disclaimer: I’m not this pretty.
The Shoes
If you’re going to invest somewhere, shoes might be the place. A good quality pair of dress shoes are worth spending on and maintaining. It occurred to me when putting on my shoes, that I’ve used these shoes for previous interviews and just a few formal events going back all the way to 2004. Yeah. I guess that makes these shoes 14 years old. And they’ve held up well (not wearing too often will help with that). If you’re curious these shoes are a pair of Cole Haan’s.
The Tie
The Tie is your chance to shine and another place where you might want to invest a little. I think it makes more sense to have a nice pair of shoes that last and a quality tie for maybe $65 than to spend a grand on a suit. Make sure it matches your shirt well.
Rule #2 Have a Well Prepared Story about How it Ended with Past Job.
Truthfully it didn’t really even come up. I glossed over it at one point. After four years at my previous employer, it was time to move on. The reality is, an intelligent manager knows that sometimes employees get fired for reasons that aren’t entirely their own fault. They were a whistleblower and called out bad behavior at a previous employer, they stood up to inept management, they rocked the boat politically and their behavior highlighted revealed another employee’s inefficient process. It needn’t be a death sentence for the career. It could just be the universes pushing you along to where you should be next.
Rule #3 Bring in a Fancy Notepad Portfolio
I actually forgot a notepad and borrowed a simple notepad from the contracting consultant that presented me to the client. Wasn’t an issue.
Knowing your field well is going to help you out a lot more than your choice of pinstripe or solid suit color.
The bottom line here is that for most positions that aren’t image sensitive (sales, modeling, politics) content trumps treating the interview like a fashion show. Knowing your field well is going to help you out a lot more than your choice of pinstripe or solid suit color. Whether to tie a traditional or Windsor knot. But yeah these things don’t hurt.
Have you ever taken a look at some of the folks that have hung around an office a bit too long and made it all the way to traditional retirement age? It’s not always a pretty sight. Maybe getting fired from your job is a blessing in disguise. Work takes its toll. Decades of sitting at a desk for 8 to 9 hours a day does things to your posture. The endless motivational office sweets result in extra pounds.
Not good for the physique. Let’s look at ways office life is slowly killing you.
Sitting all Day
You typical office job will have you at a desk for about 8 to 9 hours a day with maybe a few brief moments of activity for bathroom breaks or to go to a meeting. Taking lunch is an option typically available, but these days a lot of office workers are too focused on “Being a Brand Ambassador” for the company and maintaining that image of not lifting your nose from the grindstone. Setting aside the fact that this often isn’t worth it from a pay perspective, we also ought to consider the additional cost to our health.
“Man.
Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money.
Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.
And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present;
the result being that he does not live in the present or the future;
he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.” -Ghandi
If you must continue to grind it out at the office, do everything you can to get up and walk around as much as possible. Frequent breaks and trips to the restroom are a strategy. Get out and walk during lunch. Some coworkers and your boss could judge you but it’s your body and it’s your right and responsibility to move around and stay healthy. What’s the worst that can happen? They might fire you. Well, you could file for unemployment.
Lack of exercise
It’s true that work doesn’t take up all your waking hours. So we can all exercise after work right? Well, work can take up more then you think. While we might be at work for 8 to 9 hours, other work-related things are grabbing a bit more of our time.
From the time you wake up until you arrive at work, you’re typically spending your time in preparation of work. Showering, shaving, making yourself pretty. Getting in a quick breakfast if there’s time and then hitting the road to do battle with traffic in order to arrive at your palace of productivity. The time required for this typically ranges from around 30 minutes to two hours for most of us. It’s not so easy to squeeze in exercise during this time, but if you can you’ll be better off
After work ends, we’ve got the dreaded 5 o’clock traffic commute home which can range from 20 minutes to an hour for most. After this, there’s some time for exercise but most will be ready to make or buy dinner.
Exercise isn’t impossible here but the point, I’m getting at is that we often dedicate around 10 to 11 hours a day towards doing our office job and then the few hours left before bed have left us needing some time to unwind, relax, or enjoy ourselves which makes exercise fall off the list of priorities.
The Office Diet
Looking around many offices, you’ll see….well…not the same levels of health you’ll find from swimsuits. Different shapes and sizes and lumps right? It’s mostly attributed to the office diet. Quick lunches from fast food drive-throughs. Bringing processed crappy food. Snacking from vending machines. And of course, the infamous office snacks that are typically brought: Cake, muffins, chocolate, candies, etc etc.
So What to do?
How can we maintain good health while working in an office? Well if you’ve recently been fired, this is at least something you can be happy about. You’ll no longer be sitting down for eight hours a day letting the body fall apart. Get out and exercise and move around. Spend your days cooking healthy food and enjoying your day. But for the rest of us.. here are just a few ideas.
Compression Socks
It could be time to consider some countermeasures. Have you ever heard of compression socks? Images of old men with socks pulled up to their knees come to mind. Well, these socks are designed to basically be very tight and the pressure they exert on the lower legs improves blood pressure and prevents clouting while improving circulation around the body. This is especially helpful if you’re having to sit for 8 hours a day. They’re also great for if you’re traveling long distances by planes. They actually don’t have to be styled like old man socks and professional runners wear them as well. (This made me feel a bit less old about getting a pair..ohh shoot did I just tell people I own a pair..err). Here’s what they look like and where to get a good priced pair at Amazon.
Take Walks
It kind of goes without saying, but put yourself first. Without regard to what your company cultures likes, get up as often as feasible to walk around. Walk on your lunch. Hit the bathroom or go to meetings as much as your freedom allows.
Consider a standing desk.
These days companies are a bit more concerned about their employee’s health. (Or concerned about potential future backlash and lawsuits by neglecting health.) . There is at least some chance your employer may provide you with a standing desk. If they don’t there’s still the option of purchasing one for your home so at least you can do some computer work while standing. Reasonable options exist.
Say “NO” to the Office Sweets
It takes willpower but the sugary snacks most offices promote to pick you up in the afternoon cost you in terms of weight gain and health decline. Bring some healthy food to snack on instead. It will improve your health and probably be better for your pocketbook as well.
Consider Freelancing
Consider freelancing as you move towards achieving FI. There’s still money to be made from blogging also. I’m three months into it and have generated a few hundred dollars so far.
Say “NO” to the Office Sweets