Just When Things Were Getting Better

DallasBlack wrote:

I can make it in the automotive field, I know it. I just need one more chance. Unfortunatly, I may not be given that second chance. It has only been four days but I have put in over 15 applications to auto jobs, parts jobs, and porter jobs. I've only had one reply from the porter job and it was a rejection letter. The porter is the bottom of the ladder in the automotive field. All they do is drive cars to and from the shop and prep the cars for the mechanics to drive the vehicle and for the customer to get them back. Now there is a small chance they thought I was overqualified for that job but there is the nagging doubt that my dissmissal is a factor.

Just be honest with them; they will appreciate your honesty and your proactive nature by taking a step back in your career to try and get better experience with the job. The combination of responsibility and honesty there would make you much more desirable. I think you can make it, DB, and with this amount of motivation and initiative, I think you'll make it far. Bext of luck to you, and keep us updated!

holydiver97595 wrote:

DallasBlack wrote:

I can make it in the automotive field, I know it. I just need one more chance. Unfortunatly, I may not be given that second chance. It has only been four days but I have put in over 15 applications to auto jobs, parts jobs, and porter jobs. I've only had one reply from the porter job and it was a rejection letter. The porter is the bottom of the ladder in the automotive field. All they do is drive cars to and from the shop and prep the cars for the mechanics to drive the vehicle and for the customer to get them back. Now there is a small chance they thought I was overqualified for that job but there is the nagging doubt that my dissmissal is a factor.

Just be honest with them; they will appreciate your honesty and your proactive nature by taking a step back in your career to try and get better experience with the job. The combination of responsibility and honesty there would make you much more desirable. I think you can make it, DB, and with this amount of motivation and initiative, I think you'll make it far. Bext of luck to you, and keep us updated!

yep. Underplaying or trying to gloss over stuff may get you in the door, but when things are found out it can lead to ugliness.

I have no intention of holding anything back. Honesty is what got me the job at Honda so I'm sure it will help me again. I have a job interview with a place called Car Spa today and I plan on telling them what happened and hope for the best.

DallasBlack wrote:

I have no intention of holding anything back. Honesty is what got me the job at Honda so I'm sure it will help me again. I have a job interview with a place called Car Spa today and I plan on telling them what happened and hope for the best.

Hope it goes well....Honesty is always the best route. Yet, it is one thing to tell the truth if asked, volunteering information usually isn't the wisest choice.

Well, my mom who has a lot of experience with Human Resourses tells me that I don't have to tell anyone the reason I no longer work with Honda and they can't say anything but verify the dates that I worked there. I will from this point forward when asked why I no longer work at Honda, answer that I left over a difference of opinion.

I will not go into any detail of the mistakes I made. For one thing, at the job interview when I went into detail of what happened, he came back and said there were no job openings at this time and that he would keep my application at the top of the stack. I could say I was fired from Honda because I refused to pay that large amount they were asking from me (after all, even my fellow mechanics that have been doing this for several years told me they'd quit before paying that much).

DallasBlack wrote:

Pissed off I went to finish the oil change and started talking to a co-worker who informed me from a contact of his that Firestone was hiring and he gave me some other job leads. In this process I forgot to put oil in the car and put the oil cap back on. This was considered the last straw and I was later told they were letting me go. They have a three strikes policy and I thought I only had two (the engine blowing up and the latest one) but apparently unbeknownst to me, I had one before all that.

DallasBlack wrote:

I have no intention of holding anything back. Honesty is what got me the job at Honda so I'm sure it will help me again.

DallasBlack wrote:

I will from this point forward when asked why I no longer work at Honda, answer that I left over a difference of opinion

lol

mc666 wrote:

DallasBlack wrote:

Pissed off I went to finish the oil change and started talking to a co-worker who informed me from a contact of his that Firestone was hiring and he gave me some other job leads. In this process I forgot to put oil in the car and put the oil cap back on. This was considered the last straw and I was later told they were letting me go. They have a three strikes policy and I thought I only had two (the engine blowing up and the latest one) but apparently unbeknownst to me, I had one before all that.

DallasBlack wrote:

I have no intention of holding anything back. Honesty is what got me the job at Honda so I'm sure it will help me again.

DallasBlack wrote:

I will from this point forward when asked why I no longer work at Honda, answer that I left over a difference of opinion

lol

Hey, now
That's not telling a lie; it's just not telling the whole truth, which he doesn't have to do. After all, his old employer didn't tell him the whole truth about their poor quality management, so how does he know what these other places will have? May as well not screw up any chances; but if they ask for details, I assume you'd tell them the full story, right DB? Right?!

holydiver97595 wrote:

mc666 wrote:

DallasBlack wrote:

Pissed off I went to finish the oil change and started talking to a co-worker who informed me from a contact of his that Firestone was hiring and he gave me some other job leads. In this process I forgot to put oil in the car and put the oil cap back on. This was considered the last straw and I was later told they were letting me go. They have a three strikes policy and I thought I only had two (the engine blowing up and the latest one) but apparently unbeknownst to me, I had one before all that.

DallasBlack wrote:

I have no intention of holding anything back. Honesty is what got me the job at Honda so I'm sure it will help me again.

DallasBlack wrote:

I will from this point forward when asked why I no longer work at Honda, answer that I left over a difference of opinion

lol

Hey, now
That's not telling a lie; it's just not telling the whole truth, which he doesn't have to do.

using his own words, what happened: "they were letting me go" & what he was going to say: "I left". that would be a lie.

i'm not judging though. you gotta do what you gotta do to survive. i'm just glad i make it a point to contact an applicants former employers. bet your ass the real info is disclosed, it just isn't the "official" reason for turning down the applicant.

Quote :

i'm just glad i make it a point to contact an applicants former employers

From what I understand of the law here in Texas, former employers can only verify the time's worked there, they can't say much else.

Quote :

I have no intention of holding anything back. Honesty is what got me the job at Honda so I'm sure it will help me again.

Quote :

I will from this point forward when asked why I no longer work at Honda, answer that I left over a difference of opinion

The first one was said because I thought that if they found out I was lying that it would be worse than if I told the truth. However, according to my mom (who has been in human resources for over 15 years in Texas), the only way they can know that I was fired for that reason is if I volunteer the information. For the next few job interviews I get I will tell them the incident with the engine damage had Honda asking for $3500 in damages and I refused to pay that (yes a lie, but since my last incident was from the fact they were asking that much it's not too far from the truth). However, if I don't get a new job from any of those interviews, then I will have no choice but not to tell them I got fired. I don't like lying but as you said, I gotta do what I gotta do to survive.

If all else fails, I could always go for a CDL licence and drive a truck, but that is a last resort. If in two months I don't get an automotive job I will take the plunge. Who knows? I might end up loving the life of a trucker.

DallasBlack wrote:

If all else fails, I could always go for a CDL licence and drive a truck, but that is a last resort. If in two months I don't get an automotive job I will take the plunge. Who knows? I might end up loving the life of a trucker.

Yeah, just don't ever try to change oil on one of those rigs!!

kmorg wrote:

DallasBlack wrote:

If all else fails, I could always go for a CDL licence and drive a truck, but that is a last resort. If in two months I don't get an automotive job I will take the plunge. Who knows? I might end up loving the life of a trucker.

Yeah, just don't ever try to change oil on one of those rigs!!

Sorry Dallas - it's all in fun you know.


Back to the top at hand. Dude, driving a truck might not be so bad for you. You never know right? Do you like road trips? Not to mention ... you can air guitar to your headphones all day and all night !!!

DallasBlack wrote:

If all else fails, I could always go for a CDL licence and drive a truck, but that is a last resort. If in two months I don't get an automotive job I will take the plunge. Who knows? I might end up loving the life of a trucker.

good way to be positive and keep an open mind. I know I have thought I was destined for one career for my entire life and after time, other things have appeared.

Metallic Blaze wrote:

Sorry Dallas - it's all in fun you know.

I know, I'm even relaxed enough now to make fun of myself. The hardest part was telling my dad what happened, but he turned out to take it a LOT better than I thought he would (I suspect when I told him about the engine damage he thought something like this would happen).

Metallic Blaze wrote:

Do you like road trips?

I love road trips but I'm apprehensive of driving something that big, especially when hitting traffic (figuratively of course ).

DallasBlack wrote:

Metallic Blaze wrote:

]Do you like road trips?

I love road trips but I'm apprehensive of driving something that big, especially when hitting traffic (figuratively of course ).

Well, it could be literally, depending on how apprehensive you are!

holydiver97595 wrote:

DallasBlack wrote:

Metallic Blaze wrote:

]Do you like road trips?

I love road trips but I'm apprehensive of driving something that big, especially when hitting traffic (figuratively of course ).

Well, it could be literally, depending on how apprehensive you are!

Well, I'm sure if I crush all the traffic cones during the test drives they won't give me a CDL.

DallasBlack wrote:

holydiver97595 wrote:

DallasBlack wrote:

Metallic Blaze wrote:

]Do you like road trips?

I love road trips but I'm apprehensive of driving something that big, especially when hitting traffic (figuratively of course ).

Well, it could be literally, depending on how apprehensive you are!

Well, I'm sure if I crush all the traffic cones during the test drives they won't give me a CDL.

Ill get out of your way

Well, there is some good news. I got my final large paycheck and they didn't take any money out. I'm glad because if they tried to withold it, I'd have to raise some hell.

DallasBlack wrote:

I might end up loving the life of a trucker.

But what do you love now? What would you like to do with your life right now? Choosing a career path that you might love is a bad way to approach things.

Eyesore wrote:

DallasBlack wrote:

I might end up loving the life of a trucker.

But what do you love now? What would you like to do with your life right now? Choosing a career path that you might love is a bad way to approach things.

Problem is I don't know what I can do for a living that I love. I've always been a dreamer (up until my mid-20s) and only thought of being the vocalist of a band. I went into business after the Navy as a fall back but ended up dropping out. After a while I figure go into automotive because I don't mind hard work and enjoy working with my hands. If I can't get an automotive job then my options are limited. Either cut my hair and join the police force which I know I don't want to do, work a full-time and part-time retail job which will leave me with no chance of ever having a real life outside of work, or become a truck driver which I'm not sure of. It's either do what I know I will hate or do something I have a chance of liking. I still want an automotive career so I will continue to try to achieve that, but if because of my past mistakes an automotive career is no longer an option, I will have to take the unkown route. If my dad was wealthy or at least upper middle class I could continue living at his house til I get that third chance or figure something else out, but he is barely middle class and time is running short.

Being a trucker is cool if you don't mind being alone all the time. I know you have said you want a social life...

Getting a CDL doesn't just limit you to being an over-the-road trucker, driving miles and miles by yourself. Road construction, dumptrucks and stuff, also requires a CDL, but you're still home at night. Or delivery trucks, like UPS.



Or driving a bus. No shame in that. Look at the luxurious life Ralph Kramden led.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Getting a CDL doesn't just limit you to being an over-the-road trucker, driving miles and miles by yourself. Road construction, dumptrucks and stuff, also requires a CDL, but you're still home at night. Or delivery trucks, like UPS.



Or driving a bus. No shame in that. Look at the luxurious life Ralph Kramden led.

I thought he was leaning toward the Sylvester Stallone "Over the Top" truck driver thing.

What about being a postman? They get paid well. Trashmen are paid very well, too. Seriously. My cousin does it, and usually you're done for the day when you finish your route but you get paid for a full day's work. Plus, if you do a rich neighborhood like he does, you get all kinds of free stuff because rich people apparently throw away brand new things all the time.

Eyesore wrote:

What about being a postman? They get paid well. Trashmen are paid very well, too. Seriously. My cousin does it, and usually you're done for the day when you finish your route but you get paid for a full day's work. Plus, if you do a rich neighborhood like he does, you get all kinds of free stuff because rich people apparently throw away brand new things all the time.

i did a summer intern project riding with the trashmen in my town and it is a good job. People associate it with mindless gruntwork but it was eye-opening to me, although it didnt smell very good.

Eyesore is right - the amount of stuff you can get is out of this world...