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newtsckamander:

suaimhneas-peace:

emeraldboreas:

a-windsor:

mellivorinae:

a-windsor:

mellivorinae:

OH MY GOD whyyyy did no one tell me you’re supposed to send thank-yous after interviews?? Why would I do that???

“Thank you for this incredibly stressful 30 minutes that I have had to re-structure my entire day around and which will give me anxiety poos for the next 24 hours.”

I HATE ETIQUETTE IT’S THE MOST IMPOSSIBLE THING FOR ME TO LEARN WITHOUT SOMEONE DIRECTLY TELLING ME THIS SHIT

NO ONE TOLD YOU???? WTF! I HAVE FAILED YOU. Also: Dear ______: Thank you so much for the opportunity to sit down with you (&________) to discuss the [insert job position]. I am grateful to be considered for the position. I think I will be a great fit at [company name], especially given my experience in __________. [insert possible reference to something you talked about, something that excited you.] I look forward to hearing from you [and if you are feeling super confident: and working together in the future]. Sincerely, @mellivorinae

THIS IS A LIFESAVING TEMPLATE

YOU ARE WELCOME

My brother got a really great paid internship one summer. The guy who hired him said the deciding factor was the professional thank you letter my brother sent after the interview.

should it be an email? or like a physical letter?

email, you want to send it within a few hours at max after the interview if you can so it’s fresh in their mind who you are. 

Confirmed! I interviewed for a job right after arriving in NY. The interview went incredibly well, and I went home and immediately wrote a thank you letter and put it in the mail. I had a super good feeling about this interview.

I didn’t get the job.

However, a few weeks later, I was called in to interview with another editor in the same company, and I did get that job. I found out later from the initial editor (the one who didn’t hire me) that he had planned to offer me the job, but since I didn’t follow up with a thank you letter, he assumed I didn’t really want it. He offered the job to another contender–but when he got my letter in the mail shortly after the offer had already been made, he went to HR and gave me a glowing recommendation. It was based on that recommendation that I got called in for the second interview.

So: send an email thank you immediately (same day!) after the interview. If you’re feeling extra, go ahead and send a written one too. OR go immediately to a coffee shop, write the letter, and return to the office and give it to the secretary.

Either way, those letters are important.

Pro tip: If you really want HR to develop a personal interest in your application, publicly thank them on linkedin. Just make a short post telling your network about how X recruiter really went above and beyond to make you feel welcome, or about how be accommodating and professional they were, or whatever. Make sure to use the mention feature so they’ll get a notification and see it. 

Flattery will get you everywhere… and public flattery that might make its way back to their manager, doubly so.

Obligatory plug for one of FreePrintable.net’s sites: ThankYouLetter.ws. They have a whole section with interview thank you letter templates, and a page with specific tips for interview thank you letters. (There are also tons of other letter templates if you browse around a bit.)

As a former professional recruiter and recruiting manager, I confirm, especially for entry-level positions, where you are competing with oodles of people. This little thing can make a difference. Also the fact that, maybe, you took time to google the “interview etiquette”.

SIGNAL BOOST

The post-interview thank you notes can be a good way to recover in case you got asked a question whose answer you either didn’t know or felt was super weak. So if you follow the above given template, jump in with something like “upon further thought to your question, here’s my revised answer.” 

But yeah always send a thank you note after an interview. It’s a small thing but it makes a hell of a difference. And def send thank you messages to any recruiters who may have helped. And also after you get the job. Small things like that really go a long long way.

selkierot:

caecilius-est-pater:

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lavendersucculents:

When you guys have visited potential apartments, what kind of questions did you ask besides the basics like what rent and utilities include?

Here are questions I didn’t ask but should have: what does the basement look like?

What measures are taken to secure the building ?

Are the walls thin?
Brief info of who lives in the building. Are they college kids? People that work through the day? Elderly? Is it a mix?
Where does the garbage go?

Can I pay rent bi-weekly?
What kind of fuses does the apartment use? (My fuse box is in the basement. If I blow a fuse I have to replace it myself. They screw until the box. All of which I didn’t know until it happend and I was sitting in the dark suddenly)

Who do I call for repairs? (If it’s a private rental)
Am I allowed to paint the walls?
Is there any additional storage?
Do you do regular pest control?

count the outlets, ask about recycling policies, ask if there’s a noise restriction (nothing loud after midnight, everything goes on the weekend, etc)

LAUNDRY FACILITIES
Definitely ask about security
Whether subletting is allowed (esp if you’re in college and might want to sublet for the summer)
If you have a car, whether there’s parking/how much it costs
What kind of heating/AC there is
Procedure/response time for any maintenance
How mail/packages are received/protected from theft (seriously people stealing your packages can be a huge problem)
What kind of verification of your salary will they want, and in what circumstances will they accept a guarantor instead?
Whether the apartment is furnished

Assuming you are in the middle of looking at/choosing between places:
When does the lease start? Are you going to give preference to people based on when they can move in?
Whether groups of a certain number of people get preference
Really anything about who they prioritize for applications, it can save you a lot of trouble in trying to apply to places you’ll never get into

not something for asking the realtors, necessarily, but important rights you should be aware of as a tenant:

when and for what reasons are your landlords allowed to enter your home? how much of a notice should they give you before entering?

can the landlord make modifications to your home or apartment without your approval? to what extent?

what are the options and conditions for breaking your lease early if there’s an emergency? (this is ESPECIALLY important for anyone moving to a new state/considerable distance where you are not able to visit the apartment/home before you rent – students get taken advantage of ALL THE TIME with this shit)

if your first or last month at the property is a partial stay (i.e. you move in on july 15th, and rent is typically due on the first) make sure you don’t pay the full first month’s rent before you know the area laws! in many states, you are only legally required to pay for the time you are occupying the property

is renter’s insurance necessary? many apartments want at least 30k coverage, which can run a couple hundred dollars extra per year

are the landlords/property management liable for crimes on the property? for example, if your car was broken into. if not GET RENTER’S INSURANCE

-ask if there’s any property upkeep you can do to get a bit off the rent (aka, can they take 100$ off the monthly rent if you maintain the lawns/garden, etc.) 

-ask if there’s been any consistent/frequent trouble with electricity/internet connectivity/cable if you have it

-what KIND of electricity? 

-what kind of heating (hot water/electric)

-how secure is the neighborhood (if you don’t know) 

-ANY PLUMBING ISSUES? check ALL the fucking taps, the showers, EVERYTHING WITH WATER to make sure it all works right. 

-ANY PLUMBING ISSUES? check ALL the fucking taps, the showers, EVERYTHING WITH WATER to make sure it all works right. 

I CANNOT SECOND THIS ENOUGH.

ALSO

- who last lived here? why did they leave?

- Do they charge an “amenities fee” (Around here you can’t avoid them at all now, but some places you might still be able to)

- Do they have a policy on rent increases? (Also check if there’s a legal limit to rent increases in the area).

- Are utilities paid in a separate check or with the rent?

- Are utilities metered or pro-rated (in older buildings it’s common to be charged by square footage and/or number of occupants, which can leave you subsidizing the people who turn the a/c down to 60 in the summer or the heat up to 80 in the winter - you may not be able to avoid this but it’s worth trying).

- Are there any switched circuits in the apartment. Buildings built in the late sixties through the early eighties often have switched circuits. If they do, then with the number of devices used these days you will probably have to have something important on the switched circuit - tape the switch in the on position! (Trust me).

- What are the rules on hanging pictures?

- Who is responsible for paying for and replacing bulbs in permanent fixtures? If it’s you and there’s a fixture with weird/unusual bulbs (globe style, chandelier style, etc) ask where you can buy the bulbs.

- What are the rules about pets? Do they have breed specific restrictions on dogs? Size restrictions on fish tanks? (Believe it or not that’s not uncommon).

This will be so useful once my lease is up thanks tumblr ☺️🙏🏾

If you have roommates, even if they’re your friends, ask what happens if one person moves out. Who is responsible for their rent? What about security deposit, how much is it and what do you have to do to document existing damages before you move in?

- It’s boring as hell, but read the lease before you sign it! Ask questions and clarify anything you notice that seems weird or that you don’t understand. I had a landlord that required I get the carpets professionally steam cleaned (which I didn’t realize until we were moving out because I didn’t read the entire lease) and another that tried to keep part of my security deposit because I didn’t pay for professional cleaning, but we got the money back because it wasn’t part of their lease that we’d signed.

- Take pictures/make detailed notes about damages already present on move-in. Add additional sheets to what they give you if needed because chances are they’re going to be just as nitpicky when you move out to try and keep part of your security deposit.

- An addition to the hanging pictures - ask what they allow you to use (nails/screws or tape only) and whether they want you to repair the holes to keep part of your deposit. If you’re planning to wall mount your TV, ask specifically about using molly bolts because they’re going to leave a much larger hole than a picture nail.

Not necessarily a question to ask but, if you’re looking at a big apartment complex take a walk around the property, going past the leasing office and past the unit they show you. This is ESPECIALLY important if you’re going to a pet friendly place. Are the walking paths cracked and broken? Is there dog poop everywhere? Are large branches littering walking paths? Are the trash bins for pet waste full?

It seems trivial but how they maintain the bits of property not facing the public is a decent indicator of how attentive they’ll be to your unit. The area around the leasing office is usually kept pristine, but it can get worse the deeper into your property you go.

Check your cell reception, especially if you’re looking at a lower floor or inner-courtyard apartment. If you get no cell phone reception, make sure you know whether or not you can get a signal extender from your provider (or a landline). 

Ask about package delivery: do all packages get delivered to the front office, and you have to pick them up during business hours? Are packages just dumped in the general vicinity of a shared porch? Is there a secure package mailbox? 

Check the voltage supported by the circuit breaker (related to one of the earlier comments). Two apartments ago I lived in a place with such low-power outlets that my off-the-shelf hair dryer regularly tripped the circuit breaker. 

If you get lucky and the current occupant(s) are there when you have your viewing, ask the occupant(s) questions. They’re the ones who actually know what it’s like to live there - and they’re much less likely to lie to you since they have nothing to gain from it. Ask them how much utilities generally cost (very very important please learn from my mistakes), what are the neighbors like, noise levels, etc., all the stuff people have already suggested. 

But if you get really lucky and the landlord or whoever isn’t there, like say you show up early and the tenant lets you in, ask about the landlord. What are they like, do they do a good job, do things get repaired quickly, have they had any problems, etc. Having a crazy and/or incompetent landlord is a dealbreaker. You will suffer.

Dont forget to inspect underneath sinks and inside cabinets for either mouse poop or brown tear drop stains. Those are signs of a cockroach infestation or a prior one. Remember to ask about what the landlord does or plans to do if you see signs of these.

noblecrumpet-dorkvision:

When telling your D&D campaign’s story and describing it’s setting, it’s important to remember that being vague or ambiguous can not only be okay, but important to creating an evocative world.

How to Use Ambiguity

Legends and Myths. Your setting has a history, and being ambiguous about the details can help hint at it without exposing it discreetly. When you are ambiguous, a statement can have two or more different interpretations. When you use this with a legend or myth, it creates something of a mystery for players. Did the event actually take place or is it a fable? Is there something else behind the story? What other stories are there? It makes the world seem bigger and more full despite being objectively LESS full by you giving the players less information. The players fill in the blanks mentally and you have less work to do to make the world seem fantastic.

Furthermore, you can use your ambiguity to allow… not a loophole, per se, but a bit of flexibility to your world. If you aren’t sure what to do with the legend or what it means, you can present it to the players and let them draw their own conclusions. Then later, the players’ suspicions can either be confirmed or turned on their head, depending on what you need for the story.

Dramatic Encounters. Ambiguity creates tension. Think about the Dark Lord trope in fantasy stories. How much do you know about this Big Bad? It’s often very little. You learn about them through the ripples of their influence or about ancient evil events that took place or cursed rings they’ve created. You don’t have all the relevant information. You might not know their powers, their plans, or even their identity, but it looms like a shadow over the protagonists’ shoulders.

You can utilize this ambiguity to create drama for future encounters as long as you place the seeds early. Also take care not to explicitly define an encounter by a specific creature that can be looked up in the Monster Manual. If you tell the PCs the big-bad is a Balor named Gelvanox that leads an army of fiends, the players know “okay, we need to be like level 16 and need to avoid fire magic, got it.” If, instead, you tell the players the villain is named Gelvanox and commands an army called the Red Legion that has already destroyed the kingdom of the elves, players pause. They don’t have any mechanical info anymore. They don’t know the species of the villain, they don’t know what forces they command, but it was apparently enough to wipe out a kingdom. They still have names to attribute to the enemy (red legion, gelvanox) so they can begin to gather information. Until they discover the nature of the villain, there is tension.

Create Landmarks. Use ambiguity to establish footholds in the setting. Normally, landmarks are things people can use to find their bearings in an environment. Here, they do the same. An ambiguous piece of information about the setting helps players find their place in the world. Players don’t have to ever visit a location or ever meet a person in your setting to learn about it. They can learn about the influence that person or place has on the setting from afar. Once the PCs have some ambiguous information, they can decide what it means in their own story. There is a dwarven kingdom to the southeast that trades ores with this city, therefore this city lacks in ore and any dwarves here may have come from there. The world now seems bigger, more connected, and we can draw implications from the information. That dwarven kingdom becomes a mental landmark for the players to reference and help situate themselves.

How Not to Use It

Ambiguity without Context. Without enough information, player don’t know how an ambiguous statement about the setting affects them or affects the story. Without context, players can’t draw any conclusions about the setting and no tension is created. Players have to know certain facts to make ambiguity work:

• How it affects the players: is it a threat to them? is it something they want or need?
• How it affects the world: what implications does this information have on the setting? How does learning this information help the players?
• How it affects the story: How does this information further the overarching plot? Does it alter or increase the tension, stakes, or agency for the players?

False Tension. Ambiguity is defined by on bit of information having multiple plausible implications or truths. If players can’t draw conclusions from your ambiguous hints, then they are just vague or nonsense. Hiding something just for the sake of hiding it doesn’t help the story if the players can’t draw anything from it. Even if you are hiding a big revelation for your mystery story, you can’t just not tell the players anything about the revelation until the very end! Players won’t know what they are looking for or what they are trying to figure out. If you are ambiguous, the players will have multiple leads to follow, but only one is correct. Then you can add a twist after they follow said lead if you must have something to raise the stakes.

In my online D&D campaign, I have a vague and mysterious cult that I wanted to be pulling strings beneath the surface. The only problem is that if the cult is too good at their job the players won’t even be aware of their influence. I had to come up with something ambiguous to plant. So the players were sent by the city to investigate cult activity. There were no real leads in their swamp temple, but on their way back to the city they found a body. The body was wearing cult robes but wore signs of being from the city they were sent from and signs they died from stabbing before they donned the robe. This was VERY ambiguous. Is the cult being framed by the city, or are the cultists themselves from the city? It’s vague enough to know there’s shady shit going down. Now the players just discovered a cultist in the city beneath a brothel filled with succubi, apparently their summoner, so the tension has paid off and the stakes are higher; they have indeed infiltrated the city.

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So use ambiguity to help define your setting, set up drama, and make your world seem more epic than you have time or energy for, just be sure the players get enough information and can draw meaningful conclusions from what you’ve given them.