Long shot: Anyone here work for Fender (Corporate)?

[Zooberwerx]

Hatch a fake RMA # and ship yourself to the warranty / repair dept. in a cardboard carton.

Riis

 

[Stranger Danger]

I would suggest a time machine and going back to a better economy. Nobody is actually hiring anymore. You just said admitted it in your post about AI looking over the resume. Only a matter of time before a big Corp like Fender implements it fully and making the human hands, obsolete.

P.S. Not all that glitters is gold. Never meet your heroes.

Lots of people are hiring. You just have to have a marketable skill set

 

[LordRyan]

I miss the days when you went to the company and filled out and submitted your application in person. I applied at Fender in 1973. My plan was to go there every day until they hired me. I got hired on the second visit.

 

[Hillie]

Even though we are a technical company, we probably weigh the behavioral side as much. You will be working with people., however technical the field is. Also, anyone can list a litany of work experiences but we will look for your impact. Consider this, I wrote a program with 1 million lines of code versus I wrote an application that improved warehouse logistics by 20% in the first year versus I wrote an application that was well received by the warehouse team due to the usability and improved productivity by 20% and contributing to sales increase of 3%.

THIS! Everybody writes about what they did, few write about what they achieved.

I use to be very technology specific when I was younger like I will ask people to write on a white board a Bayesian probability model in C++, but that doesn't really benefit anyone except my own ego as an interviewer. With chatbots and the new things they teach now, I will look for problem solving skills and their decision process more than anything else

Same here. I've probably done a few hundred interviews and tech phone screens and instead of throwing some oddball academic algorithmic problem down that the interviewee may or may not have studied and readily available for replication, I have a few "live" nonstandard coding questions that delve more into how a problem is solved. Straightforward problems, but not something you'll likely have encountered, so it's not about studying and knowing the answer (IMHO a useless exercise), but about analysis and approaching the problem. And see how they handle getting stuck and handle a tip or two I'll provide if they get stuck. It has been very revealing about candidates. Seemingly decent ones that really couldn't do anything, versus folks that didn't do the talking very well, but flourished and showed great analytical skill working to solve the problem. And these are 5 to 10 minute exercises, nothing like those silly assessments or homework assignments.

The interviewer ego is also a thing and a big ego usually doesn't advertise the company well. The interview process is as much the candidate presenting themselves to the company as the other way around, especially in fields where people have options.

 

[Hounddog409]

There’s no bots, friend. People are making the decision whether someone moves forward or not. There are AI tools that try and help, but they aren’t widely deployed in my experience.

Yes, and more likely than not, these people do not work for the company that is hiring.

 

[jsowers]

I second LinkedIn. Look for connections to the 2nd or 3rd degree to Fender that you can leverage. If none, I would identify and send a direct message to a recruiter.

 

[dalahorse]

I am an information technology manager at one of the largest US government contractors and have worked in my industry for 30 years. (My profile pic is about 15 years old.) Here's my take...

Years ago, I found jobs through the Dept. of Labor and ads in the local paper. Then it was cold calling and dropping off resumes. Word of mouth through former coworkers and the Monster web site was next. LinkedIn is king right now.

Build a professional LinkedIn profile. Build an online resume, select the right skills, join the right groups, follow the right people, and keep anything negative, political, religious, polarizing, etc. far away from your profile. Tweak your profile and resume to suit the jobs that your are applying for. Fender may or may not notice you. But you will be visible to a huge audience. I honestly get at least one legitimate, high paying, local job offer from LinkedIn every couple business days.

Also, clean up everything about you online. What's your Facebook look like? Embarrassing when found by a potential employer? What about your other online profiles? Google yourself. Clean it all up. HR can and will find it.

If you get to the interview phase, don't go full suit and tie unless you're applying for a sales or executive position. Business casual. If the interview is virtual, consider what will be seen and heard in the background. Budget at least twice the time your anticipate.

 

[InhumanResource]

Yes, and more likely than not, these people do not work for the company that is hiring.

That’s a pretty big assumption but it is possible.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

I’ve applied to a few jobs at Fender this year, but I don’t think my resume is getting past the bots. I have a background in Accounting, and there’s a position posted that would be my dream job. 25 years Accounting experience, and 35 years playing Fender guitars, basses, and amps. (My resume doesn’t express my interest in the industry or the company.)

If anyone could bump my resume past the bots to the recruiter, it would be massively appreciated! I’d love to discuss with the recruiter how not only am I a great fit for the position, but also my background with Fender instruments, and how much a job at the company would mean to me.

From a hiring perspective, "25 years of experience" = "expensive." Hard to not take it personally when you pitch the value of experience, but today's business climate is especially focused on the bottom line. Hiring companies are especially attracted by good and CHEAP. Unless you're willing to take a pay cut for this dream job? I could be wrong with Fender, but the company took a big financial hit after the Covid boom of "I'm gonna learn guitar." That's why I suspect Fender is in a "cheap" mode rather than invest / hire [expensive] experience.

Fender CFO on Finding the Right Chord When Disaster Strikes | PYMNTS.com

The ability to make tough decisions quickly is often the difference between success and failure. After all, if it were easy to be a leader, everyone would

www.pymnts.com

Prove me wrong! Good luck with the journey.

 

[ashtray]

From a hiring perspective, "25 years of experience" = "expensive." Hard to not take it personally when you pitch the value of experience, but today's business climate is especially focused on the bottom line. Hiring companies are especially attracted by good and CHEAP. Unless you're willing to take a pay cut for this dream job? I could be wrong with Fender, but the company took a big financial hit after the Covid boom of "I'm gonna learn guitar." That's why I suspect Fender is in a "cheap" mode rather than invest / hire [expensive] experience.

Fender CFO on Finding the Right Chord When Disaster Strikes | PYMNTS.com

The ability to make tough decisions quickly is often the difference between success and failure. After all, if it were easy to be a leader, everyone would

www.pymnts.com

Prove me wrong! Good luck with the journey.

It’s a remote position (big plus for me), at a dream company (big plus), and I presume some sort of employee discount - so I’m definitely willing to accept a pay cut from my last position. The pay range they posted is much lower than my last few jobs BUT, with my wife also working, I don’t need as large a salary, plus the three key benefits above. Again, for the right company, the fit is much more important than the salary.

 

[Hounddog409]

That’s a pretty big assumption but it is possible.

No its not a big assumption. The trend is most companiea farm out the initial review of resumes.

 

[deepestend]

Lotta good info in this thread. I've been looking forever, and it's good to have some background info. I'm a career switcher, but older, so it's a little tricky. I always seem to have a moment where I'm like "well, maybe I'm doing it all wrong" and that's when things seem to pick up.

Long story short for anyone interested (and who might be in a similar spot): Long career of writing/edting/managing websites. Then, at 47, I went to social work school to become a therapist. Graduated and got licensed and now I'm actually in private practice, but it takes a long time to build up and most clients are after school and in the afternoon. Been trying to find something else during the day or part time that is social work/therapy related (hospitals, schools, insurance companies). I'm still managing websites (like Sadowsky), but have just been looking for that solid day gig that lets me relax with the current inconsistency of the therapy hours.

 

[Killing Floor]

Not trying to sass but do you use
LinkedIn? Fender Musical…/People and search by role. Start contacting them.
Before the 3rd swipe there are 20 different current employees in finance and accounting. A dozen more in procurement. Seems like a pretty good place to start.

 

[InhumanResource]

No its not a big assumption. The trend is most companiea farm out the initial review of resumes.

They really don’t. Some may but I wouldn’t say it’s anywhere near “most.”

 

[jmattbassplaya]

I landed my most recent job (F20/corporate/remote) largely due to me having connections at the company who could get my resume in front of the hiring manager. The first round was a typical interview, but by my second round it was less an interview and more a conversation about what I’d be working on and what the team dynamic was like. It was the easiest job I’ve landed despite it actually being a rather difficult company to get hired into.

Like others have mentioned, update your LinkedIn to act more like a CV and begin reaching out to folks already working at Fender in their accounting and finance departments. Schedule some virtual meet and greets, let them know you’re interested in the company and that you think you might be a good fit for a specific role, and see if they can connect you to the hiring manager.

 

[Fishheadjoe]

Op, is your resume a functional document or a accomplishment based resume?
Everyone writes functional resumes, but in reality, no one gets paid to function, they get paid to accomplish.
An accomplishment based resume outlines the challenge of your role, briefly, then goes into detail about what the role meant to your employer's bottom line... eg, things that you did that helped the company save time, process or money. (In the business world, time process and money are the same thing.) The idea is to separate yourself from the competition for the job by showing them that you "get it" as an employee as you help them reach their bottom line.
I also suggest that you follow up any and all resume submissions with a phone call, ideally in this case, the accounting department.
The old saying, "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" does come into play. Be a squeaky wheel.
Fishheadjoe
PS... I have been working as a I.T. recruiter for the last 30+ years and running my own business for the 14 years.
PSS... external recruiters who supply talent to Fender probably won't touch you as you have already represented yourself to the company and they get paid for referring candidates. Not the initial referral, no fee!

 

[MonetBass]

The "it's not what you know, but WHO you know" saying still holds true. Every single full-time job I've ever landed was because I knew someone on the inside. Networking is key.

 

[micguy]

Hatch a fake RMA # and ship yourself to the warranty / repair dept. in a cardboard carton.

Riis

One of my packages (destined for the Midwest) went to Guam on the way here - a machine reader apparently made a big mistake. Anyway, make sure the carton you're in has enough air for a lot of transit time. And a bathroom - arriving at the company you want to work for, having spent 5 days in a box....yeah.... that's gonna happen. Probably a bad first impression.

 

[Kubicki Fan]

It sounds like your interest and passion would be relevant information for a recruiter or hiring manager. After all, a common interview question is "Why do you want to work here?" Perhaps you should express your interest, either in the resume itself or a cover letter (if that's still a thing these days) or if there's a way to add a notation via the submission portal. Maybe a phrase like "Hands-on experience with Fender products" would get picked up by the bot.

Yep!
All the fanboi stuff belongs in a very well written cover letter. The CL will sometimes get you the job over the CV.
GL!

 

[Mastermold]

It’s a remote position (big plus for me), at a dream company (big plus), and I presume some sort of employee discount - so I’m definitely willing to accept a pay cut from my last position. The pay range they posted is much lower than my last few jobs BUT, with my wife also working, I don’t need as large a salary, plus the three key benefits above. Again, for the right company, the fit is much more important than the salary.

Late to this thread -- have to find out -- did you ever get an interview?