Job-Hunting Help Thread
- Thread starter Phazon Elite
- Start date
r3skyline
New Member
i had this problem for a long time. what i had to do was, in college, take the public speaking course and get used to speaking in front of people. after that, i just kept practicing with friends and talking to more people i didnt know. eventually i was able to dish out my life story in like 3 mins.
so for those who are young and about to hit high school, take any public speaking/eng courses your school may have. participate in everything you can because not only does it help you personally, it looks very very nice on your college application (yes, there are applications for universities and public colleges). remember, schools look for well rounded individuals, not just people who have good grades.
ryanvergel
New Member
I hate living in a college town. Everything is exaggerated.
As you can see, there are a LOT of people who are young, especially compared to most other cities. That means much more competition for the same jobs. Besides summertime, there really isn't any time where you ever see help wanted signs.
A good piece of advice for anyone moving to a college town: move in the SUMMER time. The job market is at least twice as open in the summertime, and there is a lot less traffic. You can get to know the area, actually have a chance landing a job, and become familiar with the city before Fall/school starts up again. Even if you don't plan on going to college, if you plan on working, summer is the time to try looking.
Tips for a successful interview:
1. EYE CONTACT. This should be tips 1-10, really. Look at the interviewer(s) directly in the eye. Don't stare, but maintain eye contact. Public Speaking says that ideally, you want to come off as extemporaneously speaking (
You can see that extemporaneous speaking is exactly what you want to occur at an interview. You want to seem prepared, skilled at speaking and communication, composed and confident, but off-the-cuff and spur of the moment without a clear relationship. In order to achieve this, you need to maintain no less than 90% eye contact. Straight from the book. Eye contact says confidence, knowledge, and, again, confidence. If you're trying to convince someone of something, at least be convinced of it yourself and appear that way. If you're trying to say you're the man for the job, then be confident in that fact, and exude that confidence through eye contact.
I got in A in SPC2600- Public Speaking at FSU
2. Proper greeting. This is extremely important. Using slang or mis-naming the person's title is horrible. If the interviewer is a professor or doctor, and you call them by their first name, this may end horribly. In the South, you may want to use formality words like sir and ma'am (I do to anyone of any age appearing older than me or with an authority at the moment (a 16 year old cashier for example, I would address as ma'am/sir, despite being 21). Speak clearly and eloquently. Practice what you will greet with. First impressions are EVERYTHING. The deal is pretty much made in the first 30 seconds or not. Offering a firm handshake, addressing the individual correctly, speaking without slur and loudly/clearly is extremely important. You have to demonstrate communication skills, and this is done immediately and irrevocably.
3. Proper attire. You know about this. Pretty simple. It's better to be slightly dressed up than down. A collared shirt is a good bet. Leather shoes, or at least closed-toe shoes. Proper grooming and hygiene.
4. Punctuality. Get there early. No excuses. Period. Get there early. If he starts early, and you're on time, you're late. If he starts early, and you're early, you're on time. Get there early. If you can't show up on time to an interview, you have shown yourself to be lazy, inconsistent, irresponsible, and inconsiderate. You will never be hired.
5. Openness to change and accomadation. Small business owners are hiring YOU. Not the other way around. They want someone who can fill in specific hours, do a specific job, and follow rules/instructions well. If you come into an interview, try to be as open with your schedule as possible. The more limited your schedule is, the more difficult it will be to schedule you and have you fill in, which makes you less desirable. I like to say I have a pretty free schedule, as free as possible, and if some activities end up needing to be trimmed, I can do that on my own time instead of burdening my employer and shooting myself in the foot.
I've done hiring when working at a video store for a few years, have been hired 5 times and done many more interviews, and my father has owned 2 businesses for 10 years now, and I've gleaned quite a bit of what goes through his mind as a small business owner when it comes to hiring. If you come in with proper attire, looking and smelling and feeling great, with a firm, dry handshake and maintain 90%+ eye contact, and using good grammar and speaking to make a good first impression, you will FEEL better. You said you have a habit of only feeling settled and comfortable well into the interview, but you have to make that immediate. If you know that you're coming in with the best guns and practice, you should feel the best, and accordingly act the best and do the best. If you have the best deck, you'll feel better before every match instead of only feeling good once the game's been going.
As you can see, there are a LOT of people who are young, especially compared to most other cities. That means much more competition for the same jobs. Besides summertime, there really isn't any time where you ever see help wanted signs.
A good piece of advice for anyone moving to a college town: move in the SUMMER time. The job market is at least twice as open in the summertime, and there is a lot less traffic. You can get to know the area, actually have a chance landing a job, and become familiar with the city before Fall/school starts up again. Even if you don't plan on going to college, if you plan on working, summer is the time to try looking.
Tips for a successful interview:
1. EYE CONTACT. This should be tips 1-10, really. Look at the interviewer(s) directly in the eye. Don't stare, but maintain eye contact. Public Speaking says that ideally, you want to come off as extemporaneously speaking (
)
You can see that extemporaneous speaking is exactly what you want to occur at an interview. You want to seem prepared, skilled at speaking and communication, composed and confident, but off-the-cuff and spur of the moment without a clear relationship. In order to achieve this, you need to maintain no less than 90% eye contact. Straight from the book. Eye contact says confidence, knowledge, and, again, confidence. If you're trying to convince someone of something, at least be convinced of it yourself and appear that way. If you're trying to say you're the man for the job, then be confident in that fact, and exude that confidence through eye contact.
I got in A in SPC2600- Public Speaking at FSU
2. Proper greeting. This is extremely important. Using slang or mis-naming the person's title is horrible. If the interviewer is a professor or doctor, and you call them by their first name, this may end horribly. In the South, you may want to use formality words like sir and ma'am (I do to anyone of any age appearing older than me or with an authority at the moment (a 16 year old cashier for example, I would address as ma'am/sir, despite being 21). Speak clearly and eloquently. Practice what you will greet with. First impressions are EVERYTHING. The deal is pretty much made in the first 30 seconds or not. Offering a firm handshake, addressing the individual correctly, speaking without slur and loudly/clearly is extremely important. You have to demonstrate communication skills, and this is done immediately and irrevocably.
3. Proper attire. You know about this. Pretty simple. It's better to be slightly dressed up than down. A collared shirt is a good bet. Leather shoes, or at least closed-toe shoes. Proper grooming and hygiene.
4. Punctuality. Get there early. No excuses. Period. Get there early. If he starts early, and you're on time, you're late. If he starts early, and you're early, you're on time. Get there early. If you can't show up on time to an interview, you have shown yourself to be lazy, inconsistent, irresponsible, and inconsiderate. You will never be hired.
5. Openness to change and accomadation. Small business owners are hiring YOU. Not the other way around. They want someone who can fill in specific hours, do a specific job, and follow rules/instructions well. If you come into an interview, try to be as open with your schedule as possible. The more limited your schedule is, the more difficult it will be to schedule you and have you fill in, which makes you less desirable. I like to say I have a pretty free schedule, as free as possible, and if some activities end up needing to be trimmed, I can do that on my own time instead of burdening my employer and shooting myself in the foot.
I've done hiring when working at a video store for a few years, have been hired 5 times and done many more interviews, and my father has owned 2 businesses for 10 years now, and I've gleaned quite a bit of what goes through his mind as a small business owner when it comes to hiring. If you come in with proper attire, looking and smelling and feeling great, with a firm, dry handshake and maintain 90%+ eye contact, and using good grammar and speaking to make a good first impression, you will FEEL better. You said you have a habit of only feeling settled and comfortable well into the interview, but you have to make that immediate. If you know that you're coming in with the best guns and practice, you should feel the best, and accordingly act the best and do the best. If you have the best deck, you'll feel better before every match instead of only feeling good once the game's been going.
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For those of you in the Portland, Oregon area (Marvin), the rumor is that the Boeing facility is hiring up to 18 new people. These would be in the "hand finish" department and are entry level positions. Hand finish is where they de-burr the aircraft parts. The pay would not be the greatest to start, but you get raises every six months and the benefits are world class. Plus they pay for school. Go online to boeing.com and check out there employment section, make sure you select 'Oregon'.
toxictaipan
New Member
Wow, thanks for the help everyone!
I'd like to clear one thing up, though. It seems that some of you were confusing when I said, "I'll be able to work full time instead of just part time." I just meant that my schedule would be a lot more flexible, not that I would necessarily go for it no matter what. Also, I'm planning on being a vet, so school (and a lot of it at that) is definitely in my future, but I'm not ready to start college just yet. I was hoping to work for a year or so, and to volunteer for my local vet to gain experience and references.
I live in a small town, though. Not a lot of places to work around here, but hopefully that will mean a little less competition.
I'd like to clear one thing up, though. It seems that some of you were confusing when I said, "I'll be able to work full time instead of just part time." I just meant that my schedule would be a lot more flexible, not that I would necessarily go for it no matter what. Also, I'm planning on being a vet, so school (and a lot of it at that) is definitely in my future, but I'm not ready to start college just yet. I was hoping to work for a year or so, and to volunteer for my local vet to gain experience and references.
I live in a small town, though. Not a lot of places to work around here, but hopefully that will mean a little less competition.
r3skyline
New Member
the complete opposite from my exp in living in a small town. not a lot of places to work = not a lot of diff places to apply to. for everyone.
ryanvergel
New Member
Also: if you have a local college near you, and are of college age, the school will often times have some kind of job listing site or something. I know a lot of Florida schools do. Local employers will list job openings and such at the college website.
Benzo
Front Page News Editor<br>Forum Moderator
for those who are putting in apps online- USE YOUR SPELL CHECK ANYWAYS! nothing like saying "I can type 73 words a minute" but have mis-spellings in your app. That right there will give your app an instant rejection. In the past, I hired people, and if they misspelled alot, I was told to trash the app. i mispell alot, but on apps- spell check!
idahodarkhorsejustbelieve
New Member
lol yea they r proubly some.
i never check into it bc i work overnites and too tired togo school.
the only thing i hated at my walmart was the managers where poorly trained.
and the store manger is a jerk.
but i got to work with some really cool ppl though.
i never check into it bc i work overnites and too tired togo school.
the only thing i hated at my walmart was the managers where poorly trained.
and the store manger is a jerk.
but i got to work with some really cool ppl though.
waynegg
CotD Editor<br>Forum Moderator
Not a good idea to take a year or so off of school if you are really planning on being a veterinarian. You lose much of what you learned in high scool that you will need to carry you through your basicsdue to non-use. Also, life has a tendency to happen (relationships, children, financial obligations, etc..) which at best hinder and at worst completely halt you chasing your dreams.
You will get all the experience and references you need for a lifetime when pursuing a professional career in college. The saying, "The grass is always greener in someone else's pasture", really applies here. Don't fall into that trap because it is a very tough one to escape.
I agree with waynegg on this one. If you are not ready to go to the school of your choice at this time for whatever reason (financial, family obligations, etc), don't just take the year off. Instead look for something local like a community college where you can take some of your prereq classes and be one step ahead when you do get to your desired school. Also, try to get a job with animals. I know that may sound obvious, but it really does help so much down the road. You would have many options - vet offices, pet stores, shelters. And if you cannot find a job, volunteer. It really makes you stand out to schools and prospective employers.
idahodarkhorsejustbelieve
New Member
ok if u do take a year off above ur bed put something that reminds u of ur goals it the last thing u c befor u goto bed first thing u c when u wake up.
Nobodys
New Member
Wow nice productive thread
r3skyline - i'm in the same boat as u :/ lost a job of 3 and a half years as sys admin because company was going under (they engineered residential houses = baaaad business in housing bust). And I've pretty much done the same thing as you - just went back to school.
So yeah, if anyone here can qualify as an independant (i.e. you are 24 or older, or are married), go back to college and finish! (If you don't have a job... or if you've got a dead-end job). Especially if you're on unemployment. You get crazy financial aide if you're a 'displaced worker' (i.e. unemployed). I just transfered into a 4 year private university as a junior where tuition is near 30 grand a year and I've still got enough left over to pay for my books and a little for rent / living costs. You have to jump thru a heck of a lot of hoops to get that money but in the end it really is worth it!
A lot of people here have mentioned this, but college is VERY important. No matter what you want to do, job market is incredibly competitive right now because of economy and population increase. If you're young like a lot of people here are (18-26), you have to compete with all those older people in their 40's who lost their jobs... and speaking from experience, employers will usually higher a 40 year old over sumeone in their 20's because 1.) they're more experienced and 2.) they know they've got kids to feed in most cases.
It's just not worth it to waste your time making 8 bucks an hour (or lower, min wage in CA now is 8), and barely survive when you can struggle your way through college and have a much better job. Look at it this way: finish with school and NO ONE can ever take your education or degree away from you. But your job can fire / lay you off at any time, for any reason. Just compare the end result... 4 years at college = degree and double earning power. 4 years working at star bucks (or mcdonalds, wherever) = possible manager position and / or wage increase of 2 bucks an hour... at best...
It's a no brainer imho
EDIT - Another + for school is that student loan interest rates are insanely low compared with credit cards and stuff. Student loans are a fantastic way to build credit. You can either borrow fgrom a student loan to help pay your rent and tuition and get 5-6% interest rate or get a credit card and pay an upward of 25% (with a couple hundred worth of fees per year)... Way better to get the student loan, even if you're going to use it to buy stuff u'd normally buy on credit with high interest that you need for living (used car, cheap IKEA furniture, whatever...) And not to mention Student loans are very lenient with working out payment plans with you if you don't finish school. Credit card companies and other loans like auto loans will only keep lumping interest on until you're essentialy paying double for whatever you bought in the first place, with no way out.
r3skyline - i'm in the same boat as u :/ lost a job of 3 and a half years as sys admin because company was going under (they engineered residential houses = baaaad business in housing bust). And I've pretty much done the same thing as you - just went back to school.
So yeah, if anyone here can qualify as an independant (i.e. you are 24 or older, or are married), go back to college and finish! (If you don't have a job... or if you've got a dead-end job). Especially if you're on unemployment. You get crazy financial aide if you're a 'displaced worker' (i.e. unemployed). I just transfered into a 4 year private university as a junior where tuition is near 30 grand a year and I've still got enough left over to pay for my books and a little for rent / living costs. You have to jump thru a heck of a lot of hoops to get that money but in the end it really is worth it!
A lot of people here have mentioned this, but college is VERY important. No matter what you want to do, job market is incredibly competitive right now because of economy and population increase. If you're young like a lot of people here are (18-26), you have to compete with all those older people in their 40's who lost their jobs... and speaking from experience, employers will usually higher a 40 year old over sumeone in their 20's because 1.) they're more experienced and 2.) they know they've got kids to feed in most cases.
It's just not worth it to waste your time making 8 bucks an hour (or lower, min wage in CA now is 8), and barely survive when you can struggle your way through college and have a much better job. Look at it this way: finish with school and NO ONE can ever take your education or degree away from you. But your job can fire / lay you off at any time, for any reason. Just compare the end result... 4 years at college = degree and double earning power. 4 years working at star bucks (or mcdonalds, wherever) = possible manager position and / or wage increase of 2 bucks an hour... at best...
It's a no brainer imho
EDIT - Another + for school is that student loan interest rates are insanely low compared with credit cards and stuff. Student loans are a fantastic way to build credit. You can either borrow fgrom a student loan to help pay your rent and tuition and get 5-6% interest rate or get a credit card and pay an upward of 25% (with a couple hundred worth of fees per year)... Way better to get the student loan, even if you're going to use it to buy stuff u'd normally buy on credit with high interest that you need for living (used car, cheap IKEA furniture, whatever...) And not to mention Student loans are very lenient with working out payment plans with you if you don't finish school. Credit card companies and other loans like auto loans will only keep lumping interest on until you're essentialy paying double for whatever you bought in the first place, with no way out.
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Poison Pokemon Master
New Member
i'm a computer tech with over 7 years of experience and many certifications and i can't get hired anywhere, my current occupation is freelance which makes decent money but i could really use a stable job
momma_june
New Member
Awesome suggestions here. I have one more to add. Not sure of age requirements but nursing/assisted living homes are always looking to hire people. I've had 2 kiddos who went that route.
ColdCoates90
Active Member
When looking for a job, use all of your connections as well. You'd be surprised to find out that the store your friend is working at is hiring.Not to mention you can put that friend down as a solid reference as well.
StarrySora
New Member
Of course in some cases, you need a job to pay for school. My family refuses to help me out with college. I have to pay for it if I want to go. I don't have the GPA to get into most colleges since I have learning disabilities and they refused to give me any help in high school because I was told I was lazy. I have a 2.1 GPA...can't get much with that, so in some cases you do need that minimum wage job to pay for school at least. Some family's just won't pay for it. That will change when and if I have kids. They're getting a college fund and they WILL BE going to college.
Chromecatz
New Member
Just applied to Walmart and Target(again). Any advice on what I should do to follow up? Or do I just sit tight and pray?
Edit: I'm 17 if it matters.
Edit: I'm 17 if it matters.
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bullados
<a href="http://pokegym.net/forums/showthread.php?
Expand a little bit. There are a bunch of places similar to Walmart and Target that are probably all hiring right now for the Xmas rush. Get your apps in right now so they have a few weeks to train you up for Black Friday, Xmas Eve, and the day after Xmas. Those are generally the biggest retail days of the year for purchases (in the case of Friday and Xmas Eve) and for returns (Xmas).
Sparky
New Member
What fields do you think will be big within the next 10-30 years??? I'm a freshmen in High School, and will probably look for a job soon. But for fields to go into, I was thinking of double-majoring in Accounting and Chiropactor-ness, but you make hundreds of thousands of dollars if you can DESIGN accounting software. However, I don't want to be sunk if the need for Accounting programs die down...thus wasting my college time. I;m not sure if this is off-topic or not...