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getting a job, absolutely any job (update: fuckin' cover letters, how do they work?)
real_pochacco
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'm taking a leave of absence from school, and I have a month (which I'm spending with my girlfriend at her mom's place) to find a job and a place to live. I have very little work experience - a semester each at a couple on campus jobs (Student Union cleaner and server in the cafeteria). I've been through following craigslist, obviously, but most of the other job sites are full of openings for jobs that need more experience.
I need advice on getting a crappy job, basically. What places I should apply to, how I should go about things, etc. I live in Portland, OR, for whatever it's worth.
Update/more questions: http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showpost.php?p=17785160&postcount=28
I need advice on getting a crappy job, basically. What places I should apply to, how I should go about things, etc. I live in Portland, OR, for whatever it's worth.
Update/more questions: http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showpost.php?p=17785160&postcount=28
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These places are almost always hiring. Apply at any and all of these and you're bound to nail a few interviews.
Also, being a server at a restaurant is something that always seems to be hiring, too. But that usually requires experience.
Hotels are usually hiring. Since they often need someone there 24/7, the more willing you are to work shitty shifts the more likely you are to get a job.
I would also recommend looking up a temp agency in your area and seeing if they can help you find a job. Most temp agencies contract with numerous employers. Basically you'll interview with the agency, take some tests, and they'll look at the openings with their employers and place you in a job they think you'll fit in. You'll then interview with the employer to see if they want you.
There's plenty of things you can do, but it may not work out at all. Like Chu said, economy is tough. So getting a job can be tough because you aren't the only one looking.
Good luck.
Rigorous Scholarship
Unless you have a passport or a green card, you need your SS card and license to be hired for even the shittiest of legit jobs in the U.S. I almost lost my awesome new job because I couldn't find my goddamn card.
If you have a passport you can use that (probably the simplest way), otherwise, you'll get to pick from a variety of different IDs for a combination. The easiest is probably a driver's license and a social security card.
You can apply at your local social security office for a replacement social security card. The process for acquiring a replacement 'registered copy' (or whatever) of a birth certificate tends to be more difficult because you'll be contacting/going to the Department of Health or Vital Records Department near the place you were born to get a certified, sealed (i.e. with a stamped seal) copy.
As for jobs, aside from the 'McJobs' you might find at McDonalds or a local Home Depot or something, you might look into local factory work. They tend to be fulltime and $10/hour or more. Food processing/packing facilities tend to have high turnover rates (although they seem to be a bit easier to get during summer). Basically apply to everything you can find (some places still only have paper applications), call the places you'd really want to work to try and help drive up awareness of your application and keep looking for other places to hand in applications/resumes.
...I think finding a valid place to live in a month (without a job first) is probably going to be a bigger hurdle.
This is the best way to find a job under any economic conditions. Leverage every single contact you have. Much bette odds than sending resumes to random strangers who are receiving hundreds or thousands of applications, especially if they are advertising a position.
This is one of the biggest problems with the current market. Companies don't want to train people and there's enough unemployed non-literal entry-level candidates in the pool that they can be picky. Sure, some use it as a preliminary filter to check your confidence, etc. but many won't even look at you without the specified experience or similar.
Judge whether you apply based on how skilled the experience they're looking for and how involved the application is.
Something that can help you is to write up your information, such as work experience and references, on some notepaper, index cards, your phone, or whatever so you can get in, fill out an app, and get out quickly without having to remember exact dates or contact info.
If you are able to work overnight, that opens up some pretty good opportunities, especially in hotels. I've been working in hotels for almost 8 years now and love it, and I got in the door by being willing to work graveyard shift.
Remember a crap job is better than nothing and you can still look for something better while working a crap job, but at least you'll be getting a paycheck while you look for work in that case.
Edit to add: You might also consider the military. In addition to a job, you also get a place to live and food. It's not for everyone, but I enjoyed my stint in the Navy.
I took a leave of absence and eventually left a super-expensive private university I had a half-scholarship to because I hated what I was doing there, and as a consequence, was not doing well. I went to a job fair at Starbucks and kicked my interview's ass. I worked super hard, picked up shifts at sixteen different stores over the ~4 years I've been with the company, got excellent performance reviews, etc. I could've easily been bothered that I was working what many people feel to be a "shit job", but I learned a lot from it. Because of my work, I eventually was offered a position at a bank where I get great career development and coaching and immense upward mobility in my company. All the while, I still have my job at Starbucks part-time -- extra pocket money, free coffee, and really terrific networking within the company and also with customers. I get job offers a couple of times a month that I turn down because I like how things are going nowadays.
Now I'm not saying this'll happen for everyone, obviously, but all these opportunities happened because I happened to walk into a job fair, after searching and applying for jobs for weeks, really worked hard to make my application stand out, and answered interview questions honestly. A good attitude, flexibility, perseverance in the application process, and attention to detail are really what you need to stand out in a rough job market.
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go to a temp agency
Heh, in my experience it was the dishwasher that you never, EVER agitated in any way. I used to "accidentally" mess up orders so that I could guarantee the dishwasher a decent meal at the end of a closing shift. All my utensils and plates came back spotless and in record time as a result of our little arrangement.
Restaurants have a pretty high rate of turnover and there is a lot of intrigue, drama, and bullshit to put up with. BUT...it's actually pretty fun if the place you're at is well run. Try to learn as much as you can about tasks that aren't part of your job and you can start asking for pay increases of the nickel-and-dime variety.
I washed dishes for a month and the cook would always toss me a club sandwich halfway through my shift, and then something off the main menu was boxed up for me to take home and eat. He was a good dude. I mean I quit the shit out of that job the moment I got a job at a call center and doubled my hourly wage, but that was honest, hard and fun work.
This is the real key. If you go in, work hard and don't complain too much, you'll be better than 60-70% of workers out there. Even if you suck at it at first, you'll eventually get it, and people won't mind teaching you things.
Rigorous Scholarship
1. Show up
2. Do what you say you're going to do
3. Ask questions when you don't know something
4. Be willing to suck it up and do some scut work from time to time
You will advance. It's amazingly rare, sadly.
This so hard
Yeah, it fucking boggles my mind how people think faking knowing something and screwing it up is better than asking about it and doing it right.
Yes, I'm glad we're now fucked instead of me losing 30 minutes of my work-life to bettering our project, but at least you didn't look like an idiot in your own head for 30 seconds! Good job.
I sent off to get a new birth certificate, it should arrive in a couple weeks or so. I read someone that you should always attach a cover letter. I really don't understand how to write cover letters when I'm applying to every single job I have any possible chance of being hired to. For example, should I write cover letters when I'm sending an application to be a gas station attendant? Also, how do I write cover letters? I can totally understand how someone would go about writing a cover letter when they have actual relevant experience, but for most of the jobs I'm applying to I either a) have absolutely no experience or b) only have a very small amount of tangentially related experience.
Another question: references. I have one solid reference, my supervisor from my last student job specifically said that he would be a reference. But typically employers want 2 or 3 other professional references. I've only had two other jobs - one was working at an amusement park, and I ended up skipping the last couple days because there was a massive heat wave. So I could list that supervisor as a reference, but I've heard from my friend's girlfriend that they never return calls when people list Jim as a reference. The other job was cleaning the Student Union at the college I'm going to, so there isn't really anyone I can list as a reference. What should I do?
EDIT: For refs, put down people you trust and are suitably employed. That worked for me. If you put past employers, usually all they'll do is confirm you were employed. Slander laws shackle most managers into saying nothing about you.
In any kind of professional job, cover letters are just as important as the resume... maybe more so. I always thought they were a waste of time, but after serving on several hiring committee's it has become clear to me that they are absolutely vital. They need to have all of your qualifications and why you are the best person for the job.
He mentioned gas station attendant as a possible job. Thus my "Only jobs you really want". For professional jobs, I completely agree.
If you are only applying to jobs that give you an application to fill out then you don't write a cover letter. You only write a cover letter if you are submitting a resume that you wrote. So gas station attendant - no, receptionist - probably yes. If you're only jobs have been working at an amusement park and cleaning the student union, I really don't think you'll be applying to a job that requires a cover letter/resume based on your experience right now. Especially if you're just looking for a filler job.
I don't think a good cover letter will ever work against you, and in this economy you should take any advantage that you can. A good cover letter expresses why you would be a good employee, regardless of the position you're applying for. It doesn't have to be long. Just use it as a more personal and expressive way to appeal to the hiring manager. The format I usually follow is something like this
My name +contact information.
Dear Hiring Manager (use an actual name if at all humanly possible).
Introduction: Who I am, what I'm applying for, one brief summary line about why I'm qualified.
Paragraph one: Description of strongest trait/experience that I feel applies to the job. 3 -5 sentences elaborating on why this trait/experience makes me awesome.
Paragraph two: Description of one other strong trait/experience that I feel applies to the job. 3 - 5 sentences of elaboration.
Short paragraph on two or three less relevant but still impressive qualities/experiences. 3 -5 sentences total.
Two or three sentence conclusion expressing my strong desire to work for the company. Express desire to meet in person to discuss the talent and enthusiasm I'll be bringing to the job.
Sincerely,
HK5
Be clear and concise, check it at least three times for spelling, grammar, and understandability. The experiences or traits you use in your cover letter don't have to be perfectly relevant. List all of your experiences and the positive traits that you feel those experiences have engendered in you. You'll have plenty of cover letter-worthy material in no time. When I was stuck hating my last job, I found that once I had written three or four cover letters it was really easy to just churn them out in 15 minutes. You can usually edit old ones to apply to any position with a few quick word changes.
I've been applying to lots of places on craigslist, from gas station attendant to barista to more office-type work. Basically anything that seems even remotely close to something I could possibly be hired to do. Most of them require resumes, and I've heard that every time you give someone a resume you should include a cover letter, but, for example, the gas station attendant job wanted a resume.
That means dressing up with at least a shirt and tie to go for interviews.
When I was struggling to find any kind of employment two years ago, I applied to work at Office Depot. I handed my resume right to the manager on duty, and I wore a nice button down shirt and tie and everything. When I went into the interview, I wore a full suit. And this was for a part-time position, working bitch duty on the weekends. I got the job, and one of the two managers with whom I interviewed was really impressed that I wore the suit.
I think HK5 has the best advice on how to do a cover letter, as that's pretty much the same format I've (informally) followed when I've done mine. I think it's done me a lot more good than harm, especially considering the jobs I was going for probably had at least hundreds, if not thousands of applicants. Anything that can help you get an interview is good.
Steam | Live
Can you get a cheap pair that looks good enough at Payless or something? Sneakers with a suit is something that can prevent you from being hired in a professional setting.
A lot of retail companies (Target, Woolworths, Kmart etc.) require you to apply through their online service. If you're older than 21, it can be difficult to get interviews when youre competing against 15 year olds. If you can, find out regional and recruiting managers contact numbers and call directly and ask if there are any suitable positions for you.
Keep cover letters simple. Introduce yourself, who you are and why youre looking for work.
In your OP, you say you're studying. Tell them that you're looking for work to support yourself while you study. This will show that you really want a job and you will work hard because you need to keep your job.
dont talk about specific skills in your cover letter - leave that for your resume.
Referees - use a teacher or tutore - and if you can, have them write a cover letter of recommendation - this goes very far.
good luck!
*get yourself a proper pair of shoes - even if theyre cheapies