Looking for work a catch 22

Cowboy Bebop

I’ve been glancing over the forums for a while now and for the most part really good advice has been given here so I come to you now looking for some help.
I live in the UK and I am currently on a gap year the point of it was to scrape some cash together now before I go of to University. The problem is I can’t get any work at all because I have no work experience. It’s a bit of a catch 22 the only thing stopping me from getting work is that I’ve not worked before. I thought the basic solution would be start at the bottom and work up .e.g. All manner of McJobs but even there requesting work experience.

It’s been 3 months of looking and nothing but rejection letters and phone calls. Where can I go from here?

Help me Obi PA Kenobi you’re my only hope!

naporeon

Well, you've got a couple options. First, I think that you probably could find work at a McJob (literally at McDonald's or another "fast food" restaurant, or maybe just a grocer's). Aim very low, and whenever possible, apply in person. Also, be persistent; when you apply for a position, call back about it. Don't just email someone your letter of interest and hope that they'll call back; be proactive.

If you have technical skills, you could do freelance work. You could, for example, design webpages or submit freelance articles to periodicals (traditional or online).

Also, you could volunteer. In my experience, most paying employers consider volunteer work while hiring, and it is not at all difficult to gain volunteer work that looks good on a CV. As soon as you get a volunteer gig, start sending out new applications, listing the volunteer work as employment experience.

And coincidentally, I'm an American who spent my gap year (two, actually) living in Scotland. ;-)

randombattle

Apply to work at the biggest movie theater you can find. They are pretty much always hiring and the only real qualifications you have is that you are not dead.

Cowboy Bebop

I've tried every manner or rubbish job like waiter, shelf staking and even bog attendant ( Not my finest hour I must admit),and got rejected from them all. It's a blow to the old self esteem.

It's interesting that you mentioned working abroad, how did you go about doing something like that? Perhaps it’s a little extreme but it’s nice to have the info it may be a better option for me.

Munacra

I think the main thing about getting a starting Mcjob (retail, Wal-marts, fast food chain) is just to apply and keep bugging them (in a good way) about it. Call lots of times, show up to see how your application is going. Get to know the managers and the people who work there.

It's not so much work experience that is needed but to make yourself stand out from the many other applicants who want the same job.

Fibretip

be very flexible about your hours if you're applying to places like supermarkets. I found out recently that the reason i was never offered any jobs there was because i couldn't work sundays (no car until recently) and they wouldn't hire anyone that couldn't work 1 in 4 sundays.

I was in your position for the last few months, i know how frustrating it can be... i finally got a job at Waitrose a few weeks back... so there is hope!

Tarantio

Jobs I've gotten without any experience whatsoever:

Video Store Clerk (Hollywood Video)

Camp Counselor at a summer camp

Valet Parker

It's generally very difficult to get a job as a waiter without experience, they can actually be quite lucrative depending on how busy the restaraunt is and how they organize tips.

You'll also do much better if you have some kind of skill that's relatively rare. For instance, right now I'm cantoring in a local church, $25/mass and $200/wedding, while my girlfriend recently got a job teaching theraputic horseback riding.

So, what do you have to offer that everybody else doesn't have? Are you good with kids? Are you EMT certified? Are you qualified to tutor some subject?

Cowboy Bebop

Fibretip wrote: »

be very flexible about your hours if you're applying to places like supermarkets. I found out recently that the reason i was never offered any jobs there was because i couldn't work sundays (no car until recently) and they wouldn't hire anyone that couldn't work 1 in 4 sundays.

I was in your position for the last few months, i know how frustrating it can be... i finally got a job at Waitrose a few weeks back... so there is hope!

Congrats on your job ;-)

What you said could be why I'm not getting some of the jobs I've applied for outside of my town, I've no transport of my own so I'm rather dependant on the local transport. Which means being there exactly when they want me could be problematic.

Cowboy Bebop

Tarantio wrote: »

Jobs I've gotten without any experience whatsoever:

Video Store Clerk (Hollywood Video)

Camp Counselor at a summer camp

Valet Parker

It's generally very difficult to get a job as a waiter without experience, they can actually be quite lucrative depending on how busy the restaraunt is and how they organize tips.

You'll also do much better if you have some kind of skill that's relatively rare. For instance, right now I'm cantoring in a local church, $25/mass and $200/wedding, while my girlfriend recently got a job teaching theraputic horseback riding.

So, what do you have to offer that everybody else doesn't have? Are you good with kids? Are you EMT certified? Are you qualified to tutor some subject?

I'm fresh out of finishing my last year at high school so teaching may be a bit out of my grasp. As for skills Im not sure If I have any that would make me stick out when applying for a low end jobs.

embrik

Flexibility is indeed important. Also, many employers are reluctant to hire people who only want a job for a short time. The first job I had, I committed to working not only full-time during the summer, but also part-time once I started up school again. Lots of places hate to hire someone who will only be there a few months, then gone. It's a lot of wasted time and money on their part. (Think of the paperwork and training they have to go through for each person)

Fibretip

yeah, don't ever say you're on a gap year. Just say you're in for the long haul... it's not like you're signing a contract that says "I will work for 20 years here" you'll be on like 2 weeks notice... I'm not planning on staying in this job any longer than i have to... but as far as they're concerned i'm interested in moving up the retail ladder with them.

this girl in my group interview was actually stupid enough to say "Well i'm on my gap year, and i'm looking to earn some money, and i'm thinking of travelling for a few months too"

needless to say... she didn't come back to the second interview!

supabeast

Just go to school in January. Doing a gap year with no work experience and expecting to make enough money for it to be worth the year off was probably a mistake, and now you should focus on education.

In the meanwhile, try a new posting to find a job in whatever part of the UK you’re in. There are a lot of lurkers on the board, someone might know something.

A-Rod

You can try and do some volunteer work, it might not pay you anything but it can possibly help in the future.

aesir

Just apply everywhere, even if they ask for experience. Thats the only thing you can do.

Feral

Even if a job posting asks for experience, if you think you can do the job based on the description, apply anyway.

If you can convince the interviewer that you will be a good worker capable of filling the job, they might just hire you despite your lack of experience.

The Black Hunter

Get a casual/PT position at your local supermarket.

Easy

Cowboy Bebop

It's not that I'm avoiding jobs that are asking for job experience it's usually the excuse they give me for not getting the job. Also going back to school (Starting Uni in my case) is not possible the system that we have in Scotland is rather dumb in that you have to decide if your taking a year out and/or the courses you plan to do 6 months before you even sit the final exams, when that's done it's final.
Though if I find a time machine I'll defiantly not take the year out. ;-)

EDIT:

The Black Hunter wrote: »

Get a casual/PT position at your local supermarket.

Easy

All ready been to the local one and the ones in near by towns, all say the same thing 'We are looking for someone with some work experience'.It boogles my mind but everyone who droped out of high school 2 years ago seem to have all the jobs here.

Fibretip

have you tried a temping agency? that's another thing i did. If you're half decent at typing and know how to use word and excel then they'll be all over you...regardless of your experience. I did their tests, got "outstanding" grades on all of them, and they handed me the contract straight away. Sure the work is never that great, and you never quite know when you're going to be working... but it's a decent way to get started. I did mine with Office Angels, and they were great.

Cowboy Bebop

Fibretip wrote: »

have you tried a temping agency? that's another thing i did. If you're half decent at typing and know how to use word and excel then they'll be all over you...regardless of your experience. I did their tests, got "outstanding" grades on all of them, and they handed me the contract straight away. Sure the work is never that great, and you never quite know when you're going to be working... but it's a decent way to get started. I did mine with Office Angels, and they were great.

I'm half way through the temping stuff I just need to wait for them to send me some forums to fill in hopefully that will get me some were. As for the typing I've tired some where in the region of 4 clerical assistant jobs I got three rejects and a no reply on the typing front.O_o

Ponge

Are you sending in a cv or actually going in and picking up an application form from each company?

If it's a cv, maybe you can post an anonymous pdf version on the net somewhere and we can have a look over it to see if you've made any huge mistakes. If it's applications then maybe we can do something similar.

Because really, if you're happy working any hours then you really shouldn't have much difficulty finding a job.