Author Topic: How to get a job?  (Read 8066 times)

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Offline Ħ

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How to get a job?
« on: September 25, 2012, 04:40:10 PM »
Okay, this is me asking DTF for help. I've never had a job before cause I was born with a fat silver spoon in my mouth. I really got to get a grip on that. Problem is I dunno wtf to do or where to start. The catch 22 of employers looking for people with previous work experience is very daunting. I've got good book smarts and academic habits but really no street smarts so gotta work on that. So like, how do you start this process? How can I get some experience under the belt? One and a half years til graduation, so time is ticking...What do??
"All great works are prepared in the desert, including the redemption of the world. The precursors, the followers, the Master Himself, all obeyed or have to obey one and the same law. Prophets, apostles, preachers, martyrs, pioneers of knowledge, inspired artists in every art, ordinary men and the Man-God, all pay tribute to loneliness, to the life of silence, to the night." - A. G. Sertillanges

Offline theseoafs

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #1 on: September 25, 2012, 04:51:00 PM »
Ouch.  You're getting started pretty late, man.  I'd be lying if I said that wouldn't hurt.  I mean, I got my first job in the summer after graduating from high school, and sometimes I feel like that was way too late.

You're in college, which is a good thing.  Your college almost definitely has a career advising department, so definitely start there.  They'll help you get your resume up to snuff, and they probably have some sort of searchable career database to get you started in your field.

You'll want to get some tangible work experience under your belt as soon as possible.  Don't be afraid of minimum wage jobs that don't have anything to do with what you want to do with the rest of your life, like calling center worker or burrito wrapper.  A job is a job and a good recommendation is a good recommendation.

Best of luck.

Offline Fiery Winds

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #2 on: September 25, 2012, 04:51:22 PM »
Since you're still in school, there should be some opportunities to work on campus.  Generally easier to get without experience, but will count as something when you want to move on to something else.

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #3 on: September 25, 2012, 04:52:35 PM »
^that.

If you can get any connections through friends and family, that helps as well.

If you really need experience, you can look for volunteer positions as well, which at least give you something for a resume.
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Offline theseoafs

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #4 on: September 25, 2012, 05:01:29 PM »
Oh, definitely see if there are any open positions in whatever department you're in at school.  I'll be a grader for the intro to computer science class this quarter, for example.  If you're successful in school (and it seems like you are), previous profs will generally snap you up if they need some grunt work done since you're familiar with the material and have already proven to be a hard worker.

Offline Ħ

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #5 on: September 25, 2012, 05:15:36 PM »
Chestlist:

-career advising department
-check for student jobs
-check for volunteer positions in the meantime

Two other things I was thinking of doing. One would be sending applications to local stores (it's gotta be local, don't have a car). Another would be actively checking craigslist. I would not be wasting time doing either of those things, right?
"All great works are prepared in the desert, including the redemption of the world. The precursors, the followers, the Master Himself, all obeyed or have to obey one and the same law. Prophets, apostles, preachers, martyrs, pioneers of knowledge, inspired artists in every art, ordinary men and the Man-God, all pay tribute to loneliness, to the life of silence, to the night." - A. G. Sertillanges

Online Adami

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #6 on: September 25, 2012, 05:19:10 PM »
Apply.
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Offline Sigz

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #7 on: September 25, 2012, 05:19:24 PM »
Not at all, just be sure to follow up at the places you apply. Craigslist is a good place for job postings. Just make sure they're specific about the position/who they are, cause there are scammers out there.
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Offline bosk1

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #8 on: September 25, 2012, 05:21:09 PM »
What do you ultimately want to do?  If you have even a rough idea of what you want to do when you get out of school, one of the absolute best things you can do is use your school's career services office and alumni services office to find people who are already doing what you ultimately want to do.  They you write letters, cold call, and do whatever else you have to do to try to set up VERY brief informational interviews with them.  Ask for 15 minutes of their time where you can either come to their offices, buy them a coffee at Starbuck's, or something like that, and ask what they would recommend.  You will likely get VERY few positive responses, but the ones that you do get will be gold and will help you (1) properly set your expectations for what you can get coming right out of school, and (2) help you get the kind of entry-level or pre-entry-level jobs that will productively pave the way.
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Offline theseoafs

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #9 on: September 25, 2012, 05:23:32 PM »

Offline bosk1

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #10 on: September 25, 2012, 05:26:33 PM »
Chestlist:

-career advising department
-check for student jobs
-check for volunteer positions in the meantime

Yeah...um...here's another item to add:  Spellcheck and proof read your resume and other documents.
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Offline Perpetual Change

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #11 on: September 25, 2012, 05:44:13 PM »
Just finished my Master's and I'm pretty much in the same boat. I have tons of unpaid experience in my field, but nothing professional. I hate the waiting game. You put in applications, and then wait, and then maybe 3 or 4 weeks later you hear back from a few of them if you're lucky. I've put like 30 applications in over the last month, and that yielded two phone interviews. Meanwhile, I'm just sitting at home burning through my (very modest) savings. It absolutely sucks. I have been in school for six years, working 1-3 part time jobs throughout. Every app I send out and fail to hear anything back from is just another tiny blow at my confidence. Honestly, I'm getting depressed.   :|

Of course, I have tons of work experience and "job" experience. The problem is, very little of that is relevant to my career. If need be, I'll go back to retail in time for the holidays. But I really don't want to have to do that. And honestly, I'm not sure if I can. Do retail stores normally hire people with Master's degrees?

So I don't really have any help to offer you, Hayden. I feel like I need a lot of help myself. But if it's really bothering you, I'd say just take anything unless you can afford to keep waiting.  While you have time, and still have money, try doing some volunteer work related to your field. It'll keep your resume from looking bad, and you'll barely have time to do anything for anyone else if you ultimately have to take a temporary job as a burrito wrapper. That's what I'm going to be doing if something doesn't come through soon.
« Last Edit: September 25, 2012, 05:55:12 PM by Perpetual Change »

Offline TioJorge

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #12 on: September 25, 2012, 05:54:41 PM »
You need to put yourself out there, literally. Just go out, talk to people at your college about the stores and businesses surrounding the area, then go talk to them; build up a network of people who know your name and be relentless about it. You can't be shy and if you are (like I am...verily), suck it up and know that if you don't do it, you're going to be drowning in shit creek, again, like I was. After hearing people bullshit you about the economy and how difficult it is to get a job, you realize sooner or later that it isn't hard if you truly need a job. I don't mean 'want' or 'Yeah I need to get a job'. I mean, you're going to be fucking homeless, sucking dick for a bottle of water and a piece of bread and YOU FUCKING HAVE TO HAVE THIS FUCKING JOB FUUUUUUUUUUUCK ARI GOLLLLLLLLLD.

I'm sure none of this helped, but maybe it did. I don't know. I don't care. I just know that once my father cut me off and I realized how spoiled I was ('silver spoon' is a bit too much, I wasn't rich by any means and I grew up dirt poor, but throughout my teenage years I've definitely been upper-middle-class) and how little I had of myself; spending about a week in an apartment that was the size of my room in my old house and having to smell shit and deal with druggies and threats of robbery and yadda yadda 'Merica problems...I stopped being shy real fuckin' quick. That said, you alos learn the ropes of who to suck up to, who not to take shit from, who to go to when you really need to get a job, all the 'who's' of the world is all that matters when you first get started. It is extremely helpful and sometimes necessary.

As another said, do not be afraid of working grunt jobs and being that lowly peon. As long as you strive for the top and work hard, you'll get noticed; and those degrees at that point will start to help out and you'll be noticed even more. But working your way up the ladder is the best way to go, I believe. Every degree in this world won't give a future employer the same impression as seeing how much hard work you put into building yourself up and getting yourself out there. You've just got to do it in a way that suits you best. College is a great start but even then, if you aren't resolute about it, if you don't stay on top of it then you may as well start over.

This was more of a yadda yadda for myself I guess but if you take anything from my insanity, here have a lemon.
« Last Edit: September 25, 2012, 06:00:15 PM by TioJorge »

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Offline Perpetual Change

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #13 on: September 25, 2012, 05:58:01 PM »
Yeah, I lost my network, sort of.

I had a good network when I was finishing up my BA. But then I decided I wanted to do a Master's abroad. Then, I had a great network there, and could have landed something good. But I wanted and needed to come home. The network I had upon finishing my BA is pretty much disintegrated. I had people who wanted to help me two years ago, but I did something else, and they moved on to help other people. That's just life. You get off the train and someone else gets on.

Oh well. I will become the volunteer king!

Offline theseoafs

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #14 on: September 25, 2012, 06:03:28 PM »
You put in applications, and then wait, and then maybe 3 or 4 weeks later you hear back from a few of them if you're lucky. I've put like 30 applications in over the last month, and that yielded two phone interviews. Meanwhile, I'm just sitting at home burning through my (very modest) savings.

For what it's worth, the job application process doesn't have to be a waiting game if you take an active role in it.  It's always a good idea to follow up on job applications you put in; that will let your potential employers know you mean business.

The absolute worst-case scenario if you call in to check on the status of an app is they'll say "no, we filled that position years ago" or "sorry but your app sucked monkey balls", but even in that case it's great to have a solid answer.  That way, you'll be able to focus your energies on the pursuit of other opportunities rather than waiting on contact regarding a job that you were never going to be offered in the first place.

Offline TioJorge

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #15 on: September 25, 2012, 06:08:08 PM »
You put in applications, and then wait, and then maybe 3 or 4 weeks later you hear back from a few of them if you're lucky. I've put like 30 applications in over the last month, and that yielded two phone interviews. Meanwhile, I'm just sitting at home burning through my (very modest) savings.

For what it's worth, the job application process doesn't have to be a waiting game if you take an active role in it.  It's always a good idea to follow up on job applications you put in; that will let your potential employers know you mean business.

The absolute worst-case scenario if you call in to check on the status of an app is they'll say "no, we filled that position years ago" or "sorry but your app sucked monkey balls", but even in that case it's great to have a solid answer.  That way, you'll be able to focus your energies on the pursuit of other opportunities rather than waiting on contact regarding a job that you were never going to be offered in the first place.

Wonderful advice. When looking for a job, 'waiting' should never be an option. You should always be on the move, filling your day with writing so many applications and going back to the ones you've filled for a follow up that you consider that your actual job: finding a job. Because it is. Just as if you're full-time in school, that is essentially your job unless you're one of those crazy badasses that does full-time school and full-time work.

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Offline Ħ

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #16 on: September 25, 2012, 06:09:40 PM »
With resume building, is it more important to be honest or to portray yourself in the best light possible? For example, I got some dirt low grades in a couple chem classes, but I passed. So like, if I'm applying for working in a lab or something, should I include my grade in the resume, or just write the class down?
"All great works are prepared in the desert, including the redemption of the world. The precursors, the followers, the Master Himself, all obeyed or have to obey one and the same law. Prophets, apostles, preachers, martyrs, pioneers of knowledge, inspired artists in every art, ordinary men and the Man-God, all pay tribute to loneliness, to the life of silence, to the night." - A. G. Sertillanges

Offline theseoafs

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #17 on: September 25, 2012, 06:11:40 PM »
Fuck no.  You took the class and passed it.  Only include specifics if they're really good specifics.  (For example, the advice my counselor gave me regarding resumes is to include your GPA only if it's above 3.5.)

Offline Ħ

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #18 on: September 25, 2012, 06:12:03 PM »
On a side note, Nick told me that DTF mods are paid $25 per ban. What's the DTF application process?
"All great works are prepared in the desert, including the redemption of the world. The precursors, the followers, the Master Himself, all obeyed or have to obey one and the same law. Prophets, apostles, preachers, martyrs, pioneers of knowledge, inspired artists in every art, ordinary men and the Man-God, all pay tribute to loneliness, to the life of silence, to the night." - A. G. Sertillanges

Offline TioJorge

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #19 on: September 25, 2012, 06:13:24 PM »
 :lol

Oh fuck I'm crying

 :rollin :rollin

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Offline Perpetual Change

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #20 on: September 25, 2012, 06:15:03 PM »
I am not sold on the idea of calling to follow-up on an application. I talked to some HR people about it once, and it just seemed to piss them off.

Offline Ħ

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #21 on: September 25, 2012, 06:16:40 PM »
(For example, the advice my counselor gave me regarding resumes is to include your GPA only if it's above 3.5.)
Well, if I'm not including my GPA in my resume, I basically don't have a resume other than the fact I graduated high school.
"All great works are prepared in the desert, including the redemption of the world. The precursors, the followers, the Master Himself, all obeyed or have to obey one and the same law. Prophets, apostles, preachers, martyrs, pioneers of knowledge, inspired artists in every art, ordinary men and the Man-God, all pay tribute to loneliness, to the life of silence, to the night." - A. G. Sertillanges

Offline theseoafs

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #22 on: September 25, 2012, 06:19:39 PM »
 :lol  A GPA from 3.0 to 3.5 could be fine too.  Keep in mind that your professional resume will still be a good place to dump your extracurriculars until you've been out of college for a year or two.

Offline Ħ

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #23 on: September 25, 2012, 06:21:49 PM »
Er, like marching band from high school? Or National Honor Society, from high school? Or helping out with the church youth group? Do employers care about that stuff?
"All great works are prepared in the desert, including the redemption of the world. The precursors, the followers, the Master Himself, all obeyed or have to obey one and the same law. Prophets, apostles, preachers, martyrs, pioneers of knowledge, inspired artists in every art, ordinary men and the Man-God, all pay tribute to loneliness, to the life of silence, to the night." - A. G. Sertillanges

Offline theseoafs

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #24 on: September 25, 2012, 06:24:08 PM »
Well, it should be the stuff you did in college.  High school won't matter so much right now.  But yeah, you can use extracurriculars to fill up some space if your work experience is lacking.

Offline Ħ

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #25 on: September 25, 2012, 06:27:27 PM »
Well, it should be the stuff you did in college.
OK. Literally the only things I did in college were 1) Circle K club with about 50 hours of volunteering for various things, and 2) volunteering at church. So, those two things, plus graduating high school, plus relevant college courses taken will make up my resume. And also font size 72 WordArt that says "The Greatest Resume Ever".
"All great works are prepared in the desert, including the redemption of the world. The precursors, the followers, the Master Himself, all obeyed or have to obey one and the same law. Prophets, apostles, preachers, martyrs, pioneers of knowledge, inspired artists in every art, ordinary men and the Man-God, all pay tribute to loneliness, to the life of silence, to the night." - A. G. Sertillanges

Offline theseoafs

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #26 on: September 25, 2012, 06:29:18 PM »
Hell yeah. 

Offline Ħ

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #27 on: September 25, 2012, 06:33:07 PM »
All right. So, step by step, tomorrow will be checking out the career center and constructing the resume. College GPA is a 2.91 as of now so that is not going to be included. High school GPA was 4.05 valedictorian so I think I'll actually include that one. Will report back tomorrow.
"All great works are prepared in the desert, including the redemption of the world. The precursors, the followers, the Master Himself, all obeyed or have to obey one and the same law. Prophets, apostles, preachers, martyrs, pioneers of knowledge, inspired artists in every art, ordinary men and the Man-God, all pay tribute to loneliness, to the life of silence, to the night." - A. G. Sertillanges

Offline snapple

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #28 on: September 25, 2012, 06:33:41 PM »
Apparently they're taking complete idiots for NFL refs. Apply. You'll do better than what they have.

Offline j

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #29 on: September 25, 2012, 08:16:45 PM »
And also font size 72 WordArt that says "The Greatest Resume Ever".

I've heard that most employers actually prefer Comic Sans font to WordArt.  Insider info.

-J

Offline Blazinarps

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #30 on: September 25, 2012, 08:31:06 PM »
I used to be a career consultant. Many of the suggestions here are good enough. Anyone that has specific questions, I will be more than happy to help. FWIW, I worked with severely disabled people, many of them had no skills or work history. They got jobs. So can you. It's not as hard as the media makes it seem.

Bullet points are:

Career objective. List short and long term goals. What kind of job are you looking for? Pay, hours, location, job duties.

Build a  resume. You can make a functional resume without work history. List your skills, schooling etc. Get references.

Apply. Most applications are done online. Learn how to effectively search. Post your resume on job boards.

Create a contact list for jobs you've applied to. Include dates of application, anybody you spoke to, hiring manager, their openings etc.

Follow up on every contact. You apply... Call them a few days later. You can ask for the manager.

I will post more later.

Online lonestar

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #31 on: September 25, 2012, 11:51:30 PM »


Bottom line, apply, a lot. If you throw 100 pieces of shit against a wall, one of them is bound to stick.

Offline ReaPsTA

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #32 on: September 26, 2012, 12:20:02 AM »
What kind of job are you trying to get?  Just a college job for extra money?  Those are easy to get.  Inevitably, someone's looking for a minimum wage student worker to help out.  Or, if you don't want to do that, you don't really need much prior experience to interview for the opportunity to tell someone to have a nice day after you ring them up.

Look at the ages of people working in certain places.  There's a grocery store a couple minutes from where I live that hires a lot of high schoolers.  Assuming you applied there, they wouldn't care so much about your previous lack of experience.

Any job you can find through personal connections has a much higher chance of getting you hired.

Like someone else said, apply a lot.  Somebody will say yes.

BTW - Something I figured out just in time that I'll stress to you:  The job market in the US is terrible right now.  Make sure you enjoy your college experience blah blah blah yada yada yada.  But for godssakes find out what makes you more employable in your future career and get a head start on it now.  I'm a broadcasting major, and for some reason I only just realized this summer that I should produce as many legitimate, real, actual videos as possible so I can show potential employers reasons to hire me.  Whatever the equivalent of this is for you, do it.
« Last Edit: September 26, 2012, 12:25:14 AM by ReaPsTA »
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Offline Perpetual Change

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #33 on: September 26, 2012, 07:43:09 AM »
I used to be a career consultant. Many of the suggestions here are good enough. Anyone that has specific questions, I will be more than happy to help. FWIW, I worked with severely disabled people, many of them had no skills or work history. They got jobs. So can you. It's not as hard as the media makes it seem.

Bullet points are:

Career objective. List short and long term goals. What kind of job are you looking for? Pay, hours, location, job duties.

Build a  resume. You can make a functional resume without work history. List your skills, schooling etc. Get references.

Apply. Most applications are done online. Learn how to effectively search. Post your resume on job boards.

Create a contact list for jobs you've applied to. Include dates of application, anybody you spoke to, hiring manager, their openings etc.

Follow up on every contact. You apply... Call them a few days later. You can ask for the manager.

I will post more later.

Quick question-- how should a subject line on a e-mail look? Is, say, "Application for Associate Editor position" fine? Or should it be something more descriptive like, "Experienced recent grad for Associate Editor"?

Offline ReaPsTA

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Re: How to get a job?
« Reply #34 on: September 26, 2012, 08:34:29 AM »
Quick question-- how should a subject line on a e-mail look? Is, say, "Application for Associate Editor position" fine? Or should it be something more descriptive like, "Experienced recent grad for Associate Editor"?

Are you talking about editing as in video editing?
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