Tips on how to get a job?

It looks awesome!! I'm so happy and proud of you! This is super clean and to the point, super killer in my opinion. However, try this out: add the school/establishment that you went to get your GED (was it a local college or an institute? You can add that under the 'school' section. if your mother is qualified to give the test (depending on state) then it's fine. Just remove the "name of college" section, since you didn't go to one, they will know and won't ask. (they will ask if you seek college in the future though and that's ok)

Either then that I absolutely love it. <3 Good work!

 

Oh, I got my GED through the college I took those courses at, and I only took the name out for the version I shared here. In the actual resume, it has the name, instead of 'Name of college.' Is that okay?

 

Oh ok! Nope that's perfectly ok, I understand now. Then you are all set, yay!!

 

Thank you guys so much! Lol, not only did you teach me how to write a proper resume, you all also really encouraged me and got me feeling good about my job searching. I feel much more confident about things now, and I owe any future success to you all. :)

Thanks bunches! :D

 

Not sure how relevant this is, but it affected me.

A lot of places you apply will have basic ethics tests where they ask you how you feel about certain situations, how an employee should be punished for certain things, and so on. I had trouble getting a job because I answered honestly and did not side with management on every decision. When I answered a question on their side, I sided in the middle ground on a lot of things instead of strongly agreeing. Those tests give the employer a basic "Trustworthy" or "Untrustworthy" result based on statistics that can automatically keep you from getting the job. When you get to those sections of an application, always pick what the employer wants to hear and pick the strongest preference you can, because the machine doesn't care and will tell them not to hire you for having unique and nuanced personal ethics.

 

Lol, duly noted. XD Managers and employers are always in the right all of the time. I shall strongly agree. XD

 

If they ask you if someone should be fired for drinking on the job, say yes, on the spot. That kind of thing, too.

 

Ooh the two column thing you've done is interesting. I think it actually works quite well for your references but I'm unsure about having your skills and education next to eachother on the same level. Also maybe try to adjust the spacings between each section so it fills two pages nicely and you don't have a huge space at the bottom? You don't want to go over 2 pages though. I still think that font is quite hard to read, particularly on the bolded bits. Nice work on adding the team-player bit, as good customer services is good but customers aren't the only people you'll need to communicate with. You need good written and verbal communication skills. I think there is a vast improvement on where you started though.

(I keep editting my posts and adding more as I didn't want to double post but I'm not sure if you saw any of my edits)

 

To add to what everyone else has said, employers love to hear about difficult situations you've faced in the workplace/somewhere else and how you overcame them. Maybe it depends on what job you're going for but the job I do has a lot of behavioural analysation.

I use the STAR method- situation, task, action, result.

If you're telling them about a situation, tell them what the problem is or what potential problems it could lead to, what you did to overcome it and what the end result was.

 

Ah, yeah, there were some things you said in earlier posts that I didn't see, including the note about the font. XD If it's difficult to read, I'll change it to something a bit easier. :) and yeah, I wasn't entirely sure about the skills and education bits being next to each other. If I change that, it should fill up the second page nicely. Lol, the main reason I did that was because I was trying to keep all the work experience on one page and the volunteer experience on the other, but I suppose that detail doesn't really matter. XD

Thanks for the advice. Though, I'm facing the problem of most of my big work problems in the past are due to my having had bad supervisors.

One of them was really lazy and so the work environment was filthy, with untrained coworkers, and everybody always cussed everyone out and food took an hour to make, because she was everybody's friend and nobody's boss. And then when she left, we had no supervisor for a few months, and then the new guy DID manage to make EVERYBODY pitch in to keep the place clean and got it so that food came out on time, but he was a slimy rat that harrassed anyone who would let him, gave out punishments unjustly (he wrote me up for something really little and stupid and when I told him I hadn't even been working that day he told me he wrote up the entire group for it because a fail by one was a fail by all, and I had to go to the Park Manager to get that straightened out) and he also lied all the time and gossiped about personal business people told him in confidence to ensure they got time off when needed.

I hadn't mentioned these people, or my also-terrible coworkers, when I went in for my one interview, because 'the Employer is always right and I strongly agree,' and I'm also a 'team player.' (I mean, I am. I got along great with most of my coworkers, and never got into drama with the ones who treated me badly, I just put up with it) but most of the problems I've overcome are directly related to lousy management and problem coworkers.

 

That's actually a really good example, actually. Like don't ***** out your former bosses or co-workers, but tell them about how you managed with having horrible bosses, like still getting your job done, doing the best you can, working under pressure, etc.

I can totally relate to everything you have said as I (and am sure many of us) have had bosses that suck at their jobs.

 

I'm actually OOW right now... And I can tell you it's tough.

I remember several years ago my boss took my resume and tore it apart from one end to the other. I couldn't believe how MUCH he improved it in a day. I was shocked and it REALLY helped me look for a job. Mine more was like lists, now it's more like what you listed here.

I would have to say: Cover Letters make a HUGE first impression. I never realized how much until I kept on getting rejected from jobs. It took me forever to realize what I was doing wrong until I googled it. I was shocked on how quickly people started responding to my inquiries after I posted a decent cover letter covering my background and what I did.

Also: Be VERY careful on call backs. A lot of employers don't want you to call and they WILL throw out your resume for checking. Thanking them for an interview is fine, even encouraged. But before then you can't usually call the employer, most have so many people applying they don't want to deal with the hassle of having everyone call them.

 

So here's a Fourth Version. I changed the font to something a little easier to read, and made everything a size bigger. That should make it easier to read, and take care of the excess space at the end of page two. Let me know if you all think it still looks too difficult. I also put the Skills and Education sections in separately, instead of side-by-side, as recommended.

I played around with the formatting a little, too, to make everything just look a bit better, so if you guys spot any aesthetic issues, let me know.

I like the idea of a cover letter, but I'm wondering if that's a little too much when applying for minimum wage fast-food or grocery-bagging jobs. There are a few other better jobs that, with this new version of my resume, I feel like I actually can even apply for, so I'd probably write cover letters for those, but what do you think about doing that for other jobs?

Also, I'm surprised about that whole calling thing. So many people have told me that I should call people, to show that I mean business and am persistent. This is directly contradictory to that idea. What does everybody else think? Should I stop calling and let my resume do my talking for me? lol, I don't like phone calls so I'd be perfectly willing to skip that step if everyone agrees that it's detrimental to my chances.

 

If they give you a personal e-mail thanking you for applying, go ahead. But I was surprised by how many people have told me to not call and check. A lot of companies flat-out say don't call and check on your resume. I call some places with questions without mentioning my name, but that's it.

Oh yeah: If you're sending via e-mail. Do attachment AND put the body of the resume in the e-mail. Write a nice formal note before doing so mentioning what you're applying for and WHERE you found the job, some places have 500 jobs listed, they won't remember what you're applying for, they also like knowing what ads are working and what aren't, you giving them feedback without prompting really helps them. Add the title of the position, too. That you think you'd do well with the job and where your information is. Sometimes they will tell you to not do a listing of your letter/resume in the body, but check otherwise.

NAMES ARE IMPORTANT!!! If you're looking for a higher-end job. Try your damnedest to get someone's name that is probably going to read it and put it as their formal title: Mr. for a guy and Ms. for a girl (that's neutral for the person who you don't know their marital status.) along with their last name. To Whom it May Concern doesn't work well with a lot of companies hr people. They think you're not interested.

I would highly recommend if you have a very high background in a subject and a college degree to try out for teaching if you think you can handle it. A lot of high schoolers are IMPOSSIBLE to work with, especially when they know you're new. (There's a story about a five pound bag of dog biscuits and a poor sub on her second day of teaching I can tell people sometime. The teacher when he got back ripped us a new one for 45 minutes straight.) And very young kids are too, but the schools are desperate for Ed Techs since teachers get SO much more money and pay than Ed Techs. To the point where they're not caring anymore if they have a degree in teaching.

They also give you free insurance if you're full-time. It's just a suggestion. Course, depending on the state, you have to get registered with the state with fingerprints and everything. I know my state is not bad, I actually just did it.

For interviews:

Dress nicely. I don't care if it's a punk rock store and the person who greets you is wearing a sweatshirt and ripped through jeans. You are there to make a good impression, dress at max a notch higher than you see when you go in. In example: A nice pair of jeans and a neat t-shirt is good for said situation, or khakis and a nice shirt for a more formal setting. Always check to see what others are wearing. Don't overdress, I made the mistake Friday of wearing a nice ironed dress shirt and dress pants with nice dress shoes.

On Casual Friday.

And I ran into the CEO who was wearing a old pair of jeans and a t-shirt, the person who interviewed me was wearing a loose t-shirt and khaki pants. It wasn't a good impression and I was embarrassed by it.

Be polite, shake their hand firmly (One thing I despise myself is the finger handshake *hands barely touching and for a second only* and/or the limp fish handshake *hand and wrist is completely limp and just feels like you're holding a dead fish* where they are just doing it because they have to. I have had that happen many times at different jobs and it drives me nuts. A strong, firm handshake with just a bit of strength is good. Ask someone to help you so you know what is too strong.) and make eye contact. Be honest: Lying will only hurt you in the long run. You can leave things out, I have many times, but flat out lying really hurts you. These small things REALLY add up to you and the person who's interviewing you for good impressions.

Do. Your. Homework. Number one, uno question they ask you: Do you have any questions? Have questions, write them down if needed. DON'T ask about benefits/pay in the first interview and maybe a second. That's a loaded gun question that they never want to hear. If it's about getting a degree for the job, it's fine... But make sure you say that you'd stay with the job even if you get a new degree. They don't want to see you bail as soon as you do get a new degree, especially if you sound eager about getting a new one for the job. Make sure you make it clear you want the job and you're going to stay there a long time, training takes time and money, and they don't like wasting it. If they ask you a question about benefits or pay, stay neutral, don't ask about it until you're sure you have the job if you don't know already. Look at their website, facebook, social media, what they do, what kinds of things they do for the community even, about aspects of your job that isn't clear. They want questions, give them it.

Always send a thank you letter afterwards for the interview, mention the date/time, mention two things you remember from the interview and thank them for their time and you hope for a positive reply soon. Even e-mail is fine, you want them to remember you, the best way to do so is to remind them of your sparkling interview that you had the day before and how much you would help the company. (I would say tomorrow is best so it takes time for it to sink in.)

 

Thank you, all this will be a lot of help! :)

Though as for teaching, that unfortunately would be a bad fit for me. XD I can teach the concepts of moral, ethical, and social responsibility, but I can't really teach like, school type stuff at all. XD Plus, teens don't respect me because I look super young for my age, so they all think I'm a teenager anyway. XD I'd be the super young looking short baby-faced sub, and I wouldn't last five minutes. XD

 

In my experience, calling and checking a few days later shows proactiveness without overeagerness. Fear will lose more chances than confidence.

 

It could be also you're overqualified for jobs.

Employers are always looking at the bottom line. How much money do I have to pay a Community college student compared to a high schooler? How much for a Bachelor's compared to a Associates? Google to see the pay differences, you'd be amazed on how much of a pay difference we're talking about.

Make sure you go for jobs that aren't way below your level. I know my old employer was asking for an accountant with some experience and she was getting people with at least a Master's with 30 years experience applying.

 

Kay... I think, unless I'm specifically told otherwise, I'll keep calling to check up on applications, but I'll use all the tips about what to say and not say that you've all left for me. :)

lol, this seems like very reasonable advice, but for my specific situation, I don't feel like I'm overqualified for much. XD

 

Also I'd just like to say if you don't hear anything back from the jobs for ages (like months), it doesn't necessarily mean they've rejected you. I was just in that situation, I'd applied for loads and heard pretty much nothing back from any of them. However in the last two days, I've suddenly got three phone interviews and a face to face interview. I think sometimes it can take them a while to sort through them and decide who to interview, especially if the job is quite busy so they don't have much time to look at CVs or if they get a lot. Also some will wait until the closing date of the job before looking through them and contacting people about interviews. I'm also aware of companies that don't like giving out rejections as that mean if ones that have better CVs than you fall through or fail in the interview, they could still contact you and give you the chance.

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/nextave...erview-questions-you-should-ask/#1662a204191e

I googled this because I swear to God: The biggest question I despise is the: "Do you have any questions?"

A lot of these make sense and are great questions to ask. I haven't used it yet, but I also trust Forbes to not steer me wrong.

Also: Don't ask all ten at the interview. Be considerate of the time. I would say five at most.