Help a Brother Out, Who Has No Prior Work Experience, Make a Resume

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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Hi there! I’m a 19 year old lad, I don’t know if I can still be called a lad by this age, who has been searching for a job for the last year and a half in order to pay for a university ($53,000 for the whole course) after I’m done with a state college, recently became one. I need to make a resume and a cover letter for potential jobs but I didn’t have a prior job, the only experience I have is some volunteering gigs. A lot of these jobs, most I think, ask for some kind of background whenever I look on my college job board, monster.com or Snagajob. I have no professional experience and most of the volunteering I did was random and short; I don’t even know if it can qualify to put on my resume as experience since they were only a few hours. :frowning:

The volunteering that I remembered was cleaning a teachers room, it was only me putting the chairs on top of the desks but he still gave me 5 hours for it to be and I was one of the quietest students in his class. I moved a bunch of stuff from my teacher’s room to the library. I’ve graded, printed, and copied schoolwork for both volunteering and student aide. At a jamboree for my school’s band, all I remembered was working in the kitchen packing up food in aluminum, moving condiments from the truck, watching the grill, and etc. The one I actually use for applications is the one where I sold Christmas Trees (second highest sales at over 10 to 20 trees), where I also have watered them. The problem I have is that some example resumes have the month and the year of the volunteering but I don’t remember when I did these except the trees since it was before Christmas on my senior year.

The things I do have going for me are that I am kinda proficient in Photoshop, I almost got certified but I needed 10 more points in order to pass. I have years of know-how in Microsoft Office Word and PowerPoint, but didn’t get certified though got close for PowerPoint.

I have a security guard D license and I am CPR certified, so that’s great for me but there’s a bigger job market for those with G type licenses and most seem to be full time.

My mom advise me to use her old iHOP job info for a fake job employment history, which recently she said is a bad idea; :confused: thanks mom, so now she told me to use my uncle’s bagel place for it but I decide enough was enough since I don’t want to continually lie my ass off to a potential employer, asking about my experience as a server for working at this place; I find lying too tiring for my lazy self. So now I come to you, fighters for thuthiness, on helping answering these questions:

Any tips and advice in order to fill out my resume for one such as myself?

If I fill out on my resume with no employment history, will it look too awkward enough that I won’t get to the interview?

Which jobs or industries should I actively seek out that generally don’t require previous experience?

I wanted to try out an internship, or volunteer some more, so I can use that as a previous background but I want to get a job as soon as I can to save up money and want to know how long is enough to count it as a previous experience?

On references: I’ve been using my teachers but since I don’t have their number, only emails, I put my schools number so they can talk to them, is that a bad idea?

Is their any other websites, besides Monster and Snagajob, to search for jobs that can help out.

So thanks for going over this long description and deciding if you can help. :slight_smile: I will probably post some sections of my resume along with application answers here.

This is probably the longest post I have ever made.

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19 years old, so I assume you haven’t finished college, so are you looking for part time or full time? have you quit school? What is or was your major? Have you thought of volunteering for something related to your field of study with hopes of eventually getting a paid position? What do you want to do?

In general, footwork vs job boards. Walk around your town–especially in the retail district, and look for help wanted signs. Do not fake your job history.

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so are you looking for part time or full time?
Part time since I’m trying to get all my prerequisite classes done.

have you quit school?
No way!

What is or was your major?
Film at the state college and creative writing at the university.

Have you thought of volunteering for something related to your field of study with hopes of eventually getting a paid position?
I haven’t really thought about it but I’ll try to see what comes up.

What do you want to do?
Well I want to be a writer but I’m just looking for job to pay for the university I’ll be going to after this school.

*In general, footwork vs job boards. Walk around your town–especially in the retail district, and look for help wanted signs. *
I have done this as well, but they usually say to sign up online.

Thanks for the suggestions.

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It was over forty years ago, but I can still remember being in high school, and needing a part-time Job. I went around to all the small businesses within walking distance of my home (I lived in the suburbs), and asked the owner/manager if there was a job application I could fill out.

One of the places I asked was at the back door of a family-owned Italian restaurant. Practically as soon as the words were out of my mouth, the owner, told me to come in, gave me a plate of spaghetti, had me fill out a job application, and set me to work washing dishes that very afternoon.

What type of environs are you in, EPoch and is THAT kind of footwork something that’s plausible for you to attempt?

ETA:

This sentence, particularly the bolded part, is making my head hurt. Would you be so kind as to either explain it or re-write it? TIA.

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If you drive, maybe try delivering pizza. If you don’t, maybe a McJob at any local fast food joint as a way to get started.

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The school that I go to was a community college that changed to a state college. Sorry if it was confusing.

A lot of the places around me are mostly food businesses. I have checked at the ones closets to me but I think I should expand on that. This is getting really helpful.

Also guy above me, I don’t have a license only a permit.

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Is there a local movie theater? Get a job selling popcorn. It will be your first step into the movie business.

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You can lump all of the various volunteering experience into one entry. I’m not sure what to title it for volunteerism, exactly, but I think if taken as a whole, you could make it sound pretty good. You’re willing to do whatever tasks are needed, and you have some office experience. Hey!

Normally one wouldn’t put the CPR or the security guard license on a resume if it’s not for a related position, but you could put it on there if you’re really hurting for something to fill the page. At least it shows that you’ve been doing more than just sitting on your behind.

I wouldn’t worry so much about actual certifications in the software. Good to have, but not necessary if you can describe your skills and what you have done. You mention Word and Powerpoint. How’s your Excel? Excel is really important. If you’re not proficient at it, sign up for and start a training course, right now, even if it’s a free online course. Not only will you get necessary skills, but you’ll also have a way to deal with the question of your lack of skills in that area.

You’re definitely right not to lie, and don’t make the mistake of trying too hard to make your actual experience and skills sound loftier than they are. An honest and hardworking kid without much experience is definitely hire-able. Sell yourself as versatile and willing to learn. You’ll be able to find something.

Putting the school’s main phone number is fine for the teachers, especially if you also provide email addresses.

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There are, but I have been mostly signing for anything that’s vacant, so I haven’t thought of it.

I’ve only taken in class that had excel taught but it was maybe 2 years ago so it’s not fresh enough for me. Thanks for the suggestions.

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Most jobs that want your MS skills will probably be looking for a FT employee. For a job that fits in with your class schedule, you’ll probably have to go retail. Fortunately, this is the time that companies are hiring for the Christmas season. You might also be able to get hired on seasonally at Fed-Ex or UPS in their distribution centers as a sorter or loader.

Places like Wal-mart and Target often have kiosks in-store where you can complete an application. Sometimes you’ll be interviewed by a shift manager on the spot. Serving or busing at a restaurant might be a possibility, especially if you start at a locally-owned restaurant where the owner makes the hiring decisions. In all cases, when you go in, even just to complete an application, look neat and well-groomed.

Good luck.

StG

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Do:
List your volunteer experience and qualifications along with expiry dates if relevant. Keep it simple, neat and SPELL CHECK!

Keep it to one page, two max!

Get a hold of potential references and ask if they are OK with doing so. Get contact info from them. Try and get three if you can. Don’t forget Scouts, coaches or teachers who you helped.

Your homework. Find out what the place does where you want to work, check out their online presence, call them and find out who the person doing the hiring is. One of the reasons I got hired was because I could quote the ethics handbook for the co. better than the Ethics Coordinator during the interview.

Go to places you want to work at in person and drop off your resume.

Place a courtesy call after a few days to inquire about the position you applied for.

Dress neatly and appropriately for what it is you’re applying for. Armani suit + construction job = Bad. Jeans and running shoes for CFO of major company=BAD.

Thank potential employers for their time on the follow up call.

Don’ts:

Lie about your experience!

Use wild coloured paper, wierd fonts or fancy graphics that will distract on your CV unless the job you’re going for is in graphic design and even then; just don’t.

Finally, don’t forget to smile as you go.

Good Luck!

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I came here to suggest pizza. All you have to do is have a car and current insurance for that…

McJobs don’t require job history. Just fill out the online applications and go from there. Everyone needs a first job!

Alternatively, you can get an on-campus job. Just look at your school’s job listings.

Why can’t you work at your uncle’s bagel place?

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Former employer here. Trying to get an office job is going to be a long, long shot. I’d never hire someone who didn’t have some previous work experience because far too many people quit suddenly.

Most people I know started off working crappy jobs like McDonalds, pizza or cleaning and then go from there.

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If you’re looking at a half blank piece of paper and trying to fill the space, explain what you’ve done. Make a statement like “accomplished x by y as measured by z”, or something like “learned ___ skills via using ___ method to accomplish ___.” To repeat what’s been mentioned, entry level jobs don’t require work experience, and are about the only thing you’re qualified for, to be harsh.

Oh, and you should start the job hunt early; with an field of study like “film at the state college and creative writing at the university” you are going to have a very hard time finding suitable employment even after you get your degree.

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Dude. If you’re looking for part-time work and can’t find a job, you’re either looking for the wrong jobs or doing something else incorrectly. (Unless you live in the middle of nowhere… Do you live in the middle of nowhere?) Actually, the dead giveaway on your error might be the resume/cover letter thing. You don’t need a resume for the types of jobs you’re qualified for. There is no way this takes a year and a half. This is like a two week process. The first week you apply for a bunch of jobs, the second week you go to the interviews that you get.

If you want to make decent money, go to every chain restaurant in your area and apply for server jobs. Restaurant jobs in general are pretty great because they’ll allow you a pretty flexible schedule. Alternatively/also, go to a temp agency, they might be able to put your computer skills to work for you. Chances are pretty good they’ll find you something above minimum wage.

Lastly, this is the holiday season. Practically every store on Earth is going to be hiring right now. Also UPS and FedEx. There is no reason you shouldn’t have a job by the end of next week if you really want one. Once you have a job and establish some work history you can start improving on your position.

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So, those exams you just missed passing, why didn’t you retake them? I think you need to ask yourself if you are ready for college, and figure out what to do if you’re not ready. You might consider enlisting in the military.

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Join the Army to become a combat correspondent. Gain experience in your field and finish your degree before you even get out.