What job hunting skills do i need?

In My Humble Opinion
1

My job hunting/job interviewing skills are not good enough in my opinion and i need help. I am a college student in a college town looking for part time 2nd shift work. I would like to only work every other weekend as i visit my family every other weekend so my choices of jobs are generally limited to the obvious things like food service, cashier, janitor, assistant.

I may qualify for work study through college but its the same there, there are many times more applicants than actual hired persons.

So what all do i need to do to make myself more hireable or desirable?

i know of only 1 trick offhand and that is to call back a few days after the interview for an update as that will give the impression you are overeager. This has worked for me in the past and will give a mild heads up.

Also, i dont have a resume. I dont have one because i have very little work experience (only 1 job) and i dont know how to pad my resume. plus most places dont ask for one, they only ask to fill out an application and maybe do an interview.

I also know connections are a good way to get a job but i have none. how could i develop some connections?

When actually looking for a job i just go through the classifieds and work study classifieds and fill out the ones i think want me. i try to be upfront in the classifieds and ask if they are hiring part time 2nd shift. alot of places in the classifieds aren’t really hiring, they are just accepting applications due to high turnover rates so i figure this will save me some time and keep my spirits up as i will only be applying to places i have a chance at.

Any other places i should check for jobs? i am signed on with 1 temp agency but they only have full time work. there is another temp agency and i think i will sign on with them this upcoming week.

I dont know how to competently accentuate my skills that make me a good job candidate either. For example, i can perform manual labor better than most because i am physically strong and have good stamina from working out for the last 7 years, but i feel stupid saying that in an interview. i know i shouldn’t but it does show i have abilities above most other applicants. The sucky part is i dont think i have any other skills above & beyond most people. I have little job experience, but in that job i had i did fine.

So what else do i need to do. Should i fake enthusiam?

I have a friend i know on the internet, what he did was he applied for a job then called the manager daily asking him if he made a decision or not. he said he did this so that his name would stand out from all the others and make him appear more eager. it worked as he got hired but im afraid this woudl backfire as it would annoy someone and make them feel pressured. What do you think, is that a good tactic, calling every day or every other day to check up on a job?

2

Dude, you are a piece of work.

This “path of least resistance” thing you have going is leading toward the “brick f’ing wall” of life after college.

College towns, while full of unskilled labor, are also full of jobs for unskilled laborers. College students eat a lot of fast food, go to bars, spend a lot of money in retail stores. Your problem is not that the pool of applicants is large, its that the other applicants actually want the job, while you seem to want a schedule. I’m sure it is important for you to see your parents every other week, but if you need the money, you might just have to sacrifice that schedule and go home when you can.

Job hunting tricks are not going to help you out here. The thing you have to realize is that your requirements for the job are putting you at the bottom of the pack of applicants. If you really want advice on how to get a job, just apply like everyone else, do the job, and after demonstrating your abilities, ask for an occasional weekend off.

My impression is that you were born a couple of generations too late. You might have gotten by with your attitude in the 50’s when manufacturing was king and when one held a job for life, but in these post NAFTA globalization days, you have to compete to hold on to your job.

I’m sorry to go all Dr. Laura on your ass, but you desperately need it.

Good Luck.

Relevant cites:
Teach me to live super cheap
Did growing up ‘normal’ put me at a disadvantage in life
what do the working poor do when they get sick or retire
Can someone survive on minimum wage or near it?
[What good educational degrees are 2 years or less/url}
[url=http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=233444]How do i pay for college

3

To properly hunt the elusive ‘jobs’, you’re going to need a tranquilizer gun and a lot of rope. Preferably, you will have been instructed in the use of these beforehand.

4

wtf are you talking about, the fact that i’d prefer every other weekend off? Dont know if i said it in the OP but that is a preference, not a requirement.

And what are my requirements, that it be part time 2nd shift? Who cares, that is when im available.

5

Wesley,
You are not in need of interviewing skills. From what I understand you are a college student looking for part time work. Do you have any real working skills? Will you do any work? Are you willing to work any time, particularly, ALL weekends? This is what employers want. I’m not sure where you are located in the world, but where I am, there are a half dozen applicants for every entry level job. At entry level it is an employer’s market, there is plenty of cheap labor around. Use the shotgun approach, fill out as many applications as you can, be as enthusiastic as you can, and don’t ask for anything special. You are the one going around with your hand out, take what you can get. Be grateful for this jobless recovery.

6

This is wtf I am talking about. You wrote it, are you too lazy to even look?

Here is a good rule of thumb. Pretend you are a small business owner, with your livelihood depending on the performance of your staff. If you walked in and applied for a job, would you hire yourself?

7

Man your priorities are all screwed up if you think wanting to see your family is less important than mildly inconveniencing a business with several other people willing to take your shift if need be. Thats one reason why they have so many employees at businesses, so they can switch shifts if they need to.

I would not know if i would hire me, but the fact that i want to visit my family would not make me think any less of me as an employee, im not Scrooge. It would put me at a disadvantage if that particular job requires weekend work but if it doesnt i doubt it would matter.

8

Man, your reality is screwed up if you think the average employer gives a damn about whether you want to visit your family. They want to make a schedule and have you show up. They don’t want (and have all experienced) the employee who doesn’t show up because they switched shifts with someone else and forgot and the two start playing the blame game. And few employers hire so many people that they have enough people to always switch shifts (wasn’t there just a pit thread pitting someone who didn’t give two weeks notice at a retail job because now all the other retailers employees were going to have to pick up the shifts). Back when I worked retail, I could work 30 hours a week after being scheduled 18 because I would willingly pick up other people’s shifts - and I was often turning down shifts because I was already working a different store. Catch the clue bus. That’s the first step in being employable.

9

I think the question is, why are you visiting your family every other weekend? My parents had to just about drag my sorry ass home when I was in school, because I was having a terrific time.

And I agree with ** Dangerosa**. Employers, ESPECIALLY unskilled hourly pay ones, don’t give a flying fuck abot your personal life- they just want you to work the amount of hours they require. If you come in with all sorts of stipulations about when you can and can’t work, they’ll just hire someone with a more flexible schedule, because there’s no reason for them not to- they don’t benefit from hiring you vs. some other guy who can work when THEY want them to.

If I were you, I’d probably look at on-campus jobs. They didn’t necessarily pay better, but they were more flexible and more cushy than off-campus jobs. And, some of them (help desk, computer-related) can actually parlay themselves into resume experience, if you’re in that sort of field.

10

You might have some luck finding a company, such as a fast food chain or grocery store, that has locations in your college town and your family’s town. Once you learn the job, they might let you work shifts at both locations. Sure, you’d be spending less time actually visiting with your family, but it’s more time than if you stayed in your college town every weekend.

I would recommend freeing up your schedule at first, proving yourself to be a good and reliable employee, then working out a compromise to get 2 weekends off per month. It’s not an unreasonable thing to ask, I had several college jobs where weekends weren’t required, but looking for a job is a 2-stage process: 1) Sell yourself and 2) Negotiate terms. You need to complete 1 before you do 2. If you try to do 2 first, you’ll never get anywhere.

Also, I noticed you did not capitalize the word I in your post. We all take some liberties with message board style, but that is not something that will help you sell yourself in the job market. Don’t even think of yourself as a lower case I–it will show through.

Go ahead and put together a resume. A neat, legible, literate resume will help you stand out from the pack, even if it’s not required for the job. Include your prior job, volunteer work, school/ club activities, relevant classes, and computer skills. Since you’ll probably have the space, an objective statement such as “A job that allows me to learn more about xxx while I complete my degree in zzz.” A trip to the library or your school’s career center will help you locate books w/ sample resumes. Have someone look over your resume, preferably someone who has done some hiring before. Having a prepared resume also makes it easier to apply for jobs via the Internet or to pass your resume along to friends, professors or other contacts who might know of a job.

You mentioned needing to make contacts. One option is the businesses you do business at, if you are a “good” customer (for example, a music buff who frequents a local record store).

One follow-up call is OK. The call-every-day, stalker approach will often get you moved to the bottom of the pile. Not recommended. And don’t think the follow-up call is a heavy hitter, it’s not. Presenting yourself as one step more professional, courteous and reliable than the next applicant is your best bet.

11

Sounds like the most important skill you need is an attitude adjustment. Employers want someone who will do what it takes to get the job done and do it with a smile. If you aren’t enthusiastic about a job then fake it. And if you have any special requirements, wait until after you’ve been working a couple of days to spring them on your boss. At least that way, you’ll get a couple days pay before he fires you.

12

apart from the helpful suggestions about attitude improvement, you should realize that most businesses, particularly retail businesses, use part-time employees to supplement their full-time staff at busy times or odd hours. if you are a full-time employee with some seniority, you might get to choose your days off and your preferred schedule. then a part-timer is assigned to fill in for other days/times. telling an employer you need night work because you are a student during the day–and school comes first–shouldn’t hurt you. there are plenty of restaurant and store-clerk jobs with evening shifts. but announcing that you would like very much to have alternate weekends off (even if it is not a “requirement”) means that you pose a potential problem to the employer that other applicants don’t. in effect you give him a reason not to hire you. in this economy many businesses have cut their staffs pretty thin, and expect them to be available to work longer hours. it is cheaper (unemployment, training, administration, benefits etc.) for a place to have one employee working, say, 30 hours rather than two working 15 each.

the one possibility (and i’m not sure how you would go about finding it) would be some kind of free-lance work that you could do on your own schedule and be paid by the project, rather than as an hourly worker. in the pre-computer days some students earned pretty good money just typing other students’ papers. if you were painting houses or refinishing floors you would be able to tell the customer when you are available. maybe you could look around and see if there is a local need for some service that isn’t being met.

13

Wesley, as has been said in this thread, you are indeed a piece of work. I’ve read many of your threads, and I root for you, I really do. I hope you turn out to be a tremendous success in business and money-making.

You have one thing going for you; you’re young and inexperienced, yet you already know that you have to claw and scrape and scramble to survive. I spent my twenties all blissful that everything would work out because I was so inherently wonderful, and now at 37, I’ve finally got some sort of career on track and a hope of retirement with a roof over my head.

You already know some of the painful truths. That alone is a huge advantage to you, though you may not know it yet.

On the visiting family topic … sorry, bud, people who have to scrape out a living can’t afford to see their family more often than once a year or so. Deal, and take advantage of email, letters and phone calls. Thems are the facts of life. You have to be available to work, if you intend to get paid often for working. You may be surprised at your family’s level of understanding of this fact.