Job searching advice

[omega 616]

As it stands I have been more or less unemployed my entire (nearly) 23 years of life and I hate it!

I have been on countless courses for employability, retail, interview techniques, CV writing etc, I have done countless hours of voluntary work and spent hundreds of hours scrolling past thousands of jobs the vast majority of which I can't do (traveling or not qualified for).

I want to know how you got a job or any tips for getting one.

I am sick of feeling like a leech and a waster, I want to pay my own bills and have enough to afford to enjoy life, eat out once in awhile etc.

Edit. Sorry, I forgot there was an advice forum ...

 

[Catfood220]

As it stands I have been more or less unemployed my entire (nearly) 23 years of life and I hate it!

I have been on countless courses for employability, retail, interview techniques, CV writing etc, I have done countless hours of voluntary work and spent hundreds of hours scrolling past thousands of jobs the vast majority of which I can't do (traveling or not qualified for).

I want to know how you got a job or any tips for getting one.

I am sick of feeling like a leech and a waster, I want to pay my own bills and have enough to afford to enjoy life, eat out once in awhile etc.

Edit. Sorry, I forgot there was an advice forum ...

I know how you feel, I have been unemployed twice for periods of about 6 months each and it is the most boring, depressing and soul destroying feeling in the world. I never want to be unemployed again. And the people who are supposed to help you get a job are no bloody use at all.

Unfortunately, its the wrong time to try and get a job, not many people are hiring at the moment due to the economy. My advice to you is to get yourself out there, ask in fast food restaurants, bars, nightclub, hotels, shops, see if they need any staff. It may be shit work for shit pay, but at least you are working and earning money. You have a reason to get up in the morning and you get the Job Center off your back. Plus while you are working, you can still keep looking for a better job or see what promotional prospects are on offer in the place you work.

Good luck.

 

[Fappy]

I got really lucky with my current job so the only advice I can really offer is: know people that know people.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Join the club (in the same position). I don't know what else to say really other than we just have to endure it.

 

[Shivarage]

Join the club (in the same position). I don't know what else to say really other than we just have to endure it.

^ This

The world has changed a hell of a lot since the market crash of '08

We are no longer "staff" we are now "investments" as the attitude of your average employer has now changed from business efficiency to clawing as much money as possible to not get fired

Heck, even seasoned professionals are having hard times and the governments and media are bent on blaming the vulnerable to protect themselves from blame and responsiblity for that leads to getting fired

it's every man for himself, and every man looks after his own now, like what a guy above said... know people who know people, it's your only hope

 

[omega 616]

I applied for a job with the housing group I am with, I also lived in there homeless shelter for 2 years and I now volunteer with the caretaker who also works for the same housing group. I also know one of the people doing the interview but I am not sure if that is a good thing or not, we got along perfectly well before but I might feel weird being interviewed by a person I know.

The trouble is they rip off the "whats your name, D.O.B, sex" etc so there is no bias or whatever when they do the short list for the interviews. I also have fuck all experience in professional sitting around and doing nothing AKA night supervisor, sure I can sit in flat all day everyday but I don't think they will let me play battlefield all night.

I really hope I get the job, min wage is £5.96 ish and this job pays £7.96! I will cry with joy if I get that job!

 

[spacemutant IV]

These are 3 blog posts, all from the same blog, but written by different authors, that I think are fascinating (and topical):

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2011/09/29/8-steps-to-getting-what-you-want-without-formal-credentials/

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2011/09/24/how-to-create-a-million-dollar-business-this-weekend-examples-appsumo-mint-chihuahuas/

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2012/02/20/beyond-x-prize-the-10-best-crowdsourcing-tools-and-technologies/

 

[ChaoticKraus]

I've been in that chair too, it really sucks. I started studying just to get away from bouncing between unemployment and shitty on-call, hourly wage jobs.

However in my experience there are 2 things that basically decide if you get the job or not. First of all is to have a tactical CV/Resumé/Letter, try to disguise bad stuff (long periods of unemployment, negative personality traits) and bring your good sides to the forefront, the writing needs to give off an assured and confident tone.

Secondly is to be the most likeable, driven, charismatic ************ ever at the interview. Seriously, that is extremely important. Consider reading books about body language, practice talking skills in the bathroom quenue etc. Be manipulative if you have to, as long as you get the job.

Bottom line is, tell people what they want to hear. Don't outright lie but make sure to put a positive spin on everything relating to you. Also remember, unless they ask for, don't mention things that could be negative.

Either that or know the right people. Nepotism is the I-WIN button of job seeking.

 

[omega 616]

snip

I went to a government funded scheme that helps with getting jobs and such, they made me CV's for different jobs and I bet they must be like junk mail 'cos I never hear anything back from them!

I can't even get into an interview, I know that if I did I would whore myself out like free samples of sausage! I even have a speech played out in my head about if I actually got into an interview again.

 

[EeveeElectro]

Just keep at it. I got seriously depressed looking for work, it took 4 months of solid looking before I got lucky.
Don't worry about setting your standards low. You might not wanna work at say, McDonald's, but in two/three years you could work yourself up to be a manager! Or even if it's just working there, it's something on your CV to help you get other jobs.
I had to look into volunteering, just potential employers know you can work with people.

Don't let people turning you down get you depressed either, it'll happen but it doesn't mean you should beat yourself up about it! ^-^

 

[Fappy]

I applied for a job with the housing group I am with, I also lived in there homeless shelter for 2 years and I now volunteer with the caretaker who also works for the same housing group. I also know one of the people doing the interview but I am not sure if that is a good thing or not, we got along perfectly well before but I might feel weird being interviewed by a person I know.

The trouble is they rip off the "whats your name, D.O.B, sex" etc so there is no bias or whatever when they do the short list for the interviews. I also have fuck all experience in professional sitting around and doing nothing AKA night supervisor, sure I can sit in flat all day everyday but I don't think they will let me play battlefield all night.

I really hope I get the job, min wage is £5.96 ish and this job pays £7.96! I will cry with joy if I get that job!

I am not entirely sure what the exchange rate between the dollar and pound are right now, but I think I make about that much right now. It's a decent enough income in this economy, that is for sure.

EDIT: Just checked the exchange rate and that is about half a dollar more than me.

 

[ChaoticKraus]

snip

I went to a government funded scheme that helps with getting jobs and such, they made me CV's for different jobs and I bet they must be like junk mail 'cos I never hear anything back from them!

I can't even get into an interview, I know that if I did I would whore myself out like free samples of sausage! I even have a speech played out in my head about if I actually got into an interview again.

Yeah, standing out helps too. A personally written one definitely makes you stand out. Maybe you should consider pimping it with some graphical design? Not too much of course, but daring to do that will definitely make it stand out it the pile.

 

[Saladfork]

After failing for a year and a half to find a job that 1) I get called back for, and 2) can work around my university schedule, I'm considering just biting the bullet and seeing if they'll accept me into the reserves.

There are certainly worse jobs, and the pay is pretty good, all things considered.

 

[Fatboy_41]

After failing for a year and a half to find a job that 1) I get called back for, and 2) can work around my university schedule, I'm considering just biting the bullet and seeing if they'll accept me into the reserves.

There are certainly worse jobs, and the pay is pretty good, all things considered.

I've been in the Australian Army Reserves for a little over 5 years now. We quite often have uni students join up. More often than not, the extended exercises and courses are scheduled to coincide with uni holidays.

As you say, the pay is decent enough. For an average month, being 4 Tuesday nights and a weekend, I usually come away with around 600 bucks tax free. Basically, it pays my bills at the end of the month so I don't have to worry about it.

The best part though would have to be the skills you actually acquire. I'm in Transport Corp, so all the vehicle licenses that I have got through army are easily transferred to my civilian drivers license. Plus, army paid me to do the courses. It's awesome. And while infantry and artillery skills may not seem so useful in the civilian world, there's still the leadership and discipline that you will no doubt come away with. Having a period of service on your resume can only do good.

 

[Shivarage]

I've been in the Australian Army Reserves for a little over 5 years now. We quite often have uni students join up. More often than not, the extended exercises and courses are scheduled to coincide with uni holidays.

As you say, the pay is decent enough. For an average month, being 4 Tuesday nights and a weekend, I usually come away with around 600 bucks tax free. Basically, it pays my bills at the end of the month so I don't have to worry about it.

The best part though would have to be the skills you actually acquire. I'm in Transport Corp, so all the vehicle licenses that I have got through army are easily transferred to my civilian drivers license. Plus, army paid me to do the courses. It's awesome. And while infantry and artillery skills may not seem so useful in the civilian world, there's still the leadership and discipline that you will no doubt come away with. Having a period of service on your resume can only do good.

That is... unless war were declared

*alarm goes off*

:V what's that noise?

... War were declared xP

Then you get to die for some reason, probably so that old white men can steal someone else's oil or something

 

[evilneko]

As it stands I have been more or less unemployed my entire (nearly) 23 years of life and I hate it!

I have been on countless courses for employability, retail, interview techniques, CV writing etc, I have done countless hours of voluntary work and spent hundreds of hours scrolling past thousands of jobs the vast majority of which I can't do (traveling or not qualified for).

I want to know how you got a job or any tips for getting one.

I am sick of feeling like a leech and a waster, I want to pay my own bills and have enough to afford to enjoy life, eat out once in awhile etc.

Edit. Sorry, I forgot there was an advice forum ...

Screw all that crap about customizing resumes and cover letters. Just blast out resumes to anything that looks even remotely intriguing.

 

[Fatboy_41]

I've been in the Australian Army Reserves for a little over 5 years now. We quite often have uni students join up. More often than not, the extended exercises and courses are scheduled to coincide with uni holidays.

As you say, the pay is decent enough. For an average month, being 4 Tuesday nights and a weekend, I usually come away with around 600 bucks tax free. Basically, it pays my bills at the end of the month so I don't have to worry about it.

The best part though would have to be the skills you actually acquire. I'm in Transport Corp, so all the vehicle licenses that I have got through army are easily transferred to my civilian drivers license. Plus, army paid me to do the courses. It's awesome. And while infantry and artillery skills may not seem so useful in the civilian world, there's still the leadership and discipline that you will no doubt come away with. Having a period of service on your resume can only do good.

That is... unless war were declared

*alarm goes off*

:V what's that noise?

... War were declared xP

Then you get to die for some reason, probably so that old white men can steal someone else's oil or something

As a Reservist in Australia, there are only 2 circumstances in which you MUST serve. If Australia itself gets invaded, or if the governor-general signs an order. Both instances have sweet fuck-all chance of happening at the moment.

For overseas operations, reservists put their hand up and offer to go, not get told they are going. Having said that, there is not a single area of operations the Australian are currently serving in that I would not stick my hand up for.

EDIT- I totally missed the "War were declared" reference. And now my brain won't let me remember where it's from. ARGH... I want to say... Futurama maybe. Stupid brain not working on a Friday.

 

[HardkorSB]

As it stands I have been more or less unemployed my entire (nearly) 23 years of life and I hate it!

I have been on countless courses for employability, retail, interview techniques, CV writing etc, I have done countless hours of voluntary work and spent hundreds of hours scrolling past thousands of jobs the vast majority of which I can't do (traveling or not qualified for).

I want to know how you got a job or any tips for getting one.

I am sick of feeling like a leech and a waster, I want to pay my own bills and have enough to afford to enjoy life, eat out once in awhile etc.

Edit. Sorry, I forgot there was an advice forum ...

Those CV writing courses courses are a waste of time. Get some useful ones like first aid (some employers like when you have a certificate for that).
Send a ton of CV's every single day. Go on several sites with ads and respond to every one, even the ones you have no qualifications for. The more CV's you send, the bigger the chance that someone will reply. Also, look for ads
Before interviews, get any info you can about who you're going to be working for, read up on what is it that they do and how, what they expect from their employees and what is generally expected from people who do these kind of jobs. Most employers like it if you already know what to do.
Once you'll go to a few interviews, you'll start to pick up some FAQs and you'll be able to prepare for them, in case they'll pop up another time.

Also, be patient.

 

[Shivarage]

As a Reservist in Australia, there are only 2 circumstances in which you MUST serve. If Australia itself gets invaded, or if the governor-general signs an order. Both instances have sweet fuck-all chance of happening at the moment.

For overseas operations, reservists put their hand up and offer to go, not get told they are going. Having said that, there is not a single area of operations the Australian are currently serving in that I would not stick my hand up for.

EDIT- I totally missed the "War were declared" reference. And now my brain won't let me remember where it's from. ARGH... I want to say... Futurama maybe. Stupid brain not working on a Friday.

Good boy, private!

Just remember, I'll be right behind you

... about 45 miles behind you, in fact xD

And yes, my previous post was from Futurama =P

 

[omega 616]

As it stands I have been more or less unemployed my entire (nearly) 23 years of life and I hate it!

I have been on countless courses for employability, retail, interview techniques, CV writing etc, I have done countless hours of voluntary work and spent hundreds of hours scrolling past thousands of jobs the vast majority of which I can't do (traveling or not qualified for).

I want to know how you got a job or any tips for getting one.

I am sick of feeling like a leech and a waster, I want to pay my own bills and have enough to afford to enjoy life, eat out once in awhile etc.

Edit. Sorry, I forgot there was an advice forum ...

I know how you feel, I have been unemployed twice for periods of about 6 months each and it is the most boring, depressing and soul destroying feeling in the world. I never want to be unemployed again. And the people who are supposed to help you get a job are no bloody use at all.

Unfortunately, its the wrong time to try and get a job, not many people are hiring at the moment due to the economy. My advice to you is to get yourself out there, ask in fast food restaurants, bars, nightclub, hotels, shops, see if they need any staff. It may be shit work for shit pay, but at least you are working and earning money. You have a reason to get up in the morning and you get the Job Center off your back. Plus while you are working, you can still keep looking for a better job or see what promotional prospects are on offer in the place you work.

Good luck.

Don't get me wrong if I could sit at home, pay all my bills and live in luxury, by luxury I mean buy any game/console/DVD/bit of tech I want ...I don't like holidays, then I would sit at home and do that.

I can easily fill a day with stuff to do without having to work.

The thing is that can't happen so I have to get a job, I actually quite like working, it makes me feel like I achieved something that day.

I think if I can't get this night supervisor job I am getting in touch with some government funded project thing to start my own business 'cos even if it goes tits up it shows that I am ambitious and all the other good stuff employers like.