How to Get Your First Job in Today's Marketplace
Teenagers today are facing more competition for first-time jobs than ever before. Tight economic times mean there are fewer jobs available at the mall or other teen-friendly establishments, and teenagers are often competing with older workers who have been downsized out of a career track, or looking for a second job to supplement their family's income. Teens need to be smart and savvy about job-hunting to secure their first job. Here are some tips to help set you apart from other job candidates, and make you a more appealing employee to interviewing managers.
Dress For Success At Every Stage Of The Job Hunt Process.
In retail and food service, the cashier you are talking to could very well be the store manager. Make sure you are appropriately dressed for that interaction. Do not wear flip-flops, jeans with holes in them, t-shirts with slogans on them, or excessive make-up or facial piercings into a store if you are interested in working there, even if you are just picking up an application. Pulled together is always the way to go.
Fill Out Your Application Completely.
Retail managers will tell you than 10 to 20 percent of their applications come back missing vital information. If you do not pay attention to detail in your application, hiring managers assume you will not pay attention to detail at work - and they are looking for someone who does. It is that simple. Ask a friend or your parent to review your application to make sure you have not missed anything, and to ensure your handwriting is actually legible.
Do Not Stalk The Hiring Manager After An Interview.
There are few retail or food service managers who do nothing but interview - remember, these are the same folks responsible for running the stores, ordering product, writing schedules, and working with their own employees and customers. A prospective applicant is not high on their to-do list - and someone who comes across as overly pushy will drop even further down that list.
Follow up with a hand written thank you note, and drop it off at the store one or two days after your interview. It is an unobtrusive and classy way to stay in touch, and much more welcome than a stack of phone messages. Include your telephone number in the thank you note, so an impressed manager can pick up the phone right away and call you back!
Good Job Opportunities Do Exist
Hundreds of thousands of people around the globe are searching for job opportunities. Ironically, half of the job seekers will tell you there is no work, but good job opportunities exist, you just need to find it.
The way you choose to come within reach of the ideal job opportunity will be determined mainly on the approach you have towards your job-hunting endeavor. Being positive and assertive is a very good attitude to have but more important to that is to have proper self-knowledge and the ability to sell your strong traits. If you are able to hold on to your true self and a positive attitude, you will find bearable to remain confident until you were able to acquire the job you want.
Someone once said: "The more companies you contact today, the luckier you will be tomorrow". If you think about it, if companies do not know about you, how will they be able to employ you or even contact you if your resume is not with them?
With the negative economic climate, it is hard to find the courage to remain positive and optimistic about the job opportunity you want to obtain. Simply because being rejected over and over again make you start to belief that economics has nothing to do with it and that the matter is personal.
Rejection is a very negative emotion and often hard to deal with. It is imperative to understand that you have the ability to set your mind on the positive thoughts. It is better to channel your thoughts in to "a better job lies ahead for me" than "I am so useless I can not get a job", and realize right from the start that it is not a matter of being rejected, but a matter of huge competition in the job market.
That is why you have all the reason to lift your head, shake the idea of rejection and realize the fiscal state of the world, are the reason you battle to secure a lucrative job opportunity.
Since we became more edified and realize that the internet is not a strange place reserved for the super intelligent humans amongst us, the possibilities became much better. Moreover, it is not only restricted to vacant positions, but also a lot of helpful information on the correct way to draw up your resume or CV, tips on job interviews and much more extra information relating to securing a good job.
When you upload your resume on the web, make use of more than just one online job opportunity website. Remember, the more you contact, the luckier you will be! In addition, do not just stick to one kind of job, set the job criteria on as much fields as possible according to your capabilities and education.
The cover letter on your resume says more than all the content inside your resume can! Do not think that a standard downloaded cover letter will do the trick. You need a cover letter with as much personal information included to grab the reader's attention with style and content to differentiate you from the others.
Seeking for job opportunities and more specific your ideal employment is not as intimidating as it However, you must keep in mind that there are hundreds of job seekers applying for the same job opportunity. The dream job will not fall in your lap after the first or second application. Nevertheless, determination and a collection of good quality skills might just put you one step ahead.
3 Tips on How Not to Lose a Job
Looking for a job in today's environment can be a real problem for a lot of people. Keeping a job in this market is no small feat either in many situations and a person ought to do whatever is reasonable to keep the good jobs they currently have.
The unemployment rate is above any reasonable percentage and has wrecked dreams and ambitions of those that are willing to work hard to have a happy and decent life. The amount of people that have full time jobs is at one of it's lowest rates since the 1990's and that alone is reason to work extra hard not to have an issue at your workplace.
According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the average income for families is way down due to the unemployment crisis and there are yet more living in poverty due to the lack of decent paying jobs.
For those that are fortunate enough not to be unemployed here are a few tips to stay that way:
1. Work hard to not only maintain but to improve your personal productivity.
This will not only look good to your employer but it will also help the company's bottom line thereby ensuring a greater opportunity not just for job security but for some of the profits to be shared with you by way of a raise. It will also have a positive effect on others in your department as they will either "get on the band wagon" or want to compete with you as to who is the better employee.
2. Do not put off for tomorrow what can be done today.
This has a ripple effect and will cause even the best employee to never be able to catch up as wave after wave of responsibilities will pile up and cause you to be less productive.
3. Make sure that you enjoy what you are doing.
It's pretty tough to get out of bed every day and go to a job that you hate. The results are poor performance, poor attitude and a general dislike of almost everything in your workplace. You are much better off making sure that you have a position that you like in a working environment that suits you and your personality.
Take failures and turn them into successes, be aware of your working environment and make it a pleasant experience for you and your coworkers.
