So. I need a job. I both need money and I need my parents off my back. Mostly the latter, oh god guilt trips. The thing is, up until recently? I haven't had the financial need to have a job. I've been a full-time college student, focusing on schoolwork, and getting pretty good grades. I have had precisely one summer job back in 2005 and I doubt they remember me, and I can't even remember my supervisor's last name. He was... Robert something. For the kinds of jobs I'm looking at, I know they wouldn't care if I was a 17-year-old coming in off the street who'd never had a job before. But I'm a 22-year-old who frankly should have been working since she was 18, but hasn't needed to and therefore... hasn't. I figure that might look suspicious? Like I lack drive, even though I'm involved with three student organizations now and I've got a cumulative GPA of 3.76. >:[ I am not looking to advance to the upper echelons of retail management, I just need something to help pay for classes and canvas, until I get my bachelors degrees in a year and a half and scram. Should I even mention the summer job? Is it fishier to list no job at all, or a job I had for maybe two months, five years ago, and can't remember the relevant names or phone numbers? And oh god, I am terrible at interviewing. I got turned down for a pizza place that was hiring high school students. I get nervous and run out of things to say, and when places like grocery stores ask you, "Do you have any questions?" I have no damn idea what to say. "What kinds of things might I be doing outside the job description?" "How do you scan a melon, anyway?" "How do poptarts work?" "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM MEEEEEE?!" I mean, augh, I am terrible. And all these places ask for previous job experiences, but honestly the things that make me look the best are volunteer things I've done and I'm not sure how to bring that up. I'm the VP of a very active service organization, and I've helped actually plan and do things! We've painted murals in homeless shelters and held art activity nights for local elementary kiddos! That should be worth bringing up, right? =< Obviously I have no idea how to get hired or I wouldn't still be unemployed. Any ideas on how to suck less utterly at this are quite, quite appreciated. <3
Firstly, I think you should mention the job. Just be honest and tell them that it was awhile ago and that you can't remember. Secondly, calm down. The best way to get a job is to be yourself. Yes, you wanna be perfessional, but you also wanna seem human and not just a robot. Make sure you seem eager to work. As for asking question, well if you know you're gonna be interviewed before hand, write up questions and remember them for the interview. Thirdly, I think you should mention your volunteer work. It looks good, and a lot better then someone who just sits around all day. Good luck!!
That fact that you have done all this volunteer work shows that you do have drive. Absolutely mention it. In fact I would go as far as to emphasize it. You may not have recent 'job' experience, but this work that you've done in your student groups can give them all the information they would need from the previous job listings.
Kirah (*hug*) Thank you. I feel guilty about not working every day since im 19. I can relate. Hang in there though! And volunteer work can count for more than work work with some jobs. Just need to find one that really likes that stuff.
(*hug*) Volunteerwork and any previous employment NEEDS to go on your resume in the Job/Volunteer Experience section under your Skills. You'll do great. Just... relax. Heh. Google, how to prepare for a job interview and go from there.
You can put the volunteer stuff on your resume AS your experience. Just because you didn't get a paycheck doesn't mean you didn't do the same sort of stuff someone would get paid to do. You don't need to put it in a separate section; I'd put it in the main part of your resume and label it "experience" rather than "employment." Just put on each listing, after the job title, (volunteer) or (full-time volunteer) or whatever. If the summer job wasn't memorable or notable, you could just leave it off, or put it at the bottom, if you've been doing recent volunteer work and are doing a chronological resume. There are some great resources on the net about interviewing skills, complete with a list of questions to ask an employer (and ones not to ask.) as well as how to answer challenging questions. Just make sure that you are sincere; if it sounds like you're giving a canned answer, most employers will pick up on it.
I have to believe that retailers are looking for people that aren't going to be skimming from the cash register and who will be friendly and helpful to customers. Having done 5 years of volunteer work is better than having been hired and fired from several different 'work' exepriences. Definitely include your accomplishments. An employer will look at your resume to see what kind of behaviours you've demonstrated in the past. Tasks are things that can easily be taught - but behaviours are more difficult to teach. So if your volunteer work indicates that you're helpful, or dedicated, or a team player an employer will assume that you will demonstrate those character traits on the job as well. Good luck!
Generally volunteer work looks very very good because it shows potential employers, "You know what, I don't need a paycheck to be doing something." It shows them that you were doing these tasks of your free will and not because you needed them for something. If you list your activities they're going to give you a little bit of an edge in my opinion because it will show them you want to work for them rather than you need to work for them (even though I know you did say you need a job, but I think you listing your activities will present you in a really good light and you won't look desperate). Also, during an interview if your interviewer is friendly enough you can even just bring up the fact that you just simply haven't needed a job before. You can be like, "Well it took me a few years but I've finally managed to conquer my schoolwork, now I can return to society again," or something like that. A little humor goes a long way I've found.
Definitely talk about your volunteer experience. It's what separates you from a "person who didn't have a job the last six years because they've been playing Halo". Lex
Thanks for the replies, everyone! <3 I'm currently trying the online job application thing, which is partly what threw me about where to put the volunteer stuff. But I wrote this and put it in the additional information section. Does it sound okay, or like I do too much? (Specifics removed and replaced with parentheses 'cause I don't wanna get in trouble. =P) * I'm considering leaving that part out, because I'm not an officer in it and I haven't done much, but I did say I was a member of, uh, plural organizations (which I am) and I didn't want to talk about only one? =< I'm a member of the school GSA, too, and I've helped with a couple of events here and there, but I'm a little leery of putting that on my application.
