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YouTubeFigured it would be good not to take BC's thread too far off the original topic. Anyone want to chime in with tips? Local owners/managers what are you looking for when someone comes in? Good sites to use for the hunt? Resume tips?
Columbus Underground Messageboard » General Columbus Discussion
Job Hunting Tips
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lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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Posted 1 year ago # -
misskitty
Columbus
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When I use to do hiring there were a few things that would really turn me off an applicant
1. When putting an E-Mail address on anything pertaining to a new job use a professional E-Mail. You would not believe how many inappropriate Email’s I have seen like
Hotbunny69@....
Xxmama420@...
Etc you get the idea.2. Do not bash your previous employer in an interview at all ever.
3. Do some research about the job you are interviewing for. I have had many people not know what the job was.
4. Saying that you are a “People Person†That is one of the most said things and it may be true but most people discount it because everyone says it.
5. Please make sure your voice mail is not offensive or annoying. If you know that a job may call get rid of the stupid answer tones and make sure your voice mail is not playing anything talking about sex or drugs.-As far as looking for jobs I would have to say swallow your pride. Sure a place like McDonalds or Limited may not have anything to do with a degree you may have you also may think you are above it, but if the person is jobless they are not really in a position to be picky. Some money coming in is better than none at all.
Posted 1 year ago # -
JonMyers
Ao Nang, Krabi, Thailand
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BCNation wrote >>
1) First and foremost- CAN YOU do my job? That is what employers and hiring managers look for up front. If you can't prove it, you're, um--No, first and foremost is - who do you know?
Get out, meet people and passively maintain those connections via social media.
Posted 1 year ago # -
TaraK
probably at the coffee shop
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From a brochure the census guy brought to a meeting I was in last week:
Be a part of the 2010 Census Team!
-Earn good apy
-Get paid weekly
-Work flexible hours
-Receive paid training
-Help your community have a successful 2010 CensusApply Today! More information, including a practice test, available at:
or call toll-free:
1-866-861-2010
The guy that I met was super nice and cool. He said the wages for these jobs start at $15/hour and they are still hiring in Ohio. I thought it sounded like a great gig for anyone looking for work.
I have a brochur w/lots of info about the jobs/application process.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Andrew Hall
Dennison Place (The Circles)
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BCNation wrote >>
1) First and foremost- CAN YOU do my job? That is what employers and hiring managers look for up front. If you can't prove it, you're, um--No. I *know* that you can't do the job. What I am interested in is whether I can *train* you to do the job.
The distinction is subtle, but absolutely vital from my side of the desk.
A.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Twixlen
Westgate, Columbus
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@JonMyers - This really cannot be discounted. Most of the jobs I've had, and there have been many, I've gotten because I knew someone. Whether it was as direct or friend of a friend, having someone vouch for you through the hiring process can truly be the thing that swings a job your way.
That said - it's in no way the only reason I got those jobs. Even for the crappiest jobs, I would find out as much as I could about the place where I was interviewing/putting in an application. Being able to speak with some small personal knowledge about what you are interviewing for, regardless of whether or not you've done it before, shows you made effort.
Other than that - some small things that can tip the scales your way:
* Make eye contact. Some folks actually need to practice this, because it doesn't come naturally, but it is a skill you can learn.
* Ask questions. Even if it's about a uniform or pay weeks or something - people want to know you've been paying attention.
* Write legibly. This might sound petty, but man, if you have a stack of applications, all handwritten, those with decent handwriting really stand out from the crowd. In fact, when I was helping hire a new waitress for a bar I worked at, the applications that looked like crazy people had written them out went immediately into the trash. I just couldn't give the time to deciphering that mess.
* Everyone starts somewhere. Sometimes you have to have ANY job for a few months, because it is strangely easier to find a new job when you're already employed. Also, sometimes that filler job turns out to be cooler than expected OR, even better, causes you to meet someone who connects you to THE job.
Posted 1 year ago # -
JonMyers
Ao Nang, Krabi, Thailand
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Mashable has some great ideas on conducting your job hunt:
Posted 1 year ago # -
BCNation
Franklin Park
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At interviews, treat the administrative assistant as your best friend that you have known since you were three years old....(but treat him/her well, to get the point)
Hiring managers often ask administrative assistants for feedback, so be courteous to the administrative assistant, because it might pay off in the end.
Posted 1 year ago # -
gramarye
In Exile
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Some basics, but I figured I should put them in the thread early:
(1) Unless you're applying to a senior-level management position, your resume should fit on a single page. Yes, that may mean leaving some things off that might make you look good. Bring those up at an interview if you get a chance. Two-page resumes are distracting. If you do feel you need to have a second page, make sure all your most important items are on the first page; I won't be reading the second.
(2) Have multiple resumes. It doesn't take all that much extra time to produce a second and third after you've got your first completed. I had one for professional positions and one for academic positions. If I got to the point where I was going to have to apply for jobs for which a J.D. would make me overqualified, I would have a third that didn't mention my terminal degree.
(3) Keep business cards and always ask for them. This applies primarily at networking events and at the conclusion of job interviews, but I make it a universal point. If someone doesn't offer you their business card, it's more likely that they forgot than that they really weren't interested in giving you one. Almost no one will ever resist handing you one. When you get home, enter it in your Outlook, Thunderbird, Lotus, whatever contacts.
(4) Stay positive. I helped interview candidates for my replacement at my previous workplace. The ones who came in appearing somewhat defeated or negative, as if they'd already lost the job, in fact did not get the job.
(5) Keep in contact with anyone and everyone who you think might be a strong recommendation for you. Not all jobs require letters of recommendation, of course, but many do. For the ones that do, these letters do get read, and essentially always before interviews are granted.
(6) Don't come in acting like you've already got the job. Do come in dressed like you've already got the job (or, better yet, better), and be prepared to both ask and answer questions in such a way that you strongly suggest that you want the job, are eager to learn what's involved with the job, and to do it well. Like Andrew said, for most jobs, you really won't know what you're doing right off the bat. The important thing is to come across as (a) a quick study and (b) someone who will be welcome around the office/worksite/wherever after picking up the job.
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ETA: (7) And I can't take credit for this one, but it was the quote that it was in the back of my mind when I asked BCN in the other thread if he'd thought about going into business for himself:
"Let's just be the powers that be." --Elizabeth Lessner
Even if you're not ready to work for yourself and have no intentions of ever assuming that level of responsibility, prepare as if that were your goal. That means really learning whatever business you intend to go into, even if you're only looking for an entry-level position in the field. No field, whether law, medicine, carpentry, washing floors, or working a cash register is so simple and limited that there isn't something more to learn about it. Act like you want to be a player in the industry someday (and, if you can, convince yourself that that is exactly what you want--make it more than an act).
Posted 1 year ago #
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