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Love new jobs - thanks all for your advice .


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Thanks to all the professionals on here who have offered me solid life and interview advice.

 

After some time and months of searching and taking all advice into account, I have gotten a job at a luxury shoe store and I start podiatry at college in March of next year. The shoe store specialises in orthotic friendly shoes and podiatrist recommend their clients :)

 

It took me three - four months of solid looking on a daily basis, for me to finally get proper jobs (min or above min wage, I sign contract for the shoe store job tomorrow) after my last disaster (awful job, was underpaid by 50% according to fair work Australia and others within the sector).

 

I finally feel like I can excel in life - study towards something decent whilst working in a sort of related area.

 

I also work as a sales rep for a fine foods company and earn 150 ish per day. The manager makes all the food himself with the best ingredients and I felt so proud today when a client told me " I came to you because you are a good sales person".

 

I am still pinching myself that, in this awful job market, I have managed to secure two jobs I love and are allowing me to save for a mortgage/a car/a little luxury items.

 

I am going into the welfare department next week when I finally get me one day per week off lol *between the sales rep gig and shoe store role* and I am THRILLED to be telling welfare that SORRY I DON'T NEED HELP ANYMORE:lmao::D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

 

In the large markets I will likely earn 400 per day twice per week but am not sure how I will juggle Uni with work - I will likely demote myself to 15 hrs per week at the shoe store and 1 sales rep job per week with fine foods co albeit at a BIG event where I can make 400 plus from........

 

 

 

 

I am so happy, thankyou all for your wise words!

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Best of luck, Leigh! My husband is in the same spot you were...thankfully he is getting plenty of interviews, so we're crossing our fingers. I'm also becoming full time within the coming months, so things are looking up for us compared to where we were a year ago.

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Excellent news Leigh! :)

So pleased for you!

 

All the best to your hubby too PS, he has been having a bit of a rough ride.I saw your threads but had no real advice to offer. He needs a decent break and consistent work. Hope he gets lucky soon.

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:D

 

 

I worked three days straight as a sales rep for the fine foods group - and then today I started first day at luxury shoe store.

 

I work three more days straight at shoe store, then TWO more days at the sales rep job, and then...

 

Not sure when I will get a day off but I am loving it. Very tired though.

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Pink Sugar - your husband will get a job if he is getting all these interview offers..... I eventually did.

 

I was not great at interviews and I had to try really, really hard to hone my skills. In turn, I am now far more confident as I have had to put myself out there so often in interviews.

 

And good job on becoming full time (nearly). It is about time that things started to go well for you.

 

Good luck.

 

:)

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Well you need to find that out Leigh. You cannot work all day, every day otherwise you will burn yourself out and not be able to perform as well at work.

 

 

You need to find the right balance between work and home life so neither suffers.

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evanescentworld

Well done Leigh, I am so thrilled for you. About time!

Hope it all pays off for you and all goes from strength to strength!

 

Brilliant news! :bunny:

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Congratulations :)

Sounds like a good gig.

 

 

I won't be getting a high income but it is far better than welfare checks.....

 

380 per week for the shoe store, and 200 - 250 for the sales rep gig (unless it is in a large market, I will then get 300 - 400 on occasion).

 

So yeah, on average I will only get 580 will be my average income, bellow min wage but I don't own a care or pay registration or gas or the like.... nor do I pay rent.

 

I suppose I will end up with what those who earn 800 a week earn since they pay for rent and etc.

 

Still, this is a much better outcome than centrelink (welfare in Australia).

 

Plus my parents can stop paying my cell phone bills since I can now afford the 90 per month.

 

I have no plans of moving out and renting until I graduate Uni and earn a decent 1300 per week income and can save for a mortgage.

 

Renting in Aus makes it near impossible to also save for a mortgage deposit! I am very lucky I can avert that..........

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I won't be getting a high income but it is far better than welfare checks.....

 

380 per week for the shoe store, and 200 - 250 for the sales rep gig (unless it is in a large market, I will then get 300 - 400 on occasion).

 

So yeah, on average I will only get 580 will be my average income, bellow min wage but I don't own a care or pay registration or gas or the like.... nor do I pay rent.

 

I suppose I will end up with what those who earn 800 a week earn since they pay for rent and etc.

 

Still, this is a much better outcome than centrelink (welfare in Australia).

 

Plus my parents can stop paying my cell phone bills since I can now afford the 90 per month.

 

I have no plans of moving out and renting until I graduate Uni and earn a decent 1300 per week income and can save for a mortgage.

 

Renting in Aus makes it near impossible to also save for a mortgage deposit! I am very lucky I can avert that..........

 

Yeah thats awesome for a student. Centrelink have cut off my student allowance at the moment unfortunately ;(

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Pink Sugar - your husband will get a job if he is getting all these interview offers..... I eventually did.

 

I was not great at interviews and I had to try really, really hard to hone my skills. In turn, I am now far more confident as I have had to put myself out there so often in interviews.

 

And good job on becoming full time (nearly). It is about time that things started to go well for you.

 

Good luck.

 

:)

 

Thanks so much for your kind thoughts Leigh and GemmaUK. My husband had an interview for an administrative position yesterday, but someone scheduled him during lunch, so when he arrived no one was there.:eek: So he waited around an hour until someone was there and they just told him dumbfoundedly that they were pretty much finished with interviews for the day. Talk about poor planning and also lack of regard for another's time. Well, he probably dodged a bullet on that one.

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Thanks so much for your kind thoughts Leigh and GemmaUK. My husband had an interview for an administrative position yesterday, but someone scheduled him during lunch, so when he arrived no one was there.:eek: So he waited around an hour until someone was there and they just told him dumbfoundedly that they were pretty much finished with interviews for the day. Talk about poor planning and also lack of regard for another's time. Well, he probably dodged a bullet on that one.

 

:lmao:

 

I would rather be unemployed and be a competent, decent person who has consideration for other peoples time, than to be a totally unprofessional and inconsiderate employed person.

 

Makes me wonder why imbeciles like that are actually employed, and people like your hubby is not?

 

For all the incompetent employed professionals, there are twice or three times as many whom are looking for work and who CAN do a basic job.

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I LOVE my new job - it is challenging, the clients are super nice *they are older clientele, and it is far from just another boring retail role that any imbecile could do. A great deal of sales consultants do not last past the 3 month probationary period.

 

Within the first day I knew where all the different styles were located and then all I do is search for the right size within the styles and the width, colour and name of the shoe.

 

There are about 7 sections of styles that I have easily memorised.

 

I am now learning the POS (register)system.

 

It is definitely not a mundane and low skilled retail role as you are expected to learn a lot about feet, shoes and orthotics. This is why I believe I got offered a position - I am about to study podiatry .

 

- they sell 200 - 300 dollar shoes to older customers and there is a lot to learn about the shoes, as well as peoples feet. Definitely not a boring retail role that monkeys could do.

 

One lady after eight years working for the company *she is 75!!!! And looks GREAT for her age.... She said " you always learn new things, it is not stagnant or boring since so much additional training and learning of new procedures and products occurs on a regular basis"

 

...I am unsure whether I will keep the job after probation ends - apparently, the manager interviewed A LOT of candidates. Not many people last past the 3 months of probation and I would absolutely kill to keep this job, but I suppose all I can do is enjoy it and try my very best...

 

Unfortunately, the new appointed manager who is in training (as I am) and I do not click - she doesn't hate me, nor I her - but we definitely wont ever be best friends.I am just trying to do so well at my job, to be told just once how to do things and then execute it.

 

I am not overtly chatty to a person whom I know I don't click ideally with - I just go about the job, ask a few questions occasionally to show that I am keen to learn more about my job, and if she brings up something in her personal life (she is getting married soon), I will ask one question, such as " so what is the dress like" and leave it at that.

 

Is that a good way to go about making things as pleasant as possible with a manager that just doesn't get you, or click with you?

 

 

Any tips on dealing with the new manager? She is quiet nice to me but I am unsure as to how she feels about me - the manager who initially interviewed me was German and I really clicked well with her and I am sad that she is leaving this store :o:(

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What makes you think she does not like you? Are you sure it is not just because she is new and is trying to find her place too?

 

Also please remember that you don't go to work to be best friends with people (especially your boss!) so don't get so het up if you are not close.

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What makes you think she does not like you? Are you sure it is not just because she is new and is trying to find her place too?

 

Also please remember that you don't go to work to be best friends with people (especially your boss!) so don't get so het up if you are not close.

 

 

 

I am not sure that she doesn't like me - in fact, I am sure that she has enough to think about and isn't really concerned about me besides hoping that I deliver and can sell shoes well and do a fantastic job.

 

I just "know" that she isn't the type of person who would normally want to be friends with me.

 

She laughs and jokes with other staff and she appears very nice to other staff, however; with me she is training me while she is also being trained. She conveys greater respect for other staff due to them having worked in the company for years and this fledging manager needs their help over a few things.

 

She doesn't laugh or joke with me or really when she talks to me and another older staff member (who has worked there for years), I notice that she looks mostly at the other lady and not at me.

 

She was very nice to me and explained to relax, that she doesn't expect me to be up to speed with long time staff members right away, she doesn't care if I make mistakes initially and blah....

 

So far I have been told things and remembered with only one or two mishaps - which I never repeated again - out of all the many things I was told, I remembered pretty much everything.

 

I just love the job and obviously it would mean a great deal to me if I were to go permanent after probation ends in three months...

 

When I really want something, I do feel a little weary over things perhaps not working out in the way that I would have hoped for......

 

I know a lot about the nightmare managers out there however, who can be nice to customers and them a nightmare to staff members they dislike.....

 

I am hoping that just because she doesn't necessarily click with me or "really like me" personally, that she still enjoys working with me most of the time and that she has faith in my abilities.

 

I have never wanted a job to work out this much prior to this one job.

 

Podiatrist founded the shoe store I work in and I start studying podiatry soon so it would be the absolutely ideal job for me at this stage in my life.

 

I really, really enjoy the job and I love the customers. The crappy ones which so haven't revealed themselves will definitely not outweigh the pro's of having this job, that is for sure...

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There is absolutely nothing there that makes me think she does not like you. Just relax. Be polite, be professional, but be friendly too. She is human after all.

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Eternal Sunshine

Leigh keep in mind that probation is just a formality. You would have to majorly screw up to fail probation.

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...I am unsure whether I will keep the job after probation ends - apparently, the manager interviewed A LOT of candidates. Not many people last past the 3 months of probation and I would absolutely kill to keep this job, but I suppose all I can do is enjoy it and try my very best...

 

Any idea why so many people aren't making it past the probationary period? Maybe your more experienced coworkers can give you some tips on why others before you failed so you can avoid their mistakes.

 

It's wonderful that you finally found a job you love and that you find it challenging enough, but I honestly don't understand why you have to insult other retail workers by calling them imbeciles and saying a monkey could do their jobs in the process.

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evanescentworld

At the risk of sounding cynical, after the three-month period, matters with employees become more fixed and serious.

 

Getting rid of them just before the probationary period, cuts an awful lot of red tape out.

I've 'been there'.

It's an employer's market.

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:lmao:

 

I would rather be unemployed and be a competent, decent person who has consideration for other peoples time, than to be a totally unprofessional and inconsiderate employed person.

 

Makes me wonder why imbeciles like that are actually employed, and people like your hubby is not?

 

For all the incompetent employed professionals, there are twice or three times as many whom are looking for work and who CAN do a basic job.

 

I can't tell you how many times my mom has said this! She's often felt like she's had to do these people's jobs for them and isn't being paid for it. It is a wonder how some of these people get jobs.:laugh: I told my H to email them and ask what happened.

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Leigh keep in mind that probation is just a formality. You would have to majorly screw up to fail probation.

 

This is what I thought too as I never once got let go during probation until last Dec. I was let go on the very last day of probation and given some generic BS runaround that I wasn't a good fit or not performing etc.

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Any idea why so many people aren't making it past the probationary period? Maybe your more experienced coworkers can give you some tips on why others before you failed so you can avoid their mistakes.

 

It's wonderful that you finally found a job you love and that you find it challenging enough, but I honestly don't understand why you have to insult other retail workers by calling them imbeciles and saying a monkey could do their jobs in the process.

 

 

I am not insulting the workers sorry - they are capable of far more, however; some companies only delegate easy tasks that don't require much in the way of skill. Of course, the workers are capable of taking on more challenges, it is the companies that are at fault; they don't let people grow and learn new things in retail for the most part.

 

See this is another example of when what I think was misunderstood - in my job, you have to learn a lot about feet. You have to learn a LOT - You have to get to know different shaped feet and how they do/don't fit in with certain styles, and why.... In addition to having the absolute highest standard of customer service as the customers are mostly 60plus.

 

On that front - I have been praised by customers which is really nice - One lady told me " you have really looked after me well", to me and then to the staff member who was standing at he counter as I made the sale.

Another lady has also said that I " really liked after her well" in front of a manger this time I think, or a senior staff member. I love the customers and they seem to appreciate me - it is just I have to be fast, efficient and clean up as I go.

 

I have to serve the customer/measure their feet, I have already encountered customers who have weird feet that that don't fit any of our styles that we have available in their size - I had one lady who was recovering from food surgery so I got the senior staff member who has 8 years of experience in the job as I wasn't comfortable offering advice given my limited experience.

 

After the customer enters, we acknowledge them verbally or non verbally/ within 2 mins we great them and ask them if there is anything they have in mind etc... Then we ask open questions as the better we know the customers needs, to more shoes we can then bring out and the more chance we have at making a sale (hopefully multiple sales)...

 

Then we HAVE to ask " and when was the last time your feet were measured" since peoples feet DO change in size over the years.....

 

ALSO - our shoes come in M, Wide or X Wide - so we have to ask them or view them and just estimate if they are medium or wide. I still ask since I am not experienced enough to just look at a foot and "know".

 

This is the part where there is no " every day formulae" or "protocol" to follow......

We then have to go and find their style and size - which I have done quiet easily ( there are 6 sections, you find their style and then look up their size). This part is easy and stress free for me.

 

THEN, within their style and size, we have to not only seek out their selected style, but we are also required to bring out at least TWO other styles of shoe that we also think would be of great use to them based on the questions we asked the customer and what we think they could also enjoy wearing and get use out of.

 

SO - I find the style in their preferred colour OR in another colour if not available in their preferred colour - and then I bring out a few other styles within their colour range and style.

 

We are also expected to learn a lot about feet. I am genuinely interested in feet, I believe they are very interested as they come in so many shapes and sizes.

 

I really like meeting people - one lady enjoyed telling me all about her job - I also served a doctor who commended me for my nice service and she then went on to say that she was just finishing her 5THm, no less, degree. She is a doctor and she is just finishing up her law degree:confused: She said " I just love studying.

 

It is nice meeting certain remarkable types of people and the older ladies are all so polite when compared to the younger crowed I have served in hospitality and prior retail based roles.

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Regarding probation...

 

Yes I was hoping for it to just be a formality and for me to " almost definitely" get a permanent role and get past the probationary period.

 

However, I did ask an older staff member who is 75 and still working there - she has worked eight years for the brand....

 

She said " not many people last past probation"

 

I asked why.

 

She lamented " well, the company expects a lot out of you and the staff ( who lost out on the job after probation), just didn't realise that his is more than a typical retail job in terms of our roles and responsibilities"

 

I told her that I loved the job and hoped I was one of the successful ones.

 

I also asked if the manager did interview many people.

 

She said " yes, an awful lot were interviewed".

 

 

 

 

 

Surely once they bother training you up, and getting behind a little in sales due to having to train someone new up, if they would readily dismiss you?

 

In the offer of employment and the staff booklet it says " probationary period is a trial period whereby your skills are assessed and you have to ensure that you eagerly learn the business and don't fall behind" type of spiel...

 

" if you fall short, additional training can be provided"

 

and importantly " you will be for warned if you are under performing based on the amount of time you have had to learn"

 

I am hoping they wouldn't outright dismiss me - without at least giving me a warning that I was not fitting in well or that I was not fast enough or that I was not doing things properly.......

 

Mind you, if they did caution me that my time with them would indeed come to an end shortly if I didn't start performing better - I would likely be so stressed out that I would willingly quit and promptly try to find another job that I was a better fit for........

 

I sure hope that having impeccable presentation, dressing very professionally, grooming myself very nicely (no stray hairs sticking out everywhere or smudged or inappropriate coloured lips) and turn up 10 mins early every single shift, that it will be ENOUGH.

 

And also ^^^ be extremely polite, follow their sales steps and continue to promptly find shoes and clean as I go....we don't take shoes onto the floor, we empty the boxes and stack them up neat in advance and also have to take shoes away and put them back if the customer has picked dfavourites and the discarded pairs then need to be put away in boxes so as to keeo the area looking clean........

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