Part-time jobs not so easy to get

[writergal]

So before my fall student teaching (yes I decided I'm going to go through with it) begins I have to find a part-time job or two for the rest of the summer. I just finished a long-term temp job today.

 

I don't think part-time jobs are as easy to get anymore because now you have to go on the company's website and suffer through a 20-30 minute application process that also includes an assessment. What happened to just walking in to a restaurant and filling out a hostess application? Those days seem long gone.

 

I've covered the temp agencies but those are unreliable as you never know when you'll get called with an assignment.

 

Anyone have any advice how to bypass those online applications faster? I thought of asking to speak with the manager to let him/her know that I did the online application, in hopes that will speed up the interview and hiring process if they see me in person and can put a face to an online application. Mind you this is all for a minimum wage job.

 

Getting a job was so much easier 20 years ago. Technology just gets in the way with all this online application red tape.

[Fugu]

So before my fall student teaching (yes I decided I'm going to go through with it) begins I have to find a part-time job or two for the rest of the summer. I just finished a long-term temp job today.

 

I don't think part-time jobs are as easy to get anymore because now you have to go on the company's website and suffer through a 20-30 minute application process that also includes an assessment. What happened to just walking in to a restaurant and filling out a hostess application? Those days seem long gone.

 

I've covered the temp agencies but those are unreliable as you never know when you'll get called with an assignment.

 

Anyone have any advice how to bypass those online applications faster? I thought of asking to speak with the manager to let him/her know that I did the online application, in hopes that will speed up the interview and hiring process if they see me in person and can put a face to an online application. Mind you this is all for a minimum wage job.

 

Getting a job was so much easier 20 years ago. Technology just gets in the way with all this online application red tape.

 

It's not that technology gets in the way; it's that there aren't that many easy-to-get jobs anymore - even part-time jobs. It's an employers market, and it's going to be that way for a long, long time.

 

The key to getting a job now is to be noticed, and to be noticed for the right reasons. Make the extra effort. Do the extra work that nobody else wants to do, and do it reliably, consistently, and effectively. Be a pest by being so annoyingly reliable, punctual, and efficient that others can't help but notice you.

 

Above all else, you have to be competitive. You're competing against other people. Period.

[writergal]

It's not that technology gets in the way; it's that there aren't that many easy-to-get jobs anymore - even part-time jobs. It's an employers market, and it's going to be that way for a long, long time.

 

The key to getting a job now is to be noticed, and to be noticed for the right reasons. Make the extra effort. Do the extra work that nobody else wants to do, and do it reliably, consistently, and effectively. Be a pest by being so annoyingly reliable, punctual, and efficient that others can't help but notice you.

 

Above all else, you have to be competitive. You're competing against other people. Period.

 

That's great advice for once I get a job. But it's the getting-the-job part I need advice for.

[Fugu]

That's great advice for once I get a job. But it's the getting-the-job part I need advice for.

 

It's the same. Compete. Send in your CV online, and then find out who makes those decisions. It may seem like extra work for just a part-time job, but that's the world we're in now. Unless someone has self-employability, they have to get out and bust it.

[writergal]

The problem with online applications is that its automated. A human doesn't select the best candidate - a computer software program does, based on a key word search and high score of the assessment attached to the painfully long questionnaire that you have to fill out for a minimum wage job.

 

I think I will just contact the hiring managers of the places I apply to let them know I completed their online applications, then follow up with pestering phone calls. What else can I do?

[zengirl]

Have you tried summer camps? We hire loads of temp-ers for the summer, and pay about $8-9/hour so better than minimum wage, here at least. FT for a few months. I would look around at that. I'm not in your area, or I'd send you some links.

 

As to skipping the process, not unless you know someone working there, and even then you still have to complete it all. I've never done an online application that took me 30 minutes though, except back when I worked at Disney in college. Usually, it's just basic information. You don't want to put in too much work experience anyway, or they won't call you in if you look too good.

[Art_Critic]

Above all else, you have to be competitive. You're competing against other people. Period.

 

That is the message that gets lost with todays job searchers..

 

Years ago if an employer put out an ad for a job he would get maybe 2-3 applications over a period of a week or so and the employer was at a disadvantage since he wasn't getting many applicants to choose from.

 

Today.. that is different..

 

An employer puts out an ad for an opening and within 24 hrs he has 200 resumes to go thru..

 

What people applying for jobs miss today is that the process is all about the process of elimination in the beginning rather than who has the best resume.

You don't want to give an employer "one" reason to eliminate you from the pool. ie:.. don't go to an interview smelling of cigarette smoke and don't divulge to many personal details about yourself till later on in the process.

 

The other thing they miss is that when applying to retail positions like Publix or the like you must keep going back each week and re-applying in order to have your application fresh in front of them..

They have so many applications that they NEVER go back into last months apps to find someone.

[Els]

While you are submitting apps for the minimum wage jobs, OP, I would advise you to look into less-advertised jobs in your niche as well. You are a teacher, which means you already have certain skills and knowledge that people might want, in addition to others that you might have but we don't know about. Think about them, think about ways that you can use them, and search for those possibilities. The most prominent and well-advertised minimum wage jobs aren't always the ones you are most likely to get because they are likely to have stiff competition purely by virtue of the fact that they don't require specialized skills and everyone knows about them.

[Lostinlife4now]

WG....

 

 

as we used to say....Pound the Pavement.....Go in person, fill out applications, I am sure there are still old school employers out there....

[Fugu]

That is the message that gets lost with todays job searchers..

 

Years ago if an employer put out an ad for a job he would get maybe 2-3 applications over a period of a week or so and the employer was at a disadvantage since he wasn't getting many applicants to choose from.

 

Today.. that is different..

 

An employer puts out an ad for an opening and within 24 hrs he has 200 resumes to go thru..

 

What people applying for jobs miss today is that the process is all about the process of elimination in the beginning rather than who has the best resume.

You don't want to give an employer "one" reason to eliminate you from the pool. ie:.. don't go to an interview smelling of cigarette smoke and don't divulge to many personal details about yourself till later on in the process.

 

The other thing they miss is that when applying to retail positions like Publix or the like you must keep going back each week and re-applying in order to have your application fresh in front of them..

They have so many applications that they NEVER go back into last months apps to find someone.

 

Very true, Art.

 

Basically, what employers see in an applicant the application process is what they imagine they will see once they know you on a first-name basis. An applicant has to give them the impression that they're going to be spending quality time with someone who's going to make a difference, or at the very least, not mess things up so that everyone else has to clean up the mess behind them.

 

Resumes are good, but never forget one thing: employers end up hiring people. Even in a good economy, there's little demand for bad employees. Likewise, even in a bad economy, there's always a demand for employees who do something a little extra; who do something that others can't or won't; or who tackle the problems that nobody else seems interested in challenging. It might seem ridiculous but if I were advising desk-job applicants, I would advise them to be seen picking up trash on the floor. Little things. They count. They count a lot. They create impressions, and impressions harden, and become permanent.

[Engadget]

That is the message that gets lost with todays job searchers..

 

Years ago if an employer put out an ad for a job he would get maybe 2-3 applications over a period of a week or so and the employer was at a disadvantage since he wasn't getting many applicants to choose from.

 

Today.. that is different..

 

An employer puts out an ad for an opening and within 24 hrs he has 200 resumes to go thru..

 

What people applying for jobs miss today is that the process is all about the process of elimination in the beginning rather than who has the best resume.

You don't want to give an employer "one" reason to eliminate you from the pool. ie:.. don't go to an interview smelling of cigarette smoke and don't divulge to many personal details about yourself till later on in the process.

 

The other thing they miss is that when applying to retail positions like Publix or the like you must keep going back each week and re-applying in order to have your application fresh in front of them..

They have so many applications that they NEVER go back into last months apps to find someone.

 

And this encapsulates why job hunting, and jobs are bull****.

[writergal]

And this encapsulates why job hunting, and jobs are bull****.

 

So what am I supposed to do then? I have 7 weeks until my fall semester of student teaching starts. I registered with three employment agencies today but they are not reliable sources of job-income by any means.

 

I also swallowed my middle-age pride and went to a mall in my neighborhood to fill out job applications for retail sales job that only pay minimum wage which is better than nothing I suppose.

 

I also have to find out where the non-traditional jobs are advertised that would hire me asap. Those would be: pr jobs, marketing jobs, educational-related jobs, which are the fields where I have work experience.

 

I did talk to a headhunter on the phone today and he said he couldn't help me because I don't have enough work experience in pr or marketing, but I'm sure if I pushed enough I could get an entry level job somewhere. My city has such a small job market so that creates a huge problem for me, when I'm competing with college grads who have a BA in marketing or PR whereas I have work experience and am 20 years older.

 

Ugh.

[fortyninethousand322]

Yeah I've had the same experience OP. I've pretty much given up though. No idea what I plan on doing.

[writergal]

Yeah I've had the same experience OP. I've pretty much given up though. No idea what I plan on doing.

 

So you're another job-seeker, like me huh? Why have you given up already?

[Fugu]

It's weird. When I entered college back in the early 1990s, there was what we thought was a 'recession'. Unemployment swelled after a period of growth during the 1980s and had gone to something like 6 or 7 percent if I recall correctly. By the time I left, the internet boom had taken off and I remember reading articles about how 'experience' was out and how corporations were actually hiring completely inexperienced fresh-out-college yuppies to managerial positions, even over people who had been in the field for years, on the basis that they wanted 'fresh perspective', creativity, 'thinking outside the box.' Hah! What horsesh*t that all turned out to be.

 

People who are inexperienced are absolutely screwed in this recession. If you cannot make an immediate impact, you're just not worth anyone's time. It's a brutally competitive job market right now, and the employers can choose whomever the hell they want. And if you can't deal with that, just stay at home and play video games and collect unemployment, 'cause that's the way life is going to end up. I personally know someone who's doing that, and it's utterly painful and pathetic to watch. But whatever...his life.

 

I think the reason people end up doing that, and the reason they remain chronically unemployed is because they don't want to change. Let me be clear: I am actually fairly left wing economically, as compared to most of the people posting on this and any other forums, as those who have read my posts have figured out. But I'm also a realist. I live in the real world. And this is the real world. And in this real world in the year 2012, you have to accept that it's a different world than the one bankers crapped on four years ago. It's upside down now. The rules are different. Resources are scarce. Think about what wild animals do when resources are scarce. The crow may get itself quite filthy digging around in everyone's rubbish for scraps of food; they're also quite successful. People need to adjust their attitudes. People need to change their thinking and accept that it's just going to take one hell of a lot more hard work and creative thinking when it comes to developing a plan for survival. People need to be like the crow.

[D-Lish]

I hear you WG,

 

I left my job a while back because I hated going to work every day- the stress and responsibility of the job was causing me an existence of misery. I thought it would be easy to find something, but it's proven difficult.

 

I've picked up some contract work here and there which will require some upcoming travel- but working for a temp agency doesn't keep me working as much as I'd like!

 

I have found that I've had to dumb down my resume in a lot of cases. I have at least 8 resumes on my desktop, all with varying degrees of experience listed. I haven't even received a call from many minimum wage jobs I've applied to.

 

I did have an interview at a Beer Store, and the manager was not at all impressed with the amount of education and experience I had on my resume- she was actually hostile to me during the interview.

 

I've applied to go back to school again in the fall for a Paralegal program.

 

Would you work in retail? You can still fetch a job the old fashioned way by going to the mall and doing a cold approach, asking to speak to a Manager.

[Fugu]

And this encapsulates why job hunting, and jobs are bull****.

 

I mean no offense, but when you take yourself out of the running for employment, you let someone else step in your place. You have to get creative. Like really, really creative. And you have to be diligent.

 

Look on the internet for some good inspirational reading material. I remember about a few years ago I was bummed out and feeling desperate to get a job before I had to start paying loans off. A friend of mine recommended 'What Color is Your Parachute', and I couldn't stop putting it down. It was a great read and I recommend it to anyone (no, I'm not selling anything). You could read other material out there, too, I'm sure, but that one was particularly helpful. Think of it like one of those dating guides, except it's for getting jobs.

[fortyninethousand322]

So you're another job-seeker, like me huh? Why have you given up already?

 

It's a complicated story. What I planned on doing I can't anymore, not in good conscience anyway. I've worked retail, but would really like not to. I've applied to retail jobs, teller jobs, office work, etc. Didn't get any of them, only a few interviews. I'm still ok on money so it's not majorly urgent. I just have no idea what I want to do with my life. So I'm kind of stuck I guess.

[Fugu]

Let me add that you should never rely on your CV/resume or your online application. Those are often overlooked or even completely disregarded in a lot of cases. You really have to press the flesh to get work these days. People want to see you; they want to get a feel for you. And they have the luxury of expecting applicants to play their game.

 

I would just visit them in person. Meet the people at the location you want to work at, and just show up with a resume in hand. But don't just show up; appear well-groomed, well-dressed (even over-dressed), and put your best foot forward when you meet with people. Don't ask for salary or any of that 'what can you do for me' stuff; ask intelligent questions about them and their work, listen, take notes, remember names, and let them ask you about what you can do for them...and be prepared for intelligent, well-organized answers. I would also contact multiple prospective employers.

[writergal]

I hear you WG,

 

I left my job a while back because I hated going to work every day- the stress and responsibility of the job was causing me an existence of misery. I thought it would be easy to find something, but it's proven difficult.

 

I've picked up some contract work here and there which will require some upcoming travel- but working for a temp agency doesn't keep me working as much as I'd like!

 

I have found that I've had to dumb down my resume in a lot of cases. I have at least 8 resumes on my desktop, all with varying degrees of experience listed. I haven't even received a call from many minimum wage jobs I've applied to.

 

I did have an interview at a Beer Store, and the manager was not at all impressed with the amount of education and experience I had on my resume- she was actually hostile to me during the interview.

 

I've applied to go back to school again in the fall for a Paralegal program.

 

Would you work in retail? You can still fetch a job the old fashioned way by going to the mall and doing a cold approach, asking to speak to a Manager.

 

You gave me a great idea. I need to create multiple resume versions, based on the different types of jobs I apply for. I don't know why I didn't think of doing that.

 

And I'm glad you left a volatile work environment because hey, your emotional health is more important than a paycheck (well you know what I mean, right?). But I'm sorry that you've struggled to find equal employment since you left that horrible place.

 

I should have gone the paralegal route too, with my literature and writing background it'd have been a good fit and a lot cheaper classes and training with no math test hindering me from getting certified. I commend you for going that route. Paralegals make a TON of money esp. if you get hired by a top notch law firm.

 

Yeah I would work retail if a shop would hire me. And I prefer the old fashioned, old school 'hoof it' approach to finding a job. Yeah there's a mall nearby me with lots of shops to apply to.

 

Here's hoping we both find employment. And smart move with the paralegal route D-Lish!

[writergal]

I mean no offense, but when you take yourself out of the running for employment, you let someone else step in your place. You have to get creative. Like really, really creative. And you have to be diligent.

 

Look on the internet for some good inspirational reading material. I remember about a few years ago I was bummed out and feeling desperate to get a job before I had to start paying loans off. A friend of mine recommended 'What Color is Your Parachute', and I couldn't stop putting it down. It was a great read and I recommend it to anyone (no, I'm not selling anything). You could read other material out there, too, I'm sure, but that one was particularly helpful. Think of it like one of those dating guides, except it's for getting jobs.

 

"What Color is Your Parachute" I need to go get that book from the library. It sounds like exactly what I need to keep me motivated and focused right now. Thanks for the indirect book recommendation Fugu!

[writergal]

It's a complicated story. What I planned on doing I can't anymore, not in good conscience anyway. I've worked retail, but would really like not to. I've applied to retail jobs, teller jobs, office work, etc. Didn't get any of them, only a few interviews. I'm still ok on money so it's not majorly urgent. I just have no idea what I want to do with my life. So I'm kind of stuck I guess.

 

Trust me, my life is just as complicated so I can relate. I'm right there with you as far as figuring out what i want to be when I grow up. I complained in the OTT about feeling stuck, trapped, isolated and demeaned about my past choices leading me to where I'm at now. But I finally realized I have to see this whole grad school thing through to the end before I go to my Plan B because if I don't try to finish it, I'll never forgive myself. Glad you're still okay with savings. That's the scary part for me right now, living week to week, scrimping and saving.

 

Have you thought about going to job networking groups? To connect with others who are in the same transitional state? I think I may try to do that through one of my city's public workforce centers. Just for the emotional support and possible inadvertent connection to a future job. You never know, right?

[D-Lish]

You gave me a great idea. I need to create multiple resume versions, based on the different types of jobs I apply for. I don't know why I didn't think of doing that.

 

And I'm glad you left a volatile work environment because hey, your emotional health is more important than a paycheck (well you know what I mean, right?). But I'm sorry that you've struggled to find equal employment since you left that horrible place.

 

I should have gone the paralegal route too, with my literature and writing background it'd have been a good fit and a lot cheaper classes and training with no math test hindering me from getting certified. I commend you for going that route. Paralegals make a TON of money esp. if you get hired by a top notch law firm.

 

Yeah I would work retail if a shop would hire me. And I prefer the old fashioned, old school 'hoof it' approach to finding a job. Yeah there's a mall nearby me with lots of shops to apply to.

 

Here's hoping we both find employment. And smart move with the paralegal route D-Lish!

 

Have you looked into it WG? A friend just graduated and is making really good money. In just a short few months they have paid off the school loan they rec'd to take the program!

 

I have always tailored my resume to every job I've applied to- but "dumbing down" is new to me.

 

My background is in Social Work and Retail... I made decent money as an Area Sales Manager in retail- but I hate retail. My recent contracts have been in Visuals, doing store openings. Dressing Mannequins, putting products together is just easy for me- I find it mindless work though.

 

Good for you as well going back to school.

[writergal]

Have you looked into it WG? A friend just graduated and is making really good money. In just a short few months they have paid off the school loan they rec'd to take the program!

 

I have always tailored my resume to every job I've applied to- but "dumbing down" is new to me.

 

My background is in Social Work and Retail... I made decent money as an Area Sales Manager in retail- but I hate retail. My recent contracts have been in Visuals, doing store openings. Dressing Mannequins, putting products together is just easy for me- I find it mindless work though.

 

Good for you as well going back to school.

 

I haven't looked into paralegal because I'm in way over my head with my current student loans as it is. I have two semesters left in my program, the fall to student teach and the spring to write my masters thesis. So I have to follow through unfortunately. I've come too far to quit now.

 

Wow your job sounds a lot more fun than my chosen field: education. I mean I loved teaching at the community college level but then got laid off, so I went back to school to get a masters in teaching which includes a teaching license and then the masters in education. the plan was to make myself more employable for the middle school and high school job markets as well as community college which now requires instructors to have a masters. Well, like my rant in OTT goes, my state changed the testing requirements on me, making the tests far more difficult and all teacher candidates need to pass a college level algebra test but I covered all that in the OTT rant thread.

 

That part of retail sounds fun to me, rather than the jobs I'll be applying for which mean I stand behind the counter and work the cash register. But hey, a job's a job. So I will be grateful for whatever I can find to help me over the next 7 weeks.

[Fugu]

Wow your job sounds a lot more fun than my chosen field: education. I mean I loved teaching at the community college level but then got laid off, so I went back to school to get a masters in teaching which includes a teaching license and then the masters in education. the plan was to make myself more employable for the middle school and high school job markets as well as community college which now requires instructors to have a masters.

 

I think you should stay with something that you genuinely enjoy doing.

 

If I may ask, do you honestly think that you were good at teaching? I'm not trying to be rude, just an honest question, because if you were good at it and you also happened to like it, then there's no reason to change. There's a danger in ditching a job just because of circumstances.

 

Well, like my rant in OTT goes, my state changed the testing requirements on me, making the tests far more difficult and all teacher candidates need to pass a college level algebra test but I covered all that in the OTT rant thread.

 

So they made the test harder....study harder and pass it. And get back to teaching.

 

If you switch jobs every time some unforeseen obstacle jumps up, you're going to be changing careers all the time. You'll leave some careers that you shouldn't. Work through the challenges. It also looks better to prospective employers.

 

One more thing. Think about every skill, every talent that you have. Make a list of them. Also, education isn't wasted. What did you learn in school? How can your knowledge benefit someone else?