What should I acquire first?

[ltjg45]

As most regulars here would know, I'm living a life without any guidance.

 

With that said, everything I do is basically coming from my limited knowledge and, needless to say, puts me at a massive disadvantage when compared to almost everyone else. After all, not being able to learn how to tie my shoes or ride a bike at the age of 26 is quite significant.

 

Anyway.....

 

I'm wondering what I should do first to start looking for a career in the accounting field. I got quite a few options and a few routes to go down however I'm completely stomped as to what to do and my financial resources is very limited.

 

1. Get a suit strictly for interviews.

Needless to say, while I'm sure the way I dress for interviews is OKish, when compared to others, I do feel it is lacking. Considering that serious-minded people normally wear a suit, I'm thinking I may need to make a big splash and get one. Unfortunately, a good one tend to costs no less than $80 and this isn't counting the cost of dry cleaning it constantly. That's a pretty big deal for me.

 

By doing this, it can help big time if I were to go for a bank teller job, in which case, I really do need to impress to make up for my severe lack of job experience.

 

2. Start making payments to get my school loan out of default.

I'm going to make a call to them today and see about what is the cheapest option they can give me to start getting my school loan out of default so I can start working towards an Bachelors Degree. I do want to get a Masters Degree someday though.

 

3. Start volunteering.

I'm sure this may feel like the slowest route because I need to do some just to get any employer interested in me enough to hire me just for a minimal wage job like Burger King and McDonald's however it also feels like the safest route as well. While I have no objections doing this, I don't want to waste any more time than necessary. To think I may have to wait 6 months before my loan gets out of default is already bad enough to think about.

 

I had so other options but I can't think of them right now. I will just add them later on. Any help will be appreciated.

[Arabella]

You absolutely need the suit to interview. Get that right away.

 

Financial institutions tend to be very conservative environments. Proper business attire is absolutely mandatory. Get it in charcoal or black, and try to spend a little more than $80 if you can afford it. That's really cheap, and when it comes to suits, you really get what you pay for! My fiance just bought a couple suits for this purpose and we spent $400 a piece. They weren't even close to being the most expensive, but the quality and cut was great.

 

Also don't forget the rest of your interviewing attire. Dress shoes, belt, tie, properly ironed shirt, and even a tie tack might be nice. Choose conservative colors for financial institutions, and keep a fun, colorful tie for other places where it might be appreciated. Don't forget personal grooming... shave, haircut, and nails.

 

I work in a bank now, and I came from a quirky start-up where everyone wore whatever they wanted. The first time I wore a colorful (but professional) dress, I got some seriously strange looks. Never again

 

As for your loan... there are plenty of ways for you to work that out, but you shouldn't have let it get to default. That's a really bad place for you to be, especially if you're hoping for a job at a financial institution.

[carhill]

Accounting - what are your credentials? My father was a CPA and that resulted from going back to college after coming home from WW2. I was always fascinated reading his accounting journals and, back then, shorthand/stenography. In any event, credentials are foremost. Get what you need to focus on a particular job area.

 

Student loans - Work something out, like a deferral or payment plan. Get that squared away. The loan programs deal with this stuff all the time.

 

Attire - Yeah, my dad had a closet full of suits. That's how he met my mom. She sold them to him. In your case, with money tight, try second hand and consignment stores and find a good quality suit and accessories and invest some money in inexpensive tailoring so it fits you. I learned that from my mom. Tailoring is cheap and the result can be that your clothes fit you well and you feel comfortable and confident in them.

 

Then, start wearing the leather out on those nicely polished second hand shoes and get out there.

[clia]

If you want to get into accounting to be an accountant, you will ultimately need to get a college degree. However, in the meantime, you can look for non-degree type work at accounting firms. Check out jobs at the big and small accounting firms in your city that require little/no work experience. You will still need a suit to interview in, even for those types of positions. I've never seen a decent suit for $80, but you can get one that will be passable for $200 or so on sale. As mentioned above, don't forget about shirt, tie, shoes. Once you get your foot in the door and start earning some money, you can go to school part time to work on getting your degree.

 

If you want any type of job in the financial industry (including being a bank teller), you need to deal with your defaulted student loans first. For those types of jobs, they typically run a credit check, and your credit is probably shot due to your loan situation. Get that cleaned up first. Most teller positions also like some sort of cash handling and customer service experience, so if you don’t have that you should try to work on getting it to give yourself a leg up. You will also need a suit to interview for these types of positions.

 

In my opinion, you should be trying to get any paying job you can get right now, in any field – your five years of not working is going to be a glaring black hole on your resume. You are facing an uphill battle, but you can do it. This will enable you to save up the money to buy a decent suit, to get your loans straightened out, etc. It is also well known to be easier to get a job when you already have a job. I gave you a whole list of job leads a couple weeks ago – how many have you applied for and how is that going?

 

Don't worry about the timing or how long things might take. Even if it takes you six months to get everything in line, you will still be better off than you are right now. It's baby steps.

 

After all, not being able to learn how to tie my shoes or ride a bike at the age of 26 is quite significant.

 

Is there a physical or mental reason why you can't do these things? Why not go over to You Tube and search for a video to instruct you on how to tie a pair of shoes?

Edited June 20, 2013 by clia

[ltjg45]

As for your loan... there are plenty of ways for you to work that out, but you shouldn't have let it get to default. That's a really bad place for you to be, especially if you're hoping for a job at a financial institution.

 

Yeah. I know.

 

Back then, my mother didn't care so much, I had no idea what to do, and back then, my situation is even worse than I am now when I had to drink water and hardly eat at all at least half a month due to how much food this family I live with eats.

 

It was a very depressing situation I was in.

 

So I do need to get it out of default, if nothing else. I want to make it a priority but if I have to get it out just so I can work at a bank, I might as well make it priority #1 first. Getting a suit and trying to be a bank teller is pointless if I'm going to get disqualified just off of my school loan.

[ltjg45]

Is there a physical or mental reason why you can't do these things? Why not go over to You Tube and search for a video to instruct you on how to tie a pair of shoes?

 

Really, I just wasn't trained or focused on in learning how to tie my shoes.

 

While I can tie my own shoes, it's the incorrect or the "ghetto" way that was taught to me back in elementary school. I just never make it a priority to actually re-learn how since then since it was good enough even though I know it's not the correct way.

 

I feel like I got much bigger issues right now than that.

[ltjg45]

If you want any type of job in the financial industry (including being a bank teller), you need to deal with your defaulted student loans first. For those types of jobs, they typically run a credit check, and your credit is probably shot due to your loan situation. Get that cleaned up first. Most teller positions also like some sort of cash handling and customer service experience, so if you don’t have that you should try to work on getting it to give yourself a leg up. You will also need a suit to interview for these types of positions.

 

In my opinion, you should be trying to get any paying job you can get right now, in any field – your five years of not working is going to be a glaring black hole on your resume. You are facing an uphill battle, but you can do it. This will enable you to save up the money to buy a decent suit, to get your loans straightened out, etc. It is also well known to be easier to get a job when you already have a job. I gave you a whole list of job leads a couple weeks ago – how many have you applied for and how is that going?

 

Don't worry about the timing or how long things might take. Even if it takes you six months to get everything in line, you will still be better off than you are right now. It's baby steps.

 

Well, I'm not aiming immediately to be an accountant right now. I know I don't have anything to help me get such a job right now.

 

However, working even on the lowest peg of the ladder in the field that I do want to major in would help me a lot when it comes to job experience, which is what I'm aiming for right now. There isn't much for me to gain from working at Burger King other than getting some dough to tie me over but working as a bank teller will give me much more than just a paycheck and it will put the knowledge that I'm best at in use in the best possible way.

 

In other words, I get the biggest bang for my buck but as other people has said, my default school loan will be a massive issue. I have to take care of that first.

 

As for the list you gave me in a previous post, I was actually trying to find it. I did apply to the first 4 places you listed but I didn't write all of it down at the time and I have to backtrack to find the others.

[pink_sugar]

You absolutely need the suit to interview. Get that right away.

 

 

I work in a bank now, and I came from a quirky start-up where everyone wore whatever they wanted. The first time I wore a colorful (but professional) dress, I got some seriously strange looks. Never again

 

 

Hey, same here!

 

I need to get out of this start-up though and make better money and of course that means a place that may not be as laid back. However, most jobs where you are interacting with the public or clients will require a more strict dress code since you are representing the company on a public front. In the field of work I am in, tech/e-commerce, they aren't so tight on the dress code since you're not interacting with customers in person each day. 90% of everything happens online or over the phone while once in a blue moon does a customer/client actually come to our office.

[carhill]

Really, I just wasn't trained or focused on in learning how to tie my shoes.

 

While I can tie my own shoes, it's the incorrect or the "ghetto" way that was taught to me back in elementary school. I just never make it a priority to actually re-learn how since then since it was good enough even though I know it's not the correct way.

 

Tip: When you buy your nice second hand shoes, buy loafers. No lace tying necessary.

 

I'm not aiming immediately to be an accountant right now. I know I don't have anything to help me get such a job right now.

 

Accounts receivable or payables clerk.

[CarrieT]

Suggestion - Goodwill and Salvation Army stores can be a GREAT resource for inexpensive and good-looking suits.

 

Don't discount the fact that a "new" suit could put you back several hundred dollars, while a gently used suit might only cost you $20 or $30. You might need $10 or $20 in alterations, but you would still save a bundle.

 

When I owned an international business with my Ex, we would travel the world with only underwear and a toothbrush, heading to used clothing stores the first day we arrived in a new country. It was cheaper to fly with no luggage and puddle-jump our way around the world, buying inexpensive clothes as we needed and re-donating them (or shipping them home, if they were especially good finds) as required.

[pink_sugar]

So, OP, I am assuming you don't have a degree of some sort?

 

Even an AA in Accounting will get you further. You can make a good amount of money as an accountant, but you really should look into going to school or going back to school. Working at a bank or credit union is a big step in the right direction.

[pink_sugar]

Suggestion - Goodwill and Salvation Army stores can be a GREAT resource for inexpensive and good-looking suits.

 

Don't discount the fact that a "new" suit could put you back several hundred dollars, while a gently used suit might only cost you $20 or $30. You might need $10 or $20 in alterations, but you would still save a bundle.

 

When I owned an international business with my Ex, we would travel the world with only underwear and a toothbrush, heading to used clothing stores the first day we arrived in a new country. It was cheaper to fly with no luggage and puddle-jump our way around the world, buying inexpensive clothes as we needed and re-donating them (or shipping them home, if they were especially good finds) as required.

 

Very true. My Stepdad got his suit from a Goodwill store for my wedding and you'd never know!

[Arabella]

Hey, same here!

 

I need to get out of this start-up though and make better money and of course that means a place that may not be as laid back. However, most jobs where you are interacting with the public or clients will require a more strict dress code since you are representing the company on a public front. In the field of work I am in, tech/e-commerce, they aren't so tight on the dress code since you're not interacting with customers in person each day. 90% of everything happens online or over the phone while once in a blue moon does a customer/client actually come to our office.

 

Apparently I'm in the same situation as you. I was in a technical role back at my old company... I made ok money, but it was a dead-end, so I needed to get out. Dress code was always casual for everyone regardless of their role, but I tried to keep it nice.

 

Then, I became an IT project manager for this bank two months ago, and this place is SO stuffy when it comes to attire. Everyone here wears dark colors and structured suits... the whole day, regardless of the weather. And there is absolutely no clients coming in at all (it's their corporate office).

 

Two days ago I felt like a rebel and wore a red blouse. It was a wild move, seeing how some of these financial types dress... but I got compliments, go figure.

[ltjg45]

So, OP, I am assuming you don't have a degree of some sort?

 

Even an AA in Accounting will get you further. You can make a good amount of money as an accountant, but you really should look into going to school or going back to school. Working at a bank or credit union is a big step in the right direction.

 

No, unfortunately. I made an attempt in online college, tried to get out ASAP (like a week after I started) and that is how I got this default school loan with nothing being gained from it.

 

Needless to say, that was easily the dumbest mistake of my life.

[clia]

Duh, I forgot about Goodwill or Salvation Army for suits -- great point, CarrieT!

 

However, working even on the lowest peg of the ladder in the field that I do want to major in would help me a lot when it comes to job experience, which is what I'm aiming for right now. There isn't much for me to gain from working at Burger King other than getting some dough to tie me over but working as a bank teller will give me much more than just a paycheck and it will put the knowledge that I'm best at in use in the best possible way.

 

Working at Burger King will give you cash handling experience and customer service experience, which are things that most bank teller jobs require. In addition, you can work at a place like Burger King to earn money to sort out your loan situation. That's all I'm saying. Of course you ultimately want to get into a bank teller type or entry level job at an accounting firm, but as I said, you have an uphill climb not only due to your lack of educational background, but primarily due to your lack of any work experience at all over the past five years. You are facing a lot of competition in the job market right now, and may need to do things you don't want to do in order to get yourself into a competitive position.

 

I think it is commendable and wonderful that you are setting goals for yourself and trying to figure out how to go about things, but I fear that your goals for right now are a bit high given where you really are at, which may lead to disappointment and discouragement for you. If you hold off for a bit, clear up your loan problems and credit, earn some money, and get some work experience, you will likely have an easier time getting the type of job you want at an accounting firm or bank institution.

 

As for the list you gave me in a previous post, I was actually trying to find it. I did apply to the first 4 places you listed but I didn't write all of it down at the time and I have to backtrack to find the others.

 

I don't get it. You claimed to be desperate for a job and guidance on how to get one, yet you only applied to four places? It's not going to be easier to find a job at an accounting firm or a bank than it is to find a job at Burger King, particularly given your situation. You have a lot of work ahead of you. You can do it, but you have to focus. A job is not going to come to you.

[pink_sugar]

Duh, I forgot about Goodwill or Salvation Army for suits -- great point, CarrieT!

 

 

 

Working at Burger King will give you cash handling experience and customer service experience, which are things that most bank teller jobs require. In addition, you can work at a place like Burger King to earn money to sort out your loan situation. That's all I'm saying. Of course you ultimately want to get into a bank teller type or entry level job at an accounting firm, but as I said, you have an uphill climb not only due to your lack of educational background, but primarily due to your lack of any work experience at all over the past five years. You are facing a lot of competition in the job market right now, and may need to do things you don't want to do in order to get yourself into a competitive position.

 

I think it is commendable and wonderful that you are setting goals for yourself and trying to figure out how to go about things, but I fear that your goals for right now are a bit high given where you really are at, which may lead to disappointment and discouragement for you. If you hold off for a bit, clear up your loan problems and credit, earn some money, and get some work experience, you will likely have an easier time getting the type of job you want at an accounting firm or bank institution.

 

 

 

I don't get it. You claimed to be desperate for a job and guidance on how to get one, yet you only applied to four places? It's not going to be easier to find a job at an accounting firm or a bank than it is to find a job at Burger King, particularly given your situation. You have a lot of work ahead of you. You can do it, but you have to focus. A job is not going to come to you.

 

I agree, it's going to take some time, which is why you should get back into school asap, stick with it while looking for other employment opportunities. By the time you have finished school, you will hopefully not only have some educational background, but also some relevant experience to apply to the job you are looking for. Make a 2-3 year plan and stick with it.

 

I am very lucky to have nearly 2 years of experience in my field coming out of college. A lot of new graduates have a very difficult time because they lack the working experience so many employers require nowadays.

[ltjg45]

Duh, I forgot about Goodwill or Salvation Army for suits -- great point, CarrieT!

 

 

 

Working at Burger King will give you cash handling experience and customer service experience, which are things that most bank teller jobs require. In addition, you can work at a place like Burger King to earn money to sort out your loan situation. That's all I'm saying. Of course you ultimately want to get into a bank teller type or entry level job at an accounting firm, but as I said, you have an uphill climb not only due to your lack of educational background, but primarily due to your lack of any work experience at all over the past five years. You are facing a lot of competition in the job market right now, and may need to do things you don't want to do in order to get yourself into a competitive position.

 

I think it is commendable and wonderful that you are setting goals for yourself and trying to figure out how to go about things, but I fear that your goals for right now are a bit high given where you really are at, which may lead to disappointment and discouragement for you. If you hold off for a bit, clear up your loan problems and credit, earn some money, and get some work experience, you will likely have an easier time getting the type of job you want at an accounting firm or bank institution.

 

I'm not saying that I don't want a job at Burger King. If it were to be offered to me, I would take it without a second thought. No way I would let that go. That is why it is one of the 4 places I did apply to.

 

However, as I said before, at the time you gave me that list, I didn't think about writing all of the places down for reference, which is why I need to backtrack and find that post.

 

I will eventually find it but, as I supposed to be out of here to take care of something today, I will have to do it once I get back in a few hours.

 

Tomorrow, I got some help to get my resume fixed up. Not sure how much good that will do me but I got nothing else to lose at this point.

 

I'm getting things done (or at least I would like to think that's the case but I'm sure I'm still making mistakes that I'm not aware of). I just don't feel confident that it will get me anywhere anytime soon. After all, I'm an idiot.

 

Despite this, I'm still doing it anyway and just leaving it up to chance. I was merely asking as to what I should do first to increase my chances of getting my butt in the door anywhere, regardless if I find a minimal-wage job before hand or not.

[GI_Joy]

Disregard females, acquire currency.

 

 

[ltjg45]

Yeah, apparently that thread that clia's post was made on was deleted so I'm going to have to go blind and just apply at any place I can find.

 

I'm starting to wonder that the reason why I can't find a job no matter what I can do is because of my bad credit.

 

I guess I can't expect to find work unless that is cleared up first so I might as well figure that out.

[pink_sugar]

Yeah, apparently that thread that clia's post was made on was deleted so I'm going to have to go blind and just apply at any place I can find.

 

I'm starting to wonder that the reason why I can't find a job no matter what I can do is because of my bad credit.

 

I guess I can't expect to find work unless that is cleared up first so I might as well figure that out.

 

A lot of people with bad credit get jobs. There are things such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act that protect you from being turned down from jobs as long as you shouldn't need good credit to do the particular job you applied for...such as a financial adviser or a position that handles and manages company finances. You don't need wonderful credit to work at Burger King. Pretty much all the jobs I've encountered only do the typical background check and drug test for obvious reasons.

[ltjg45]

A lot of people with bad credit get jobs. There are things such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act that protect you from being turned down from jobs as long as you shouldn't need good credit to do the particular job you applied for...such as a financial adviser or a position that handles and manages company finances. You don't need wonderful credit to work at Burger King. Pretty much all the jobs I've encountered only do the typical background check and drug test for obvious reasons.

 

Then I wonder what is the common reason why I'm not getting any response from employers then?

 

Because, no offense, but I find it hard to believe that after all of the applications I put in over the past 5 years that I didn't even get any form of interest from anyone during that time period.

 

It doesn't add up. How can my chances to find work increases if I have no clue why I'm getting shot down to begin with?

[Krytie TV]

 

2. Start making payments to get my school loan out of default.

I'm going to make a call to them today and see about what is the cheapest option they can give me to start getting my school loan out of default so I can start working towards an Bachelors Degree. I do want to get a Masters Degree someday though.

 

Start here to apply for an income based repayment plan if your loan is from the government backed lenders. If you need to be caught up first, I believe you can just apply for deferment retroactively for the number of months you have missed based on economic hardship. You should never have to default on student loans, and if you don't know all of the options out there for student loan repayment you really, really, really have to educate yourself. You would probably qualify for $0 monthly payments right now and for a while.

[clia]

If you really want some advice, this is what I would do.

 

Your first priority is to clear up your student loan default situation. From what I understand, you have no money to do that with, so in order to do that, you need to find a job. (If you have welfare or some other means of paying it, then by all means you should get that going.) In the meantime, you can at least get in contact with the company that holds your debt.

 

I don’t think you are going to have much luck as of right now trying to find a job in the financial industry. Thus, I would be looking for anything to get some work experience. Ideally you want a job that will give you (or eventually give you) cash handling experience and customer service experience, so that you can get a position as a bank teller or other financial type position.

 

Start within a radius of 1-5 miles (walking distance) from your house. (I understand you don’t have a car.) Then branch out to businesses you can get to via public transit.

 

Apply at every business that offers entry level, no experience required positions. Jobs like this don’t require credit checks. For example, in no particular order:

 

1. Fast food restaurants (McDonalds, Burger King, Arby’s, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, KFC, Chipotle, Qdobo, Jimmy John's, etc.)

 

2. Retail stores (CVS, Walgreens, Menards, Home Depot, Sam’s Club, Kmart, Meijer, Walmart, Kohls, Target, 7-11, grocery stores, etc.)

 

3. Gas stations, liquor stores, convenience stores, etc.

 

4. Hotels / motels

 

5. Landscaping / pool cleaning type companies

 

6. Call centers

 

7. Sit down restaurants (Applebee’s, Chili’s, TJI Fridays, family owned businesses, etc.) (bussing / dish washing positions)

 

That’s off the top of my head – I don’t know what is around you. Pay attention to commercials. Apply for jobs at those places. You can use the Internet to do this research. Again, you are likely going to need to fill out 100+ applications. Maybe even 200-300. This is what people do to find a job. You asked above why you haven’t gotten a position yet. Sometimes it’s all about having the right timing. That’s why I encourage you to apply at these places once every month or two. It may be to your benefit to apply in person.

 

Start a list (or spreadsheet) to keep track of where you applied and when. This will enable you to reapply at the same places in a few months, to the extent that you don’t find a job immediately.

 

You need to treat this like a full time job. In other words, you should be spending at least 8 hours a day trying to find a job. It is easiest to apply at places online, and you can do so at many of the places I’ve listed above. You should be able to fill out minimum 15 online applications per day. You can also pound the pavement. Walk in and ask for an application, talk to the people there, and fill it out.

 

You are not an idiot.

 

You can do all of this.

 

You just have to stop making excuses and do it.

[pink_sugar]

Then I wonder what is the common reason why I'm not getting any response from employers then?

 

Because, no offense, but I find it hard to believe that after all of the applications I put in over the past 5 years that I didn't even get any form of interest from anyone during that time period.

 

It doesn't add up. How can my chances to find work increases if I have no clue why I'm getting shot down to begin with?

 

It can be many factors. Some of the most common are:

 

1. Lack of experience.

2. Lack of skills.

3. Lack of degree or other credentials.

3. You are competing with everyone else who lacks skills/experience when it comes to applying for a low wage job.

4. It's still a tight job market and there are still more applicants than jobs. Employers can be picky, even for a minimum wage job.

 

Are you saying you applied to jobs everyday for the last 5 years and haven't had a job since then?

Edited June 21, 2013 by pink_sugar

[ltjg45]

Are you saying you applied to jobs everyday for the last 5 years and haven't had a job since then?

 

Clearly not every day due to limitations back home and on some days, there wasn't any jobs to be found. The few I did find, I was at a huge disadvantage due to the recession and there being far more more-qualified people than I am looking for low-end work at the time.

 

So, despite I tried, I expected not to hope for much and apparently I kept myself sane by using that form of thinking.