Who DIDN'T work during your degree?

[Babolat]

I hear a lot of negative in your replies. Like it's not you, it's them. People who really want something, find a way, and, they don't blame others for not being able to find it/get it.

 

The bar job, needing a reference? Find one, make one up, do something, but stop complaining and blaming "them".

 

Again, I am not judging you; I can't, I don't know you. I am just reading your words, your message.

 

My suggestion with telling your parents to let you try to pay the bills was to help you see things from a different perspective, one where you NEED the money. Your response was "I'm not moving out" and "Mum would not take the money". I did not say move out, I suggested you look at this differently. My best guess is your negativitly, your it's all them, not me, attitude, approach, comes across in a very supply saturated market.

 

And please don't focus on my choice of words, focus on my message; if you really want something, you WILL find a way to get it, versus sitting around, blaming, and complaining and thinking "poor me". Be creative, sell a different you, one who needs the money to pay bills, real bills.

 

My brother knew for 6 months he was going to lose one of his big contracts, 80% of his income. He sat around and did nothing until 2 months after he lost the contract and now I hear "poor me" from him. When I suggested he look at different sources of income, different industrys, he immediately said "I'm not going to do that", mostly because he is lazy, it's not the easy work he hadbefore, and would rather go to my paternal dad, who is very well off, and ask for money.

 

I hope this makes sense.

[Leigh 87]

I hear a lot of negative in your replies. Like it's not you, it's them. People who really want something, find a way, and, they don't blame others for not being able to find it/get it.

 

The bar job, needing a reference? Find one, make one up, do something, but stop complaining and blaming "them".

 

Again, I am not judging you; I can't, I don't know you. I am just reading your words, your message.

 

My suggestion with telling your parents to let you try to pay the bills was to help you see things from a different perspective, one where you NEED the money. Your response was "I'm not moving out" and "Mum would not take the money". I did not say move out, I suggested you look at this differently. My best guess is your negativitly, your it's all them, not me, attitude, approach, comes across in a very supply saturated market.

 

And please don't focus on my choice of words, focus on my message; if you really want something, you WILL find a way to get it, versus sitting around, blaming, and complaining and thinking "poor me". Be creative, sell a different you, one who needs the money to pay bills, real bills.

 

My brother knew for 6 months he was going to lose one of his big contracts, 80% of his income. He sat around and did nothing until 2 months after he lost the contract and now I hear "poor me" from him. When I suggested he look at different sources of income, different industrys, he immediately said "I'm not going to do that", mostly because he is lazy, it's not the easy work he hadbefore, and would rather go to my paternal dad, who is very well off, and ask for money.

 

I hope this makes sense.

 

 

 

 

No, it really wasn't me, I tried my absolute best at my jobs. I simply fell short, they didn't feel my best was enough.

 

Oh yes, with the bar job I have obtained two fake references. I know how to pour a beer and sell glasses of wine thanks, and I have worked behind a bar before, but just for a few trials here and there.. I would have probably spend 1 - 2 weeks behind a bar in total.

 

I know it is lying, but hey, I will simple NEVER EVER get even an INTERVIEW for a job if I told them the truth; I have very minimal experience, about 1 - 2 years tops.

NO ONE, not even the most basic job, would even interview me if they knew I only had 1 - 2 years of experience total.

 

And no, I cannot get free work experience, I have tried SO hard to ask various businesses if they would let me work for FREE.

NO one lets people get work experience where I live.

I am not lying when I say: there is literally NO way ANY company would interview me with the real level of experience I have, so I have NO choice but to lie.

 

My lie? I am saying I have 1 - 2 more years experience than I truly do have (I tell them I have 3 - 4 years experience working at various venues) when really, it is 1 - 2 years total.

 

I wish people that are not Australian and also the people in Aussie that can easily get jobs, would just understand that I REALLY have NO CHANCE at even getting an interview for even the most lowest paid job here, due to my lack of experience.

 

I don't feel bad at all about lying. It's not ideal, but it is not something I feel... Like a bad person for.

I don't feel like I am hurting anyone, and I don't feel like forfeiting EVER getting a job simple because I would rather be without work than LIE, haha!

 

As that other poster said; it took her 3 years to get a job in retail, and when she got it, she couldn't believe they had never previously given her the chance to prove she could do it! Merely because she lacked experience, and so she had to do volunteer work before they even deemed her interview worthy.....

In Australia, you need MORE than a few months volunteer work in order to even get an INTERVIEW.

 

 

Even the most low class and casual café will simply NOT consider you if you have not had at least 2 years experience.

[Leigh 87]

Anyway, wish me luck in my Tuesday induction,

 

I will go with a positive outlook, after all, I do believe I can do the job well and I can make them happy for hiring me.

It would be super if I could get event work every week or two on Fridays and weekends occasionally.

I would save a few grand a year if they continued with me.

Of course, I am going to drive to a few places today to hand out my resume - Hopefully I get a trial out of it or at least a few call backs.

 

The event thing is 1.5 hours away in Sydney at the main stadium, so it would be a total pain in the ass to get home; if my boyfriends mum couldn't have me, I will be forced to spend the night in Sydney alone after midnight.

I would just walk to the nearest police station and ask them if I could take a seat until the trains ran again. Sorry, but I am not spending the entire night walking around Sydney:sick:

And no driving to Sydney is not an option, I cannot drive in extremely congested traffic, and finding a parking space in Sydney is simply wayyyyyy too hard; it would take me at least 45 min to find a park in the pain city.

 

MY parents would NEVER enable me to take a night job in Sydney that involves me travelling alone at early hours of the morning/midnight.

 

I am like , WTF, well you know, I cannot get a job after 3 years trying, I don't THINK I can really by fussy about it:lmao:

 

They urged me to quit the 7 dollar per hour nanny job, since it is a disgusting amount to get paid in Australia, especially for changing nappies.

[Leigh 87]

OMG.

 

So I applied for a bar job, since that is the usual student type of job students tend to do.

 

I have the interview next Tues, yet OMG.

 

I had to fill out an induction text, including an aptitude text! Oh LOL. So they not only expect a couple of years experience where you worked behind a bar, but they feel compelled to waste our time with 30 mins of testing JUST for the INTERVIEW - we may not GET the job.

Sorry, but this is utter crap. I want to work hard, I can serve drinks, it shouldn't be THIS hard to just get a BASIC job.

 

They shouldn't really demand much of our time until AFTER we get the job.

 

 

Anyways, I have decided to study part time so that way I am on welfare still rather than student allowance, and I get DISCOUNTED courses at he local college/Technical college.

It is clear as day I just won't get a job as waitress or in hospitality, therefore I should just get a certificate that will open up a whole new area in which I can seek work.

THEN I can pay to update my cert 4 in fitness, as I cannot work in the industry until I update my certificate AKA, pay up.

So, by the end of this year I will be qualified to at least work in the fitness industry again PLUS another industry.

 

Fingers cross that helps - in the meanwhile, I will keep fruitlessly gaining experience doing trials at bars and restaurants until I amass enough "trial" experience to actually GET an actual job our of it.

[Babolat]

Pull yourself back and read your last 3 posts, not from your eyes, from "our" eyes, and I think you will see all of the roadblocks and negativity you toss out. Again, no judegment. I get the "being on the streets" late at night comments. But you even said "MY parents would NEVER enable me to take a night job "...might be time to cut that cord. You don't need to think about what your parents would, or would not, approve of; in my opinion.

[clia]

Have you ever held a job (part time or full time) for any significant period of time? I don't know how to say this, but you seem really naive about what having a job entails. It's not about what is convenient for you or what you want to do. I mean, refusing to change nappies when you are a nanny is really odd. That is what nannies do. If you didn't want to do that for $7 an hour, you shouldn't have accepted the job in the first place. It seems like you should have asked more questions about what was expected of you.

 

I also don't think it is insane that you might be asked to fill out an aptitude test for a customer facing job at a bar. When you are searching for a job, you often have to put in a lot of time doing things when there is no guarantee you will get the job. I've gone through rounds and rounds of all day interviews and then in the end not gotten the job. That's the way it works. They want the best person for the job, and as you have noted, there is a lot of competition.

 

Bartending and waitressing are not easy jobs. They are stressful, require memory, skill, the ability to carry a tray of food/drinks, the right personality and demeanor, etc. Your view of these as such low level, basic jobs might also be part of your problem. They require much more than simply pouring beer and wine. I agree with Babolat that you really exude a lot of negativity.

 

I also don't think getting a job an hour and a half away in Sydney sounds realistic for you at all, so I don't know why you are even considering it. If you refuse to drive there and have no place to stay overnight, your options are extremely limited. I would be surprised if they didn't provide parking for employees near the event location, so I doubt parking would be an issue. And frankly, you are 26 years old. At this point you should be capable of traveling somewhere by yourself. It might be good for you to try to gain some independence. I drove across the entire United States by myself when I was your age.

 

Have you looked for jobs outside of waitressing and bartending? What about fast food, retail, grocery store, call centers, dishwasher, hotel maid?

[Queenie42]

OMG.

 

So I applied for a bar job, since that is the usual student type of job students tend to do.

 

I have the interview next Tues, yet OMG.

 

I had to fill out an induction text, including an aptitude text! Oh LOL. So they not only expect a couple of years experience where you worked behind a bar, but they feel compelled to waste our time with 30 mins of testing JUST for the INTERVIEW - we may not GET the job.

Sorry, but this is utter crap. I want to work hard, I can serve drinks, it shouldn't be THIS hard to just get a BASIC job.

 

They shouldn't really demand much of our time until AFTER we get the job.

 

All these various stages are designed to weed out the half-arsed applicants. From the employer's point of view, if a kid won't take the interview process seriously they're not likely to take the job seriously. No point inviting them for an interview.

 

Be careful of how much you lie on your CV. Someone who's been in the job for decades will be able to tell if you've exaggerated your experience. Are you currently studying? You might be able to ask a professor to be a reference. I know a professor wouldn't be able to promote your professional skills but they could still spruik your work ethic, deadline handling, reliability etc

 

Maybe focus on jobs which require less specialised skill. There's no way a jeweller will hire you without experience but a supermarket or a big department store probably would. For the first year of my degree I got help from Centrelink but after that I had to get a job. It took six months of applying but I was a really lazy jobseeker, I only did online applications with a bare CV. But a supermarket took me with just a reference from my high school teacher and some rather good HSC marks.

[Got it]

OMG.

 

So I applied for a bar job, since that is the usual student type of job students tend to do.

 

I have the interview next Tues, yet OMG.

 

I had to fill out an induction text, including an aptitude text! Oh LOL. So they not only expect a couple of years experience where you worked behind a bar, but they feel compelled to waste our time with 30 mins of testing JUST for the INTERVIEW - we may not GET the job.

Sorry, but this is utter crap. I want to work hard, I can serve drinks, it shouldn't be THIS hard to just get a BASIC job.

 

They shouldn't really demand much of our time until AFTER we get the job.

 

 

Anyways, I have decided to study part time so that way I am on welfare still rather than student allowance, and I get DISCOUNTED courses at he local college/Technical college.

It is clear as day I just won't get a job as waitress or in hospitality, therefore I should just get a certificate that will open up a whole new area in which I can seek work.

THEN I can pay to update my cert 4 in fitness, as I cannot work in the industry until I update my certificate AKA, pay up.

So, by the end of this year I will be qualified to at least work in the fitness industry again PLUS another industry.

 

Fingers cross that helps - in the meanwhile, I will keep fruitlessly gaining experience doing trials at bars and restaurants until I amass enough "trial" experience to actually GET an actual job our of it.

 

I am confused, I am in the US and I am confused why you would be shocked by an aptitude test. There are certain skill sets and personality assessments desired for different positions and to control turnover you want a proper fit.

 

I agree, I don't think you are a fit for retail/hospitality. I don't think you have the customer service skill that would make one successful in this area. I think you need to take a very humble look at yourself and really figure out your strengths and your limitations and go from there. You really have to LIKE people to work in these areas and I don't get the impression that you do. There isn't anything wrong with it, I am a person focused on tasks and systems, so this would not be my strong suit. You learn to leverage what you fit best in so you are successful.

[Leigh 87]

All good advice, thanks guys.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, customer service is the only area that I can try for a job at during college.

 

I need skills and qualifications to get anything else besides waitressing or retail type things.

 

I am a personal trainer my trade but I need a few hundred to update my qualification: fitness Australia needs 300 ish every couple of years.

 

So my goal is to get my fitness cert 4 relevant and updated again, and look for gym work or gym reception work..l or the guy at the gym who joins people up.

 

I also aim to get another small certificate during college. Such a ss a beauty therapist, as I look the part and there are sooooooooooo many jobs within that field.

 

Being a beauty therapist would be ideal during uni.

 

 

While I sure aint getting the bar or waitressing jobs, I'll still keep looking hard for them UNTIL I get my other certificates on track.

 

 

By the way, I don't diskike workout with the public as a waitress for I stance. .I'm just not obviously ideal at the job itself. They want more experience.

 

 

I have only held 3 short term jobs in my life; which lasted 1.5 years ish. Plus dozens and dozens of trials, and 3 day jobs.

 

I have been mentally ill hence why I didn't keep those 3 jobs; one was as a personal trainer, one in as a brand consultant for exclusive china and I glass ware and one job at a small up scale deli.

 

I was anorexic hence couldn't continue in 2 of the jobs.... one of them I was not anorexic yet I was still quiet off mentally due to the anorexia.

 

Now I'm finally at college and with a roof over my head, which most students don't havr UNLESS they work.

[Leigh 87]

So, I have enrolled in beauty school.

 

I simply need to do a short qualification DURING college, in order to give me a MUCH better chance at getting work throughout college.

 

I have tried for years to get a simple food server job; I have tried waitressing and retail. People simply don't want to employ be because I don't motivate them to do so. They probably want more experience, younger women under 20 they can pay less and/or better looking women than myself. Though I doubt looks are the culprit, as I have seen many waitresses as well as retail workers who are the same as me look wise.

 

So. I have been going to the beauty saloon to get my eyebrows waxed since I was 16.

I have asked the beauty therapists at my upper class saloon about their diploma course. The best saloons hire people with diplomas.

I have wanted to do this for about 2 years now, but I wanted to settle into college and try at getting jobs that I didn't need qualifications for; I have not had any luck at that, so my best bet is to GET a qualification, so that I have a better chance ac scoring work.

Plus I look the part; well groomed, long blond hair, I am extremely girly looking.

People would probably comment that I look like a beauty therapist once I get the job.

Anyways, I start this week. Beauty therapy here is considered a legit career unlike in the states where you need a college degree to get by OR just be brilliant enough to forge a path for yourself without a degree.

Although I am still going to get my college degree, I just love the idea of having back up careers I can do should my degree somehow be rendered worthless (which isn't likely to happen since social work in Australia provides great opportunities job wise for us Aussies, unlike in the USA).

 

Better yet - I get he chance to work during college, rather than just relying so much on my parents.

Once I get work after this diploma is finished, I can afford to re register with fitness Australia, and in doing so I will be a qualified fitness instructor once again.

So. Within a year or so, I will be a qualified beauty therapist as well as personal trainer/fitness instructor.

I also half finished a travel agent course that I couldn't finish due to college, but that I can easily finish next year, as it only takes 6 months.

 

Surely this is a much better path for me than just studying for another 4 years at college while I don't work.

 

 

So... by mid next year my goals are to: have a diploma in beauty therapy, have my certificate 4 in fitness valid again (costs 200), as well as have finished a travel retail course.

 

Having three other industries besides waitressing, food serving, bar work and retail to apply for makes me feel MUCHHH better.

[Leigh 87]

Just to re hash, I am a mature age college student that is trying to get my life on track after messing about during my 20's.

 

I have had a revelation lately where I refuse to depend on my parents help anymore, and therefore I have taken action to claim my independence ASAP.

 

Enrolling in a short course in a field I know I will likely get a job AND working that job during college is the key for me to be an independent 28 year old (I will be 28 by next year, when the diploma is finished).

 

Oh and I am not telling my parents about this diploma of beauty until I finish it and have a job out of it.

They are staunchly against me racking up more student loans and they want me to 100% focus on college and to NOT do any other short courses in the meanwhile.

 

They just don't realise that I will probably not get work as a waitress, retail worker or even as a basic food server at subway.

 

Well I think they do realise I simply won't get a job in those areas. They would just rather me be jobless for years until so I can 100% focus on my degree.

[lostindreams]

leigh, i think your best bet is to do what you think best, try not to over analyze too much about the jobs because itll drive you insane. trust me ive been there.

[Eternal Sunshine]

You will hate me but I got all my jobs during college through connections. I never even had to look for a job. I worked as a pharmacy assistant and admin officer the most. I did waitressing and retail before that.

 

So yeah, people with connections are screwing up your chances :/

[maiden of rohan]

I worked on and off during my studies. For one year, I cleaned part-time so I could pay the tuition fee for that year because my student loans wouldn't cover it until the second year. I only left the job because they refused to allow me to move my shift to a couple of hours earlier because of conflicts with my course.

 

Other jobs I worked were bar jobs, but these were mostly summer jobs or just something to tide me over for the Christmas season. I had other income so I was lucky that I didn't have to work during my studies as much.

[ASG]

All good advice, thanks guys.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, customer service is the only area that I can try for a job at during college.

 

I need skills and qualifications to get anything else besides waitressing or retail type things.

 

I am a personal trainer my trade but I need a few hundred to update my qualification: fitness Australia needs 300 ish every couple of years.

 

So my goal is to get my fitness cert 4 relevant and updated again, and look for gym work or gym reception work..l or the guy at the gym who joins people up.

 

I also aim to get another small certificate during college. Such a ss a beauty therapist, as I look the part and there are sooooooooooo many jobs within that field.

 

Being a beauty therapist would be ideal during uni.

 

 

While I sure aint getting the bar or waitressing jobs, I'll still keep looking hard for them UNTIL I get my other certificates on track.

 

 

By the way, I don't diskike workout with the public as a waitress for I stance. .I'm just not obviously ideal at the job itself. They want more experience.

 

 

I have only held 3 short term jobs in my life; which lasted 1.5 years ish. Plus dozens and dozens of trials, and 3 day jobs.

 

I have been mentally ill hence why I didn't keep those 3 jobs; one was as a personal trainer, one in as a brand consultant for exclusive china and I glass ware and one job at a small up scale deli.

 

I was anorexic hence couldn't continue in 2 of the jobs.... one of them I was not anorexic yet I was still quiet off mentally due to the anorexia.

 

Now I'm finally at college and with a roof over my head, which most students don't havr UNLESS they work.

 

 

Here's an idea... why not ask your parents for a loan to update your qualifications? They clearly can help. And then you could get a job in an area you already have some experience in!

And you could then pay them back, if you so wish!

I mean... how has this never crossed your mind?

[jonsnuh]

Even the most low class and casual café will simply NOT consider you if you have not had at least 2 years experience.

 

I've noticed that this is becoming much of a norm with entry-level jobs in the finance sector. It is quite possible individuals without experience coming fresh from university in such a specialized field may be eliminated.

 

It's like a Catch-22-- people need the work experience to do the job, and to do the job they need the sufficient work experience.