[CHAT] Work it
Whether:
- you are going for your first ever after school job at 14 & 9 months, or
- you've left school and looking for an apprenticeship/traineeship or
- you are trying to work to support your study at uni or tafe or
- you've finished your study and you want your first full time job or
- you haven't worked for a long time but it's time to get a job...
- you are working hard for the money...
Looking for a job and/or working can be a pretty nerve wrecking experience, especially trying to keep everything running smoothly!
You might be wondering how you can find the right kind of job that suits you; how to make it through the dreaded interview; how to make sure you are not taken advantage of; how to manage your pay & make it last the fortnight; and before any of that - resumes these days have become an art form!
Or what about this age old conundrum:
Here's a story from a forum member, Chonty
"The first job I ever had was working in a fast food joint after school and on weekends. I remember wanting to quit in the first week because it was all too new and I didn’t like the manager. I also remember how exciting it was to get my first pay, and I’m pretty sure I spent it immediately on new clothes and forgot all about wanting to leave. That’s pretty much how I spent every pay for two years straight, without a thought about saving for future things.
It wasn’t until schoolies came around that I realised I didn’t have enough saved to do all the things that had been planned! Luckily in the end my family were all able to chip in in and it all worked out, but they let me sweat it for a while. Being in a position where I realised I hadn’t managed my money as well as I should have wasn’t the best.""
@KitKat how perfect is that comic! 😛 I agree with the importance of a skill set, you need to show them what you are bringing to the table and why you are valuable to them!
Hey all!
- What do you think employers look for in their ideal candidates for a role?
I think it varies from job to job. But generally they look for social skills, confidence, ability to work in a team, being able to communicate well, having the correct qualifications, relevant experience (a tough cycle I know!), product knowledge and a solid work ethic.
Thanks for joining us @florenceforever and @Bee
No problem about staying just for a little bit @Bee , happy to have you with us 🙂
I def agree, someone who can take inititative and be skilled working individually and in a team is important!
I think employees want people who are contientious and hardworking. But most of all, have a record to prove it, through prior experience.
I agree @Troy , even if that 'experience' is chalked up by your accomplishments, participation and attitude whilst a high school student, it's good to show them also you 've been part of sports teams or music bands, or done some community or volunteer projects during your school/uni years.
So even if you're lacking 'on the job' experience, these things show the potential to learn the ropes of the job! 
@Mermaidgirl6 I think that's such an awesome point. Taking part in those kinda activities def says alot about your character . It also gives you extra stuff to bulk up your resume!
That's right, @copse - I have applied for several government admin jobs, and they all require you to apply addressing these Selection Criteria. Reading through the 'job application' notes, you have to follow a particular format. Kind of like a school assignment or essay! 
So in those kinds of jobs, where there are usually hundreds of applicants, your application basically gets assessed on the way you answer the criteria, talking about your skills, experience, and examples of these. Phew! They were sooooo tough to do!!! Needless to say, I applied for about 30 of those before landing even ONE interview! lol
@Mermaidgirl6 @benjamin_ I can definitely vouch for government job application being a long process! I landed one a few months ago which I'm loving but I had to jump though so many hoops to get it:
- CV application + about 5 extended reponse questions.
- Literacy testing
- Logical / puzzle solving testing.
- Psychological testing.
- Physical / medical exam.
- Physchological interview.
- Pannel interview.
And then I was offered a spot in a 4 week training program which had a whole heap of various assessments throughout it as well. Only have you passed all the assessments were you able to actually start offically.
@KitKat your role must be in a pretty specialized area to require all those sorts of tests, that is so intense. I know that some of the jobs at my company require people to complete a short test based on how they'd behave in certain situations. In my previous job, people in finance had short exams to complete in the interview process. Both of these roles were more specialized though.
@benjamin_ The actual skill set wasn't particularly specialized (hence the 4 week complusory training) but there were definitely after a specific 'kind' of person, hence all the psych testing. Apparently after the testing we were compared to like the "ideal" psych results and if we ticked most of the boxes then we were offered to move on to the next stage (providing we met all the other requirements as well).
Surprisingly, the testing experience wasn't as stressful as one might think. The most important thing is to go in and be truthful, they try and trick you into being inconsistent (by asking the same questions different ways) to see if you're being genuine or not.
@redhead @j95 For sure!! Lack of work history or only having had one job since school doesn't matter. I have had some dry spells between jobs, and hard as it is, I had to muster up the confidence to keep applying and trying!!
In my opinion, even in today's work market, I firmly believe that ANYONE can get a job! So heads up and go for something you are really interested in - the right job for you is DEFINITELY OUT THERE!
You might have to get a little creative if jobs are scarce & look in a field or industry you may not necessarily want to end up in forever ... Is how I got to doing nightfill at Woollies for six months!
Totally! @copse Except I have the added benefit of my resume looking like a Bag of All-Sorts Sweets! So I tend to taper it to a particular job if i'm applying. Which is what they say is totally fine to do - you don't have to list EVERY little job you ever did, right? Esp if they are irrelevant to the job applied for...
what are some of the websites or ways you apply for jobs?
I've been a pretty solid Gumtree user historically, although the last few jobs I've gotten have been through connections luckily! The benefit of having worked so many different jobs I guess 😛
@KitKat Sounds awesome! Daunting having to go through four whole weeks of it, but awesome nonetheless 
@Mermaidgirl6 That's so true. I've def done jobs that I could never see myself doing forever, or even a long time. BUT they led to better jobs so it was all worth it in the end.
In my industry it's all online, either via the industry association website, seek or government websites mainly. Or word of mouth depending on who you know. But I know for casual jobs I did a bit of walking in and dropping resumes and looking in the paper too.
The best places for me have been:
1. Seek
2. University employment portle
3. Directly emailing the company
4. Walking into the store (gets rejected half the time and told to do online
@Troy Yep! The points you mentioned I'd have to vouch for as well. I forgot about the university job boards that connect you to industries and related companies.
Walk-ins too... so funny that they tell you to apply online, but at least you feel like you've shown initiative by walking up to them harrassing them instore for a job 😄
I still think that is a positive though.
@Mermaidgirl6 yassssss. University job boards! I found out amount a volunteer experience that was absolutely perfect for me last year through my university! Def wouldn't have discovered it otherwise.
@FItzChivalry Im starting to see 'connections' as a really good way to get jobs. I have recently just signed up to some mentoring programs, and because I knew someone who previously did it and mentioned they told me to come, the person really fast tracks your application and is excited for you to get started. Its less like an application/interview and more like they already expect you to be good.
If someone can vouch for you 'connection' the employer seems heaps happier!
2. What are some of your tips for making the best resume when applying for jobs?
I've looked through a lot of friend's resumes and the most common problems I find are people including every little thing they've every done in their life. A resume should only be one, maybe two pages and should focus on the most relevant experiences you have to the position. Tailor your resumes to each application! Also spell check is hugely important! So many people will just disregard a resume completely if there are simple mistakes, especially if you are going for something like an office job!
