Job & Career Support Thread

[Clueless Git]

Thought it might be nice to have a thread where people can share job and career tips and advice with each other.

'Nods' to Danielle for being the inspiration for the idea.

 

[Clueless Git]

I'm not quite sure how people get an office job.

I'll be back to put my tuppence worth in on that one later on.

 

[Tom L.]

I'd like it if it were something that didn't go against my morals. Something I wouldn't feel bad about doing. Anyone know something like that? Pet stores are out (live rats and mice for food )

Well... what are some things you'd enjoy doing (or at least not hate?... sometimes a job that isn't exactly something you would do for fun can be fulfilling enough, insofar as it gets you out of the house and pays money). Let yourself go: consider jobs that seem too good to be true, but would be great if you did get them.

(My post above strikes me as something that could be interpreted as condescending, but it's really not meant to be.)

For starters: Do you like cooking vegetarian/vegan food, and are you good at it? (I'd have to answer "no" to both of those questions, although I do cook for myself regularly, and my own cooking probably is more healthful than a lot of admittedly tasty vegan meals I've had which were prepared by others: better fat profile, less salty, not very tasty so I don't gorge on it....

I applaud you for caring also about the small animals who are raised and sold as food for other animals.

 

[Danielle]

It wasn't because it was boring or hard, but it felt wrong morally. I am attached to rats so it made me feel terrible. You'd be surprised how many people would bring in their pet rats to a store that would have sold them as snake food if I didn't prevent that. I felt bad for all of them, but I made sure the "pet only" rats (and a mouse!) did not end up as live food. There was a case where two of them were sold as snake food. They were both brought back later because the snake wouldn't eat them, and I took them home the same day. That's when I decided to help any and every pet rat that would come in.
Getting told I don't clean the many cages fast enough wasn't fun either. I made an effort to speed up, but it was never good enough.
No, I don't like cooking. Baking is alright. My desserts come out really well most of the time.

 

[Second Summer]

There are lots of jobs that don't involve animals, live or dead. Mail delivery, office work of most types (e.g. the public relations team for a company, human resources, personal assistant), jobs in public transport like the subway or an airport, undertaker, bicycle repairs, taxi driver, teaching, child care, social work, a job in a charity organization, something with housing, a book or comic book shop, translator of foreign comic books ....! Well, just some ideas.

 

[Clueless Git]

I'll be back to put my tuppence worth in on that one later on.

1-2-3 ... and I'm back in the room!

That office job thing, Danielle; Anyone who works in an office is an office worker. The scope of office work is massive. As IS said above from receptionists, filing clerks, telesales, customer services, accounts, purchasing, PA's .. it's all office work.

My tip is along the lines of this ...

1. Scour the job ads diligently and look for anything you think you possibly could, as opposed to definitely can, do that you might not actualy hate.

2. Compare the skills/experience you do have against the skills/experience that the ads say are required.

3. Identify your skill/experience gaps.

(Don't underestimate the importance of 'transferable' skills and experience on that one. Face to face experience of customer service in retail is transferable to customer service on the phone, for example.)

4. Shortlist the jobs with the least gaps and/or the gaps that will be most easy to either learn or to 'blag' your way through.

5. Use your leisure time to fill in, as much as you can, the essential gaps.

6. Apply for everything on your list that you have more than a cats chance in hell of blagging an interview view for.

 

[Danielle]

The thing is I have no skills.

 

[Second Summer]

The thing is I have no skills.

Did you go to school? If so, you surely have some skills, and something to build on. Interests and hobbies may have given you skills or transferable skills as well.

Another possibility is to start your own business. If it fails, then the experience may nevertheless have given you skills you can use later in other jobs.

Or maybe you could enrol in a trainee program, and acquire skills/experience that way.

 

[Danielle]

Just high school and I was a very bad student.
Training program sounds ok

 

[rainforests1]

Craigslist is the best jobs site I've been on. Even if it's a brief job it can help your resume.

 

[beancounter]

Avoid CraigsList like the plague...

Best site for office Jobs:
Start with Monster.com, and also set up a LinkedIn profile.

Visit Robert half and accounttemps. I think they also have a sister site for Admin assistants.

Accounting clerk jobs are fairly easy to get if you present yourself as responsible, and it's a great way to get your foot in the door of a large company

 

[Danielle]

Why?

 

[beancounter]

Why to what exactly?

If you mean why to Craigslist...

Well it's essentially the wild west of illegal activity, scams, theft, murder and other such activities.

 

[beancounter]

I've found all of these job search sites useful.

www.monster.com/
www.careerbuilder.com
www.indeed.com
www.roberthalf.com/accountemps

 

[Danielle]

Why avoid craigslist?
But I'm not responsible. I have no good traits :/

 

[beancounter]

Why avoid craigslist?
But I'm not responsible. I have no good traits :/

See my comment above regarding Craigslist.

I think part of the problem is a self defeating attitude. One aspect of sucessfully getting a job is self confidence in you skills ,and the ability to convey that, even transferable skills, as others mentioned above.

If you don't think much of yourself, then others will see that, especially human resource people. I had that issue when I first started interviewing, but I think it helps to look at it as a game. You're trying to get the best job you can and they are trying to find the best candidate. use whatever advantage you can to make your resume and interview stand above the rest. While you shouldn't lie about your skills, adding a little pizzaaz to what you've done can help.

 

[Danielle]

So i guess i have no hope at all
I really need to see my psychologist again >_<

 

[beancounter]

So i guess i have no hope at all
I really need to see my psychologist again >_<

There is always hope.

If you really don't think you're ready for the workforce, then go to college utilizing student loans.

 

[Danielle]

I'd just fail and owe a lot of money. I already owe a thousand to a community college.
There's no hope for me. Maybe I just need to accept that I'm a complete failure and a waste of life. Guess I should just stop posting here and wasting everyone's time. Sorry

 

[Tom L.]

Danielle, I don't think you're wasting people's time. I can definitely say that CG wouldn't have started this thread if he didn't think it was worthwhile and I wouldn't have posted in it.

I really wanted to suggest something that would immediately provide you with some sort of monetary income, and something might still come to mind; a traineeship sounds like a good idea... but if you really see NO options at the moment- what about volunteering? I don't mean stuffing envelopes or telephone soliciting (although there's nothing wrong with that if you're OK with it)- I was thinking of something that would provide you with marketable skills while at the same time would have you doing something you're passionate about- sort of the way you're passionate about saving rats- or at least it wouldn't be violating your principles, like working in a pet store that sold animals for food would have been.

And believe me, I know a thing or two about having low self-esteem.