| posted on August 31, 2017
WORK, work, work, work, work.
No, not Rihanna. The real world.
Welcome to adulthood, where the pay is never good enough, the word ‘holiday’ is an unfamiliar term and you have to make your own doctor appointments.
With job advertisements being variably scattered across the internet and the newspaper, finding a job suitable for you can be difficult.
Take me for example. I started university straight after completing year 12.
Any job vacancy I came across either required qualifications way beyond my physical capacity (hard to have a completed degree when I had just left high school), five years work experience or the ability to do handstands.
Safe to say, I have none of the above in my resumé.
That was the other thing: my resumé looked seriously sad.
Do you know what my first resumé included?
The fact I was at uni, I had completed year 12 and I won a dancing award when I was 12.
Ooh, and my name.
It was a pretty empty single A4 page.
However, it was completely unavoidable; I could not make years of work experience and qualifications magically appear.
So, I had to start from the start.
#factforthought moment: research how to build a resumé.
There are a ton of resources out there on what to include in a cover letter and in what order your resumé information should be in.
Did you know that you don’t need to put your age on a resumé?
I sure didn’t.
It is encouraged so as to eliminate any discrimination before an employee has met you (unless you are 15 years old and applying for CEO, then your age is a slight issue).
Once you have built the ultimate resumé and cover letter (I believe in you), the next step is applying.
Apply everywhere.
Literally everywhere.
Did you know you can apply for more than one job at a time?
You increase your chances of getting a job interview if you apply for lots of things.
Yes, this might mean heaps of online applications, or going into every store down the main street, but you need to do it.
No one is going to hand you a job on a silver platter (this is a very rare occasion and should not be relied upon).
So, the day eventually comes; after handing out loads of resumés, somebody calls you for an interview.
Now what?
You need to look and act the part and this depends on what type of job you are applying for.
For example, if you are applying for seasonal fruit picking, a suit and tie may be slight overkill.
If you are applying for an office job, I definitely would not rock the ‘I just got back from the beach’ look.
To be on the safe side, smart casual is my overall recommendation.
Basically, neat and tidy enough to visit your grandparents on a Sunday should do it.
After you have dressed your best and organised a meeting time, don’t be late!
Promptness will determine what kind of employee your potential employer thinks you will be.
No pressure, but first impressions are quite important.
Speak slowly and clearly, do not feel you have to rush your answers to any questions.
Take a moment to compose yourself; everyone knows that people get nervous.
It is only natural.
The rest is up to you.
Let your confidence and best qualities shine and you won’t spontaneously combust upon walking into the interview room – promise.
Now get out there and apply!
