Re: The fear of "Too Late"

[Werel]

It's way easier to move from crappy employment > preferable employment than unemployment > preferable employment, so you'll at least be a step further in the right direction even if you end up disliking it.

[Enail]

You can keep figuring it out as you go along and you get more information. Or you could set yourself a time frame, say if you get a job, you're going to register for some program by X date and keep working till school starts, or you're going to keep it up till you have X amount of experience and then start applying for higher-paying (or whatever) jobs.

[eselle28]

Congrats!

[reboot]

I went to Tim Horton's and picked up an application. Went to 7-Eleven too but they don't do applications anymore, just hand in a resume when the boss is around. "Felt the fear and did it anyway."

Gonna ask my sister how to write a resume that doesn't completely suck and gonna have to see about references

Nicely done. "Ask a Manager" also has good resume advice. As for getting stuck in a job, the secret to finding a better job is to already have a job. Right now, you do not have to support yourself, so you can bank minimum wage and still do OK. Give it a few months and you can look again or start an online class with the money you save.

My favorite minimum wage jobs were convenience store night clerk and early morning stocking and cashier at a grocery store. I could have lived off both those wages. Not well, mind, but been OK.

[Wondering]

Yay, Tim Hortons (and 7 Eleven)! Huzzah for applying for jobs!


(If you get hired there, I will start telling you all my Tim Hortons's tales. I have not been to many, as there are none here, but I haven't gone into a single one that I don't have some sort of story about. )

[bomaye]

Had some Root Beer and A&W's today, thought "Eh, might as well" and decided to have a little Pepsi.

My anxiety shot up almost immediately and I ended up pouring out 3/4s of the bottle.

[bomaye]

Oh cool, I got two people to give me references

[bomaye]

I'm kind of having trouble with the resume stuff because there are things I can put on it, but it's stuff that looks better than it actually was, and stuff that could fall apart if they start questioning closely

[Werel]

Resumes are 90% stuff that looks better/more important than it actually was-- that's the norm, and most employers look at "executive resupply agent for major nutritional retailer" and know it means "grocery store stocker." For entry level stuff, the only things they're likely to question particularly closely are: do you show up when you say you will; are you capable of learning and following directions; and are you a junkie/thief/scary assaulter. If your references cover basic character stuff like that, I wouldn't sweat potential employers digging deep into just what "freelance property maintenance" [mowing your neighbor's yard sometimes] entailed.

Niiiiice work getting references, by the way

[Enail]

Yep, what Werel said. And they're probably not going to be questioning in the sense of trying to catch you in a lie, what they're going to care about is what it means  - what situations you've been in that show those qualities Werel mentioned, maybe something that's similar in some way to something that might come up in the job, what skills it improved (probably general skills like following directions or being polite, not specialized skills), that kind of thing. You're going to be tempted to underplay things, but don't let yourself - if it feels fake, remember that it feels wrong because you normally underplay yourself, not because it is fake.

[bomaye]

...Do I seriously have to use that lame-ass political buzz-speak :sick:

[Werel]

It's one of the skills employers like to see demonstrated, like politeness and showing up on time

Makes me wanna barf too, but so does cleaning toilets, and both are just kinda necessary life skills

[Enail]

Not necessarily. But you have to let them see the reasons that you would be someone who could successfully do what they need you to do. And since you don't have much confidence in yourself, it will probably be hard for you to let them see that without it feeling fake, no matter what way you say it.

[bomaye]

That can't be real. You can't seriously put "freelance executive resupply" whatever and have someone look at that and take it seriously.

[Enail]

I assumed she was exaggerating for comedic effect. ...right, Werel?

[Werel]

Yeah, whoops, just comedic hyperbole. Some people do take it that far, but not most. I just meant aggressively playing up the importance/demands of your prior jobs without actually lying.

[bomaye]

God dammit Werel

That's a bit of a "phew" for me, I take some things kind of literally

[bomaye]

I went and handed out a few resumes this morning, and I think I accidentally did my first interview or two without realizing it

[reboot]

I went and handed out a few resumes this morning, and I think I accidentally did my first interview or two without realizing it

Well at least you were not stressed about the interviews since you did not know they were going to happen

[Enail]

Woo! That's awesome!

[Wondering]

Yay!

[Werel]

Waaaaaay to go

[reboot]

That can't be real. You can't seriously put "freelance executive resupply" whatever and have someone look at that and take it seriously.

I do know someone who put "independent pharmaceutical salesman" to account for the years he was a drug dealer. People questioned him on the skills and experience, but never quite twigged that he peddled illegal drugs

EDIT: And the skills were inventory control, marketing, supplier and customer satisfaction, negotiation, conflict management, etc.

[kath]

Yaaaaaay! Go you, man!

Also, wow, Reboot, that is ... creative

[reboot]

......
Also, wow, Reboot, that is ... creative

He is a smart man and the best part is not a single word is a lie. He did get those skills dealing and he was independent and sold pharmaceuticals (aka drugs).

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