Getting my first job at 18 y.o. (1 Viewer)

[Matthew89]

I'm currently doing year 12, and i'm looking for a job so that i can work over the christmas period (and hopefully secure a permanent job).

The problem is, i've been focusing on school so i've never had a job. The only experience in the work force i have is 2 weeks of year 10 work experience.

Where is the best place for me to get started? I dont really have any references either, but i can probably just ask a teacher if they are willing to be one. Also, how can I make my resume look good without having any significant experience? Would school awards and/or subjects be worth putting down?

 

[lizziegirl]

hi

i was kinda stuck in the same situation last year. mum reccommended that i try doing some volunteer work...its fantastic and although u dont get paid for it u get skills/experience which is priceless. oh and if u do really well they'll write a glowing reference

i put the skills that i learnt @ work experience (vet hospital) and that helped me eventually score with them which was great !! if you arent picky about pissy wages u can also try fast food joints.

if theyre important awards (e.g. "Contribution to the School" awards etc) then def. put it down. if they're the kinds of awards like "Well done Johnny for playing Ode to Joy on the Recorder" DONT INCLUDE IT. but you can always add things like First Aid certs if you have them.

 

[tanjin]

Just apply for retail stores - they hire heaps of people during the Christmas period.

 

[Matthew89]

if theyre important awards (e.g. "Contribution to the School" awards etc) then def. put it down. if they're the kinds of awards like "Well done Johnny for playing Ode to Joy on the Recorder" DONT INCLUDE IT. but you can always add things like First Aid certs if you have them.

Thanks for the advice! what about academic awards? Would it depend on relevance (e.g. IT award would be more relevant to retail than a Woodwork award)

 

[Cara.Mel]

I am in the exact same boat as you ^_^

About 1.5 years ago I filled out the online coles/safeway application things. After a few months nothing happened so I redid them making them more broad (eg not just my suburb but about a 10km radius). Still haven't done *anything* except for that stupid coles quiz (done it twice because they resent it because my result was a year old, even xD), resumes there are probably completely out of date xD

Can you apply to coles/safeway in person? For all the other shops in my local shopping centre, do you only say something if you can find signs up, or do you ask them all anyway.
I tried to read the pinned threads here but they don't help very much =/

 

[Amakii]

You've probably missed out on most of the big store recruitments like Safeway/Coles/Target/Big W because they tend to hire their Christmas staff early. A lot of the applications close during late August to early September. I know because I wanted a job for the break after I did year 12, but no one was really hiring. Anyway, most begin training in October, so you probably wouldn't want to do that since you have exams, hehe.

I'm nearing the end of first year uni, but now i have a safeway cashier job lined up for the summer break (FINALLY). I've been job hunting for ages, and my Safeway's job apps closed early September. But if you look on the Woolworths site, there are still certain stores hiring. It really depends on what job you're looking for; sorry, I just keep talking about supermarkets. xD You can go around to random stores that you want to work at, but I find that doesn't really yield results. Usually they say, "we're not hiring, but we'll take your resume and contact you if we have a vacancy." *shreds resume* Well that's I guess they do...

And about Safeway/Coles, you pretty much will only get an interview offer if you apply for a specific job posting. Their "Job Match Profile" is stupid, it probably takes them 5 years to "match" the right job to you.

Maybe write up a nice cover letter and take that and your resume into some stores. Oh, don't worry too much about your resume, it doesn't need to be that long. About one page will be what employers bother reading, is what I've been told. My old resume had all those maths, english and science competition awards, haha. Oh, and hobbies. Pft, stuff they teach us at school seems so wrong... I took all that stuff out of my most recent one. -__-
I just put:
- Contact details
- Related skills/Personal attributes (eg. friendly, fast learner, works well in a team)
- Current studies (subjects, any study scores or exam grades, ENTER, I doubt they care much though)
- Past work experience (putting your year 10 work experience will be fine.)
On the next page I put my two telephone references. So it's a 1 page resume and half a page of references.

Well that's my horrible experience with job hunting. ;p Good luck finding a job!

PS. Getting a written reference from a teacher or someone may speed up your job getting! :0

 

[CieL]

Can you apply to coles/safeway in person? For all the other shops in my local shopping centre, do you only say something if you can find signs up, or do you ask them all anyway.
I tried to read the pinned threads here but they don't help very much =/

Yup.

I've had a few people apply in person.. they ask to speak with the store manager.. and if he/she is busy, they dump their resume at the service desk.. Which then gets given to the person in charge in the office..

We never put signs up.

So far, I've seen 5 people ask in person.. and 2 have gotten the job..

 

[Matthew89]

Would applying at places that serve alcohol be a good idea?? (Bottle shops, bars, pubs, etc.) I thought it would because my age wouldnt be a problem (from what i've heard, most places are reluctant to hire over 18s when under-18s could do the job too). And if i did apply, i'd need to get my Responsible Serving of alcohol certificate right?

 

[alby]

yeah, you need an rsa & rcg (most places wont hire you unless you have both). as for the age,

I’m under 18—can I still do the course?
YES. What we provide is training. We don’t sell or supply alcohol, so you can do any course with a couple of conditions.
You must be moved from the foyer under escort directly to the training area and cannot access the Restricted areas of any training venues.
No alcohol is allowed to be consumed.
Additionally, recent changes to the law precluse you from actually serving any real patrons. We have never done this - but you will role-play order-taking, preparation and service with your classmates.
You obviously cannot work with alcohol in this state until turning 18

you can get your certs if you want..but you have to wait till your 18 to work...so i'd say look elsewhere first.
and i'm 99% sure the above also relates to working in bottle shops

 

[Matthew89]

you can get your certs if you want..but you have to wait till your 18 to work...so i'd say look elsewhere first.
and i'm 99% sure the above also relates to working in bottle shops

I'm 18 already, so thats not a problem.

My main concern is whether its worth getting my RSA and RSG before i've got the job. Without any experience, I doubt finding a job in a bar/pub/bottle shop will be easy. The courses aren't that cheap, so i'd hate to spend money on the certs and then not find a job.

 

[babikakez]

*shreds resume* Well that's I guess they do...

And about Safeway/Coles, you pretty much will only get an interview offer if you apply for a specific job posting. Their "Job Match Profile" is stupid, it probably takes them 5 years to "match" the right job to you.

I feel really sorry to admit that as soon as we (I work at woolworths) take resumes, they go straight in the bin. Now we have a new policy of not taking resumes at all.

And your completely correct about the job match system, its completely flawed. I was on their database for over a year before by chance I found a specific posting.

But coles/woolworths/safeway etc may be still hiring, especially not enough staff were hired for xmas, or if current staff members have quit, etc

 

[CieL]

I'm 18 already, so thats not a problem.

My main concern is whether its worth getting my RSA and RSG before i've got the job.

Nope.

Once they offer you a position, do you go get your RSA and RCG.

It doesn't take long. Just one day.. and a hundredish bucks..

I told them during the interview I dont have a RSA, but I'll be willing to get one the next day if they hired me. Because it's stupid to waste that amount of money if they dont accept you, and your other jobs dont require the certs.