darkSpyro

I was inspired by awesomerocket's topic where he asked for job advice, and not only got lots of wonderful responses, but it ended up helping him get the job!!

Now is the time that most people start looking for jobs, so I figured I'd make a central topic that we can all contribute to together. Post below with your own personal resources that I can add to this list, as well as any advice that you have! Feel free to also ask questions too ❤ Happy job hunting!

i need this. i havent had a job in 9 months even though I apply multiple times a week and it's driving me insane

advice- take everything into your own hands. i had a friend working where i was applying to and she said she’d help me out and that if i just applied online, she’d make sure the boss saw it. that never happened, so i wasted a month waiting around before applying in person myself, and now my schedule for the rest of summer doesn’t make working that easy. so always take things into you’re own hands

This is really helpful! Thanks for the thread.

Quote: Bolt

Thank you Erica, this is brilliant. <3

I know of a few Australian recourses if that helps!
Seek (Job search site, but I've linked a page that may contain useful resources)
Indeed (Job search site)
Headspace Individual Placement Support (Its since expanded from just the 15 centres iirc. I used one in our town a couple years back and they helped get me a job at a cigarette store)
I might get back to you with more!

And thank YOU for adding these resources!! I've added them to the list <3


Quote: xXBeavcoonXx

advice- take everything into your own hands. i had a friend working where i was applying to and she said she’d help me out and that if i just applied online, she’d make sure the boss saw it. that never happened, so i wasted a month waiting around before applying in person myself, and now my schedule for the rest of summer doesn’t make working that easy. so always take things into you’re own hands

Thank you for contributing advice! This is a great point, and it was how I was able to get pretty much all of my jobs. Walking in and speaking to a manager or owner is a great way to get your foot in the door.

here is a PM i sent to awesomerockets. bolding the important-est bits

I overprepared for a few past interviews prooobably but it all worked out in the end. With interviewing it depends on the job, but some general advice I would give is make eye contact (but don't stare them down uncomfortably), smile, and every one I've had did a handshake. Try to be firm but not TOO firm because then you seem cocky. It seems like they look for confident people with a good personality so try to sell yourself. If you don't have experience, you can give an example of how you could learn fast, that is relevant to the job. Also for the dress code, sometimes they just have you dress for the job. I'd always suggest dressing a little bit fancier, but not overly formal. Business casual has always been fine in my experience. I also always had a leather binder / notepad to put my resume in. They're not the cheapest but you can get them at an office store.

Some common questions I have been asked and what I have found to be good answers are...

Why should we hire you over someone else? I have always said because my schedule is flexible and I am always predictably at work on time. Even if your schedule isn't super flexible you can stretch the truth here, I always have. The rest varies on what job you are interviewing for.

What is your greatest strength? Sometimes they ask for a few of these. Obviously this is going to be tailored to yourself, but some examples could be patient, able to learn by doing, calm under pressure, driven, empathetic, honest, etc. Sometimes EVERYONE says certain things, like calling themselves a fast learner, so try to back that up with an example if you use that.

What is your greatest weakness? These are tricky, but you can spin them into positives. Just try to not be too obvious about it. An example would be that you are a perfectionist, but you have learned how to overcome this and get better. If you have no experience, you could mention that but also point out that makes you a clean slate to learn how to do things how that company wants them to be done. A third example could be that you are unwilling to take large risks, and your reasoning there could vary again by what you're interviewing for.

What do you know about this company? I've been asked this one a lot. Do some basic research on where you are interviewing so you aren't blindsided by this one. If I were to pick an example, I chose AMC theaters since you mentioned applying at a theater. A Google search showed me that they are headquartered really close to me and I actually didn't know that. You could say that they are the largest chain of theaters in the world and were founded in 1920, and maybe recall a personal fun time you had at one. Don't have to go super deep like knowing the CEO or whatever but you could if you really want I guess.

In addition to this, at the end they will ask you if you have any questions. Always have several questions of your own to ask, since it makes you seem interested. Obviously the questions you will have will vary by job, and sometimes they are answered by the interviewer previously. I always have a few extra in case that happens. Some questions that will work for most would be...

What is an average day in this position like?
What is the schedule for this position?
Am I on a team, and if so, could I meet them?
What are the top qualities for candidates for this position?
Do you need references?
How would I be trained for this positon?
When would I be expected to start?
What is the next step of the hiring process?

That last question I'd recommend saving for last anyway, and it can really help ease your nerves afterwards since you'll have a better idea of what to expect. And if it's a phone interview, treat it like you would an in-person interview. Smile while talking and if you'd like, dress like you would for an in person interview. I always dress up a little for those to put me in the interviewing mindset, but the job I got I just was in casual clothes for the phone interview so that's up to you.

I could probably continue if you like but I hope this helps If you end up messing up BAD in an interview don't sweat it either. I had a string of interviews I did fine on but didn't get the job, so don't overthink how you did and don't take it personally. And don't stop applying until you signed the onboarding paperwork and have a start date.

Since your boy got hired today, figured I'd share some things I tried during my interviews.

Don't be afraid to ask "Can I take a minute to think about it?" when asked a question. I did this in all three of my interviews and it paid off handsomely. In these cases, I usually knew what I wanted to say, but needed a little time to phrase and frame it properly in context of the conversation. And in my interviews, they were completely cool with it when I asked. Trust me, they'd rather you take your time and give a thoughtful answer than be quick to blurt out nonsense.

If you get asked any personality questions, geek out. Towards the end of my final interview, after all the job-related stuff was discussed, they said "So tell us about you, man. What kind of things do you like?" I talked about how I'm interested in military history and went on about how I can read for hours about the Battle of Hastings. I got super into it and I could feel my face lighting up. It's always nice to show a bit of livelihood and personality, and if they're asking you a personality question, this is definitely what they're looking for.

Do NOT script yourself. What I mean by this is don't have rehearsed, prepared responses. You never know what they're going to ask. During this whole process, I was never asked any of the "traditional" interview questions (What are your strengths/weaknesses? Where do you see yourself in x years? etc). All of the questions were about my experience and how I could apply it to this job. Sure, I had a broad, general idea of what I was going to say if I was asked the traditional ones, but I definitely didn't plan it with any details. As a result, I was able to bring some of these qualities into the conversation without it sounding forced or scripted - it sounded like a real conversation. And speaking of which...

Be bold. Going to brag here. There was a moment in my final interview where I had clearly impressed the boss and I think deep down, that's when I knew I'd gotten the job. He asked how I felt about the starting salary - I said it was good to start, but it wasn't where I'd want to stay. He then asked me where I would like to stay. I thought about it a minute and I said (not verbatim but close), "Well, in this job, 'stay' isn't really a word that should be in our vocabulary. The operative word here is 'growth,' not 'stay,'" (translation: I want to make all the monies). He kept up this poker face throughout the interview, but at this moment he broke down, grinned and said "That's probably the best answer I've ever heard to that question." It was a bold thing to say and I took a leap, and I stuck the landing. You can, too. Don't be afraid to go big.

Finally...

Be ready to address shortcomings - on your OWN initiative. There's no such thing as a perfect candidate. No matter how well you think you stack up, chances are that they have some reservations or concerns about you. If you can acknowledge this, it demonstrates self-awareness and a willingness to improve. At the very end of my final interview, my last question for them was "Are there any concerns you have about me as a candidate that I can maybe address while we're here?" Essentially, I was asking them to lay bare their doubts and judgments about me so that I could reason with them and show that I'm more than my resume. It's a risky question and you'll be putting yourself on the spot, but chances are that you'll get brownie points just for asking it. I think I did.

Good luck, lads and lasses.