Think like a Recruiter when you write your resume

Workin’ Lady

Hi guys!

I got a job and am now a cook. I will be giving updates whenever I can. But for now that’s all that I have.

This is a piece written full of good advice. So take it to heart, it can only benefit you.

Travis Davidson

I recently helped Lauren Rosenbaum (@laurenrosepr) write a blog about group interviews. This got me to thinking about the different interview experiences I’ve gone through. Lauren asked me to write about my experience in a group interview. It goes without saying that there are things you need to do at an interview. The surprising part is how many people do not know what those things are!

Research, research, research. That’s right, research the company you are interviewing for. Showing knowledge of the company shows that you care about who they are and what they do. When I looked into the company I’m interning for I found out that they prefer to dress casually when in the office, I wore a suit to the interview and they were very impressed. When going to an interview, definitely dress the part. It may not be the most comfortable thing to wear, but…

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Orientation I attended yesterday

Yesterday I decided to attend a Michigan Works! service orientation to see if they offered any resources that would aid me in my job searching.

I learned many interesting bits of knowledge and got a entire list of resources that I would like to share with you in the hope that it will help you in your struggles with finding a job whether you are a teenager or not.

• Interview Stream- This is a resource that you conduct a mock interview that you can watch back and see where you need to enhance some of your question answering skills.  michiganworks.interviewstream.com   You must have a webcam for this resource to work.  Also on this website are many helpful videos and tips to make your interview the best it can be. 
• O*Net Interest Profiler This is a questionnaire that will help show you what jobs you can have with your interests. mynextmove.org   Go to “Tell us what you like to do”
• Some career exploration resources are online.onetcenter.org  careeronestop.org 
• Some job search tools are quintcareers.com  careerealism.com  jobhuntersbible.com 
• Some books on the subject are The Job-Hunter’s Survival Guide by Richard Bolles Getting Your Foot in the Door When You Don’t Have a Leg to Stand On by Rob Sullivan

Several of the other things that the presenter touched on are that you can’t just search for a job online.  You can apply online but you must have face to face interactions if you ever hope to be successful in your job searching.  Also if there is a certain business you want to work in you have to make connections with the people who matter in that institution. The resources that I listed have suggestions of how to get connections the correct way.  

If you have any questions just comment and I will be happy to help you as much as I can.  If you want to see more like this then like this article and I will continue to write more like this.

A Realistic Job Ad

I feel like all job ads should be this blunt. I wrote this one to say what I feel people are expecting when people apply to their job listings.

Job Opportunity
Wanted. Someone to wash dishes at a country club. Women and men are welcome to apply. You need not apply if you arrive late, take sick days often, easily distracted, make many mistakes, are lacking work ethic, cannot timely complete tasks, or do not have manners. If you cannot stand for long periods of time, you also need not apply. We are looking for individuals who can separate life from work, know how to prioritize, how to time manage, have a strong work ethic, who have great people skills, and someone who cares about the quality of the work they put out. If you meet all of these criteria please email your resume to jobs@chemunghills.com

This is a Commentary I wrote about an After School Jobs Article

We Need to Work. We Have Our Reasons.

http://www.teenink.com/opinion/all/article/9985/After-School-Jobs/

There are many different views on whether teenagers should work, and the views vary depending on who you talk to. Teenagers understandably have contrasting views from their parents. Some research suggests that the teens grades would suffer. Some adults believe that life skills are more important than grades. Fatigue has always been an argument about teens working. It all comes down to perspective and perceptions of this issue.
After spending almost an entire year looking for a job I have formed my reasons why I should have a job after school. I agree with this article because its author states and agrees to most all of my beliefs about why teenagers should have jobs after school. I am a teenager with views about having an after school job. I believe teens should have a job after school. I read the After-School Jobs article by Emily G. This article was published in the online magazine Teen Ink. This author argues that teens should have a job after school and then she proceeds to list the reasons that make up her argument.
The article states, “the biggest reason teens should be allowed to work on school nights is it is a healthy way of earning money. This could mean you were able to pay for clothes and after school sports or activities during high school because you had a job. It would be even better if you made it out of school and owned something like a car. I can see her point because if you are earning your own money you will be more responsible while earning it or spending it.
One of the most popular arguments used when discussing teens having jobs is fatigue. There are several opinions of that statement. Emily G. believes teenagers have to “learn how to cope with busy schedules.” While there is no doubt about this statement, another source I had talked to had another opinion. She said that most teens are fatigued from staying up late. So if they are going to bed tired, they might as well be because of some good, honest, and hard work.
The author addresses the academic aspect of the argument. She states that “according to an article on snagajob.com, 86 percent of high school students have an after-school, weekend or summer job and ‘students who work between 10 and 20 hours per week during the school year have statistically higher grade-point averages than those who do not work at all. Those who work in high school are more likely to work in college, and financing their college education is a top reason for undergraduates to look for employment’.” I agree with this because an after school job should be considered as real world experience instead of something that makes you tired and have bad grades.
Teenagers have reasons why they feel they should or shouldn’t have after school jobs. Parents have reasons why or why not their teens should work. While all of these reasons are valid, there is a deeper meaning to this conflict. It’s about the impact of having or not having a job while in high school. In the end families will decide whether their teens are ready to work. While making this decision the things argued in this article should be discussed and considered.
Teenagers should work. It teaches them more than what some people feel they would lose by working. You need to come out of highschool with the experience of earning money while in school, because you will probably have to work and go to school in college. By that time in life you need to know how do both of these things at the same time. Having a job in high school has so many more benefits than just life skills. It is an opportunity to set up your future for a sucess in life.

Emily G. “After-School Jobs.” Teen Ink. Teen Ink, n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2012.

Recipe for a Good Teenage Worker

2 cups of Diligence
1 cup of Taking Responsibility
½ cup of Listening to Instructions
¼ cup of Taking Initiative
⅓ cup of Giving Credit to Others
1 Tb of Being Cheery
¼ cup of Staying healthy
½ cup of Self Discipline
2 tsp of Exceeding Expectations

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350. Mix together Diligence and Taking Responsibility. Beat Taking Responsibility until smooth. Slowly add Listening to Instructions. After that mixture is beat until fluffy and Giving Credit to Others. Then mix Being Cheery, Staying Healthy, and Self Discipline in a separate bowl. Take the Diligence and Taking Responsibility bowl and folding in the other two mixtures in three intervals. Pour mixture into a 9” by 13” baking pan. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Take out of pan. Put on a plate and frost with Exceeding Expectations.

Life gets in the Way

I started on this mission.  I was excited and posted every day.  Now I have nothing to write of for no one is giving me answers.  I need to try to start getting answers again.  I will be diligent this week and stay on task hopefully.  I will make sure that all things I learned will be communicated in a timely manner.  I am sure you are all just waiting to find out what I may find ( j k =)

No Follow-up

I went on the Human Resource websites of many of the companies that I spoke to over the weekend that told me that it was there policy.  I emailed them about my project and explained my questions.  I was firmly courteous.  I submitted my email and was given the message that a customer service rep would get back to me within 24 hours.  It’s been 5 days.

“It’s our Policy”

I went to my interview today. I showed up and was promptly told that it was company policy that made them not ever be able to hire before age sixteen. I was livid. What is this policy? Why can you use this to tell me I can’t work at your store? Who put this policy in use? What does it say?

This is the next step in my project. If I can find out why this was put into place and what it says, then I may be able to help myself understand this situation more.