Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've been job searching for 2 months and can't even score an interview. I think it's because of my employment history.
Brief description starting with my first job:
2007: Army. Medical discharge.
2008: Walmart. Worked 2 years, then terminated due to absence.
2008: 2 weeks at Tacobell as a 2nd job. Quit because my schedule wouldn't allow for two jobs.
2010: Safeway. 1&1/2 months. Quit for personal reasons.
On that; they didn't have me do any paperwork to quit. Is it possible that when contacted, they would put down that they fired me? I ask only because when I tried to put in my two weeks notice, my managers became mad and told me not to bother, and to just leave. Up until I asked to put in two weeks, I had never had any problems with my managers.
2010: McDonalds. 2 months. Quit because the rest of the crew was mostly under 18 and I often had to go behind them and redo their jobs for them at my managers request. I was a store closer, and I just got tired of constantly doing everyone else's work.
That's all of my work experience. I am serious about finding a job to stick with, I have bills to pay. I know my past experience is pretty bad. I've been leaving out TacoBell, Safeway, and McDonalds when I fill out applications. Should I do that? And if not, is there some way I can make it so it doesn't sound as bad?
I would not worry about it.I have 4 times as many jobs in the same time frame and I just got hired and might get another job.Job jumping is the new normal.You just about have to if you want to advance.Employer loyalty to workers is a thing of the past.So why on earth should anyone expect workers to be loyal.
Just go online and get some sample resumes and use MS Word to put together a decent resume.
As for the resume, what does it matter how you were discharged or how you lost a job?
That is not what resumes are for.
Applications, on the other hand, may ask why you left a job, and you need to get your answer straight and stay consistent, but resumes are like advertisments describing your strengths.
Also during an interview you may be asked the same things so remember to come up with a good answer that puts YOU in a good light and stick with it.
ALSO:
Sometimes a resume sent will get you an interview and the application will be filled out right before the interview OR right after. I have even been told to take it home and fax or mail it in.
Online applications are used to weed out folks more easily. Often you are required to give an explanation for leaving a job or give salary/wage info. You need to learn to answer these in a way that will benefit YOU. Seriously. These are NOT black & white, cut & dry answers. It's a two-way street at interviews as well as applying.
Example: An online application requires your salary history, but the job ad gives no salary info. It might say something like: "competitve" or "DOE" (depending on experience). Therefore, you have no idea where the bargaining may begin. You are at an immediate disadvantage. So it is best to be realistic about what wage or salary you give for past jobs, BUT you can fudge it over a little. Why not?
Example: They ask on the application what salary or wage you expect. This is a sleazy way to either weed folks out or undercut quality people. You need to research a little and get a feel for what to say. Of course when you get to the interview it really doesn't matter much what you answered. The negotiation begins anew (unless it is a contract job through a 3rd party or a union job that is beholden to a labor agreement, and if that is the case, you should know anyway by the interview or it should be addressed clearly).
When applications have to be done online then the resume loses some of it's impact. Especially if it has to be cut & pasted or put into a software format that is exclusive to the company website. But of course you will need to bring it to all interviews regardless.
.
My best advice:
1. NEVER say you were fired from a job! .
Make something up that sounds realistic and stick with it. It is easier for a prospective employer to find a person's criminal history and credit history than to get another company to disclose the specifics of job history. And with Wal-Mart, being as huge as they are and with high turnover, this becomes even less of an issue.
.
2. NEVER use the term "quit"! Tell them you "resigned" for whatever reason, but never say "I quit".
See above.
.
3. ALWAYS leave an interview with at least a general idea of what the job pays.
Remember: An interview is a two-way street!
.
Good Luck!
Last edited by roncorey1; 12-22-2010 at 08:08 PM..
Reason: grammar
First off, I would NOT assume that the reason you haven't had an interview in two months is because of your work history. In this economy if you'd scored interviews or a job in just two months it would be a miracle. There is a reason why we have all these unemployment extensions--it just takes longer to find a job these days. I have a college degree, every credential possible, and not a spotty work history--and it took me fourteen months after I was laid off in 2009. So you need to be prepared that finding a job is going to be hard work, regardless of what your work history is.
Next, leave off the last three jobs. Not only do the reasons for your departure look bad, but the jobs were just too short to have any meaning to a potential employer. You were barely there long enough to have been trained, let alone demonstrate your worth as a worker.
Then, you need to account for ALL of your time. What were you doing between 2008 and 2010??? If you were a stay-at-home mom or a homemaker or caregiver, you can list that as a job. Itemize your skills (multi-tasking, conflict resolution, budget management, etc). List your salary as $0. If you were in school or in training, this would be listed in a separate section than employment, but should still be accounted for. Usually applications also have a separate section where you can list all 'other' time such as travel or medical care or grief recovery or looking for work, etc.
You might also want to think about how you can do some business for yourself to create your own work history. For example you could call yourself a 'personal assistant' and offer to run errands for your friends, mow people's lawns, wash their car, walk the dog, etc. Of course if this became a serious full-time thing you would need to set yourself up as a business and pay taxes, but for now, just ask some friends if you can do it for free, so you can show you've got some skills and have been doing something with your time, on your applications.
You should never lie on an application, but you've got to sell yourself. But when filling out an application or a resume, you've got to think of your life from a business perspective. Even getting yourself out of the house in the morning requires organizational skills.
Also, inquire at your local unemployment office if they have a jobs training program that you can sign up for. Sometimes the wait list is long, but there's no harm in signing up. You can continue looking for work while you wait for an open spot in the program.
I have been working for a friend since April of this year. The friend knows that I am looking for another job. Whenever I have had a chance for an interview, it is always a fight. I think that I need to go to the interview on the day that the employer tells me I need to be their instead of going around my friends schedule. When I do that I feel that I am benefiting him and hindering myself. At times I have told him that I have an appointment the next day and he throws a fit and uses colorful words. He has even threatened that if I go to the appointment on the assigned day he will won't give me a good reference and the friendship is over. If you were a friend and owned a business would you be understanding of my situation? To me this is a crock. I would just like to hear someone elses opinion.
I would simply show the two years at Walmart. All that other stuff is just going to cause problems.
And reason for leaving, personal.
They cannot say they "terminated" and cannot say why.
I have been working for a friend since April of this year. The friend knows that I am looking for another job. Whenever I have had a chance for an interview, it is always a fight. I think that I need to go to the interview on the day that the employer tells me I need to be their instead of going around my friends schedule. When I do that I feel that I am benefiting him and hindering myself. At times I have told him that I have an appointment the next day and he throws a fit and uses colorful words. He has even threatened that if I go to the appointment on the assigned day he will won't give me a good reference and the friendship is over. If you were a friend and owned a business would you be understanding of my situation? To me this is a crock. I would just like to hear someone elses opinion.
For starters, you need to stop thinking of this person as your friend first and your employer second. He is your employer and you need to separate friendship. It's never a good idea to work for a friend but now that you've done it, you need to put work first. First of all because presumably you need this job and probably the reference. And second because you should treat your friend better than you would any other boss, because he is your friend. Don't take advantage of the friendship.
Employers don't pay you to look for another job; they are paying you to work for them so naturally they are going to be upset if you are openly looking for another job and are unreliable. Most employers would not only give you a poor reference for openly taking time off for interviews, but would fire you for doing so. Don't share your job-search activities with them. Tell them you have a doctor's appointment or call in sick to go to an interview. Or schedule the interview at a time when you are available (before or after work, or your lunch break).
At the same time, a potential employer should be giving you more than a day's notice for an interview. Unless the employer has stated in the ad that selected applicants will be interviewed on such-and-such day, they should at least give you a few days to make yourself available. Even an entry-level retail job shouldn't be insisting on your availability at virtually no notice.
As for your employer 'using colorful words' and 'throwing a fit'....well, you may not like it but he can do this if he wants. Calling his opinion of you a 'crock' doesn't exactly put you in a better light than him. He's the boss and his opinion should be respected, regardless of whether or not you agree with it.
Oh...and proper internet etiquette is to start your own thread, not resurrect an old thread that has absolutely nothing to do with your situation.
I would simply show the two years at Walmart. All that other stuff is just going to cause problems.
And reason for leaving, personal. They cannot say they "terminated" and cannot say why.
What were you doing in 2011?
Actually they can. This is a misconceived notion many people have.
Many employers do not state why a person is no longer employed with them to prevent frivolous lawsuits.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
