First Job Help/Advice

[Unknwn]

Alright, so this is going to have two parts, but I hope I can get some advice/feedback/help or something lol

Ok, so I am 18, going to be 19 in June, and I am about to finish my first year of college. I'm going to be on vacation for like 3 or 4 months, and I don't really want to be at home doing nothing during those months, and I also know my parents would not want me being a bum at home lol. So I am thinking of applying for my first job. However, I am having kinda of an internal debate with myself as to what I should do first, so I will try to explain.

Ok, so first the job. I've never had a job before, although I did help out using the cash register at my uncle's restaurant, so I do have at least some experience with using a register and talking to costumers. I do consider myself an introvert, so I do not really want to work at a restaurant again, but if my first option fails, then I probably will still (hesitantly) consider it lol. I am thinking of applying to my local AMC Theater to be a Crew Member there. Crew Members basically do anything from managing the concession stand, to managing the ticket box, to cleaning the theaters after movies and all that. I feel like that would be perfect for me because although I do have to interact with people, I probably won't have to have tiresome conversations since they will probably want to catch their movie. I really think it will be a good place to work at for me, and I live pretty close to it so distance is probably not going to be a problem. However, I am not sure how to begin the process, and this is why I am here. I don't want to apply as full-time as I think that will cause problems when I go back to school, so I want to go as part-time. Ok, so for anyone who has already had a first job, how did you go about it? Did you have a resume? Again, I haven't had much job experience and this isn't for college credit or anything and I want to do part-time, so is it necessary to have a resume for when I apply? Also, just how was your first job experience?

Ok, now the second thing. This is not really education and careers related, but it's something that's holding me back from wanting to apply for a first job, and I just wanted to see what others say. Ok, so I want (or, I guess, need) to get braces. I have barely just started the process and have been going to my first dentist visits, and I feel like if I apply for a job right now while I am going through this process, things are going to get kinda hectic. Also, since I might have to get my wisdom teeth out, I would need time to recover for that and then time to adjust when they put the spacers and braces in. I am not saying I want to wait until I am done with my braces so that I feel ready to apply because that's going to take years, but I kinda just want to go through the process right now, get my braces in, and then apply. My teeth are not the worst thing ever, but it's definitely a crowding issue and definitely noticeable. So what do you think? Should I put more priority on getting my braces first and then apply for job? Also, if you've had braces, how long did it take from your first dentist visit to until you actually go your braces, and how long was the recovery/adjustment (in other words, how long did they bother you for lol).

I know this was long, but I really hope I can get some help.

So my questions, again, are:
1) Do I need a resume when I apply for my first job?
2) How was your experience getting your first job?
3) Should I wait to get my braces first before I apply for my first job?
4) If you've had braces, how long was the entire process of going to the first dentist visits, getting wisdom teeth out (if you had them out) and recovery from that, getting spacers, and finally braces for you?

Thanks!

[Dying Ember]

I can only really reply to number 4
I didn't get my wisdom teeth out, but i got four molars taken out. It hurt like hell but I was able to go back to school the following day (I think). I had my braces in for about a year and a half. When I first got them in it took about half an hour (that's just a guess I can't really remember) and to get them tightened and shit I had to go every 5 weeks and it only took about 5 mins at the most. For some people braces don't hurt much but for others it can really hurt quite badly, as mine did.
sorry j couldn't be of help to the other questions

[phuckphace]

should only take a few days to recover from your dentist visit

also there's no point in having a resume if you have no prior experience since you'll have nothing to put on it. just explain in the app and during the interview that you're excited to work at Wherever Inc. as your first job.

[Unknwn]

should only take a few days to recover from your dentist visit

also there's no point in having a resume if you have no prior experience since you'll have nothing to put on it. just explain in the app and during the interview that you're excited to work at Wherever Inc. as your first job.

Cool! Thanks for the advice! :D

[Andyyy95]

So my questions, again, are:
1) Do I need a resume when I apply for my first job?
2) How was your experience getting your first job?
3) Should I wait to get my braces first before I apply for my first job?
4) If you've had braces, how long was the entire process of going to the first dentist visits, getting wisdom teeth out (if you had them out) and recovery from that, getting spacers, and finally braces for you?

Thanks!

Hi Carlos,

1) Yes, unless of course you have contacts, of which the application process may be different if they're able to offer you a direct referral.

2) It was less scarier than I thought. I didn't think that I'd be able to get the first job (internship) that I applied for - the application process for mine was really simple (because my university had contacts), all I had to do was email them my current academic grades, but I spent a lot of time/effort researching the company and preparing/practicing for my first telephone interview. The interview itself I'd consider it as an informal chat about my education and some of the reasons why I was interested in this company (this is the point when I used my research). Afterwards, I was invited for a face-to-face interview with some of the managers at their office, which again was quite an informal chat / getting to know me better, and for me to find out more about them. I was also given some questions to answer on paper, which were rather logical. Few days later, I received an email from them informing me that I was successful with the post! Overall, I really liked the experience of applying/getting my first job - I start in the next few months after this semester!

3) Personally I'd say no, I had a lot of teeth out myself when I had braces (~ 5-6 years ago), but it never bothered me in the long-term. Okay, maybe you'd be in a bit of pain for a day or two after having your teeth out, but fitting/adjusting braces can be scheduled around work/college?

4) Hard to give an accurate time-scale, since braces were quite a long time ago for me - but I think the process was about 2 years from the moment I had my teeth out? Braces didn't really bother me, I still managed to concentrate with school, and went for routine check-ups every few weeks or so I think.

Andy

[Unknwn]

1) Yes, unless of course you have contacts, of which the application process may be different if they're able to offer you a direct referral.

2) It was less scarier than I thought. I didn't think that I'd be able to get the first job (internship) that I applied for - the application process for mine was really simple (because my university had contacts), all I had to do was email them my current academic grades, but I spent a lot of time/effort researching the company and preparing/practicing for my first telephone interview. The interview itself I'd consider it as an informal chat about my education and some of the reasons why I was interested in this company (this is the point when I used my research). Afterwards, I was invited for a face-to-face interview with some of the managers at their office, which again was quite an informal chat / getting to know me better, and for me to find out more about them. I was also given some questions to answer on paper, which were rather logical. Few days later, I received an email from them informing me that I was successful with the post! Overall, I really liked the experience of applying/getting my first job - I start in the next few months after this semester!


Thanks for your response! It really helped! :D
Can I ask, what do you suggest I include in a resume? I'm bilingual so I guess I can include that as a skill, but I don't really know what else I can include that will make me stand out. I'm not really thinking of applying for internships at the moment. I was thinking more along the lines of a retail summer job or something like that to keep me occupied during the summer and so I can have some money of my own. I will definitely make sure to research the place I apply to so thanks for that advice!

[Andyyy95]

Thanks for your response! It really helped! :D
Can I ask, what do you suggest I include in a resume? I'm bilingual so I guess I can include that as a skill, but I don't really know what else I can include that will make me stand out. I'm not really thinking of applying for internships at the moment. I was thinking more along the lines of a retail summer job or something like that to keep me occupied during the summer and so I can have some money of my own. I will definitely make sure to research the place I apply to so thanks for that advice!

You're welcome Carlos! I don't know the page limit for Resumes in your country, but I'll add my comments...

First of all, if you don't know any contacts whom you could email, you'd want to do some homework and gather a list (or even just a few) of posts you'd consider applying for. Main point being that you want to have a job description to look at. This would normally include information/criteria of what constitutes as their 'perfect candidate'. Obviously they're not expecting many/any of their applicants to meet all of their requirements / skills required, but you can easily judge whether or not you'd consider yourself well-suited to the job (should you get it).

This is what you should tailor your skills in the Key Skills section towards, and giving examples / concise explanations of how you feel you've achieved that. This is one of the main parts of a resume that would stand out to an employer, it's what they would look at first, besides the layout obviously. Hence you need to sell yourself as much as possible here! This section should be at the top of your resume/CV, below your name / contact details.

Other sections I'd recommend including are: Education (if you have many qualifications, only the relevant ones), any relevant project work, any relevant previous (part-time) employment, interests / extra-curricular activities. There's probably plenty more sections if you Google for a Resume Template, but those are the ones I consider to be most relavant/important. Obviously in each section (besides Education), you want to give concisely explained examples of what you've done...

Notice how I use the words relevant/tailor a lot - basically you should only include stuff you feel is relevant to the job... So if you feel that being bilingual is a useful (communication) skill required for the job that you're applying for, then include it - else don't bother, unless you have the space for it.

Remember, employers don't have all day to be reading your CV/resume - some will probably only spend 30 seconds max, so it's important you sell yourself as much as possible in this "alloted time"!

Hope that helps.

Any questions, please ask!

Andy

[Unknwn]

This is what you should tailor your skills in the Key Skills section towards, and giving examples / concise explanations of how you feel you've achieved that. This is one of the main parts of a resume that would stand out to an employer, it's what they would look at first, besides the layout obviously. Hence you need to sell yourself as much as possible here! This section should be at the top of your resume/CV, below your name / contact details.

Other sections I'd recommend including are: Education (if you have many qualifications, only the relevant ones), any relevant project work, any relevant previous (part-time) employment, interests / extra-curricular activities. There's probably plenty more sections if you Google for a Resume Template, but those are the ones I consider to be most relavant/important. Obviously in each section (besides Education), you want to give concisely explained examples of what you've done...

Notice how I use the words relevant/tailor a lot - basically you should only include stuff you feel is relevant to the job... So if you feel that being bilingual is a useful (communication) skill required for the job that you're applying for, then include it - else don't bother, unless you have the space for it.

Wow! This was really helpful! Thanks a lot!
Alright, I think I have an idea of how to start this. Thanks again for all the help! :D

[BlueFoot]

So I can really only answer 1 and 2 as I've never had braces and never will

1)
Its pretty easy making an resume you can put your experience at your uncles restaurant and add him as a reference(Once you ask him). Yes you kinda do need a resume, but it doesn't really have to be anything special. Before you put down anyone as a reference make sure you ask them if its okay to first.

2) My experience was good, I was at a place where they sold video games and I was asking about a game that just came out and asking if it was good or not and he was a manager and he just said I'll give you this game for free if you apply and give me your resume, I didn't have a resume at the time so I accepted and wrote one up when I got home. I was a similar situation as you as I had experience working in my Grandfathers motor rewinding shop so I just put that in and added them as a reference and a family friend.

The advice I can give you is write up a good resume with the Microsoft word template and just keep tossing the Resume out there, eventually you will get a bite.

[Danny Phantom]

Alright, so this is going to have two parts, but I hope I can get some advice/feedback/help or something lol

Ok, so I am 18, going to be 19 in June, and I am about to finish my first year of college. I'm going to be on vacation for like 3 or 4 months, and I don't really want to be at home doing nothing during those months, and I also know my parents would not want me being a bum at home lol. So I am thinking of applying for my first job. However, I am having kinda of an internal debate with myself as to what I should do first, so I will try to explain.

Ok, so first the job. I've never had a job before, although I did help out using the cash register at my uncle's restaurant, so I do have at least some experience with using a register and talking to costumers. I do consider myself an introvert, so I do not really want to work at a restaurant again, but if my first option fails, then I probably will still (hesitantly) consider it lol. I am thinking of applying to my local AMC Theater to be a Crew Member there. Crew Members basically do anything from managing the concession stand, to managing the ticket box, to cleaning the theaters after movies and all that. I feel like that would be perfect for me because although I do have to interact with people, I probably won't have to have tiresome conversations since they will probably want to catch their movie. I really think it will be a good place to work at for me, and I live pretty close to it so distance is probably not going to be a problem. However, I am not sure how to begin the process, and this is why I am here. I don't want to apply as full-time as I think that will cause problems when I go back to school, so I want to go as part-time. Ok, so for anyone who has already had a first job, how did you go about it? Did you have a resume? Again, I haven't had much job experience and this isn't for college credit or anything and I want to do part-time, so is it necessary to have a resume for when I apply? Also, just how was your first job experience?

Ok, now the second thing. This is not really education and careers related, but it's something that's holding me back from wanting to apply for a first job, and I just wanted to see what others say. Ok, so I want (or, I guess, need) to get braces. I have barely just started the process and have been going to my first dentist visits, and I feel like if I apply for a job right now while I am going through this process, things are going to get kinda hectic. Also, since I might have to get my wisdom teeth out, I would need time to recover for that and then time to adjust when they put the spacers and braces in. I am not saying I want to wait until I am done with my braces so that I feel ready to apply because that's going to take years, but I kinda just want to go through the process right now, get my braces in, and then apply. My teeth are not the worst thing ever, but it's definitely a crowding issue and definitely noticeable. So what do you think? Should I put more priority on getting my braces first and then apply for job? Also, if you've had braces, how long did it take from your first dentist visit to until you actually go your braces, and how long was the recovery/adjustment (in other words, how long did they bother you for lol).

I know this was long, but I really hope I can get some help.

So my questions, again, are:
1) Do I need a resume when I apply for my first job?
2) How was your experience getting your first job?
3) Should I wait to get my braces first before I apply for my first job?
4) If you've had braces, how long was the entire process of going to the first dentist visits, getting wisdom teeth out (if you had them out) and recovery from that, getting spacers, and finally braces for you?

Thanks!

We're the exact same age in the same year of college, but anyway:

1. I had a resume simply listing any skills I DID have.
2. I got my first job as a Sales Associate at Forever 21. It's been nearly a year since I first started. The interview process was swift and a group setting. I was able to explain that I had no experience, but that I had a personally and a nice fashion sense.
3. No, you should get a job now.

[Unknwn]

The advice I can give you is write up a good resume with the Microsoft word template and just keep tossing the Resume out there, eventually you will get a bite.
Thanks for the advice! Yes, I already wrote up a simple resume, and I am about to begin filling out an application! I'm excited for this! lol

[BlueFoot]

Thanks for the advice! Yes, I already wrote up a simple resume, and I am about to begin filling out an application! I'm excited for this! lol

Best of luck mate, let us know how it turns out

[Iam-Marie]

telephone and ask whether someone for about 4 hours looking for cleaning jobs, repairs, in the wardrobe, ... so get some experience and see what you really like