Hey guys do you guys have any advice, tricks or interview/resume tips, into getting a company to hire you for casual jobs, tried and applied to hundreds of jobs but either get rejected or no reply
Rejected by Casual jobs
[Deactivated] on 29/04/2019 - 17:49
Last edited 29/04/2019 - 20:51 by 1 other user
Last edited 29/04/2019 - 20:51 by 1 other user
Comments
- 1
- 2
Got it once but never heard from them again but then that was my fault cause I wasn’t prepared as it was my first
if you have an excellent resume, you would be getting alot more interviews, so that is your first point of call to fix. Then maybe find some self help guidelines on what to do in an interview. You should treat getting a job, as a job in itself.
I am also searching for casual job but no luck any kind of job even odd jobs i applied on gumtree but no response….
I really doubt you've actually applied to over a hundred jobs, but I'll take your word for it. Basically, if you've been rejected so many times, do some introspection and think about why you're not getting the jobs. You're also probably applying to a lot of jobs, but just going with quantity over quality. My best bet is to know your strengths and weaknesses.
For example, if you have a good resume, then the resume can speak for itself, but if you don't (e.g. when I was applying for my first job many years ago), you don't just want to drop off a resume and leave. This means they never got to know you. Ask to speak to a manager, if the manager is not there, ask when you could potentially come back to have a chat. Present yourself well, and say you're interested in a casual position and ask if they're hiring. First impressions matter - if you actually speak to the manager, instead of being another empty resume with no work experience, you now come across as a good communicator, well presented, keen for the job…etc. Basically, for these sort of casual jobs where there's no real skill required, it's all about how you present yourself (and hence the business after you're employed) and whether you'll be reliable.
You need to have a think about what your strengths are and what sort of industries they are useful for. Retail is a really broad industry with a really broad range of different jobs, requirements and expectations. You need to think about yourself and what you are good at. If you can't find something you're good at, you need to go away and practice your skills.
If you've never held a job, practice introducing yourself, doing interviews and doing handshakes. Having done recruitment work before, you'll actually find that first impressions do matter and even though they shouldn't, what you "feel" in the first minutes after meeting someone does stick.
And if you're going to go into a store, cafe, whatever, know the place! Don't go asking for the manager during rush-hour. If you see the place is busy, walk away and try later that day or something.
Nothing dumber than someone handing a resume into a cafe during peak time.
I'm yet to find out if OP even has a decent cover letter tailored to each job. None of their replies have acknowledged one.
Really if you are going to pound the pavement in a shopping mall etc. Best to do it about 30 minutes after opening. Gives people time to set up shop, and shows that you are keen since you also got up early and not trying to hassle staff at lunchtime/5pm.
Bloody oath.
If I get a resume during peak times, I will just take the resume, say thanks and see ya. If you come at a quiet time, I will talk to you, find your availability, transport option, what you are currently doing, and make small talk to gauge you. Guess which one goes in the bin and which goes onto the bosses table.
Interesting to note, and I don't give a fk if this comment gets negs, that someone can be schooled enough to get into uni and study at uni, yet can't write a resume to save their ass.
I've been working since 14yo, went to uni etc yet I still knew how to construct a resume and write a cover letter to get a job, and applied for jobs that worked to my skill set, and got jobs!
How the fk has someone got so far through the education system without that basic need, or to not have even worked until over the age of 18?!
Lazy parenting? Lazy kid? Wrong priorities?
God knows if you don't know how to be successful in an interview now, that degree ain't gonna be worth shit in a couple of years…
How the fk has someone got so far through the education system without that basic need, or to not have even worked until over the age of 18?!
I went to uni 20 years ago and even back then the majority of students were from overseas/fully paid entry, that's how…
My youngest brother is almost 21, never had a job, as my parents supported us all as much as needed through uni. Due to that, he’s been able to consistently do subject overloads and get almost straight HDs, and has just got a graduate job in Sydney earning double what I do. His resume was more or less shit, with no paid work or volunteering, but there are some industries that don’t seem to care.
His resume was more or less shit, with no paid work or volunteering, but there are some industries that don’t seem to care.
But he was also a proven straight HD student with a consistent academic record, so it's not like he had nothing to his name.
yet can't write a resume to save their ass.
There are a lot of reasons to this, but the main one is that people don't give the resume the time it deserves. People see it and the cover letter as a tick box exercise to getting a job when in fact it is the most important part. Doing your research on what a great resume should look like for the industry you work in is a must, then spending quality time working your best attributes/experience into these documents is key. Feedback is also super important.
I really hate these "I've applied for 100s of jobs" threads because often the poster has done the absolute minimal work in constructing their resume/cover letters and basically do it once and never work on it again. Also they have actually applied (seriously) for about 10-20 jobs and maybe fired off a resume for another 20 and probably haven't met a single human being in the process.
You would be surprised at how far you can get with a lack of English at Uni, I was lumped with some students for a group assignment and one of them couldn't even type a legible sentence, yet was 3/4 of his way through an Engineering degree.
It's not even a lack of English, it's a lack of knowledge of resume formatting, and then also how to act/dress etc for interviews.
You would be surprised the number of people who don't know how to shake someone's hand.
Connections. Friends, family, ask around. Hopefully there are some of them who can refer you and get you in.
It's not about what you know, it's who you know.
When I looked for a casual job a few years ago, my tactic was to approach the store manager, shake their hand, etc. but on a weekly to fortnightly basis, inquiring about jobs available, informing them I've applied online, etc.
After about 3 months a manager (who let me know that I had made over 32 applications both online and in-store over that period) said that I showed a lot of dedication and even though his department wasn't hiring he said he could fit me between departments as a casual who could fill in shifts (this was a supermarket). I ended up working there for 3 years roughly 30 hours a week.
I did this with multiple stores and it was quite easy to do, taking about an hour every week, taking in feedback, it helped me learn a lot.
To summarize: go in-store and make a face to your online application (no-one gets hired purely online for casual jobs), be professional (dress smartly), make sure you can give evidence (you understand the role, the company, and show you can do the work) & lastly, be persistent, if you've got no connections to a casual retail shop, your competing with people who do and that's tough, you've got to stand out.
do woolies shelf stacking whilst you are looking.
i worked 3 jobs at one stage when i was at uni. Bakers delight, behind bar at a RSL and Woolies shelf stacking…. was a few days i'd do 3 shifts in one day. helped me earn over the dependent threshold so i go on youth allowance (or whatever its called now).
Is the role called customer service, cause i can’t find shelf stacking and the only option I found was “shelf stacking(night shift) amongst “hat roles are you willing to be in”
want to try rsl but not sure if they need experience
Sometimes also known as "night fill" or "replenishment".
Keep your chin up and grind through. 100 applications is what I do per day when it's crunch time.
…it's obviously not called shelf stacking - I hope you're not applying to be a shelf stacker, otherwise it's obvious you'd get rejected.
It seems like each time there has been at least one other applicant with better English. Communication ability is a fundamental requirement of almost every job, so it's worth working on this.
Interesting what you find out when looking through people's past comments / posts. It seems that OP has an iPad, had a holiday to HK late last year, and purchased a phone worth $780 earlier this year, but was also looking for free / cheap textbooks. OP also claims to be 'Australian', and seems to have finished high-school recently; I guess English wasn't one of their assessed topics. Quite a curious picture, with a mixture of wealth (from family, I guess) and apparently poverty (or need for money / to save money).
are you getting interviews? if not review your resume. is there a specific time in the application phase that your being rejected? before the interview, after the interview?
It's a slog, especially if you don't have connections. Make sure you're presenting yourself well, dress nicely, speak well, have someone check your resume. All these people presenting it as a simple fix are living in a different world. It's possible to get a job quickly if you're lucky, and your area has plentiful jobs, but most of these casual positions are bombarded with hundreds of applications.
These employers want everything for as little as possible, so availability is definitely an issue, but even with 24/7 availability it can take hundreds of applications. In my period of unemployment 5 years or so ago it still took 6 months and hundreds of applications and I got maybe five interviews. Every time I consulted on it, had my resume checked, etc, I was told I'm doing everything right, but with so many people interviewing someone with even slightly more experience than you will be picked up in an instant. I only got my job because two of the interviews were with the same place and the interviewer remembered me from the last time, said I was good but there was someone with more experience and limited positions, but more were open that time and I got the job on the spot.
Six months later I got a better job with minimal effort through a friend. It's really who you know. :/
Casual jobs are stupidly high in demand. Lots of people/families can live with just a little bit of income coming in and want to stay home to do whatever they need to do. Raise kids, home business, etc.
Job applications is a statistics game. The more you apply for, the better the chance.
That or get a recommendation from someone inside the company
Have you tried casting couch?
There is hardly an industry in Australia. Everyone would rather be on the dole then walk to a couch.
My two cents..
If you’re going for a casual job experience is irrelevant as long as you are engaging and can demonstrate or explain why (without being too cocky of course) you are the missing link to the business.
Having less or no jobs looks far better than many. if you’ve got your date of birth on your cv - get rid of it stat! It’s discrimination to not hire someone based on their age. Also if you have dates next to other elements like your education history - delete them also as it’s another way to group you in an age bracket.
Your cv should be tailored to the position you’re applying for too. Make sure it’s no more than two pages, they’re never gonna look further. Ensure it looks nice too. If you haven’t, go beyond the default fonts and layouts. There’s lots a templates you can download (google cv templates) or better still design your own. Just make sure it’s consistent throughout and also matches your cover letter and ALWAYS spellcheck.
One last point - Check what your attaching to emails or online job portals is 100% right. If you’ve used word to make your cv and cover letter export them to .pdf otherwise your formatting is void. Pdf’s will save exactly how it looks on your screen but if you’ve used a different font maybe? Or your adjusted the page margins all that will all be nulled if it’s opened as a .doc on their side.
Or just save it to an old version of Word like 97, 2003. It is unlikely anyone doesn't have a version that is able to read files from that far back. Also use true type fonts as they are the only fonts you can be guaranteed to print out as they look on screen.
I don't agree with not having dates on your CV. Is it you delete all jobs except for the last 3 years so you're always 21yo?
Yeah that could work, but having an old version won't help if they other person doesn't have the same fonts chosen installed on their side. the defualt back then was Times New Roman now it's Calibri so even just using defaults will result in changes. I'm not sure what you mean about deleting 3 years?
Focus on jobs/industries in which you have worked and highlight the relevent experience on your resume.
you have worked
This is OP's first job
Therein lies the challenge !
Just curious, what is best avenue to find casual jobs vacant positions? Gumtree?
SEEK
As a guy who's tried this, don't. I felt it may have even lessened by chances.
Did you also remember to tuck your junk between your legs? Rookie mistake if you forgot.
What's a workplace that would take anyone? You know the one's I'm talking about, the ones A Current Affair finds for people that have been drug addicts since the age of 10, have face tattoos and have trouble enunciating words due to meth mouth.
Asking for a friend…
I like how A Current Affair implied an unemployed lady wasn't actually applying for jobs (…which is possibly true considering the topic, but still) because there were 7 casual jobs advertised at the local shopping centre (~3:00 at https://www.9now.com.au/a-current-affair/2016/clip-cit4ubnll…). They should at least prove their claims by having someone apply using a fake resume with a similar level of experience, and be of similar age and "presentation".
Hi Guys,
I am going through the exact same scenario as OP.
Some info that has been asked of op I will post about myself, 1st year Monash uni student studying radiography, available Friday through Monday morning and nights and all other days past 5 pm. I do have previous work experience (2 years at KFC). However I fear my resume might not be up to scratch even though I have shown it to the career advisor at my uni and taken into consideration their recommended changes. I have applied to countless roles online and have even dressed up and gone into store with a smile. I am fluent in English with no accent or anything like that I would believe would turn employers away from me. I am looking to work in a non- food environment (Supermarkets Okay). Does anyone have any advice?Shameless plug Dan Clay's resources are quite good, especially on shortening your resume/CV to 1 page. Defs have a look at them.
I have a super long CV detailing all my experiences. I check the job description for the role advertised and cut out relevant jobs/experiences in my super long CV to create a short 1 page resume. This is much more palatable for recruiters and have been quite effective for landing interviews.
Where are all the employed current uni students at? Not on OzBargain it seems ;)
Hey man, you make a big deal about losing an accent so I'm assuming you can speak another language. Don't be ashamed of it, use it to your advantage. I commented some other tips to the OP, but one of them is if you speak a language, apply for jobs in areas where alot of people speak that language. Their customers are going to be walking in asking for people who speak their first language, even if they speak english aswell. People are more comfortable with their first language. So the company is going to look for people who can speak the language, and if they have great english then they can communicate with the company too and that's a winner.
So many boomers here with the "lazy kids these days"..
I worked retail for 8 years until recently from checkouts up to store manager. It's not great, but it's a place to start. As other have said and got negged to hell, 100 applications isn't much these days, you're up against 1000's of other people with easy access to the same job ad and the same or more qualifications. Try not to let it get to you, even though it can be pretty hard. Job applications aren't a sprint, its a slow trudge through cold mud, just keep on going. If it helps, most of the time they never even saw your resume before you got cut from the pile.
Easiest way is to get a recommendation or referral from someone you know, if any of your friends work retail, get them to mention to the store manager their buddy is looking for a job can they give you their resume, especially if they know someone else is leaving. Alot of the big retail outlets have referral programs; where if someone works there and refers someone for a job they will get a bonus when you complete probation. If you go this route have a "referral" about yourself written up (pretend you are writing about someone else if you need), they will likely have to provide this in addition to your resume.
Job applications, especially the level you are looking at are a numbers game. Easiest is seek, just search sales, retail, junior, etc apply for everything a lot of these will be recruiters and unknown companies but a first job is a first job. That's the kicker, most of the big names employ solely through the careers section on their website. Look up the store listing for your local westfields, go to each companies website, scroll the the bottom for careers and apply. Every, single, one, is going to be using Taleo and it will be super tedious but it's just what you have to do. Also don't just apply once for each company, apply for all the roles that are applicable, and check back every month to see if new roles have opened up and apply for those too.
The third part is filtering, most companies especially the big brands use keyword filters for applications, they never look at your resume till the end, whoever's resume gets the most hits on the keyword search pops up first. So fill your resume with buzzwords for that job in your skills and experience sections, teamwork, team player, energetic, focused, etc. When it comes to availability just say you are available all the time in the application, you can discuss real availabilities when you get the offer, say classes changed or something.
More advanced things you can do is A/B test your resume for similar roles, especially if they're at the same company. If company X is hiring 3 sales reps in your area, tweak your resume a bit, put different words in, change the skills you've spoken about. The resume that get's the best response, that's your new base, then try two different versions of that to see which works better. You'll start to get an idea of what get's you to the next step in that area.
If you speak a second language, apply for jobs in areas where their customers are going to predominantly speak that language, take advantage of it, make sure you put it high on your resume. Some places will only high people that speak the "local" language, because 80% of their customers are going to come in and ask if someone speaks that language.
For interviews if you get there, especially entry level stuff like retail, no suits you just look like you are trying to hard to be a big boy, unless you are applying for politix or something. Try and dress to match the vibe of the company. If its a fashion retailer, you better look like you have a vauge idea of what's fashionable, if its tech smart casual is usually good, something confident. If it's a junior at an accounting firm though then you should probably suit up. Finally all these companies are looking for people who can drink the coolade, who get on board and are positive, especially in the initial group interviews most of the big companies do. Be up beat, high energy, positive, make friends with the other potential employees. If you sit alone and don't participate you are going to get a line through your name. Even if the activity is straight up lame as shit, jump in and give it 100%, that first icebreaker where everyone has to introduce themselves that sucks, you have to be on that and exited to contribute, that's the kind of person they are looking for.
If it's one on one, you gota make a judgement call, what's going to appeal to the person you're talking too. If I was interviewing you and you were suuuuper keen you might not get the job because that isn't what I'm looking for, but you can tell that by talking to me. Be honest, you can oversell your talents a little, but don't try and convince someone you're an astronaut applying to stack shelves. Finally, know about the company, do a bit of research, if you have knowledge about their company culture or the products they sell it's going to help, maybe it's your favourite cutlery store, and you make knives in your spare time. That kind of stuff is going to grab attention more than you getting a certificate of achievement in year 11.
Good luck! like I said before, just keep on trucking, you'll find something eventually.
1) Have you tried seek.com.au - Government agencies?
2) Try submitting a Cover Letter with your application.
3) Check that your CV/experience align with the skills and requirements of the job - tweak CV where possible.
4) Keep track of your submissions - job descriptions so when the time comes for an interview, you can review the ad and know what company you applied for.I don't see anyone else suggesting it here but why do you need a job? Make your own job. When I couldn't get hired I advertised in nicer neighborhoods and on gumtree for gardening / handyman work. I got hired to clean pools, change lightbulbs, clean gutters, weed garden beds, ect. Consider your hourly rate as in a clothing retailer. You'd be lucky to get $20p/h pretax. If you advertised yourself as an hourly rate gardener for $30p/h you would be booked for the next fortnight. Your phone wouldn't stop ringing. I even did it as a full time worker, taking evening jobs to save up for things I wanted.
These days I buy and sell things from gumtree for pocket money. I needed a start up fund of $100 or so, but after a couple of months work I've 20x it. So who says you need a job? As a student they're gonna stuff you around, underpay you, compare you against other low-value, unqualified, unskilled applicants. Anyone better looking than you will be chosen first. So why not offer something to a wider market, that is actually in demand? No one wants an unskilled wanderer in their t-shirt shop, but people will queue up for you to look after their dirty work if you're cheaper than Jim's Mowing. Jim's Mowing charge $100p/h when I last checked. Think you can do most of what Jim does for 30% of the price? Cause if you can, that's a value proposition and you will have customers, bookings, work, and plenty of money.I think you should add the word self employed somewhere in there. I could be wrong, but I think it's still defined as a "job".
You made it sound like some passive income idea ;)
What organisations are the best bet for hiring for events (Concerts/festivals/etc.)? Bar staff/ wait staff/ attendents/what-have-you…
Is it a decent assumption that hiring decisions for one night-one week gigs is going to be less rigorous than for an ongoing position? That getting some experieince through these kind of positions will make you more employable in regular positions?
Anyone got any names for companies/organisations that regularly need staff for those kind of gigs?
Spotless is the name of the company I used to work for which has contracts at the MCG, Marvel Stadium etc. That's in VIC however.
Hi OP,
As someone who's been rejected from 1,200 jobs on SEEK (yes, even I'm surprised at that one) and changed careers 3 times, I can tell you that volunteering and doing the hard yards at "menial jobs" really does pay off.
What I've found is that clothing and retail jobs are super difficult to get into if you don't know anyone who already works in that area. Fast food/hospitality is far easier and does give you a lot of the skills (including patience) that will help in the the long run.
I seem to have this issue as well when trying to apply for a casual or part-time position on seek or indeeed.
I have 1-year experience in the fast food industry (Maccas), 1 year retail experience in a big multinational company, an internship with a mid-tier professional services firm, and an incoming graduate position for the big 4 in 2020.
However, in the last 3 months of applying online, no matter where I apply for, I've been receiving rejections and unsuccessful emails constantly(sometimes nothing at all).
As a uni student who's struggling to eat, I just wanna make some money, but with my limited hours due to studying ( weekends and 2 days a week) it seems like recruiters are only seeking for 30/40 hour "part-time" employees.
Is there any reason why you can't go back to your previous jobs? They already know you and you already have a connection. Having previous connections goes a long way. Moreso than what is written on a resume.
If going back isn't an option then I suggest making phone calls to meet with potential employers. Sending resumes and waiting for a response isn't enough.
It is far too easy to send a resume and equally too easy to hit the "delete email" on the other end.
I understand there are companies that take online applications only, however most other companies don't really have a hiring procedure and this is where the opportunity is, to get your foot and face in the door by meeting them.
Change your job search strategy and stand out from the majority of job seekers that just "sends resumes and sit back". Need try better than that. Good luck.
In my books, aptitude and attitude is key. Every time I made a good hire, it's always been from fosucing on this. While skills help, in the kind of work you're chasing, attitude and aptitude is it.
When writing your cover/resume, do you write it with the employer in mind.
Do you present yourself in what benefits you bring to your employer? The person, not just the business. Have you successfully communicated what makes you a better fit than the thousand of other applicants? The job goes to the best applicant. Not the applicant that is better than half the others.
The positions are really basic but do I still somehow link it to help profiting the business
Here is what you need to do to beat the queue
Prepare yourself a small resume highlighting your major achievements and why you think you are the best person to hire.
Focus not on yourself, but what you can do for them.
How they will profit or gain by employing you.
Draw on your past achievements to back up your claims.Visit local companies that interest you and ask to see the person in charge of hiring casuals.
Ask for just 5 minutes with that person, present yourself and your resume and tell them you are available for immediate start and happy to take on any tasks given to you and any hours required of you.
If that person is not available ask to have your resume forwarded to them but get thier name and phone number. Then follow up with a phone call in a couple of days asking if they received your resume.
Be sure to research the company first and tell them why you want to work for them! What you admire about them. What you believe they do well. Everyone loves hearing great things about themselves or their eployer.
Keep doing this till you get a job offer
Thats it!
Thanks that’s really helpful
- 1
- 2
If you do not get to the interview stage then there is a big red flag in your resume, maybe get a professional service to go over it with you.