Need Help Finding a Job - No Experience (Holiday Work before Uni)

thriftysach on 12/11/2019 - 14:28
Last edited 12/11/2019 - 14:54 by 1 other user

Hi All.

I finished my HSC exams recently and have applied at over 30 different places from SEEK.com/Indeed/Gumtree.
I don't have any experience in so don't have much to show on my resume besides academic/sporting achievements. I've listed a wide range of technical skills and troubleshooting along with those.

So far, I have actually gotten no callbacks (only a few rejections via email) and have applied for Christmas Casuals, Part-Time Roles, etc.
I'm also 18 so have a wider range of jobs to apply for. I am assuming all the Christmas Casual roles went to the 15-17 year olds so stores can save money. I am located in Western Sydney and have convenient access to the train.

Willing to work in anything except Security and Warehouse Jobs.

Anyone have any advice on what I can do to maximise my chances of getting a job?

Thanks.

Education & Work

Comments

  • MTWallet on 12/11/2019 - 14:42
    +2

    This wasn't bad when there was nothing else available.

    Not sure if they are hiring now, as work usually dries up over the holiday season.

    Good luck.

    • thriftysach on 12/11/2019 - 14:50

      I'll apply and see how it goes. Thanks a lot!

      • MTWallet on 12/11/2019 - 15:04

        There were many young people in your situation working for them.

        Could be useful when you begin your studies as well, with flexibility to choose when you want to work.

  • [Deactivated] on 12/11/2019 - 14:48
    +1

    Are you talking holiday work before going to uni or fulltime?

    • thriftysach on 12/11/2019 - 14:49

      Holiday Work before Uni

  • EightImmortals on 12/11/2019 - 14:50
    +1

    Just hang in there and don't get discouraged, think about maybe doing some training at TAFE while you have the time. Or get your manual drivers license as a lot of jobs advertised have that as a requirement. Our son went through the same thing when he finished school and it took about 9 months for him to land a job. He got one in a local I.T. dept (but he did do a double I.T. diploma at TAFE with money we were putting aside into an education fund for him.) Was for 6 months but they extended him for 12 months and we're hoping for a full time position to follow. He got many rejections along the way and plenty of places simply CBA replying to his applications at all.

    So try to make use of your free time by learning new stuff, volunteering at places or anything improve your work/people skills as opposed to wasting all day on social media or the XBOX. :)

    edit: "Holiday Work before Uni" Could have mentioned that in the first place… :)

    • thriftysach on 12/11/2019 - 14:53

      Can't do any TAFE education until I enrol into uni (I may miss the cut-off for my course by a few points and their requirement to be eligible for equity bonus points entails that I have no previous record of tertiary education).

      I've got my Green Ps so can drive manual cars now.
      I'll try to learn new skills to keep myself busy rather than gaming/social media. Ozb is a keen hobby of mine these days…..

  • ms_caz on 12/11/2019 - 14:54
    +5

    Generally speaking Christmas based hiring is undertaken during September and early October so that organisations can have all training completed and staff ready to start.

    I recommend looking at your resume from a skills perspective rather than a previous work experience focus (as you have said you don’t have any)

    In doing this you need to look at the position description for each position you are applying for and pick out the key words of the skills they are looking for eg team work, reliable etc. use these as subheadings under the heading Key Skills, then list the skill plus examples of how you have achieved/demonstrated these. It takes longer because you need to target each resume to each position you apply for ( which you should actually be doing anyway).

    Apart from that, think of additional qualifications you can obtain eg RSA means you could work in a bar, pub or licensed supermarket or the likes of Dan Murphy, where you being 18 will not be a disadvantage as you will be the youngest of the employees at age 18. I know you said you didn’t want warehousing ( not sure why - if you need a job you can’t be fussy!) , but if you get your forklift licence that will give you another level of qualification and take you out of the pool with all the high school kids, and make you one of the younger qualified players in the adult talent pool. Plus, going out and getting such qualifications shows that you are keen and can demonstrate initiative.

    • thriftysach on 12/11/2019 - 14:59

      In regards to Warehousing. I'll be completely honest here. Whatever I do, I have to run it by my parents. They'd rather have me not doing any work than work a warehouse job/security job/ catalogue distribution/forklift operator.

      I was thinking of obtaining a RSA, it will definitely give me a lot more options and make me more employable.

      As for my resume. I am going to modify it to suit each job (previously I was doing the cover letter specific to the store I was applying to only and using their requirements as my subheadings).

      • navyskies on 12/11/2019 - 15:55
        +3

        Warehousing jobs generally pay good for the hours. Especially great if you're just doing it over summer - nothing wrong with it.

        • slewis69au on 13/11/2019 - 13:17
          +1

          I would recommend warehouse work, taught me a lot about human nature and supply chain. I joke with customers the most relevant thing I did at uni was working at warehouses in semester breaks. The knowledge helps me a lot still in my software presales job designing solutions for warehousing and manufacturing.

      • onetwothreefour on 13/11/2019 - 06:20

        Maybe try explaining to your parents that it's only a temporary job and any job will give you work experience which is what you will need when you start applying for a "proper" job in the future. At the end of the day it's your decision.

        • thriftysach on 13/11/2019 - 15:11

          Its my decision, but their house, their rules - at the end of the day, I am still dependent on them so will not go against their choices.

          Their motives come from being of an migrant background and having personally done these kind of jobs, along with a more than necessary degree of protectiveness over me.

          These things I cannot necessarily change and contesting these type of decisions just means headaches and arguments on both sides.

          Hence, I prefer to just apply for the jobs I'm 'allowed' to work in or wherever my parents deem it suitable.

          • navyskies on 13/11/2019 - 15:36
            +1

            @thriftysach: If anything, exposure to new environments would be good for your own personal growth.

            A few months of labor intensive work might give you new perspective on things.

            Worth a try but yeah.

  • DarthAntz on 12/11/2019 - 14:55
    +2

    Best way is to get a job through word of mouth. Talk to all of your friends and family, let them know you are available for work, and if they know anyone who needs casual work.

    Have you tried recruitment agencies? You may get an interview through them quickly, as they will match you to jobs they are catering for as a recruitment network. If they do interview you, come prepared to ask for a lot of feedback on your interview and resume, as they have people in your situation come through all the time, and can share with you the successful and impressive interviews they have.

    I've mentioned it a few times on these types of posts, find the book what color is your parachute, even in the library, even a year or two old. you can get a lot of skills for job hunting from the read. You'll always be studying how to get a job and find employment.

    Good luck!

    • thriftysach on 12/11/2019 - 15:05

      No one in my family (or extended family) works in a field where I can get employed. As for friends, I have asked around, most of them are pretty discreet in their areas and have suggested me to drop in my resume (which I did). However, no reply.

      I am not familiar with what recruitment agencies are excatly. Can you please give me a bit more info on them?

      As for the book. I will check my local library to see if they have it and give it a read.

      Thanks for the advice!

      • DarthAntz on 12/11/2019 - 16:24
        +1

        I went through Robert Half, when i was living in Brisbane. You go in and have an interview, show your resume, and they'll find a job for you.

        Recruitment agencies are 'middle men' for employment. For some jobs, recruitment costs a few thousand dollars to get the right candidate. Often the recruitment agency will be paying the wage they promised you, so for instance, they charge a company $30 an hour for you and pay you $20. That's a prime way they make money for casual staff. It can lead to full time employment (if you stay in that position long enough). Its their incentive for getting you in a job and they want reliable people. It's your first job, focus on getting experience rather than a salary from a casual position that you can brag about. Even if its 1-2 weeks here and there. Google recruitment agencies near you and give them a call, see if you can organise a meeting or interview.

        I also like @Brad1-tsi's recommendation below of getting the traffic controller or a white ticket for those types of jobs. they are very casual and can give you awesome money for the amount of time you are available. A friend of mine did it and sat at the entrance of a tunnel being built through the night for good casual salary. Being consistently available kept him getting shifts. Never call in sick.

  • brad1-8tsi on 12/11/2019 - 14:56
    +1

    Traffic Controller? The basic course is ~$350

    Or get your RSA (~$140) and look for bottle shop or bar jobs.

    • thriftysach on 12/11/2019 - 15:07

      Yeah, I've looked at doing a Traffic Controller course. I'm in Western Sydney. Is there any agencies that you could point me towards?

      • brad1-8tsi on 12/11/2019 - 15:17
        +1

        Sorry, not really. I noticed D&D are taking applications and there are 400 jobs on Seek at the moment (probably 350 are double-ups)

        I wouldn't worry too much about where they are based as they work all over Greater Sydney. I'd cold call as many as possible. Some do in-house training for new recruits so that they know they've been trained properly.

        As others have said, talk to people. My youngest was offered a job at the local pub just because she said to the manager "The staff here are really happy"

    • Gowrie29 on 12/11/2019 - 16:27

      I agree with this. Get your RSA and Gaming licence and get work in any pub.

  • GG57 on 12/11/2019 - 15:19
    +3

    I think you should reconsider your (or your parent's) aversion to warehouse / forklift jobs.
    They are probably a lot safer than most jobs that need a RSA, and probably easier than traffic controlling.
    You would also meet some great people, learn some new skills, maybe become a little more worldly.
    At this time of year, they will be ramping up (if not already) with moving stock for end-of-year sales; busy time and there are usually vacancies for the short term.

  • qwerty on 12/11/2019 - 15:40

    Go on jora and look at the local jobs
    Also 30 applications isnt that many

  • Gowrie29 on 12/11/2019 - 16:26

    Get your RSA and Gaming Licence and go work in a pub. You can do shifts in multiple areas of the hotel and pull in some serious hours and make good coin.

  • SydStrand on 12/11/2019 - 16:28
    +1

    Do you have any work experience? Doesn't have to be related to what you want to do, but even a stint at Macca's in year 10 will be looked upon favourably vs blank CV. Thing is, once you land these jobs, it tends to be easier to get re-hired later on, especially within retail and hospo; conversely, it's quite hard to break into when there are so many other candidates who have this experience, and also want work during uni breaks too.

    Also, might be a bit late for Christmas casual. Retailers tend to hire people in the preceding months, then have a pool of casuals they can just give more hours to, vs hiring new staff and training them up.

    RSA might be worth it if you have nothing else to do, but if it's that competitive now, then an RSA is about as useful as a barista course, i.e. not at all unless you have an 'in' or get a rec.

    • thriftysach on 13/11/2019 - 21:38

      Nope, no work experience.
      Still contemplating the RSA.

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 12/11/2019 - 16:46

    You need to get experience. ANY experience. I daresay half the employers are throwing out your resume when they have other applicants with work experience. It also sounds like you don't have a car. Employers fairly or unfairly hate this.

    Look for warehousing jobs. Should be heaps this time of year. If not already check out the Auspost holiday casual hiring. They normally do a big intake each year.

    30 jobs is nothing. You should be, and are definitely capable of, applying for double that each week.

    I feel there is no point doing an RSA or traffic controller course as you have no experience and this will prohibit you until you get something on your CV.

    • thriftysach on 12/11/2019 - 18:39
      +1

      I've started employing for more now that I've finished my exams.
      I've got a car and green P's so am eligible for most delivery jobs as well.

      I'm one of those people who have never worked, I might try to get some work experience so I have something on my resume.

      • thriftysach on 12/11/2019 - 18:39

        applying for more***

  • AlienC on 12/11/2019 - 17:00

    A friend recently got one believe it or not by doing it the old fashion way and that is printing a bunch of her resume and going straight to the places she wanted to work at and handing it into the manager.

    It does not always work and less now but if you wanted to work at a small business or independently owned shop or something it might.

    She got work at Flower Power btw.

    • thriftysach on 12/11/2019 - 18:39

      Guess I could try this. Thanks.

      • AlienC on 12/11/2019 - 19:05

        I mean depends how desperate you are really but yeah I see a lot of signs on store front windows looking for delivery drivers, waiters/waitresses, part time this and that all the time but it could be a Blue Mountains NSW thing or basically a small town thing.

        Might work in the bigger suburbs or try a job/temp agency they should get you something quickly it is their job to.

  • spackbace on 12/11/2019 - 17:30

    I'm guessing employers want someone that will stay, not someone that takes their training then leaves

    Might wanna leave out the fact that you want to bail when uni starts?

    • thriftysach on 12/11/2019 - 18:41

      If it is a casual/part-time, I won't bail if uni starts.
      I haven't put anything about uni on my resume, but not taking any full-time contracted positions as uni would not allow me to do 35+hrs a week.

      • brad1-8tsi on 13/11/2019 - 07:37

        Take anything. you can resign when Uni starts. If you go to UTS or similar they don't kick off until April.

  • Brucet on 12/11/2019 - 17:35
    +1

    Try Coles, Woolworth, Hoys and Village cinema.

    • thriftysach on 12/11/2019 - 18:41

      Coles and Woolworths I've applied and had no luck.
      Hoyts, I haven't seen any openings for them, but will apply once there is.

  • sahh on 12/11/2019 - 19:14
    +3

    If you still can’t find anything, try volunteering / work experience, it may lead to something; if it doesn’t it’ll still be a positive to have it on your resume.

  • HeWhoKnows on 13/11/2019 - 07:51
    +1

    Do it the old fashion way - start door knocking with a copy of your resume.
    Target businesses that need more people over summer such as cafes and service industries.
    Make sure you speak to the owner or person responsible for hiring

    • thriftysach on 13/11/2019 - 14:35

      I've been trying this, no luck so far but hoping for the best.

      • GG57 on 13/11/2019 - 14:40

        Wait on - 20 hours ago a similar suggestion by AlienC resulted in your comment "Guess I could try this".

        • thriftysach on 13/11/2019 - 14:43
          +2

          I've got like 20 shops next to my house. I went this morning and applied in a lot of places.

          I didn't think it'd work anymore because last summer holidays I tried it and didn't receive any callbacks. They'd just invite me in ask for my resume and forget anything ever happened.

  • Brendoo on 13/11/2019 - 08:02
    +1

    I would also recommend doing a course to get an RSA and RCG (get both, most pubs nowadays have pokies).
    It’s a 1-2 day course. Totally easy to pass if you get the books (free) and study beforehand.

    My Nephew did that and got a job within a few days (asking pubs directly). He started as a glassy (collecting the empty glasses at a pub, bar, beer garden, club, RSL etc.). Zero experience needed to pick up glasses so just the RSA/RCG required and a friendly, positive attitude.

    What are you into? I mean what skills may you have from your hobbies? What are you going to study at uni? A job among similar lines may be to your advantage if you have some knowledge in the area (even without work experience).

    Btw, an RSA or RCG card stays valid for 5 years. So a good little investment.

    Also keep an eye out on local Facebook groups in your area or other parts of your city that you would travel to. I often see people just randomly looking for staff at short notice, often no experience necessary. e.g. Facebook Group “Bondi Local Loop” in my area often has people looking for people to work in cafes or help with with events etc.

    A Barista course is another handy thing to do. Helps to score a cafe job if you know how to make a decent coffee. Also 1-2 days to do that kind of course. Food Hygiene is another course that can be done along with it to help picking up a cafe job.

    • thriftysach on 13/11/2019 - 14:38

      I've tried the Facebook group options, am part of 3-4 of them, they just end up bringing a lot of useless posts into my feed and have next to no opportunities.

  • b0rnwithabeard on 13/11/2019 - 08:51
    +1

    You don't say whether or not your resume has a cover letter? I used to be in recruitment, and can tell you that the cover letter makes the world of difference - especially when your resume is fresh and not chockas with experience. When you're competing for entry-level jobs, the skills and experience doesn't really come into it (i know i'm hiring a more entry-level job, so i know the skills you end up having will be the ones I train you in). But with a cover letter, you can tell me what kind of person you are, what motivates you, what your goals are, your work ethic, etc. If i'm recruiting for a job, especially for more junior roles and it doesn't have a cover letter, it went into the bin.

    • rocketrocket on 13/11/2019 - 10:22

      Should I attach a cover letter to a resume even if they don't ask for one?

      • b0rnwithabeard on 13/11/2019 - 12:21
        +1

        absolutely. Never apply for any job without a cover letter.

    • thriftysach on 13/11/2019 - 14:36

      I always attach a custom cover letter (I have 3-4 cover letters for different fields of work and modify them to suit to business I'm applying to)

  • Cuchavira on 13/11/2019 - 10:05
    +1

    If you are interested in working at a call centre, these 2 places will hire you without experience and train you up. They have a such a high turnaround rate that they don't care if you only work there for a couple of months.

    https://onecontact.com.au/careers/
    https://www.makeitcheaper.com.au/careers

    • thriftysach on 13/11/2019 - 14:39

      I've called up (yesterday) and have received interviews for 2 call centres.
      So hoping that they offer me a job.
      Thanks for the links, I'll give them a call.

  • OzHunterNSW on 13/11/2019 - 10:40
    +2

    Congratulations on choosing UNI as an option in which to better yourself.
    Don't get sucked in for volunteer work or anything that takes up your time for free. All this "experience" stuff is utter BS.
    Go looking for discarded plastic bottles etc and cash them in. You will make far more than being used by some unscrupulous WAGE THEFT person.
    Enjoy your free time whilst you have it, and then study hard at Uni.
    All the best

    • thriftysach on 13/11/2019 - 14:41

      $0.10/item.

      To make $350 a day

      Find 292 bottles every hour (12 hour work day)

      Hmmmmmmmmm….

      This could work.

      I work 6 days a week and 6 figures easy.
      Plus double 'earning' at the end of festivals and stuff where people just chuck all their bottles around the field.

  • JumpingJezza on 13/11/2019 - 11:04
    +1

    I used Drake International to find a job out of uni. This was after 3 months of knockbacks - but mostly them just not replying - to endless resume applications. When you don't have any work experience, you're always behind someone in the job queue who does.
    I signed up with Drake and they put me into casual work covering shifts. A few nights a week at coca-cola packing boxes, and other random jobs like that.
    They find the jobs for you - for a cut of course, but 80% of something is better than 100% of nothing. And you get plenty to put on your resume.
    There are probably other companies out there, Drake is just the one I used.

    • thriftysach on 13/11/2019 - 14:42

      I'll give this a try. Thanks!

  • kiitos on 13/11/2019 - 21:15
    +1

    Great suggestions. My 15yo daughter is looking for afterschool work and finding it hard. Good luck on your quest!

    • thriftysach on 13/11/2019 - 21:41
      +1

      After hearing this from many people, I'm under the impression that females have an easier time finding jobs than males. For your case, I hope this is true.

      Its very good that your daughter is seeking a job now and hopefully she gets one so she doesn't have to go through dilemmas like this post-HSC.
      Best of Luck!

      • SydStrand on 15/11/2019 - 11:17
        +1

        Not really. Certain employers will obviously prefer girls, like Sephora, or a cafe that's frequented by lonely, thirsty men. Other jobs, especially logistics or warehousing prefer boys. Others, like Maccas, are equal opportunity. You just started looking too late in the year.

  • WARvault on 22/11/2019 - 12:29
    +1

    Lifeguard work is always around over the summer holidays. Depending on if you can snag a training course free through say a council or training org, cpr, police check. Looks great on a resume, the work itself is what you make of it though, be warned…

    • thriftysach on 24/11/2019 - 17:31
      +1

      Thanks for the info, I would definitely look into this.

      • WARvault on 24/11/2019 - 18:57

        I'm about to start my second season lifeguarding AMA!

  • AlienC on 23/11/2019 - 16:41
    +1

    I went to a recent Job Fair in Quaycentre in Olympic Park in NSW on November 19 2019 it was a Tuesday from 10am to 6pm.

    It was a great experience and they gave us a lot of information and resources to use and take home.

    Most booths at the Job Fair you had a talk with the representatives at the booth about their potential jobs or info then applied then and there on a form or sheet the position you were interested in which was basically an employee referral or just name and email/contact details.

    Some just said to email your resume to their company email with name and everything and what you are potentially looking for or anything.

    I wish I took some photos of some potential job listings or more contact information but if I were you I would make an email template that states all relevant info about you like what you can and can't do and potential job positions you might be interested in then send these off copy paste style to all the businesses you are willing to work for and then wait for a response.

    Unless you can get a hold of their HR number calling in person might be good for you and you can also try and ask for the managers number or human resources contract details this way but I have no experience from the managers or human resources point of view so ymmv maybe get the ok from someone who has actually worked in that field first.

    But yeah just prepare a quick copy of your resume and working rights and your home location and send to potential future businesses you want to work atfor and go from there.

    Seek and all that is great but it is literally like a spreadsheet they will look at so you are basically playing the lottery that wayI whereas establishing good contact can work in your favour if you are a good succinct communicator because then that erases from their mind whether or not they can work with you or not.

    Hope this helps I myself put my name and details down for housekeeping, process worker, gardening and waiting roles at a few companies and got some great information on learning how to use department of NSW job listings and iworkfornsw.gov.au site which is a job search engine for all NSW government jobs with expected wages/salary and hiring manager details and everything.

    Yeah I think direct emailing the companies email addresses might get you past the long list of candidates or at least seen twice by the manager in charge of hiring all these potential candidates.

    Good luck all the best take care and god speed.

    • thriftysach on 24/11/2019 - 17:33

      Thanks for the detailed info, will try this.
      Especially direct emailing companies and calling in.
      I haven't really tried that yet.

      • AlienC on 24/11/2019 - 19:44

        Yeah because I know they see like maybe as many people who have commented here in their seek and indeed job hunt list so if you get in their inbox you are most likely more guaranteed to be seen unless of course others do the same as you but it will definitely be less than the other avenues.

        Doesn't hurt to try twice.

  • SlavOz on 24/11/2019 - 12:07

    Willing to work in anything except Security and Warehouse Jobs.

    Anyone have any advice on what I can do to maximise my chances of getting a job?

    Don't be so picky.

    Warehouse jobs should be mandatory for Uni students. The pay is very good, it's honest, healthy work that keeps you fit, and you'll learn more about how businesses operate than you ever would at University (coming from someone with a Masters degree). It's also a great way to socialize and meet new people. Not sure if you're a guy or girl but I consistently see both in large numbers working there. The best part is, it's very easy to get hired as on-call casuals through a labor-hire agency, so you can work around your own schedule and availability. You're not going to get that from many other jobs. There's a reason warehouse jobs are very popular for young people who lack experience. Aside from getting your hands dirty, what's stopping you from doing it?

    • thriftysach on 24/11/2019 - 17:30

      If you scroll up, you'd see I gave a clear reason as to why I cannot work in certain fields.

      My parents don't agree with it and I will not contest their decision.

      For completion's sake, I did however sign up/upload my resume to around 5 agencies and none have contacted me (this is since this post was made so isn't a long time).
      What's more surprising is that the suburb I live in is surrounded by the distribution warehouses (there is a residential zone and industrial zone).

  • burningduelist on 10/12/2019 - 22:48

    Damn, I was in the same boat just about last week, I went to the city with a friend and looked around for hiring signs and honestly just walked in and handed in my resume or took pictures of the posters. In the end I only applied to 3 I think and got an interview the next day. I’d say print out a few resumes and go to a shopping center and looked around for hiring signs or go in and ask. Good luck I guess job hunting and for the atar next week

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