9 Steps To Getting A Job
A guide for young job-seekers
Unemployment figures are out again. They make depressing reading/ reality for young people in particular. It’s an economic and personal confidence time bomb. We’re here to help.
We’ve worked with thousands of students across the country. We’ve employed lots of young people at our shops. And have walk-in job enquiries on a daily basis – specifically from young people looking for a Saturday job. Often their first job. With this experience, I’ve put together some tips that should help you in your quest for employment.
Don’t get me wrong, our jobs aren’t technical jobs that require specific qualifications. But they do provide a great opportunity to examine the basics of getting a job.
1. Fix up, look sharp – Whether you like it or not, employers will judge you on how you look. It’s human nature. Human’s have evolved to quickly assess the potential danger in any situation or person. And part of that is judging you on your appearance. Don’t fight it. Fix up, look sharp. It shows that you care about the job, that you’d take it seriously, and that you pay attention to detail. If you’re slack with your appearance, will you turn up to work looking messy? Or on time? That’s what the employer’s thinking.
2. Quality not quantity – Don’t go round town asking hundreds of places if they’ve got any jobs. Pick your favourite 5 – 10 businesses or organisations, then go in and focus on making a personal connection. Make sure you’re not getting in the way, but find a way to get on good terms with the manager. Because you’ve chosen places you respect, you should be able to show your enthusiasm for their business. Tell them why you love that business. Enthusiasm sells and it will flatter any small business owner in particular.
3. CV – If you haven’t had a job before, don’t worry that you haven’t got any job experience. If you have, this still applies. Write your CV specific to each business. Tell them why you’d be a great help to them. What you like about their business and how you could help make their life easier. Too many people write CV’s focussed purely on themselves, without any reference to the most important people – the one’s with the jobs.
4. Be persistent- Once you’ve been to your favourite places to make a connection. Keep going back. Show that you’d genuinely love to work there – that it wasn’t an act. What you’re showing is that your a hard worker. That you’ve got a great attitude. Businesses love hard workers. Especially in a recession.
5. Eye contact – Being rejected by employer after employer can do your personal confidence a lot of damage. You don’t need me to tell you that. One of the first signs of this is an inability to make, and keep, eye contact. But to someone that doesn’t know you – the employer – it can be misinterpreted as untrustworthiness. Employers subconsciously think that they can’t trust people that don’t look them in the eye. Would they want to leave that person with money or responsibility? No. An employer doesn’t know that you’ve been rejected by other businesses. They take you on a face value. So make a great first impression by making eye contact.
6. Smile – Would you want to employ someone that was miserable? Would they be a good ambassador for your businesses? No. Make an effort to smile. It shows that you’d be a great member of the team and good with customers.
7. Prove you’re a ‘value adder’ – It’s a tough time for businesses and public sector organisations alike. An under-performing member of staff can be the difference between making money or losing it – especially for a small business. But how do you show that you wouldn’t just waste time if you were left unsupervised? The best blagger in the world couldn’t waffle their way of that one. You need evidence. So help organise an event, run a club, or start a low risk business. What you’re showing is that it’s in your nature to get on with things without needing to be asked.
8. Offer to work for free – If all else fails, offer to prove yourself by working a shift for free. Not many businesses will turn that offer down. (unless you haven’t got the offer basics right) Whilst on the shift, work hard, make their life easier. Make yourself indispensable.
9. Dealing with rejection – Any good salesman will tell you that rejection or failure is an essential ingredient for success. You’re not going to be best suited to every job. Don’t take it personally. Get the basics right and be persistent.
JB was unemployed for 9 months before we met him. He’d been rejected by everyone. His confidence was so low he couldn’t look us, or anyone else, in the eye. He kept coming into the shop, telling us how much he loved what we do. He kept asking for a job. But we didn’t really need any more staff at the time. He was persistent and in the end he offered to work for free when one of our staff called in sick. He worked so hard that we achieved our best daily income up to that day. He had made himself indispensable. 3 months later he was bar manager. 6 months later he was ‘Employee of the Year’ at the York Tourism Awards, on the front page of the Yorkshire Post and on Calender News. If he can do it, so can you.
His advice:
‘’Rejection is hard, but stay persistent. Offer the unexpected. Leave your troubles at the door each time you’re asking for a job. There’s always someone out there willing to take a chance on you. But you have to make it an easier decision for them.‘’
Have you got any tips that helped you or anyone you know get a job?
Simon Long
Co-Founder of Xing