A full-time, part-time or casual job brings with it an income, freedom and the chance to learn and do new things.
Gaining a first job isn't always easy. People often apply for quite a few jobs before being successful - but they usually have a better chance of finding a job if they have completed Year 12, or an equivalent qualification.
Resumes
A resume is a written record of your skills, work experience, education and personal details. It can also be called a curriculum vitae or a CV.
The main purpose of your resume is to sell yourself to a prospective employer, that is, it is a job ad and the product being sold is you and your skills.
Along with your resume, the application form and the letter of application are the first contact an employer may have with you. These could determine whether or not you gain an interview. Keeping your resume constantly up to date is essential for completing application forms.
The aim is for it to be a 'reader-friendly' document so that potential employers will be encouraged to read it and learn more about you.
Remember that it is the first impression the company will have of you. It has to be perfect.
What does a resume tell an employer about you?
- All your good points (so you won't forget them in an interview due to nervousness)
- Your reliability, experience/skills, honesty, potential
- Your likely enthusiasm, keenness, and ability to perform in the job.
Referees
A referee is a person that an employer can contact to get more information about you. List the details of two people who would be willing to be referees. Do not include relatives (unless they have employed you) or school mates (they are biased!). Ask people who know you well and whose opinions an employer would respect. Example: employers, supervisors, teachers, club officials, coaches, community leaders, business people.
Important - Always ask a referee's permission to include them as a referee, before you apply for a job.
If you don't want to include referee details, it is acceptable to say, 'Referee details can be supplied on request',. but make sure you have them ready to supply on request!
Interviews
An interview gives you and the employer the opportunity to discuss your interest in, and ability to undertake the job. Your role in an interview is to help the interviewer appreciate that you have all the skills, competencies and experience necessary to do the job on offer. Interviewers cannot see your experience and abilities. It is up to you as the interviewee to talk fluently about who you are and, more importantly, what you have done. Remember, if you do not tell the interviewer what you have done, he or she will have no reason to offer you the position.
For you, an interview is:
- An opportunity to convince the employer of your potential as an employee
- An opportunity to find out more about the job you want and about the employer and his or her company.
For the employer, an interview is:
- a means of assessing your abilities
- An opportunity to discuss your training, experience, knowledge and abilities
- An opportunity to assess your behaviour and to determine your suitability for the job he or she has available
- An opportunity to amplify the information in your application form or resume.
What employers are interested in:
- Your personal presentation
- Your career plans
- your ability to communicate
- Evidence that you prepared for the interview
- An indication that you have set objectives for yourself
- Your degree of maturity and your desire to take on responsibility
- Your ability to solve problems
- Your ability to think logically.