confuse-pre-med Posted June 7, 2017 Report Share Posted June 7, 2017 Hi everyone, with summer already starting, I was wondering what kind of jobs you all hold or had as a current or past Undergrad student. I was looking to get a job but it's extremely competitive where I reside since most require about 1 year of experience or more depending on the job and all I have in my resume are volunteer experiences and some leadership roles. I've worked at a fast food chain when I was in high school (11 months) but I had to resign since I needed to move to the city to study. Even after applying to sooo many places, from fast food, to retail, to cashier. You name it! I get NOTHING, no call, no nothing! I even tried the old trick of talking straight to the manager and handing them my resume personally and calling them after a few days to check on the status of my resume... I even tried applying on the work-study programs at school and the on-campus jobs... I'm starting to feel like I'm jynxed or cursed or just plain unlucky or dumb... I worked on my resume to show who I am and what I've accomplished, I've even made it look all fancy with some style and colour... I just need a part-time job to get some sort of income since books and rent have a pretty hefty price tag in them and I want to be a little bit more independent since my parents can't always help me with this kind of stuff. I am an adult now and I want to learn how to be independent without relying on my parents like I used to when I was a kid... I was wondering what the best job would be for a student to apply to. I was hoping that I could continue to work during the fall/winter sessions so I think starting in the summer is a pretty good place to start. Thank you you all in advance! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and sorry for the long post... I needed to rant a bit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olaf Posted June 7, 2017 Report Share Posted June 7, 2017 I worked at Loblaws during my undergrad but had to put out lots of resumes and do two other interviews before eventually being offered something! Just keep at it and apply at a variety of places, you'll come across something eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwnerOfTheTARDIS Posted June 7, 2017 Report Share Posted June 7, 2017 I worked on campus so my experience might not help too much if that has been unsuccessful so far - but make sure you are talking to the campus employment office and directly to professors as they may be looking for lab technicians, TAs, or research assistants but haven't made an official job posting yet. Direct networking got me 2 of my 3 on campus jobs. It might encourage you to know that last year my younger sister was looking for a job and after handing out 40+ resumes she only got one initial interview and job offer. However, during the following 6 months, she received job offers from a over a dozen places she had applied as they had job openings come up, so if you keep handing out resumes you may see something in the next couple months Is tutoring or other independent work an option for you in the meantime? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shankarpro Posted June 7, 2017 Report Share Posted June 7, 2017 You are motivated and clearly willing to put yourself out there. Just keep trying, you will settle in on something- sometimes it's a timing issue, finding a place that's hiring and you happen to get your name through at that particular moment. Luck is always an element in these searches. I've never done retail or fast food during undergrad, but my job hunt advice is to use your network. You must know people.... see if the people you know, know people that are hiring and get your name through like that. Have a friend call a manager and discuss how you make a good fit with company X. That is how I got a job throughout undergrad, as well as research positions and interviews at companies immediately after graduating. At the end of the day, people are less inclined to give a chance to a stranger vs. someone that has been vouched for. You will hear the above for the rest of your life, but it really does work at the end of the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
confuse-pre-med Posted June 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2017 Thank you all for some insights and helpful advice and suggestions! I'll just keep on going and ask around and maybe someone will be willing to take me under their wing. Wish me luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NutritionRunner Posted June 8, 2017 Report Share Posted June 8, 2017 For on campus jobs, I found I had to start applying back in January if I wanted a position come May/June. You really have to plan in advance, especially for research assistant or work-study type jobs. For off campus jobs (although I never worked retail or hospitality/restaurant/fast food) I still had to start applying early, before they became swamped with applications from everyone and anyone, including high school students. So while it doesn't help your right now, for the future I would suggest starting to apply for jobs MONTHS before you expect to begin work. Note this also applies to full time jobs once graduated. I started applying for positions months before I graduated, because I knew it could easily take months of applications and interviews in order to secure a position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulu95 Posted June 9, 2017 Report Share Posted June 9, 2017 21 hours ago, NutritionRunner said: For on campus jobs, I found I had to start applying back in January if I wanted a position come May/June. You really have to plan in advance, especially for research assistant or work-study type jobs. For off campus jobs (although I never worked retail or hospitality/restaurant/fast food) I still had to start applying early, before they became swamped with applications from everyone and anyone, including high school students. So while it doesn't help your right now, for the future I would suggest starting to apply for jobs MONTHS before you expect to begin work. Note this also applies to full time jobs once graduated. I started applying for positions months before I graduated, because I knew it could easily take months of applications and interviews in order to secure a position. ^This. Also, it may be a good idea to go to your school's career center and have someone look over your CV, to make sure that it's professional, concise, and suited to your objectives. Beyond that, there's not really too much more to it. Print out a stack of CVs, try to make sure that you come across as a confident, approachable person when you speak to the manager, and hope for the best. These jobs simply come down to luck sometimes; the place could have just had an opening up because someone left and they take you on right away, or they don't have anything for you at the moment and just retain your application for the future. Also, if you are planning to work during the school year, I think more offers will come in August/September, as lot of students go for summer jobs but quit once school starts (at least, that's what several restaurant/pub managers told me when I went to apply anyway). Best of luck! Edit: also, what province are you in? Ontario has SmartServe for those interested in working in restaurants or anywhere serving alcohol, and some places look favourably upon those that are already certified. Not sure about other provinces, but perhaps they have equivalents too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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