4 answers
zoren dj
Student
Baguio, Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines
1
Question
Asked
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im a student who badly needed a job and i can' t find one. To keep it short i need a financialy
i hope there's an answer for this . #first-job
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4 answers
Audrey Hamilton
Business Development
1
Answer
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Updated
Audrey’s Answer
Hi Zoren,
Finding your first job can be tough. The biggest thing I can recommend is NETWORK. Talk to your friends who got entry level jobs in areas you are interested in and hear what they did. Most people get their jobs today through referrals so it is possible one of their companies is hiring! Make sure you leverage LinkedIn and make a list of a few tops places you would like to work. From there see if you have any mutual connections with anyone at the company. Maybe a friend of a friend works there and you can be introduced. This is the biggest secret weapon- the power of weak ties. Research. has shown that the majority of job help is from weak ties. This is mostly due to the fact that we have more weak ties than strong ties.
See here for an article by BBC on the power of weak ties and how "friends of friends" help us get ahead: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200701-why-your-weak-tie-friendships-may-mean-more-than-you-think
Do not apply directly to a role or job posting, always get an internal referral. Have as many conversations as you can within a company or at different companies to get a taste of what working there would be like. As much as they are interviewing you, make sure you interview them too and qualify that this is a place you genuinely want to work. At the end of the day your first job is about getting your foot in the door so start having those conversations and get help on your resume, interview techniques, and advice from everyone you chat with.
Wishing you the best of luck!!!
Finding your first job can be tough. The biggest thing I can recommend is NETWORK. Talk to your friends who got entry level jobs in areas you are interested in and hear what they did. Most people get their jobs today through referrals so it is possible one of their companies is hiring! Make sure you leverage LinkedIn and make a list of a few tops places you would like to work. From there see if you have any mutual connections with anyone at the company. Maybe a friend of a friend works there and you can be introduced. This is the biggest secret weapon- the power of weak ties. Research. has shown that the majority of job help is from weak ties. This is mostly due to the fact that we have more weak ties than strong ties.
See here for an article by BBC on the power of weak ties and how "friends of friends" help us get ahead: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200701-why-your-weak-tie-friendships-may-mean-more-than-you-think
Do not apply directly to a role or job posting, always get an internal referral. Have as many conversations as you can within a company or at different companies to get a taste of what working there would be like. As much as they are interviewing you, make sure you interview them too and qualify that this is a place you genuinely want to work. At the end of the day your first job is about getting your foot in the door so start having those conversations and get help on your resume, interview techniques, and advice from everyone you chat with.
Wishing you the best of luck!!!
I agree with everything stated here, but would make one modification: "Do not apply ONLY to a role or job posting, always get an internal referral". Many large companies force applicants to use on-line applications (often there is prompt inviting applicants to list their internal referral, if any) to avoid favoritism, cronyism and protect against violations of anti-bribery/anti-corruption law -- and because they want to funnel applications through hiring tools/AI. It is common for employees to be instructed not to even accept resumes, but rather to point applicants to the company's job hiring/career website. It is still helpful to use a referral in that process, so do your homework, use your network, and try to find an internal referral, too!
Desiree Giler Mann
Yvonne Goh
1
Answer
Updated
Yvonne’s Answer
Hi, I think you can find a part-time jobs and spread this ask among your teachers, friends, relatives.
Quynh-Anh Lam
Lawyer
1
Answer
Houston, Texas
Updated
Quynh-Anh’s Answer
I would second Audrey Hamilton's answer: network, network and network. In the short term, if you need a survival job and found that the usual restaurant and bar jobs are gone, try Covid-related jobs such as goods shipping, food delivery, warehouse jobs, where the hours can be flexible and they need tons of people. You could also consider a mix of remote work and onsite work such as online tutoring, call centers, data processing, vaccine site work, etc. Good luck.
Desiree Giler Mann
Attorney
166
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Desiree’s Answer
I worked as a high school student and as a university student to help off-set the cost of my university education. I think the biggest challenge is swallowing your pride to do whatever jobs are willing to hire part-time students with little (or no) experience. I worked at a grocery store, summer wilderness camp (starting at a low position in the kitchen and, over time working my way to head life guard & trek leader), in the computer lab at school, teaching swim lessons, and some other random things, until I got a paid internship (whilst a university student) that was my first truly career-related job. It might not be practical or feasible to expect a position that immediately puts you on a career path as a student. So my advise is: swallow your pride and start somewhere - dishwasher, pool cleaner, retail store, nearby fast-food restaurant, whatever. It might not be glamorous, but everyone starts somewhere.
Even if the you you get is not your dream job at first, be patient, do every job well and try to learn whatever lessons you can. Whether its the routine of managing your work schedule, dealing with customers, learning how to work with different manager types, etc. Any job can be a learning experience. And it will be something you can use as "experience" when you apply for your next job.
(That said, I know someone who started working part-time as a high school student in a big chain retail store, and worked his way up to VP in the company, so don't necessarily dismiss the growth opportunities offered to you along the way!)
Even if the you you get is not your dream job at first, be patient, do every job well and try to learn whatever lessons you can. Whether its the routine of managing your work schedule, dealing with customers, learning how to work with different manager types, etc. Any job can be a learning experience. And it will be something you can use as "experience" when you apply for your next job.
(That said, I know someone who started working part-time as a high school student in a big chain retail store, and worked his way up to VP in the company, so don't necessarily dismiss the growth opportunities offered to you along the way!)