Argh! Resume Help.

[xPrometheusx]

Help me internet! My resume is a disaster! And by that I mean I don't even really have one.

Maybe I'm being bullheaded or suffering from a creative block or something, but it seems like I'm stuck in a paradox in regards to finding a job. The context: I've been outta high school for 6 or 7 months now. I graduated with average marks and around a 3.0 GPA. I'm currently in my first semester at the local community college.

I'm trying to write a resume because I can put in job applications at every business in the city, but I don't get attention if I don't have a resume. I'd say about 95% of all the applications I've turned in are online, which means that my only opportunity to make an impression beyond my unimpressive just-out-of-high-school application is when I walk in to hand in my resume.

The problem is, I have no previous work experience, no notable working skills (what do I do for my hobbies - I play video games, trade cards and do internet-stuff. So I guess I can, and have, add 'proficient typist' to that list), no suitable contacts to list, etc. etc. But to get any of that stuff I /need/ a job.

So... just, I'm frustrated to the point of tears, since my parents are continually badgering my to get a job while simultaneously completely goddamn stumped when I ask them what I should put on my resume. When I asked, most of my friends got jobs because they knew someone in the work - family or other friends, mostly, - and what with me being a social hermit crab, that's out. One of the only people I know who got in on because of an application>resume>interview process listed a couple of friends to /lie for her/ on her contact list, and completely BSed the previous work experience in tangent with that. Hell, she offered to do the same for me. That's where I'm at.

Help?

 

[Esotera]

Try and get some work experience (possibly for free if you have to) and use that as a reference or foothold into a paid position. It won't necessarily be easy but the saying goes that it's a lot easier to get a new job when you already have one. And having good, recent references will help a massive amount.

 

[JoJo]

I'm in a similar situation to you, I've been unemployed since the end of August. My recommendation is to volunteer somewhere, there's plenty of places that'll gratefully receive your help with open arms and it's something to put down on an application form. If you've got a specific job in mind you want, choose a voluntary role as similar as possible or if you don't, just choose something you think you'll enjoy so it isn't a chore to do.

 

[tippy2k2]

A few things that might help...

Volunteer
Esotera and Jojo are right on the nose about volunteering. If you have no one who can give you a reference, volunteering is a great way to fill that gap, demonstrate work ethic, and gives your resume something to fill it in. A catch-22 of resumes is that the longer you go without having a job, the harder it will be to get one since they wonder why you have gaps.

Tailor your resume to the job offering
This sounds strange but I've been assured that it's a real killer for people. Let's say you have a job opening with these qualifications (I'm grabbing a random job off of Monster.com):

Spoiler

Preferred Qualifications:

Strong problem solving, analytic, conceptual and critical thinking skills

Advanced MS Excel modeling skills

Self-motivated to quickly learn and understand new concepts and technologies

Put every one of these (using the wording of the job posting) in your resume somehow. For example:

Do: Strong problem solving skills with the ability to quickly learn and understand new concepts
Don't: Great ability solve issues as they arrive and the patience to learn

You've basically said the same thing in both sentences. HOWEVER, because many HR departments are getting a ton of resumes, many of them are fed through an automated program to weed out ones that don't qualify. By having "keywords" in your resume, you increase your chance that the program will not auto-reject you.

Talk to your friends/relatives/drinking buddies
You hinted at it in your thread but for a lot of positions, who you know is more important than what you know. Not always the case but if my boss was looking for a position, he's going to take my word that my friend would be a great fit over the word of a random reference

Don't be afraid to take a job "beneath you"
I'm not going to make any assumptions here but a big problem I seem to see is people will not apply or they will reject jobs because they're "not what they want to do" or "beneath them". A job is a job and a job is better than no job. While it does make it harder to continue looking for employment if you're at a job already, having even a low paying job helps fills your resume, opens doors, and gives you some income

Temp Agency
I don't know if this is an option for you but I received my job via a temp agency. They are very very nice resources that I think people under utilize. While there is risk obviously, being a temp gives you flexibility, gets you in the door, and gets you a paycheck. I had two jobs at the temp agency; one that failed and I was let go a year into it and one that worked out so well that a year later, they hired me on as a permanent. A great resource.

Through school
This isn't an option for everyone but it sounds like you're going to school. The vast majority of Universities will be able to get you a job working with the school. It probably won't be great (I was a dishwasher, librarian, Teachers Assistant, usher for the school theater, and janitor in my four years at college) but again, jobs a job.

Good luck! I hope that something in here can help you

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

I'm already assuming you're going for qualification jobs, like a cashier at Walmart or something. If not, then you need to step down.

If you have no work experience, start naming off social events that you often went to. Fundraisers, or sports, or afterschool activities like band. Say that it made you social and you can apply that to your job and other employees, say that you took some leadership positions, say that it taught you time management and responsibilities getting to or from places, and that it taught you other garbage like thinking from the view of other people, treating everyone equally, and going above and beyond your workload.

I think 'apply' is the word you want. Everything you learned from every social experience you somehow apply it to some aspect of your life. You probably don't need analogies, that makes a resume look unprofessional.

Some things to spice a resume more is some pretty stupid facts about yourself that necessarily don't have to be true. You have extensive knowledge of Windows OS and Microsoft Office programs, you took three years of Spanish in high school which makes you pretty proficient in Spanish, you're curteous and self-motivated, you take the lead in most situations, whatever else.

For references, look for people in your life who you generally like. A youth director at church, a parent of a friend, someone who volunteers at some afterschool venues. Charisma of the reference goes a long way in references, probably further than anything they say about you. (They should be full of praises for you, though.) A worker on the inside who is a reference is just a humongous timesaver for management, instead of calling up a number and dealing with no responses, management spends maybe forty seconds talking to a person who is on the job anyway.

But that means nothing if you don't apply yourself to getting a job. Write a list of thirty different places you want to work at. Then, reorganize the list so that the ones you find most desirable are at the top, and the last resorts are at the bottom. Send in one application a day. Your point is to get a job, not to apply for a job and be done with job-hunting for that day.

Another thing: online applications suck. Go in store, seeing someone who is independent enough to work with the application and turn it into the hiring manager (by the way, make sure the resume only is handed to the hiring manager: if not, walk out and try again later), charismatic enough to charm the people they talk to, and eager enough to ask if there are any open positions and if they could get an interview -- boil over a lot better than online junk.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

Tailor your resume to the job offering
This sounds strange but I've been assured that it's a real killer for people. Let's say you have a job opening with these qualifications (I'm grabbing a random job off of Monster.com):

Spoiler

Preferred Qualifications:

Strong problem solving, analytic, conceptual and critical thinking skills

Advanced MS Excel modeling skills

Self-motivated to quickly learn and understand new concepts and technologies

Put every one of these (using the wording of the job posting) in your resume somehow. For example:

Do: Strong problem solving skills with the ability to quickly learn and understand new concepts
Don't: Great ability solve issues as they arrive and the patience to learn

You've basically said the same thing in both sentences. HOWEVER, because many HR departments are getting a ton of resumes, many of them are fed through an automated program to weed out ones that don't qualify. By having "keywords" in your resume, you increase your chance that the program will not auto-reject you.

I'll start by emphasising this, it's an excellent point. Many companies operate on a tick box system when whittling down resumes, especially in today's market where the crappest jobs are getting huge numbers of applications. Don't create one resume and stick it in every job application, rewrite it every time to specifically mention the job requirements listed.

Apart from that, be prepared to start small and trivial, and work your way up from there. Your first job will probably be more for the purpose of using it in future interviews to say "Working here gave me experience in X, Y, and Z" instead of being the job you truly want to do.

If you are trying to enter a really competitive field I would recommend volunteering for work experience at a private company. I have seen several cases of people getting jobs by going door to door asking to work for free in their profession of choice, and after the employer has seen them work and knows their competency, offers them a job through that.

Best of luck.

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

Through school
This isn't an option for everyone but it sounds like you're going to school. The vast majority of Universities will be able to get you a job working with the school. It probably won't be great (I was a dishwasher, librarian, Teachers Assistant, usher for the school theater, and janitor in my four years at college) but again, jobs a job.

Good luck! I hope that something in here can help you

Second. I've worked "media and technical" support at my college for the last 2 years and its been a great experience. Before that I worked at good 'ol McDonald's and while not horrible, I don't feel like I gained a lot of experience there (I used to be embarrassed to put that on an application but remember that employers are just regular dudes and they could relate to the dedication it takes to work that kind of job). I put "media and technical" in quotes because I do a bunch of different stuff now: support faculty, set up and manage equipment, diagnose hardware and computer problems, and even working around other people in an office setting has been an educational experience. I have no way of knowing if your experience would be the same (I go to a small, American Catholic college) but I can say working closely with a small community of people is much different than working an impersonal fast paced job like a restaurant. Not to mention, its great for building a connections with faculty members

As for how to get one, my job is through a scholarship program I qualified for. You might want to talk to some kind of financial aid office

If you're still worried about your lack of experience, here's how my interview for McDonald's went:

"Can you stand in a 90 degree kitchen for 8 hours without passing out?"
"Uh, yes"
"Orientation is next Wednesday"